General

A Rather Taxing Why For?

Before he races off to the post office to mail in his tax return, Jim Hill talks about why a fifth WDW theme park really isn’t in the cards (at least for the next couple of years or so), whether there’s a Disneyland 50th anniversary TV special in the works, what’s next for the Universal Studios theme parks and why Frank Oz doesn’t perform with the Muppets anymore.

Published

20 years ago

April 14, 2005

Jim Hill

First off, Jesper A. writes in to ask:

Dear Jim!

I’m very interested in a possible fifth Disney theme park in Orlando. I haven’t heard any rumors about one, so therefore I’m curious to hear, if you(‘ve heard) anything about … such (a project)?

Sincerely,

Jesper A.

Dear Jesper:

According to my sources at WDI, Disney has previously knocked around a few ideas for a 5th WDW theme park. Among the concepts that have allegedly already been considered are an Americanized version of Tokyo DisneySea (Why for? To make the Mouse’s Central Florida resort that much more competitive with Sea World & Discovery Cove) as well as Disney’s Workplace. Which would allow WDW visitors to tour several on-site factories and see a variety of products being made.

And I’m certain that — in the weeks & months ahead — that Disney CEO-to-be Bob Iger will be thoroughily briefed on all of these possibilities.

But even if Iger sees a project that he likes, there’s still not a chance in hell that Bob will actually greenlight construction of a 5th WDW theme park. At least not for another couple of years.

Why for? Because here’s the harsh reality, Jesper: The Walt Disney World Resort still hasn’t fully recovered from the effects of 9/11. Oh sure, things aren’t nearly as bad as they were back in late 2001/early 2002. But — that said — they’re also not as nearly as good as they were back in the mid-to-late 1990s. When virtually every Disney-owned hotel on property was regularly filled to capacity.

As you cruise the Internet, you’ll often hear Disneyana fans complaining about how Disney World seems to have co-opted Disneyland’s 50th anniversary. As in: It’s the Anaheim theme park’s birthday, but it’s the Florida theme parks that got all the presents.

Well, there’s a reason that this was done, folks. Disneyland has a total of three Disney-owned hotels. Disney World has 19 Disney-owned hotels, with an additional 10 on-property hotels that are owned & operated by companies that the Mouse works closely with. So making sure that WDW’s hotel rooms were kept as full of possible had to be the top priority.

Which is why — over the past year or so — we’ve seen all this building inside the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney-MGM and Animal Kingdom. Not because Disney World is in expansion mode. But — rather — recovery mode. All these new shows & attractions were deliberately added to WDW in an effort to put heads in beds.

So — getting back to your original question, Jesper: Yes, WDI has very definite ideas about what they’d like to build. But, no, I don’t think that we’re going to see construction of a fifth WDW theme park begin anytime soon.
Right now, the Mouse’s top priority has got to be figuring out a way to fill all of those Disney-owned hotel rooms that are now on property. And to finally face up to the fact that — back in the mid-to-late 1990s (I.E. When Michael Eisner was pretending to be a patron of architects) — the Disney corporation built at least one too many resorts in Orlando. Perhaps as many as three too many resorts on property.

But how do you deal with a situation like that? I mean, it’s not like the Mouse can just say “Oops. We built too many hotels.” And then start tearing Disney World resorts down.

No. But what Disney can do is start repositioning WDW hotels. As in: Shifting resources from one arm of the company to the other. Take — for example — the idea that’s currently being floated of taking the Contemporary out of Disney World’s hotel reservation system and redesignating this 34-year-old resort as a Disney Vacation Club property.

Now I know that that sounds somewhat crazy. But the fact of the matter is that the Disney Vacation Club is still continuing to sell memberships at a record pace. And all these additional people are eventually going to want to turn in their points for hotel rooms that they can then use during their WDW vacation. And given the Contemporary’s proximity to the Magic Kingdom … You have to admit that there are a lot of DVC members would love to be able to step out onto their balcony and watch the fireworks exploding over Cinderella Castle.

Don’t believe me? Okay. Then keep a close eye on the Contemporary over the next couple of years. This Magic Kingdom area hotel is currently slated for an extensive redo. And the smart money is on — when the renovation of this WDW resort is finally complete — that the Contemporary (Or — at the very least — a goodly portion of this hotel’s rooms) will then become an official Disney Vacation Club Resort.

Next up, Jessica writes in to ask:

Hey Jim!

Just curious if you’ve heard anything about there being a 50th anniversary TV special? I don’t think there’s been a DL TV special since the blitz of DCA. I loved watching those specials and miss seeing them — even when Ryan Seacrest was hosting them. I’m surprised that they didn’t do one for the “new” Buzz ride. Have they given up on these specials? If so, I think it’s a shame.

Thanks and keep up the good work,

Jessica

Jessica —

My understanding is that Disney is currently looking into doing some sort of anniversary special on ABC in July. On or about July 17th (AKA Disneyland’s actual 50th birthday).

However, you should also know that there are a number of executives within the Walt Disney Company who aren’t all that fond of these TV specials. Who view these hour-long, sometimes two-hours-long commercials for the theme parks as complete wastes of time. That — no matter how much care & attention the Mouse puts into these shows’ production — these programs never really draw very high ratings. More to the point, the people who go out of their way to watch these TV specials are the Disney diehards (I.E. The people who were already going to Disneyland and/or Disney World. Which meant that this very expensive television program had little or no impact on their final decision).

I know, I know. This is the same sort of semi-circular logic that Buena Vista Magazines execs recently used to their effort to rationalize shutting down “Disney” Magazine:”That publication is too expensive to produce. It isn’t really catching the attention of the general public. Only the dweebs seem to be responding to the thing. So let’s save ourselves a few bucks and just shut the thing down.”

And — to be honest — these Mouse House executives have been somewhat successful in their efforts to get the Disney corporation to cut back on the number of TV specials that strictly promote the theme parks. By that I mean: When was the last time you saw a “Walt Disney World Happy Easter Parade” special broadcast on ABC?

Anyway … I’ll continue to keep my ears to the ground regarding that Disneyland 50th anniversary TV special that the Mouse reportedly has in the works. If I hear anything, Jessica, I’ll be sure to give you a “heads up,” okay?

Then Chug-A-Freeze chimes in with:

Hey Jim

Love the site. Reading about Disney is all well and good, especially for the upcoming anniversary. But — to change things up — how about talking about the Universal theme parks? More specifically what is future for the Universal parks since NBC took over and what is NBC planning to do to combat Disney’s 50th marketing campaign? I know USH has a Fear Factor show planned for the summer, but what else does Universal have on tap?

Chug-A-Freeze

Hey, Chug-A-Freeze

To be honest, there’s a lot of people in the theme entertainment industry who are kind of surprised that General Electric still owns the Universal Studio theme parks. Back when that mega conglomerate (Which owns NBC, MSNBC as well as dozens of other broadcast outlets) originally made the deal to purchase Universal, the joke out west was that “GE just made this deal so that it could own the ‘Law & Order’ TV franchise outright.” That General Electric’s plan then was to hang out the studio & its film library, but quickly sell off Universal’s theme parks.

Well, it would appear that that version of the plan ultimately fell through. The scuttlebutt now is that — after much hemming & hawing — General Electric has decided that it will be hanging onto the Universal theme parks after all. More importantly, that GE is supposedly looking to make a sizable investment in the two parks that the company currently operates in Florida.

Among the ideas that are reportedly being knocked around right now is a replacement for the theme park’s “Back to the Future: The Ride.” This 15 year old simulator may soon be rethemed around the characters featured in the “X-Men” comic books. Among the concepts currently being kicked around for this proposed “X-Men” attraction is a scenario that would put Universal guests inside the infamous Danger Room during a mutant training session.

Over at Islands of Adventure, there’s talk of Universal borrowing a page from Epcot. As in: Staging a night-time lagoon show that is so spectacular that people just have to stay in the theme park after dark in order to see it. As for the proposed theme of this IOA lagoon show … Sorry. But that would be telling.

I will say this much, though: If all goes according to plan, this will be the first lagoon show at an Orlando area theme park that actually features guest interaction. That something that you — the Islands of Adventure guest — create during the day will play a crucial part in that night’s show. (And — no — I’m not talking about something like DCA’s “Luminaria.” Where holiday cards that theme park guests drew up that day wound up being projected on big screens in the middle of the lagoon that night.)

Sorry, Chug-A-Freeze. But that’s all I can really say right now. Other than this new IOA lagoon show could be up & running as early as the Summer of 2006. And — if everything that’s currently being talked about winds up in the final version of the show — it’ll definitely be worth a trip over to Universal in order to check this thing out.

Next up, Drew T. writes in to ask:

Did you know that Frank Oz is no longer voicing Gonzo in all Muppet related activities? (Including the new “Wizard of Oz” TV movie.) Do you have any insider scoop as to why he parted ways with Henson & Co.? It makes me sad to think of a Muppet movie without him.

Dear Drew —

First of all, Frank Oz doesn’t do the voice of Gonzo. Muppet vet Dave Goelz does.

As to why Frank doesn’t seem to like working with the Muppets anymore: My understanding is that Oz had his initial falling-out with the Jim Henson Company (Or — to be specific — Brian Henson) during the production of “Muppets from Space.”

Frank reportedly felt that Brian wasn’t being supportive enough of “MFS” director, Tim Hill. More importantly, that Jim’s son was more concerned with bringing that Columbia Pictures production in on time & under budget. Rather than giving veteran Muppeteers like himself, Goelz, Steve Whitmere & Jerry Nelson all the time that they needed to properly deliver quality performances with the characters that they’d been performing for decades now.

That — coupled with the Henson family’s decision to sell off the Jim Henson Company to EM.TV in February 2000, followed by the Haffa brothers selling off the Sesame Street characters to the Children’s Television workshop eight months later — led Oz to begin distancing himself from the company. Making himself less & less available for Muppet-related gigs.

These days, virtually all of Frank’s characters are now being performed by a very capable puppeteer named Eric Jacobson. Who initially began just filling in for Oz in 2000. But — nowadays — Eric’s pretty much the “go-to” guy when it comes to Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear and Animal.

Mind you, Oz still reportedly does some occassional puppeteering for “Sesame Street.” Pulling on the felt again for Grover & Cookie Monster whenever his schedule permits. And I’m told that the Walt Disney Company has actually reached out to Frank over the past year or so. Hoping that — now that it’s the Mouse that’s calling the shots for Kermit & Co., rather than Brian Henson — that Oz might be agreeable to working with the Muppets again.

To date, Frank has reportedly resisted Disney’s overtures. Prefering to focus his attention on his film directing career. During which Oz has helmed such memorable motion pictures as “Little Shop of Horrors,” “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” and “Bowfinger.”

FYI: Frank (when he feels like it) also does voicework. He provided the voice of Fungus, Randall’s craven assistant in “Monsters, Inc.” And Oz will soon be heard (for the fifth & last time) as Yoda in “Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith.”

Still, a lot of us Muppet fans are hoping that Disney eventually does persuade Frank to come back to work with the Muppets. If not to perform any of his memorable characters, then to at least produce and/or direct a new film featuring Miss Piggy & pals.

I mean, for years now, Oz has been saying that he has this great idea for a new Muppet movie. Here’s hoping that (someday soon) he gets the chance to show us what he’d actually like to do with the characters.

Well, what I’d actually like to do now is end this week’s “Why For.” So that I could then begin my search for my W-2. But Jeff Lange won’t let me until I remind everyone that we’re still taking names for the notification list for that Disneyland history CD that he & I are currently producing.

So — if you’d like to hear the stories that DL Security felt were just too sensational to be told inside the berm — just drop me a line at jim@jimhillmedia.com. And I’ll make sure that you get on the right list.

Also, Arlen Miller has asked me to remind all of you Orlando-area Disneyana fans that the World Chapter of the N.F.F.C. will be meeting at Vista Del Lago this coming Saturday night at 7 p.m. More importantly, that this meeting’s guest speaker will be Bob Schall. That WDW train engineer who also leads the Magic Kingdom’s “Behind the Steam” tours. So that should make this meeting a pretty fun take-in for all your Central Florida-based train fans out there.

Okay. That’s it for this week, folks. Now — if you’ll excuse me — I’m gotta figure out whether or not I can get away with declaring Nancy’s four obnoxious cats as my dependants.

Have a great weekend, alright? And (hopefully. Provided that Disneyland Security doesn’t sic the IRS on me) we’ll see you all again come next Monday morning.

Til then, take care, okay?

jrh

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