General
A special go-to-the-mall & under-the-sea & behind-the-scenes & up-in-the-air edition of Why For
Jim Hill’s back with even more answers to your Disney-related questions. This time around, Jim talks about the Celebration Center mega-mall, the “Madison’s Dive” nightclub that was supposed to be built at Pleasure Island, what the Imagineers are hoping to build behind Disneyland’s Main Street U.S.A. and why Tokyo DisneySea’s Tower of Terror attraction is Rod Serling-free
First up, Tyler P. writes in to ask about:
Jim —
While my family and I were down at Disney World last week, we spent an hour or so exploring Celebration. Which was kind of fun, except for the lack of places to shop. It took us less than 30 minutes to visit all of the stores along Market Street.
Given how stunted this planned community’s retail center seems, I kept thinking that this wasn’t how it was originally supposed to be. Wasn’t Celebration supposed to have some sort of Disney-designed mega-mall located right nearby? I distinctly remembering hearing about something like that back in the early 1990s as part of the “Disney Decade” announcement. Since JHM seems to specialize in stories about things that Disney never built, I was wondering if you had any info to share about this particular project?
Tyler P.
Dear Tyler P.
Yes, Celebration was originally supposed to have had its very own mega-mall built right nearby: Celebration Center. And this project would have been huge. At full build-out, this enormous complex was supposed to have featured 2 million square feet of retail space.
Mind you, Celebration Center wasn’t going to offer your typical warm, fuzzy Disney shopping experience. As designed by noted architect Helmut Jahn, this enormous retail complex was supposed to have been sleek & modern.
Copyright 1991 The Walt Disney Company
Of course, recognizing that the kiddies would really get bored if Mom & Dad were to spend an entire day in Orlando shopping, Jahn wanted Celebration Center to feature this enormous ferris wheel.
Me personally, I don’t know if that ferris wheel would have been such a hot idea. After all, if you’re a kid … What could be worse than having to waste a day of your family’s WDW vacation on shopping? Well … How about if this place (where you really didn’t want to be ) then had a ride that was just tall enough to allow you to see the places where you really did want to be (I.E. The Magic Kingdom, Epcot, MGM Studios, Animal Kingdom, Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon) looming off in the distance. Talk about your cruel & unusual punishments.
Copyright 1991 The Walt Disney Company
As for the rest of the complex, Disney envisioned Celebration Center as being this international shopping district. Which would feature flagship stores for noted European & Asian retailers like Harrods or Mistsukoshi.
In the end, the sheer ambition of Celebration Center ultimately did the project in. Given what the Walt Disney Company was going to have to spend in order to turn Helmut Jahn’s sleek, modernistic dream into a reality … That — plus (just about this same time) the Florida Mall announced that it was about to undergo a major expansion. This news — coupled with the revamping of Orlando’s Fashion Square Mall and the announcement of the Mall at Millenia project … seems to have given the Mouse second thoughts about the whole mega-mall plan.
Which is why the residents of Celebration still have to leave their perfectly groomed planned community if they want to do any serious shopping these days. Because yet another “Disney Decade” project failed to make it off the drawing board.
And speaking of things that didn’t it off the drawing board, Melissa B. writes in to say:
Dear Mr. Hill —
I just discovered your website. I’ve never before come across such a treasure trove of stories about Disney theme park attractions that never got built. Where do you get all of your information?
One story of yours (“The Big One That Got Away: Madison’s Dive”) really fascinated me. Given that I (just Mr. Eisner) am a big fan of “Splash“, I was wondering: Is there artwork out there that would show what this proposed Pleasure Island nightclub would have looked like?
I’ve spent the past few days reading through all of your old stories. It’s been so much fun trying to catch up on everything I’ve missed. Please keep up the great work.
Sincerely yours,
Melissa B.
Dear Melissa B.
Thanks for your kind words about the site. Now, regarding “Madison’s Dive” … To be honest, the only images that were ever released to the public of this proposed Pleasure Island nightclub appeared in the early, early press kits for this project. We’re talking 1986, 1987 here (Almost 20 years ago).
Now — if you look at this black & white photograph of a Pleasure Island concept painting (which gives you an aerial view of what the Imagineers originally hopes WDW’s night-time entertainment district would look like) — virtually at the dead center of this image …
Copyright 1987 The Walt Disney Company
… you’ll spy “Madison’s Dive.” Here. Let me throw in a close-up of this proposed PI addition. So that you can then get a better sense of the exterior of this nightclub would have looked like.
Copyright 1987 The Walt Disney Company
Now what’s kind of cool about the marquee that the Imagineers had wanted to build for “Madison’s Dive” was that it was supposed to have featured an over-sized mechanical version of Darryl Hannah. Which would have flicked her mermaid tail up & down, up & down … With the hope that this kinetic device might then draw the attention of people walking through Pleasure Island. Make them that much more compelled to go check out that particular nightclub.
Unfortunately, as PI’s construction costs continued to spiral out of control (When work on WDW’s night-time entertainment district was finally completed, this project had come in a staggering 300% over-budget), “Madison’s Dive” was one of the first things to get cut.
But the guys from WDI … They never forgot about that sexy mermaid with the swishy tail that they had intended to install as part of the marquee for “Madison’s Dive.” So when word came down from Burbank that Eisner wanted a store built at PI that was themed around the Jessica Rabbit character from the 1988 Touchstone Pictures release, “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” … Well, the Imagineers knew just what they wanted to do.
So — instead of a blonde mermaid that flicked her tail — Pleasure Island got an enormous curvy redhead who slowly swung one leg back and forth. Which ultimately achieved the same effect. As least as far as the men who visited PI were concerned.
Anyway … Next up, BlackCherryVanillaCoke writes in to ask about a certain piece of backstage property at Disneyland.
Jim —
As a cast member at Disneyland, I’m always fascinated by these stories about these new “lands” (Like International Street, Liberty Street, Edison Square, Chinatown and Hollywoodland) …
Early concept section for Disneyland’s Hollywoodland
Copyright 1990 The Walt Disney Company
… that the Imagineers have wanted to build between Main Street U.S.A. and Tomorrowland over the years. Given how little actual room there is back there (You should how we have to struggle in order to get all the units from the 50th anniversary parade properly parked back here), I just can’t believe that Disney would have ever been able to get a decent “land” built on this tiny bit of real estate. Yet for decades now, this particular piece of proprerty has continually been in play.
Speaking of which, a friend of mine recently observed a survey team backstage at Main Street U.S.A. These guys supposedly spent hours on both the Adventureland and Tomorrowland sides to the street carefully measuring things.
So does a WDI survey team backstage at Main Street U.S.A. mean that there’s yet another new “land” in the works for this part of Disneyland? And if so, where are we going to park the parade floats after they build this thing?
Dear BlackCherryVanillaCoke —
Actually, based on what I’ve been hearing, those 50th anniversary parade floats can continue to be parked just where they’ve been parked for the past 30 years. The reason that those survey teams have been poking around the backstage areas along Main Street U.S.A. is that … Well, the Imagineers may be revisiting an idea that was first proposed for this Anaheim theme park back in the 1970s. Which involves building enclosed walkways on both the Tomorrowland & Adventureland sides of the street. Which would then (in theory) improve guest traffic flow at Disneyland on those busy summer nights and/or over the holiday season.
I mean, anyone who’s ever been to “The Happiest Place on Earth” on a hot July night will tell you that this place is anything but happy right after the fireworks go off. How you can literally stand body-to-body for 10 minutes or more as Main Street U.S.A. gets ungridlocked. As Disneyland cast members — as they frantically wave those flashlights — struggle to get tens of thousands of people on the move again.
Of course, given that there’s currently only one way in and out of the park for day visitors at Disneyland (For the moment, let’s forget the monorail to the Disneyland Hotel, okay?), this has always been the place where congestion is at its worse at the Anaheim theme park. Where tempers inevitably flare because some poor slob in the crowd is tired of having strollers bang into the back of his legs.
This is why this walkways (Which — in some version of this plan — are also called arcades) keep getting proposed for construction at Disneyland. The Imagineers keep talking up how much more pleasant a visit to the company’s first theme park would be if each & every guest didn’t have to be funneled down Main Street U.S.A. If there were also designated over-flow areas out behind Tomorrowland and Adventureland which could then be used to handle the crowds.
Mind you, not everyone at Disneyland is all that enthusiastic about the idea of these enclosed walkways finally being built. I hear that the people in charge of the Emporium are particularly incensed that a certain portion of their possible customers might soon be able to slip out of the theme park without first being tempted to purchase an over-priced Disneyland t-shirt or coffee mug.
“But why — after all these years — is this idea now suddenly gaining momentum?,” you ask. Well, after dealing with all the crowd-control nightmares that “Remember … Dreams Come True” caused last summer. And the marathon-length lines that the Anaheim theme park has begun experiencing in the wake of this week’s re-opening of the Johnny Depp-utized version of “Pirates of the Caribbean.”
Now add to that the enormous crowds that are expected to come to Anaheim next year to experience the “Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage.” Plus the people who will be coming back to Disneyland just to see the Will Turner & Elizabeth Swann AA figures that are scheduled to be installed in “Pirates” next spring.
Then add to that the control-control issues that will inevitably erupt when Disneyland gets its all-new edition of “Fantasmic!” as well as the fireworks show that’s going to replace “Remember … Dreams Come True” … And … Well, it looks like the Main Street U.S.A. area is going to be severely congested for at least the next five years. Which is why Disneyland could use these enclosed walkways sooner rather than later.
“Is there any other reason that the Imagineers are pushing for this particular project now?,” you continue. Well, yes. There is the John Lasseter / Bob Iger factor. There’s a belief at WDI that these two guys actually “get it.” That not everything at Disneyland has to make money. That things can be built & installed at the Anaheim just because they’re aesthetically pleasing and/or because they improve the guest’s experience.
Mind you, there are no guarantees that Lasseter & Iger will continue to “get it.” That they — just like Eisner did — may eventually be seduced by the bottom line. Always see things in a “How much is this going to cost us and how much do we stand to make” sort of way. Which is why — once again — the guys at WDI are trying to ram the Disneyland-enclosed-walkways project through.
Mind you, there’s absolutely no guarantee that this project will ever be greenlit. After all, the Liberty & Discovery Arcades have been successfully moving guests around the congestion in the Main Street U.S.A. area at Disneyland Paris for nearly 14 years now … And yet Disney Company executives have (to date) shown no real inclination to ship this obviously-successful concept stateside.
Ah, but that the nature of the Imagineer, folks. You carefully nurse along and safeguard an idea. With the hope that someday the right executive will suddenly take a liking to your idea. Which is how notions that are scribbled on napkins eventually become fully-funded realities.
Of course, sometimes ideas undergo intriguing changes on their trips from the drawing board into reality … Which brings us to our final question of the day. Where CrazyQuilt asks me about the Tokyo DisneySea version of the Tower of Terror. He writes:
Jim —
Is what I’m hearing about the TDS version of TOT true? That this version of the attraction won’t make any reference to the “Twilight Zone” TV show? How is this new thrill ride ever going to thrill anyone if it doesn’t set the stage properly by first having Rod Serling establish the premise of the show? Without Serling and all of those “Twilight Zone” trappings, it would seem to me that Disney’s Tower of Terror just then becomes your average freefall attraction. The sort of thing that you can find at virtually any amusement park.
I thought that the Oriental Land Company was all about doing things right. Insisting that the attractions that are built for their two Disney theme parks are even better than the U.S.A. originals. So what’s the point of building a brand-new Tower of Terror if you don’t include Rod Serling and all that “Twilight Zone” stuff. Rod is god, you understand.
If you could explain why Tokyo DisneySea is “Twilight Zone” -free (Was it money-related? Was the Oriental Land Company unwilling to acquire the Japanese rights for use of this TV show in their theme parks?), I’d really appreciate it.
Thanks for all the great stories.
KrazyQuilt
Dear KrazyQuilt —
Relax. There’s no sinister conspiracy behind the Imagineers’ decision to make the Tokyo DisneySea edition of “Tower of Terror” “Twilight Zone” free. To be honest, this decision was made because … Well, Japanese theme park goers aren’t all that familiar with this 1960s era TV show. More importantly, Rod Serling isn’t an instantly recognizable cultural icon in Japan the way he is here in the U.S.
Which is why the guys at WDI eventually decided to create another mythology for TDS’s TOT. One that’s built around eccentric billionaire Harrison Hightower and the mysterious artifact that seems to have done him in …
I know, I know. It may seem like heresay to some of you “Twilight Zone Tower of Terror” fans to think that a version of this attraction could ever be built without Rod Serling and his clipped narration succinctly setting the stage for the thrills & chills that follow.
But what you folks need to understand is that Disney-MGM’s “Tower of Terror” project had been in development for a number of years before Mouse House attorneys were finally able to make a deal with Carol Serling (I.E. Rod’s widow). Which then allowed the Imagineers to begin weaving elements from the classic 1960s TV series into the attraction.
Up until that point, the “Tower of Terror” was pretty much just as KrazyQuilt described it: Just another version of Freefall. Only this time around, the modern amusement park favorite would be found inside of an old abandoned Hollywood hotel …
Copyright 1990 The Walt Disney Company
… Only guests wouldn’t to experience the terrors to be found in that tower …
Copyright 1990 The Walt Disney Company
… until they’d spent some time wandering the corridors of this long-empty building. Where (it’s been said) a famous Hollywood director — who’d lost his home, his wife and (eventually) his mind because he wasn’t able to successfully make the transition from directing silent films to talkies — still wander the halls. Seeking to get his revenge on those fickle film-goers who turned their backs on him.
Copyright 1990 The Walt Disney Company
Back in those days, the climax of the “Tower of Terror” was supposed to come as your service elevator reached the very top of the shaft at the Hollywood Hotel. Once there, you were supposed to look up through the wire mesh that cover the ceiling of the elevator and then spy this insane old movie director sawing through the cables. As he yelled “Cut!” … The last strand of cable was supposed to snap. And your service elevator was then supposed to plunge down into the darkness of the basement.
There are still those at Walt Disney Imagineering who believe that the storyline that was originally proposed for the “Tower of Terror” was actually much stronger than the one that piggy-backed on the mythology of “The Twilight Zone.”
Me? I have to admit that I find that first storyline rather intriguing. But — that said — I also recognize that, by attaching the “Twilight Zone” name to “The Tower of Terror,” that did give this MGM addition instant name recognition. So — in the end — acquiring those rights from Rod Serling’s widow was probably a very smart way to go.
But even so, given how strong the Harrison Hightower mythology is, I have no doubt that TDS’ version of TOT will be a huge success when this new thrill ride finally opens at that theme park in early September.
And speaking of which … This is already a pretty huge edition of “Why For.” Which is why I think I’ll close now and start getting ready for next week here at JHM. Where we’re going to have even more stories about “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.” So be sure to come on by to learn about how Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio and Gore Verbinski conspired to turn “The Curse of the Black Pearl” (which was originally intended to just be a stand-alone film) into the first installment of a full-blown trilogy.
General
Seward Johnson bronzes add a surreal, artistic touch to NYC’s Garment District
Greetings from NYC. Nancy and I drove down from New
Hampshire yesterday because we'll be checking out
Disney Consumer Products' annual Holiday Showcase later today.
Anyway … After checking into our hotel (i.e., The Paul.
Which is located down in NYC's NoMad district), we decided to grab some dinner.
Which is how we wound up at the Melt Shop.
Photo by Jim Hill
Which is this restaurant that only sells grilled cheese sandwiches.
This comfort food was delicious, but kind of on the heavy side.
Photo by Jim Hill
Which is why — given that it was a beautiful summer night
— we'd then try and walk off our meals. We started our stroll down by the Empire
State Building
…
Photo by Jim Hill
… and eventually wound up just below Times
Square (right behind where the Waterford Crystal Times Square New
Year's Eve Ball is kept).
Photo by Jim Hill
But you know what we discovered en route? Right in the heart
of Manhattan's Garment District
along Broadway between 36th and 41st? This incredibly cool series of life-like
and life-sized sculptures that Seward
Johnson has created.
Photo by Jim Hill
And — yes — that is Abraham Lincoln (who seems to have
slipped out of WDW's Hall of Presidents when no one was looking and is now
leading tourists around Times Square). These 18 painted
bronze pieces (which were just installed late this past Sunday night / early
Monday morning) range from the surreal to the all-too-real.
Photo by Jim Hill
Some of these pieces look like typical New Yorkers. Like the
business woman planning out her day …
Photo by Jim Hill
… the postman delivering the mail …
Photo by Jim Hill
… the hot dog vendor working at his cart …
Photo by Jim Hill
Photo by Jim Hill
… the street musician playing for tourists …
Photo by Jim Hill
Not to mention the tourists themselves.
Photo by Jim Hill
But right alongside the bronze businessmen …
Photo by Jim Hill
… and the tired grandmother hauling her groceries home …
Photo by Jim Hill
… there were also statues representing people who were
from out-of-town …
Photo by Jim Hill
… or — for that matter — out-of-time.
Photo by Jim Hill
These were the Seward Johnson pieces that genuinely beguiled. Famous impressionist paintings brought to life in three dimensions.
Note the out-of-period water bottle that some tourist left
behind. Photo by Jim Hill
Some of them so lifelike that you actually had to pause for
a moment (especially as day gave way to night in the city) and say to yourself
"Is that one of the bronzes? Or just someone pretending to be one of these
bronzes?"
Mind you, for those of you who aren't big fans of the
impressionists …
Photo by Jim Hill
… there's also an array of American icons. Among them
Marilyn Monroe …
Photo by Jim Hill
… and that farmer couple from Grant Wood's "American
Gothic."
Photo by Jim Hill
But for those of you who know your NYC history, it's hard to
beat that piece which recreates Alfred Eisenstaedt's famous photograph of V-J Day in Times Square.
Photo by Jim Hill
By the way, a 25-foot-tall version of this particular Seward
Johnson piece ( which — FYI — is entitled "Embracing Peace") will actually
be placed in Times Square for a few days on or around August 14th to commemorate the 70th
anniversary of Victory Over Japan Day (V-J Day).
Photo by Jim Hill
By the way, if you'd like to check these Seward Johnson bronzes in
person (which — it should be noted — are part of the part of the Garment
District Alliance's new public art offering) — you'd best schedule a trip to
the City sometime over the next three months. For these pieces will only be on
display now through September 15th.
General
Wondering what you should “Boldly Go” see at the movies next year? The 2015 Licensing Expo offers you some clues
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
You know what Mickey Mouse looks like, right? Little guy,
big ears?
Truth be told, Disney's corporate symbol has a lot of
different looks. If Mickey's interacting with Guests at Disneyland
Park (especially this summer, when
the Happiest Place on Earth
is celebrating its 60th anniversary), he looks & dresses like this.
Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc.
All rights reserved
Or when he's appearing in one of those Emmy Award-winning shorts that Disney
Television Animation has produced (EX: "Bronco Busted," which debuts
on the Disney Channel tonight at 8 p.m. ET / PT), Mickey is drawn in a such a
way that he looks hip, cool, edgy & retro all at the same time.
Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights
reserved
Looking ahead to 2017 now, when Disney Junior rolls out "Mickey and the
Roadster Racers," this brand-new animated series will feature a sportier version
of Disney's corporate symbol. One that Mouse House managers hope will persuade
preschool boys to more fully embrace this now 86 year-old character.
Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc. All rights reserved
That's what most people don't realize about the Mouse. The
Walt Disney Company deliberately tailors Mickey's look, even his style of
movement, depending on what sort of project / production he's appearing in.
Take — for example — Disney
California Adventure
Park's "World of Color:
Celebrate!" Because Disney's main mouse would be co-hosting this new
nighttime lagoon show with ace emcee Neil Patrick Harris, Eric Goldberg really had
to step up Mickey's game. Which is why this master Disney animator created
several minutes of all-new Mouse animation which then showed that Mickey was
just as skilled a showman as Neil was.
Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc.
All rights reserved
Better yet, let's take a look at what the folks at Avalanche Studios just went
through as they attempted to create a Classic version of Mickey & Minnie.
One that would then allow this popular pair to become part of Disney Infinity
3.0.
"I won't lie to you. We were under a lot of pressure to
get the look of this particular version of Mickey — he's called Red Pants
Mickey around here — just right," said Jeff Bunker, the VP of Art
Development at Avalanche Studios, during a recent phone interview. "When
we brought Sorcerer Mickey into Disney Infinity 1.0 back in January of 2014,
that one was relatively easy because … Well, everyone knows what Mickey Mouse
looked like when he appeared in 'Fantasia.' "
Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc. All rights reserved
"But this time around, we were being asked to design
THE Mickey & Minnie," Bunker continued. "And given that these Classic
Disney characters have been around in various different forms for the better
part of the last century … Well, which look was the right look?"
Which is why Jeff and his team at Avalanche Studios began watching hours &
hours of Mickey Mouse shorts. As they tried to get a handle on which look would
work best for these characters in Disney Infinity 3.0.
Copyright Disney
Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved
"And we went all the way back to the very start of Mickey's career. We began
with 'Steamboat Willie' and then watched all of those black & white Mickey shorts
that Walt made back in the late 1920s & early 1930s. From there, we
transitioned to his Technicolor shorts. Which is when Mickey went from being
this pie-eyed, really feisty character to more of a well-behaved leading
man," Bunker recalled. "We then finished out our Mouse marathon by
watching all of those new Mickey shorts that Paul Rudish & his team have
been creating for Disney Television Animation. Those cartoons really recapture
a lot of the spirit and wild slapstick fun that Mickey's early, black &
white shorts had."
But given that the specific assignment that Avalanche Studios had been handed
was to create the most appealing looking, likeable version of Mickey Mouse
possible … In the end, Jeff and his team wound up borrowing bits & pieces
from a lot of different versions of the world's most famous mouse. So that
Classic Mickey would then look & move in a way that best fit the sort of
gameplay which people would soon be able to experience with Disney Infinity
3.0.
Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc. All rights reserved
"That — in a lot of ways — was actually the toughest
part of the Classic Mickey design project. You have to remember that one of the
key creative conceits of Disney Infinity
is that all the characters which appear in this game are toys," Bunker
stated. "Okay. So they're beautifully detailed, highly stylized toy
versions of beloved Disney, Pixar, Marvel & Lucasfilm characters. But
they're still supposed to be toys. So our Classic versions of Mickey &
Minnie have the same sort of thickness & sturdiness to them that toys have.
So that they'll then be able to fit right in with all of the rest of the
characters that Avalanche Studios had previously designed for Disney Infinity."
And then there was the matter of coming up with just the
right pose for Classic Mickey & Minnie. Which — to hear Jeff tell the
story — involved input from a lot of Disney upper management.
Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc. All rights reserved
"Everyone within the Company seemed to have an opinion
about how Mickey & Minnie should be posed. More to the point, if you Google
Mickey, you then discover that there are literally thousands of poses out there
for these two. Though — truth be told — a lot of those kind of play off the
way Mickey poses when he's being Disney's corporate symbol," Bunker said.
"But what I was most concerned about was that Mickey's pose had to work
with Minnie's pose. Because we were bringing the Classic versions of these
characters up into Disney Infinity 3.0 at the exact same time. And we wanted to
make sure — especially for those fans who like to put their Disney Infinity
figures on display — that Mickey's pose would then complement Minnie.
Which is why Jeff & the crew at Avalanche Studios
decided — when it came to Classic Mickey & Minnie's pose — that they
should go all the way back to the beginning. Which is why these two Disney icons
are sculpted in such a way that it almost seems as though you're witnessing the
very first time Mickey set eyes on Minnie.
Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc. All rights reserved
"And what was really great about that was — as soon as
we began showing people within the Company this pose — everyone at Disney
quickly got on board with the idea. I mean, the Classic Mickey that we sculpted
for Disney Infinity 3.0 is clearly a very playful, spunky character. But at the
same time, he's obviously got eyes for Minnie," Bunker concluded. "So
in the end, we were able to come up with Classic versions of these characters
that will work well within the creative confines of Disney Infinity 3.0 but at
the same time please those Disney fans who just collect these figures because
they like the way the Disney Infinity characters look."
So now that this particular design project is over, does
Jeff regret that Mouse House upper management was so hands-on when it came to
making sure that the Classic versions of Mickey & Minnie were specifically
tailored to fit the look & style of gameplay found in Disney Infinity 3.0?
Copyright Lucasfilm / Disney
Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved
"To be blunt, we go through this every time we add a new character to the
game. The folks at Lucasfilm were just as hands-on when we were designing the
versions of Darth Vader and Yoda that will also soon be appearing in Disney
Infinity 3.0," Bunker laughed. "So in the end, if the character's
creators AND the fans are happy, then I'm happy."
This article was originally posted on the Huffington Post's Entertainment page on Tuesday, June 9, 2015
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