General

A JHM exclusive: Feature Animation-Florida’s going away party

Only JimHillMedia.com takes you behind-the-scenes at Disney-MGM, where all the artists and technicians who made “Mulan,” “Lilo and Stitch” and “Brother Bear” gathered for one final blow-out this past Saturday night.

Published

20 years ago

February 22, 2004

Jim Hill

When you look back over the past three months of Disney Company history, with all its dramatic twists and turns, all the sudden surprises … one has to wonder: How did we actually get here?

How did we get to the point where Roy Disney and Stanley Gold are on the outside of the corporation, calling for Disney’s CEO to step down? Where Pixar’s getting ready to pack up and move on, while Kermit and Co. are getting ready to move into the Mouse House? Meanwhile, Comcast is said to be readying yet another takeover bid for the Disney Company. While Michael Eisner’s job … well, it appears to be hanging on how well Disney’s Big Cheese performs at next week’s annual shareholder meeting in Philadelphia.

How did we get to this extremely weird juncture in Disney Company history? Well, if you asked me, I’d say that the first domino fell back on Friday, November 17th. That was the day that WDFA president David Stainton snuck into Orlando and — with little or no warning — suddenly pulled the plug on “A Few Good Ghosts.”

That was the event (to my way of thinking, anyway) that served as the catalyst for much that followed. The incredibly shoddy way that the artists and technicians who worked at Feature Animation-Florida were treated in the weeks that followed caught the attention of both the mainstream press as well as Disneyana fans everywhere. It was into this highly charged atmosphere that Roy and Stanley decided to launch their savedisney.com effort … and the rest of the story, you know.

But what you may not know is — this past Saturday night — the alumni of Feature Animation-Florida gathered backstage at Disney-MGM for one last time. Many of the studio’s executives, artists, animators and technicians made one final visit to this state-of-the-art facility. To talk, to drink, to reminisce … as well as to wonder why in hell Disney management could do something so stupid as to break up such a winning team.

Some of you may recall Brother Bri, the WDFA staffer who was kind enough to share his thoughts with JHM readers last month when Stainton finally officially pulled the plug on Feature Animation-Florida. Well, Brother Bri is back. This time with an admitted bittersweet take on what just happened this past Saturday night. When the talented team that made WDFA-F such a special place to work … gathered at that studio for one final fling.

Jim,

It’s hard to believe, but the last mass assembling of the Walt Disney Feature Animation-Florida crew has come and gone. No real big dramatic embarrassing speeches with fake tears from Disney management. Just a really nice night with food and games and many, many welcome faces from the WDFA-F past and present.

Among the notable mingling guests were Max Howard, that wonderful man who helped start up this studio. He was unlike any other studio head: sincerely personable, friendly, and a guy who honestly cared. It was so amazing that he showed up to help bookend the history of this place.

Also among the surprise guests were Chris Sanders, Dean DeBlois, and Clark Spencer — the brilliant directors and producer who brought us “Lilo and Stitch,” arguably the Florida Studio’s finest hour and twenty minutes. Chris and Dean had such great affection for this place because they could be unbelievably creative here without Disney executives breathing down their necks. I really believe they discovered how free they felt when they came out to Orlando to work out “Mulan” ‘s story.

Clark Spencer, who was all too briefly the studio head before being placed as the producer of “Lilo and Stitch,” is one of THE most professional individuals I have ever met. He never forgot a face, and always displayed such abject humility despite his incredible communication skills. Because of these 3 men, “Lilo and Stitch” ‘s production was such a well-oiled machine. It’s a crying shame that Disney has split up that incredible team with Clark on “Wilbur Robinson,” Chris on “American Dog,” and Dean writing live action features.

Then again, that was the theme of the whole night. How could Eisner and Stainton let slip through their fingers THE premiere 2d animation staff in the world? It made me sick to my stomach to hear Eisner on “Larry King Live” (this past Friday night saying things like): “Well, everything has not moved to California. We will still be demonstrating animation in Florida. We will still be doing certain cell animation in Florida. And it’s going to be the same great attraction that it always has been. We consolidated a lot of the creative work back in California in our building, so that we could participate in the rejuvenation and the rebuilding of three-dimensional animation which really has to take place in one location.” How many times could that man drop the term “three-dimensional animation”?! … And (just) what did he mean by “doing certain cell animation in Florida”?! … Or why does that even have to take place in one location?

The question I get most often when I inform other people that I was a member of the Florida crew is, “Are they moving you out back to California?” As if all they were shutting down was the building and we were all going to be flown to Burbank on a private jet to continue the work that we all dreamed of doing as children. Jim, a SMALL minute fraction of us were offered that deal. They are retaining next to nothing of the Florida crew. We have been scattered to the four winds.

The talent has already bled away. The beneficiaries are Pixar, Sony, CORE digital, Blue Sky, Electronic Arts, and a few others. Historians will look back at this point in Disney history and ask “Why?! This doesn’t make any sense.”

The great majority of us are still languishing here hoping that work will come along. I think many people believe that LEGACY picked up all the pieces left in the debris, but even they can only afford a small handful of people. The many remaining casualties are trying to find that redirection and purpose in life.

There was a small rumour that Roy Disney might show up and speak to us. But — sadly — he never appeared. The naive fool inside of me thinks (that) he’ll oust Eisner on March 3rd, remove David Stainton, and (then) wave his magic wand and (put Feature Animation-Florida back the way) it was before all the events from the past year took place.

However, I know that’s a huge pipe dream that can never come true. A resurrection of the Florida Studio would truly have to be a miracle.

The most I can realistically hope for is the ousting of Eisner as some sort of satisfying revenge. In a way, the closing of the Florida Studio started a HUGE chain reaction that changed the face of this company. It’s amazing to recount the events of the past few months. In November, our picture was shut down. Next, Roy Disney and Stanley Gold quit. In January, they officially shut us down. Pixar secedes from the union. Comcast attempts a hostile takeover. The Muppets are taken hostage. It’s like some sort of strange war is being played out and the Florida Studio was the “Pearl Harbor” that started it all.

The saddest moment last night was when we were all being ushered out as catering packed up and they flashed the lights like they do at the library to let us know that we only had ten minutes left in our fifteen year run. No one wanted to leave. If they’d let us, we’d still be standing about right now recounting all the wonderful experiences that we shared on the backlot of the Disney/MGM-Studios.

Instead, we were given a sack full of parting gifts that they cleaned out of their storage closets and we went our separate ways.

It is too difficult to express how I truly feel right now. I’m still too close to it. All I know is that I shared in something great and it died prematurely. Our coping mechanisms have kicked in as we say things like, “It was probably time to move on …” or “This is a new beginning.” While those statements ring true, it doesn’t diminish how terrible it feels to have gone through one of the biggest mistakes in Disney history.

Jim, thank you so much for being our sounding board. I’ve CC’d this to Roy Disney and Dave Pruiksma to let them in on the events of last night ….I don’t know if you’ll hear from me again. I don’t have much more to offer you. March 19th is the last day we have to clean out our stuff before they refit the studio for whoever inherits it. Feel free to share my thoughts on your site. I just hope my words can have some small affect to put the company back on track.

Someday, I’d like to work for Feature Animation again. It was a realization of a lifelong dream …. Hopefully, the next iteration of my life will be just as satisfying and not as bittersweet.

All the best

Brother Bri

In the years ahead, when the management of the Walt Disney Company finally DOES come to its senses and realizes that it HAS TO get back into the traditional animation business again (And — trust me, folks — that’s going to happen. Sooner rather than later. Just wait ’til that glut of CG animated features that’s currently in the production pipeline hits the big screen in late 2005/early 2006. Audiences are really going to hacker for something different to look at right about then), shutting down Feature Animation-Florida is going to be seen as one of the most ridiculously short-sighted maneuvers that the Mouse ever made.

It’s going to take YEARS for Disney to rebuild its traditional animation department, to recreate the unit that once brought us such memorable motion pictures as “Beauty and the Beast,” “Aladdin” and “The Lion King.”

That’s perhaps why so many WDFA vets (at the Burbank studio, anyway) have opted to swallow their pride, taken salary cuts, spending hundreds of hours taking computer classes … all in an effort to hang on to their jobs at Feature Animation. Not just because they have mortgages to pay and families to support.

But rather … here, let me let one anonymous Disney animation great (a man who — I’m sure — has animated some of your favorite Disney characters over the past 20 years) explain:

“Someday, in the not-so-distant future, Disney’s going to realize that it made a huge mistake in shutting down the studio’s traditional animation unit. That our CG films aren’t going to seem all that special. That they’re going to look just like the stuff that Pixar, Blue Sky and Sony are churning out. So Disney’s animated films are going to start to look like everyone else’s do.

At that point — in order for our studio to seem special once more — Disney’s going to HAVE TO to get back into traditional animation again. The suits are going to realize that — once they see the glut of CG product that’s coming — that hand drawn stuff is going to look special to audiences once more. So the only way that Disney can differentiate itself from Pixar and the rest of the pack is by going back to what it once did sowell.

That’s why I’m hanging on here, Jim. For the day I know is coming. In two years, maybe three. When the suits suddenly realize how just badly they’ve screwed up. When they finally announce that Disney’s going to make another traditionally animated feature.

That’s why I’m staying here at the Burbank studio. When I know I could probably get a better paying job elsewhere. Because someone — when Disney Company management finally realizes that Feature Animation is broken — has to be on hand to fix it.”

It’s kind of sad, isn’t it? To read about WDFAF’s last big blow-out this past Saturday night. Then to hear how truly dedicated some of the remaining Feature Animation employees really are …pParticularly when you realize that Disney Company management doesn’t have nearly this amount of dedication and heart. Those guys are just concerned about how the stock price is doing this week. Whether the Disney corporation is going to meet its quarterly earnings projections.

It’s at moments like this that I realize that — these days — the wrong people are really running the show at the Mouse House. This is an issue that we’ll discuss at some length over the next few days.

Til then … your thoughts?

General

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

Published

8 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

8 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

8 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