General

Why For?

Once again, Jim Hill answers your Mouse-related questions. This time around, Jim talks about NYC’s Jekyll & Hyde Club, Epcot’s proposed Russian pavilion, WDW’s never-built Mediterranean Resort as well as revealing what became of former JHM columnist, Chuck Oberleitner.

Published

20 years ago

October 28, 2004

Jim Hill

First of, Nick T. writes in to say:

Dear Jim,

I really enjoyed the stories that you did earlier this week about about NYC’s “World of Disney” store . (I wish you’d given your Tri-State readers a heads-up that you were coming into the City this past weekend. I know that if I’d had some advance notice that you were coming, I’d have made a special trip into town just to meet you, Cory & Jeff. Maybe grab a bite to eat together so that we could all schmooze about the Mouse).

Speaking of eating, I was wondering if you could tell me something about one of my favorite dining spots in the city, the Jekyll and Hyde Club on Seventh Avenue. For years now, I’ve heard that this horror themed restaurant has had some sort of tie to the Walt Disney Company. But none of the staff at the club will ever talk about this whenever I ask them.

Which is why I turn to you, Mr. Hill. Do you know anything about NYC’s Jekyll & Hyde Club (which certainly looks like it belongs in a Disney theme park) and how this restaurant is tied to the Mouse?

Thanks in advance for your help, Jim. ( And seriously, the next time you’re headed into the City, let me know, okay? I’d be happy to buy you lunch at the Carnegie Deli sometime.)

Nick T.

Dear Nick,

Thanks for the kind offer of lunch at the Carnegie Deli. Which I may actually take you up on someday. (That’s one of the problems of living way-the-hell out here in the woods. Sure, you get to see some pretty amazing wildlife. Like the 11 turkeys that strolled up our driveway yesterday afternoon. But — that said — it’s still quite a schlep whenever you’re jonesing for kosher pickles & chicken liver.)

Anyway … You asked about NYC’s Jekyll & Hyde Club. Which I have to admit is a pretty fun place to eat. Yeah, this horror themed restaurant should seem familiar to Disney theme park fans. After all, much of the theming for this Manhattan eatry was “borrowed” directly from two WDW icons: The Adventurers Club at Pleasure Island and the Haunted Mansion at the Magic Kingdom.

Don’t believe me? Then take a look at this photo of the Grand Salon at the Jekyll & Hyde Club.

PHOTO BY JEFF LANGE

Please notice the large semi-nude statue of Zeus at the center of the room. Well, how many of you remember the statue that strikes a similar pose at the center of the main salon at WDW’s Adventurers Club?

Or — better yet — how about this picture of Fang the Gargoyle.

PHOTO BY JEFF LANGE

Who periodically comes to life and hassles the patrons at the restaurant. In much the same way that Colonel Critchlow Suchbench will suddenly awake from his nap and harass WDW visitors as they tour the Adventurers Club.

As for the atmosphere of the Jekyll & Hyde Club, that seems to have come straight from WDW’s Haunted Mansion. For example, the wall of its library are lined with portraits that make use of that old Rolly Crump gag (I.E. Their eyes seem follow your every move). And — every so often — an animatronic band of ghouls suddenly come to life, playing oddily appropriate songs like Warren Zevon’s “Werewolves of London” and Right Said Fred’s “I’m Too Sexy.”

PHOTO BY JEFF LANGE

Okay, I know. I can hear the more kind-hearted of you JHM readers out there saying stuff like: “Oh, Jim. It’s just a co-incidence that NYC’s Jekyll & Hyde Club has all of these Disney-esque elements. I mean, it’s not like the Mouse actually has a copyright on portraits with moving eyes and/or animatronics.”

Well, what if I were to tell you that the guy who helped create NYC’s Jekyll & Hyde Club was a former WDW cast member? More importantly, that this gentleman (who wrote many of the sketches that are performed at the restaurant) actually once worked at the Adventurers Club? As a member of the opening cast of that Pleasure Island nightclub no less?

So is it really a co-incidence that this Manhattan eatry features many of the same show elements as the Adventurers Club? That its design seems to be heavily influenced by that Disney theme park favorite, the Haunted Mansion? I’ll let you be the judge of that.

PHOTO BY JEFF LANGE

Anyway … If you’re looking for an unusual place to dine the next time you’re in Manhattan, you might want to go check out the Jekyll & Hyde Club. A little slice of Orlando just down the street from Central Park.

If you’d like further information on the Jekyll & Hyde Club (And/or if you’d like to see additional photos that will give you a real sense of just how much this horror themed restaurant “borrows” from Disney’s Haunted Mansion attraction as well as WDW’s Adventurers Club), we suggest that you follow this link to the official Jekyll & Hyde Club website. Which will give you the restaurant’s operating hours, tell you how to book birthday parties in advance, etc.

And — speaking of Disney attractions — LanaLovesLois writes in to ask:

Jim:

About 10 years ago, I remember hearing that Epcot’s World Showcase was supposed to get a Russian pavilion. Whatever happened to that plan?

Dear LanaLovesLois:

Yeah, the Imagineers had a really great plan already to go. I mean, take a look at this killer concept painting:

CONCEPT PHOTO COURTESY OF DISNEY WORLD PUBLICITY

Originally envisioned as one of the signature pieces of the Disney Decade (You know? That ambitious expansion plan that Michael Eisner announced in the late 1980s which detailed all of the cool stuff that the Mouse was going to add to its theme parks during the 1990s? Only to have just a handful of these projects actually ever make it off the drawing board? Anyway … ), this elaborate Epcot addition would have been impressive, to say the least. Its St. Basil’s inspired central building was to have housed “Let the Bells of Freedom Ring,” a Soviet history show which — just like “The American Adventure” — was to have featured a clever mix of film & audio animatronics. This proposed World Showcase pavilion was also to have housed a kid-friendly dark ride, where Epcot visitors would have boarded brightly colored sleds & slid past scenes from Russian folklore.

Sounds like a pretty snazzy addition to that theme park, doesn’t it? So why didn’t Epcot ever get its Russian pavilion? To be honest, it was mostly because a suitable Soviet sponsor never came forward to pick up the projected construction & operational costs of this proposed World Showcase addition.

CONCEPT PHOTO COURTESY OF DISNEY WORLD PUBLICITY

This situation (as I understand it) was very similiar to the dilemma that Walt Disney Productions faced in the mid-to-late 1980s. When the Imagineers had an African pavilion all designed & ready to go. Only to find that the only companies who were willing to come forward and underwrite the construction of this proposed World Showcase addition were corporations that were based in South Africa. Which — thanks to that country’s apartheid policy — Disney didn’t view any South African companies as suitable partners for any Epcot projects. Which is why World Showcase’s African pavilion never came into being.

As for Epcot’s soviet pavilion … I’m told that the companies (in the late 1980s / early 1990s, anyway) who approached the Mouse about underwiting the cost of constructing this proposed World Showcase addition all had ties to the Russian mob. Which understandably made Mickey reluctant to accept their money.

Of course, one can always hope that some African company that DOESN’T have ties to controversial policies will eventually come forward and say: “I’d like to underwrite the cost of building Epcot’s Africa pavilion” and/or some enterprising & honest Soviet entrepeneur will whip out his checkbook and say: “How much would you need to build Epcot’s Russia pavilion?” But given current socio-economic conditions in these corners of the globe … Well, I wouldn’t hold my breath.

And — speaking of far-flung corners of the map — UglyPugDog writes in to ask:

Wasn’t Disney supposed to build another couple of hotels down along Seven Seas Lagoon? I remember reading somewhere that — back in the late 1960s — that the Walt Disney Company had all these plans for additional monorail hotels at Disney World. If I’m remembering correctly, one was supposed to be Persian-themed. While another (which I think was supposed to be built where the Grand Flo is now) would have been Thai-themed. While still another was supposed to have been Venetian-themed. Or was that Mediterranean-themed?

Whatever became of all these plans, Jim?

UglyPugDog:

Well, at least in the case of WDW’s proposed Venetian-themed hotel, the problem wasn’t that the Mouse had lost all enthusiasm for the project. In fact, for years now, Disney has desperately wanted to build a new resort along that weird piece of waterfront property that stretches from the TTC all the way to the Contemporary Resort. They know that tourists would pay top dollar for a room that would offer that sort of view of Seven Seas Lagoon.

The only problem is this piece of Disney World property is ridiculously swampy. “How swampy?,” you ask. So swampy that — on three separate occassions, when Disney’s engineers drove concrete pilings into the ground, to see if this area along Seven Seas Lagoon would be a stable enough spot to support a new resort — these test footings disappeared. Sinking straight down into the ground, never to be seen again.

Which is why the Mouse abandoned its plans to build a Venetian-themed hotel (Which was to have been a super-sized resort, something similar in size & weight to the Contemporary) and opted to go with something smaller: the Mediterranean resort hotel.

CONCEPT PHOTO COURTESY OF DISNEY WORLD PUBLICITY

As you can see by this photograph of a model of WDW’s proposed Mediterranean hotel, this would have been a much smaller project which would have occupied a much smaller footprint. Which Disney’s engineers hoped would make the safe construction of this resort along Seven Seas Lagoon possible. But when the test footings for this proposed WDW addition also disappeared into the mud, never to be seen again, Mickey finally had to admit defeat.

Which is why this stretch of Disney World’s waterfront — with its primo view of the Magic Kingdom — remains hotel-free. Mind you, the Imagineers remain hopefully that maybe someday a construction technique will be invented that will allow the Mouse to built a massive new resort on this soggy piece of property. But until that day comes, this corner of Seven Seas Lagoon remains hotel-free.

And — speaking of building new things: Remember how I told you folks that I’d give you a heads-up when former JHM columnist Chuck Oberleitner returned to the Web? Well, I’m pleased to report that Chuck has finally resurfaced. And that — rather than write for someone else on the Internet — Mr. Oberleitner has decided to start up his very website: www.o-meon.com

If you follow the above link, you’ll get to check out what is basically the beta version of Chuck’s site. O-meon.com’s official unveiling isn’t supposed to happen ’til Tuesday, November 9th. But — if you drop by the site right now — you’ll see that Mr. Oberleitner has put together a story that talks about the 50th anniversary of Disney’s weekly TV series. Which (not-so-co-incidentally) was actually this past Wednesday.

So — if you want a really good read — we suggest that you regularly drop by www.o-mean.com and see what Chuck is up to. I’m sure that Mr. Oberleitner will have plenty of stories to interest Disneyana fans in the weeks & months ahead.

Anywho … That’s it for this week, folks. Here’s hoping that you all have a safe & happy Halloween. Please remember to set your clocks back on Saturday night … And I guess we’ll talk again come Monday, okay?

General

Seward Johnson bronzes add a surreal, artistic touch to NYC’s Garment District

Published

9 years ago

June 23, 2015

Jim Hill

Greetings from NYC. Nancy and I drove down from New
Hampshire yesterday because we'll be checking out
Disney Consumer Products' annual Holiday Showcase later today.

Anyway … After checking into our hotel (i.e., The Paul.
Which is located down in NYC's NoMad district), we decided to grab some dinner.
Which is how we wound up at the Melt Shop.

Photo by Jim Hill

Which is this restaurant that only sells grilled cheese sandwiches.
This comfort food was delicious, but kind of on the heavy side.

Photo by Jim Hill

Which is why — given that it was a beautiful summer night
— we'd then try and walk off our meals. We started our stroll down by the Empire
State Building
…

Photo by Jim Hill

… and eventually wound up just below Times
Square (right behind where the Waterford Crystal Times Square New
Year's Eve Ball is kept).

Photo by Jim Hill

But you know what we discovered en route? Right in the heart
of Manhattan's Garment District
along Broadway between 36th and 41st? This incredibly cool series of life-like
and life-sized sculptures that Seward
Johnson has created.

Photo by Jim Hill

And — yes — that is Abraham Lincoln (who seems to have
slipped out of WDW's Hall of Presidents when no one was looking and is now
leading tourists around Times Square). These 18 painted
bronze pieces (which were just installed late this past Sunday night / early
Monday morning) range from the surreal to the all-too-real.

Photo by Jim Hill

Some of these pieces look like typical New Yorkers. Like the
business woman planning out her day …

Photo by Jim Hill

… the postman delivering the mail …

Photo by Jim Hill

… the hot dog vendor working at his cart …

Photo by Jim Hill

… the street musician playing for tourists …

Photo by Jim Hill

Not to mention the tourists themselves.

Photo by Jim Hill

But right alongside the bronze businessmen …

Photo by Jim Hill

… and the tired grandmother hauling her groceries home …

Photo by Jim Hill

… there were also statues representing people who were
from out-of-town …

Photo by Jim Hill

… or — for that matter — out-of-time.

Photo by Jim Hill

These were the Seward Johnson pieces that genuinely beguiled. Famous impressionist paintings brought to life in three dimensions.

Note the out-of-period water bottle that some tourist left
behind. Photo by Jim Hill

Some of them so lifelike that you actually had to pause for
a moment (especially as day gave way to night in the city) and say to yourself
"Is that one of the bronzes? Or just someone pretending to be one of these
bronzes?"

Mind you, for those of you who aren't big fans of the
impressionists …

Photo by Jim Hill

… there's also an array of American icons. Among them
Marilyn Monroe …

Photo by Jim Hill

… and that farmer couple from Grant Wood's "American
Gothic."

Photo by Jim Hill

But for those of you who know your NYC history, it's hard to
beat that piece which recreates Alfred Eisenstaedt's famous photograph of V-J Day in Times Square.

Photo by Jim Hill

By the way, a 25-foot-tall version of this particular Seward
Johnson piece ( which — FYI — is entitled "Embracing Peace") will actually
be placed in Times Square for a few days on or around August 14th to commemorate the 70th
anniversary of Victory Over Japan Day (V-J Day).

Photo by Jim Hill

By the way, if you'd like to check these Seward Johnson bronzes in
person (which — it should be noted — are part of the part of the Garment
District Alliance's new public art offering) — you'd best schedule a trip to
the City sometime over the next three months. For these pieces will only be on
display now through September 15th.

General

Wondering what you should “Boldly Go” see at the movies next year? The 2015 Licensing Expo offers you some clues

Published

9 years ago

June 10, 2015

Jim Hill

Greeting from the 2015 Licensing Expo, which is being held
at the Mandalay Bay
Convention Center in Las
Vegas.

Photo by Jim Hill

I have to admit that I enjoy covering the Licensing Expo.
Mostly becomes it allows bloggers & entertainment writers like myself to
get a peek over the horizon. Scope out some of the major motion pictures &
TV shows that today's vertically integrated entertainment conglomerates
(Remember when these companies used to be called movie studios?) will be
sending our way over the next two years or so.

Photo by Jim Hill

Take — for example — all of "The Secret Life of
Pets" banners that greeted Expo attendees as they made their way to the
show floor today. I actually got to see some footage from this new Illumination
Entertainment production (which will hit theaters on July 8, 2016) the last time I was in Vegas. Which
was for CinemaCon back in April. And the five or so minutes of film that I viewed
suggested that "The Secret Life of Pets" will be a really funny
animated feature.

Photo by Jim Hill

Mind you, Universal Pictures wanted to make sure that Expo
attendees remembered that there was another Illumination Entertainment production
coming-to-a-theater-near-them before "The Secret Life of Pets" (And
that's "Minions," the "Despicable Me" prequel. Which
premieres at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival next week but
won't be screened stateside 'til July 10th of this year). Which is why they had
three minions who were made entirely out of LEGOS loitering out in the lobby.

Photo by Jim Hill

And Warner Bros. — because they wanted "Batman v
Superman: Dawn of Justice" to start trending on Twitter today — brought
the Batmobile to Las Vegas.

Photo by Jim Hill

Not to mention full-sized macquettes of Batman, Superman and
Wonder Woman. Just so conventioneers could then see what these DC superheroes
would actually look like in this eagerly anticipated, March 25, 2016 release.

Photo by Jim Hill

That's the thing that can sometimes be a wee bit frustrating
about the Licensing Expo. It's all about delayed gratification. You'll come
around a corner and see this 100 foot-long ad for "The Peanuts Movie"
and think "Hey, that looks great. I want to see that Blue Sky Studios production
right now." It's only then that you notice the fine print and realize that
"The Peanuts Movie" doesn't actually open in theaters 'til November
6th of this year.

Photo by Jim Hill

And fan of Blue Sky's "Ice Age" film franchise are in for an even
longer wait. Given that the latest installment in that top grossing series
doesn't arrive in theaters 'til July
15, 2016.

Photo by Jim Hill

Of course, if you're one of those people who needs immediate
gratification when it comes to your entertainment, there was stuff like that to
be found at this year's Licensing Expo. Take — for example — how the WWE
booth was actually shaped like a wrestling ring. Which — I'm guessing — meant
that if the executives of World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. didn't like
the offer that you were making, they were then allowed to toss you out over the
top rope, Royal Rumble-style.

Photo by Jim Hill

I also have to admit that — as a longtime Star Trek fan —
it was cool to see the enormous Starship Enterprise that hung in place over the
CBS booth. Not to mention getting a glimpse of the official Star Trek 50th
Anniversary logo.

Photo by Jim Hill

I was also pleased to see lots of activity in The Jim Henson
Company booth. Which suggests that JHC has actually finally carved out a
post-Muppets identity for itself.

Photo by Jim Hill

Likewise for all of us who were getting a little concerned
about DreamWorks Animation (what with all the layoffs & write-downs &
projects that were put into turnaround or outright cancelled last year), it was
nice to see that booth bustling.

Photo by Jim Hill

Every so often, you'd come across some people who were
promoting a movie that you weren't entirely sure that you actually wanted to
see (EX: "Angry Birds," which Sony Pictures Entertainment / Columbia
Pictures will be releasing to theaters on May 20, 2016). But then you remembered that Clay Kaytis —
who's this hugely talented former Walt Disney Animation Studios animator — is
riding herd on "Angry Birds" with Fergal Reilly. And you'd think
"Well, if Clay's working on 'Angry Birds,' I'm sure this animated feature
will turn out fine."

Photo by Jim Hill

Mind you, there were reminders at this year's Licensing Expo
of great animated features that we're never going to get to see now. I still
can't believe — especially after that brilliant proof-of-concept footage
popped up online last year — that Sony execs decided not to go forward
with production of Genndy Tartakovsky's
"Popeye" movie. But that's the
cruel thing about the entertainment business, folks. It will sometime break
your heart.

Photo by Jim Hill

And make no mistake about this. The Licensing Expo is all
about business. That point was clearly driven home at this year's show when —
as you walked through the doors of the Mandalay
Bay Convention Center
— the first thing that you saw was the Hasbros Booth. Which was this gleaming,
sleek two story-tall affair full of people who were negotiating deals &
signing contracts for all of the would-be summer blockbusters that have already
announced release dates for 2019 & beyond.

Photo by Jim Hill

"But what about The Walt Disney Company?," you
ask. "Weren't they represented on the show floor at this year's Licensing
Expo?" Not really, not. I mean, sure. There were a few companies there hyping
Disney-related products. Take — for example — the Disney Wikkeez people.

Photo by Jim Hill

I'm assuming that some Disney Consumer Products exec is
hoping that Wikkeez will eventually become the new Tsum Tsum. But to be blunt,
these little hard plastic figures don't seem to have the same huggable charm
that those stackable plush do. But I've been wrong before. So let's see what
happens with Disney Wikkeez once they start showing up on the shelves of the
Company's North American retail partners.

Photo by Jim Hill

And speaking of Disney's retail partners … They were
meeting with Mouse House executives behind closed doors one floor down from the
official show floor for this year's Licensing Expo.

Photo by Jim Hill

And the theme for this year's invitation-only Disney shindig? "Timeless
Stories" involving the Disney, Pixar, Marvel & Lucasfilm brands that
would then appeal to "tomorrow's consumer."

Photo by Jim Hill

And just to sort of hammer home the idea that Disney is no
longer the Company which cornered the market when it comes to little girls
(i.e., its Disney Princess and Disney Fairies franchises), check out this
wall-sized Star Wars-related image that DCP put up just outside of one of its
many private meeting rooms. "See?," this carefully crafted photo
screams. "It isn't just little boys who want to wield the Force. Little
girls also want to grow up and be Lords of the Sith."

Photo by Jim Hill

One final, kind-of-ironic note: According to this banner,
Paramount Pictures will be releasing a movie called "Amusement Park"
to theaters sometime in 2017.

Photo by Jim Hill

Well, given all the "Blackfish" -related issues
that have been dogged SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment over the past two years, I'm
just hoping that they'll still be in the amusement park business come 2017.

Your thoughts?

General

It takes more than three circles to craft a Classic version of Mickey Mouse

Published

9 years ago

June 9, 2015

Jim Hill

You know what Mickey Mouse looks like, right? Little guy,
big ears?

Truth be told, Disney's corporate symbol has a lot of
different looks. If Mickey's interacting with Guests at Disneyland
Park (especially this summer, when
the Happiest Place on Earth
is celebrating its 60th anniversary), he looks & dresses like this.

Or when he's appearing in one of those Emmy Award-winning shorts that Disney
Television Animation has produced (EX: "Bronco Busted," which debuts
on the Disney Channel tonight at 8 p.m. ET / PT), Mickey is drawn in a such a
way that he looks hip, cool, edgy & retro all at the same time.

Looking ahead to 2017 now, when Disney Junior rolls out "Mickey and the
Roadster Racers," this brand-new animated series will feature a sportier version
of Disney's corporate symbol. One that Mouse House managers hope will persuade
preschool boys to more fully embrace this now 86 year-old character.

That's what most people don't realize about the Mouse. The
Walt Disney Company deliberately tailors Mickey's look, even his style of
movement, depending on what sort of project / production he's appearing in.

Take — for example — Disney
California Adventure
Park's "World of Color:
Celebrate!" Because Disney's main mouse would be co-hosting this new
nighttime lagoon show with ace emcee Neil Patrick Harris, Eric Goldberg really had
to step up Mickey's game. Which is why this master Disney animator created
several minutes of all-new Mouse animation which then showed that Mickey was
just as skilled a showman as Neil was.

Better yet, let's take a look at what the folks at Avalanche Studios just went
through as they attempted to create a Classic version of Mickey & Minnie.
One that would then allow this popular pair to become part of Disney Infinity
3.0.

"I won't lie to you. We were under a lot of pressure to
get the look of this particular version of Mickey — he's called Red Pants
Mickey around here — just right," said Jeff Bunker, the VP of Art
Development at Avalanche Studios, during a recent phone interview. "When
we brought Sorcerer Mickey into Disney Infinity 1.0 back in January of 2014,
that one was relatively easy because … Well, everyone knows what Mickey Mouse
looked like when he appeared in 'Fantasia.' "

"But this time around, we were being asked to design
THE Mickey & Minnie," Bunker continued. "And given that these Classic
Disney characters have been around in various different forms for the better
part of the last century … Well, which look was the right look?"

Which is why Jeff and his team at Avalanche Studios began watching hours &
hours of Mickey Mouse shorts. As they tried to get a handle on which look would
work best for these characters in Disney Infinity 3.0.

"And we went all the way back to the very start of Mickey's career. We began
with 'Steamboat Willie' and then watched all of those black & white Mickey shorts
that Walt made back in the late 1920s & early 1930s. From there, we
transitioned to his Technicolor shorts. Which is when Mickey went from being
this pie-eyed, really feisty character to more of a well-behaved leading
man," Bunker recalled. "We then finished out our Mouse marathon by
watching all of those new Mickey shorts that Paul Rudish & his team have
been creating for Disney Television Animation. Those cartoons really recapture
a lot of the spirit and wild slapstick fun that Mickey's early, black &
white shorts had."

But given that the specific assignment that Avalanche Studios had been handed
was to create the most appealing looking, likeable version of Mickey Mouse
possible … In the end, Jeff and his team wound up borrowing bits & pieces
from a lot of different versions of the world's most famous mouse. So that
Classic Mickey would then look & move in a way that best fit the sort of
gameplay which people would soon be able to experience with Disney Infinity
3.0.

"That — in a lot of ways — was actually the toughest
part of the Classic Mickey design project. You have to remember that one of the
key creative conceits of Disney Infinity
is that all the characters which appear in this game are toys," Bunker
stated. "Okay. So they're beautifully detailed, highly stylized toy
versions of beloved Disney, Pixar, Marvel & Lucasfilm characters. But
they're still supposed to be toys. So our Classic versions of Mickey &
Minnie have the same sort of thickness & sturdiness to them that toys have.
So that they'll then be able to fit right in with all of the rest of the
characters that Avalanche Studios had previously designed for Disney Infinity."

And then there was the matter of coming up with just the
right pose for Classic Mickey & Minnie. Which — to hear Jeff tell the
story — involved input from a lot of Disney upper management.

"Everyone within the Company seemed to have an opinion
about how Mickey & Minnie should be posed. More to the point, if you Google
Mickey, you then discover that there are literally thousands of poses out there
for these two. Though — truth be told — a lot of those kind of play off the
way Mickey poses when he's being Disney's corporate symbol," Bunker said.
"But what I was most concerned about was that Mickey's pose had to work
with Minnie's pose. Because we were bringing the Classic versions of these
characters up into Disney Infinity 3.0 at the exact same time. And we wanted to
make sure — especially for those fans who like to put their Disney Infinity
figures on display — that Mickey's pose would then complement Minnie.

Which is why Jeff & the crew at Avalanche Studios
decided — when it came to Classic Mickey & Minnie's pose — that they
should go all the way back to the beginning. Which is why these two Disney icons
are sculpted in such a way that it almost seems as though you're witnessing the
very first time Mickey set eyes on Minnie.

"And what was really great about that was — as soon as
we began showing people within the Company this pose — everyone at Disney
quickly got on board with the idea. I mean, the Classic Mickey that we sculpted
for Disney Infinity 3.0 is clearly a very playful, spunky character. But at the
same time, he's obviously got eyes for Minnie," Bunker concluded. "So
in the end, we were able to come up with Classic versions of these characters
that will work well within the creative confines of Disney Infinity 3.0 but at
the same time please those Disney fans who just collect these figures because
they like the way the Disney Infinity characters look."

So now that this particular design project is over, does
Jeff regret that Mouse House upper management was so hands-on when it came to
making sure that the Classic versions of Mickey & Minnie were specifically
tailored to fit the look & style of gameplay found in Disney Infinity 3.0?

"To be blunt, we go through this every time we add a new character to the
game. The folks at Lucasfilm were just as hands-on when we were designing the
versions of Darth Vader and Yoda that will also soon be appearing in Disney
Infinity 3.0," Bunker laughed. "So in the end, if the character's
creators AND the fans are happy, then I'm happy."

This article was originally posted on the Huffington Post's Entertainment page on Tuesday, June 9, 2015