General

Meanwhile, Back at the Mouse House …

Jim Hill tries to bring us all up to speed about what’s gone on over the past week of so with the whole Roy / Stanley / Michael situation. As you might expect, things have gotten even more confusing and convoluted …

Published

21 years ago

April 8, 2004

Jim Hill

Last Thursday, JimHillMedia.com ran an article which basically said that the folks over at “Save Disney” had bobbled many of the opportunities that were available to them during the month of March. That — as a result of all these missed opportunities — that Roy Disney and Stanley Gold’s effort to unseat Disney CEO Michael Eisner had actually lost ground since that dramatic shareholders’ meeting in Philadelphia back on March 3rd.

Well, it appears that the “Save Disney” people may have taken that JHM article to heart. For Roy and Stanley are finally on the move again.

Want proof? Then let’s talk about Shamrock Holdings’ decision last week to quietly sell off a significant number of shares that that firm held in Tadiran Communications, an Israeli defense contactor.

Back in March, Seth Lubove of “Forbes” Magazine — in his March 15th “Disney Sinergy” article — began asking questions about Shamrock’s holdings in Tadiran Communications, whose wireless equipment makes it that much easier for the Israeli Army to keep tabs on the Palestinians. When Lubove suggested that it was somewhat unseemly that Walt’s nephew should be profiting off of all the strife in the Middle East, Gold responded by saying “We’re not making bombs or things that kill people.”

Still, Seth’s line of questioning must have struck a nerve with the folks at Shamrock. Which is why — rather than leave themselves open to a potentially embarrassing line of questioning from the media once “Round 2” of the “Save Disney” effort officially got underway — Shamrock Holdings quietly began to reduce its stake in Tadiran Communications. The company sold off more than 29 million shekels ($1 = ILS4.5150) worth of shares in the military communications company just last week. And Shamrock reportedly plans to sell off even more of its Tadiran shares in the future.

“Given the money that Shamrock was making off of that Israeli communications company, selling off those shares had to hurt,” said one Wall Street insider. “But — in the long run — that was really the smart thing for Roy and Stanley to do. Disney and Gold have to remain the good guys in this situation. They have to appear to be better people than Eisner if ‘Save Disney’ ‘s ultimately going to succeed. Roy and Stanley can’t afford to leave themselves open to any sort of criticism right now. So — if reporters were already sniffing around Tadiran — it really was the smart thing to do to dump those shares now.”

Once that potentially embarrassing situation was dealt with, the “Save Disney” folks began moving forward with phase two of their plan. Which was to announce — this past Wednesday — that Disney and Gold would soon sue the Walt Disney Company in order to gain access to the official results of the March 3rd shareholders vote on Michael Eisner’s re-election.

“Yeah. What’s all that about?” you ask. Well, the info that Roy and Stanley are particularly eager to get their hands on are the vote tallies from participants in Disney’s own pension plan. To find out how many of the Walt Disney Company’s own employees thought that Michael was doing a poor job at CEO and needed to be removed ASAP.

According to people I’ve spoken with in Burbank, this number may be astoundingly high. With well over 70% of the participants in Disney’s pension plan who chose to vote their proxy in this past shareholder election opposing the idea of Michael’s re-election.

Clearly, once this info gets out, it will be hugely embarrassing for Eisner. Which is obviously why Disney Company management has been dragging its feet for weeks now. Deliberately delaying the release of this info. Trying to put as much distance as it can between the 43.4% withhold vote that Michael got at the shareholders meeting back and whatever percentage of participants in Disney’s own pension plan said that Eisner must go.

(What’s particularly galling about all this — to Eisner, anyway — is that Disney’s CEO actually made an extra effort to try and reconnect with cast members late last year. This is why Michael made an appearance at Disneyland’s employee Christmas party in December. This is also why Eisner spent New Years in Orlando, glad-handing as many cast members as he could at Animal Kingdom and Epcot. Trying to come across as the sort of CEO who really cared about what the front line crew was going through. It’s just too bad for Michael that this empty gesture came across as just that. An empty gesture …)

As for what Eisner’s next move will be … Right now, Michael is concentrating on making the Mouse some money. Doing everything he can to improve Disney’s bottom line. So that Eisner will have plenty of good news to share with investment analysts next month when they chat — by phone — at the Walt Disney Company’s next quarterly earnings conference call.

That’s why — just prior to the start of the April school vacation period (traditionally one of the busiest times, attendance-wise, at the stateside Disney theme parks) — Eisner decided to raise ticket prices at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World.

Mind you, we’re not talking about Disney’s typical creeping-the-price-up-a-buck-a-year maneuver. Eisner rolled out the biggest ticket-price increase in the past 15 years. With the cost of a one-day, one-park adult admission jumping 5% from $52.00 to $54.75 (before tax) for Disney World visitors, and Disneyland ticket prices taking a similar jump (Now $49.75 for adults and $39.75 for children).

This price increase — coupled with record attendance levels this week at Disney’s Anaheim and Orlando resorts (twice already this week, two of Disney World’s theme parks have had to close their gates because they reached capacity) — should give Michael something to crow about at next month’s quarterly earnings conference call.

As for ABC … that television remains a stone around Eisner’s neck. Now fourth place in the ratings race (trailing behind CBS, NBC and Fox in households, total viewers and that crucial adults 18-49 demographic), ABC is clearly in need of some drastic change. Which is why network chairman Lloyd Braun has reportedly been asked to vacate his post. As to who might replace Braun … among the names that are being floated are Anne Sweeney, president of the ABC Cable Network and Mark Shapiro, ESPN’s executive vice president in charge of programming and production.

Of course, to hear the folks over “Save Disney” talk, all of this frantic maneuvering that Disney’s management is doing right now amounts to little more than re-arranging deck chairs on the Titanic. “The key problem is Eisner,” say Roy and Stanley’s people. “He has to go.”

Well … That idea would probably be a whole lot easier to sell if there had been some sort of radical fluctuation in Disney’s stock price. Which would clearly indicate that Wall Street had lost confidence in the Walt Disney Company’s current management team. But that hasn’t happened. Throughout the month of March, the stock’s price bobbled back and forth between a high of $26.70 and a low of $24.24.

Mind you, the stock’s relatively low price and middling performance over the past 30 days isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement of the Mouse House’s current management team. But — at the same time — the very fact that Disney’s stock price HASN’T gone in the toilet since March 3rd speaks volumes about what Wall Street really think of Disney and Gold’s “Save Disney” effort.

“Roy and Stanley really had Wall Street’s attention at the start of March, Jim,” continued our unnamed insider. “But then they never followed through. Never told us what Phase Two of their plan was. Which is why the investment community isn’t really paying attention to what “Save Disney’ is doing right now. They’re more interested in hearing what comes out of the Disney Corporate retreat later this month.”

That two day retreat — which will supposedly involve all of the members of Disney’s board of directors meeting in private to discuss what the future of the Walt Disney Company will be — will reportedly be held at Disney’s Grand Californian Resort Hotel the weekend after Easter. Among the activities that are scheduled for Disney’s board members are a private after-hours preview of DCA’s soon-to-be-opened new thrill ride, “The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.”

Of course, what would probably make life a lot easier for Roy, Stan and the “Save Disney” crew would be if Eisner and the board — while riding “Tower of Terror” — were to get sucked into an alternate dimension. But somehow … I don’t think that that’s going to happen.

“So what WILL happen next?” you query. I predict (and let’s remember that my predictions should be taken with a grain of salt. After all, I’m the guy who reported — back on February 26th — that the “Save Disney” folks were concerned that they wouldn’t be able to get more than 15% of the proxy vote. And we all remember how THAT turned out, don’t we? Anyway …) that this threat-of-taking-the-Walt-Disney-Company-to-court-to-release-those-pension-funds-numbers is just the start of the legal maneuvers that Shamrock Holdings is going to try. I think that — sometime over the next three months — that we’ll see Roy and Stanley reach for their old Polaroid playbook and then …

Well, I’m pretty sure that attorneys with ties to the “Save Disney” effort will argue that the board of directors of the Walt Disney Company have clearly ignored the will of the corporation’s shareholders. That — rather than bring about the radical change that Disney’s stockholders were asking for — the company’s board of directors have made these tepid, half hearted moves to give the illusion of real change. EX: Having Michael Eisner give up the role of chairman of the Walt Disney Company, making him just the CEO of the corporation. But then basically negating that change by making George Mitchell, a man who’s been rumored to be in Eisner’s pocket right from the get-go, the company’s new CEO.

If this really is the strategy that Roy and Stanley are thinking of rolling out, then the pressure’s really on Disney’s board of directors during this month’s two-day retreat. When they exit this meeting, Mouse House managers had better have a pretty clear message for the media about how things are going to change in the board room … Or I can see the “Save Disney” people bringing this whole sorry affair up before a judge in Delaware in the not-so-distant future.

Again, I know. That’s probably not the big dramatic finish that most of you were hoping for. A lot of you who have written to me over the past four weeks seem surprised that Eisner wasn’t out on his ass just days after the meeting in Philadelphia. That’s not how the business world works, people. There are a lot of variables involved here. Some of which (I hope) I’ve brought you up to speed with with today’s articles.

Of course, if some of you have other aspects of this whole somewhat bizarre situation that you think that JHM readers need to be aware of, feel free to post them over on the site’s discussion boards.

Your thoughts?

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