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A Monday Mélange that tries to keep you abreast …

… of certain rumors that are bouncing around about “Herbie: Fully Loaded.” Plus we have an update on “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” as well as a brand new JHM readers contest!

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As I was watching the Academy Awards last night, I got this e-mail from Terry Q.

Jim

Did you just see Johnny Depp? Boy, did he look scruffy. Is this Johnny’s way of thumbing his nose at the Academy for not giving him the Best Actor award last year? Or is there some other reason that Depp decided not to shave today?

Just curious,

Terry Q.

Dear Terry —

Actually, Johnny was sporting that goatee on the red carpet last night because he’s reporting for work today on “Pirates of the Caribbean II & III.”

Yep, production on the two sequels to Walt Disney Picture’s 2003 blockbuster officially gets underway later today. Mr. Depp is due over at Universal Studios this afternoon to begin rehearsals on “Dead Man’s Chest.

“Why is Depp going over to Universal Studios?,” you ask. “Isn’t ‘Pirates’ supposed to be a Disney picture?” Well, here. Let’s let loyal JHM reader Don J. explain:

You may be interested to know that “Pirates” ‘s village scenes, which are (to be) shot at Universal Studios Hollywood, are nearly done being built. We were just there on one of their VIP Experience tours. And while they couldn’t take us through the area, we did get to stand right on the edge and watch some of the construction and “set dressing.” The tour guide told us Disney’s rented the area for quite some time and plans to shoot scenes from (both) movies before striking the set.

Given that Al Lutz regularly publishes photos that he gets of the USH backlot, I would imagine that it won’t be too long before we see some really great shots of the “POTC” sets popping up over at miceage.com.

Though  — to be honest — if you folks really want to know about what’s going on the set of the “POTC” sequels, there’s only one site that you need to check out: KeepToTheCode.com.

According to Bruce Cain, one of the guys behind this sure-to-be-fun website:

“We want KeepToTheCode.com to be the one-stop shop for all things Pirates of the Caribbean. We’ve established relationships with several outside sources. So we have a few incredibly fun tricks up our sleeve that we think site visitors will really enjoy: Contests, Pirates prize giveaways, and a lot more. It will be time well spent for any Pirates fan.”

Cain & Co.’s plans for KeepToTheCode.com include regular updates of the production of the “POTC” sequels, reviews of various “Pirates” related products (Including NECA — AKA the National Entertainment Collectibles Association — ‘s incredibly cool “Pirates” action figures), interviews with folks who actually worked on the films as well as those WED veterans who helped create the original attraction, some multimedia material as well as an interactive message forum.

We’re talking about exclusive content here, people. “Pirates” -related material that you won’t see anywhere else on the Web. Not even here at JHM. So you want to be the first to get in the fun, then I suggest that you head on over to KeepToThe Code.com right now and sign up for this website’s mailing list.

Mind you, the site doesn’t officially open for business ’til March 18th. But — trust me, folks — this one is going to be worth the wait.

Speaking of upcoming Disney movies … I’m pleased to report that “Herbie: Fully Loaded” seems to be shaping up nicely. This Angela Robinson film supposedly had a test screening in Pasadena on February 19th. And — in spite of the movie’s temporary soundtrack as well as some still not-quite-completed CG-filled effects sequences in the film — the audience is said to have really seemed to enjoy this upcoming Walt Disney Pictures release.

Still, as audience members handed in their survey forms at the Paseo 14 (I.E. The United Artists theater that Disney execs really seems to favor for their studio’s test screenings. For example: Late last month, the Mouse ran a very successful test for “The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy” at this very same multiplex) and the NRG reps began tabulating  the results … rumors began to fly about this picture reportedly having some problems.

Or — to be specific — two problems.

As the story goes, many members of the audience were said to take issue with the size of Lindsay Lohan’s breasts. Comments on the post-screening surveys supposedly suggested that this 18-year-old was showing far too much cleavage for a family-friendly film.

So — when you’re faced with comment cards like that — what’s a Disney studio executive supposed to do? Well, according to the rumors, you quietly reach out to several special effects houses and ask for their help with unloading a very specific aspect of “Herbie: Fully Loaded.”

Yeah. That was the story that was bouncing around Hollywood this past weekend. That Disney was looking to give Lohan an after-the-fact *** reduction. As in: Using computer technology to shave away some of Ms. Lohan’s silhouette. Or — at the very least — help Lindsay cover up a bit by giving the teen star a CG t-shirt in a couple of scenes.

Well, I’ve been making calls all weekend, folks, to try & get some confirmation on this item … And — to be honest — everybody that I’ve spoken with who’s directly associated with “Herbie: Fully Loaded” categorically denies this rumor.

Mind you, everyone agrees that it’s a really great story. It’s just not true.

Beyond that … In spite of all the problems that “Fully Loaded” allegedly had during its production, the nearly finished film seems to be shaping up nicely. I actually got to see about five minutes of “Fully Loaded” at Disney’s annual shareholders meeting earlier this month in Minneapolis. And I was honestly startled at how entertaining that footage was.

By that I mean: Both Michael Keaton and Matt Dillon appeared to be having fun. <H>The brief clips of “Herbie” ‘s racing scenes were very exciting. And as for Lindsay … She actually looked great, folks

So — in spite of all the stories that you may have heard about Lohan’s after-hours partying and/or how the just-turned-18 star behaved unprofessionally on the set (Stories that — to be honest — I actually posted here on this website) — none of that stuff showed up on the screen. Ms. Lohan looked fresh as a daisy in the clips I saw. More importantly, she was actually able to make you buy into those oh-so-crucial I’m-having-a-heartfelt-conversation-with-my-car scenes.

“But where do you stand on the too-much-cleavage issue, Jim?,” you query. Truthfully, that wasn’t in evidence in the footage that I saw. And — me personally — I think that it seems kind of hypocritical to complain about too many curves in a film that features a Volkswagon that repeatedly races around an oval track.

Anyway … Speaking of curves, I seem to have thrown JHM readers for a loop by not revealing Friday before last who actually won this site’s most recent trivia contest.

For those you who don’t remember JimHillMedia’s last contest, it was built around a fairly tricky trivia question. One that asked JHM readers to explain what was significant about the link between the illustrator of A.A. Milne’s “Winnie the Pooh” stories and the illustrator of P.L. Travers’ “Mary Poppins” books.

Well, as it turns out, “Pooh” ‘s illustrator — Ernest H. Shepard — was actually the father of “Mary Poppins” ‘s illustrator, Mary Shepard. Pretty neat, huh?

Anywho … About 40 Disney trivia buffs actually got this question right. So I randomly selected three winners for this contest. And their names are:

  • Buck Flatford
  • Bryan Long
  • Charlie Zimmerman

So if these three gentleman would please contact me with your mailing addresses, I’d be happy to send along your prizes. Which is a free pound of “Just Plain Joe” coffee.

As for this week’s JHM readers contest … I thought we might go with something different. A new game called “Mix That Media!”

“So what are the rules of this JHM game?,” you ask. Simple. You just have to take the titles from three different forms of media — be they books, plays, poems, movies, TV shows, computer games, etc. Then link them all together in a way that produces a phrase that’s amusing as well as sort of makes sense.

Take — for example — the late, great singer, Ray Charles. Take his name and then tack that onto the title of that rather lame ’80’s era TV series, “Charles in Charge.” Then finish the whole thing up by glomming these first two bits onto Alfred Lord Tennyson’s epic poem, “The Charge of the Light Brigade.”

Put them all together and what do you get?

“Ray Charles in Charge of the Light Brigade.”

Here’s another example. Take the title of that old Japanese animated series, “Astro Boy.” Fold in the title of that also rather lame ’90’s era TV series, “Boy Meets World.” Finish the whole thing up by tacking it onto “The World Wrestling Federation.”

Put them all together and what do you get?

“Astro Boy meets the World Wrestling Federation.”

Okay. I know. These obviously aren’t word-for-word translations. But we’re not going for 100% accuracy here, people. Being close counts. Particularly if the end result is funny and sort of makes sense.

“So what have you got for prizes this time around?,” you query. Fittingly enough, I have the CD of the soundtrack to “Ray!” to give away, a copy of the “More Music from Ray!” soundtrack as well as an “Astro Boy” toy.

As always, the same rules still apply. All JHM readers contest entries must be received by midnight EST this coming Thursday. I alone get to decide who submitted the three funniest entries. And — God willing & if the creek don’t rise & there ain’t no meltdown — those three winning entries will be posted here as part of this week’s “Why For” column.

Got that, folks? Then go ahead and “Mix That Media!”


Special thanks to tne nice folks at Atlantic/Rhino/WMG Soundtracks and Special Ops Media for providing the great prizes for this week’s JHM readers contest.

Jim Hill

Jim Hill is an entertainment writer who has specialized in covering The Walt Disney Company for nearly 40 years now. Over that time, he has interviewed hundreds of animators, actors, and Imagineers -- many of whom have shared behind-the-scenes stories with Mr. Hill about how the Mouse House really works. In addition to the 4000+ articles Jim has written for the Web, he also co-hosts a trio of popular podcasts: “Disney Dish with Len Testa,” “Fine Tooning with Drew Taylor” and “Marvel US Disney with Aaron Adams.” Mr. Hill makes his home in Southern New Hampshire with his lovely wife Nancy and two obnoxious cats, Ginger & Betty.

Jim Hill is an entertainment writer who has specialized in covering The Walt Disney Company for nearly 40 years now. Over that time, he has interviewed hundreds of animators, actors, and Imagineers -- many of whom have shared behind-the-scenes stories with Mr. Hill about how the Mouse House really works. In addition to the 4000+ articles Jim has written for the Web, he also co-hosts a trio of popular podcasts: “Disney Dish with Len Testa,” “Fine Tooning with Drew Taylor” and “Marvel US Disney with Aaron Adams.” Mr. Hill makes his home in Southern New Hampshire with his lovely wife Nancy and two obnoxious cats, Ginger & Betty.

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

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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


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. 

Jim Hill

Jim Hill is an entertainment writer who has specialized in covering The Walt Disney Company for nearly 40 years now. Over that time, he has interviewed hundreds of animators, actors, and Imagineers -- many of whom have shared behind-the-scenes stories with Mr. Hill about how the Mouse House really works. In addition to the 4000+ articles Jim has written for the Web, he also co-hosts a trio of popular podcasts: “Disney Dish with Len Testa,” “Fine Tooning with Drew Taylor” and “Marvel US Disney with Aaron Adams.” Mr. Hill makes his home in Southern New Hampshire with his lovely wife Nancy and two obnoxious cats, Ginger & Betty.

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

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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?

Jim Hill

Jim Hill is an entertainment writer who has specialized in covering The Walt Disney Company for nearly 40 years now. Over that time, he has interviewed hundreds of animators, actors, and Imagineers -- many of whom have shared behind-the-scenes stories with Mr. Hill about how the Mouse House really works. In addition to the 4000+ articles Jim has written for the Web, he also co-hosts a trio of popular podcasts: “Disney Dish with Len Testa,” “Fine Tooning with Drew Taylor” and “Marvel US Disney with Aaron Adams.” Mr. Hill makes his home in Southern New Hampshire with his lovely wife Nancy and two obnoxious cats, Ginger & Betty.

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

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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.


Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc.
All rights reserved

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.


Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights
reserved

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.


Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc. All rights reserved

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.


Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc.
All rights reserved

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.' "


Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc. All rights reserved

"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.


Copyright Disney
Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

"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.


Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc. All rights reserved

"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.


Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc. All rights reserved

"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.


Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc. All rights reserved

"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?


Copyright Lucasfilm / Disney
Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

"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

Jim Hill

Jim Hill is an entertainment writer who has specialized in covering The Walt Disney Company for nearly 40 years now. Over that time, he has interviewed hundreds of animators, actors, and Imagineers -- many of whom have shared behind-the-scenes stories with Mr. Hill about how the Mouse House really works. In addition to the 4000+ articles Jim has written for the Web, he also co-hosts a trio of popular podcasts: “Disney Dish with Len Testa,” “Fine Tooning with Drew Taylor” and “Marvel US Disney with Aaron Adams.” Mr. Hill makes his home in Southern New Hampshire with his lovely wife Nancy and two obnoxious cats, Ginger & Betty.

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