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A Walt Disney World Why For?: Jolly Holidays, Swan and Dolphin and Disney Studios

Jim Hill provides detailed answers your Disney-related questions. This time around, he responds to queries about the "Jolly Holidays" dinner show, the Dolphin and the Swan as well as what's going on with Disney's use of the "MGM" name.

Published

20 years ago

on

First, Thomas M. writes in to ask:

Jim:

I was always a huge fan of the Jolly Holidays dinner show at the Contemporary Resort at WDW and was very upset when they stopped having it several years ago. My family and I went every year and there was always a gigantic crowd. I know that much of it was lifted form the castle forecourt shows at MVMCP but always enjoyed the meal and up close, surround stage feel of the show. Why was it stopped and do you think it will ever return?

Thomas M.

Dear Thomas:

Yes, I remember the old "Jolly Holidays" show at the Contemporary with much fondness as well. My family and I attended a live performance of this elaborate Christmas stage show back in 1992. We — along with the hundreds of other WDW visitors — crammed into the cavernous convention center that night. Seated at a large round dining table, we dined on turkey, dressing and cranberry sauce as Disney characters and dozens of live performers danced and sang on the three stages set up around the hall.

But — three years later — Michelle, Alice and I attended an even more memorable performance of WDW's "Jolly Holidays" show. You see, this was a dress rehearsal for the extravaganza. Something that was only supposed to be open to Disney cast members. But luckily, a friend who worked at the resort snuck the three of us into the convention center that evening.

Now imagine this immense stage presentation being performed for only a handful of people. And — since my 1-year old daughter was the only child attending this particular performance … Well, let's just say that Alice got an awful lot of attention that night.

As an extra added bonus, a cast member who was working at that year's show slipped me a copy of the "Jolly Holidays" soundtrack. Which is kind of unusual, given that this recording only features the pre-recorded portions of the program. Still, it's a holiday favorite here at the Stadler / Hill house. And — each year, when December rolls around — I toss the "Jolly Holidays" tape into our cassette player and relive some very fond Disney-related Christmas memories.

So — given that this show was often sold out months in advance — one has to wonder: Why did the Mouse pull the plug on the Contemporary's "Jolly Holidays" show back in 1998? The story that I've heard is twofold:

1) Disney eventually felt that it just wasn't making enough profit off of the Contemporary's "Jolly Holidays" show. Sure, with tickets selling at $62 per person, this staged-twice-a-day Christmas extravaganza obviously raked in a lot of loot. But — what with the cost involved in setting up the seasonal show as well as the salaries that had to be paid out to the performers, the resort's wait staff as well as the "JH" tech crew — "Jolly Holidays" blew through a lot of money as well.

Eventually, Disney managers went over their books and determined that it would probably be more cost effective if the Contemporary Resort just cancelled its annual production of "Jolly Holidays" and rented out its enormous convention center to various groups throughout the month of December. Which would — in theory — put the hotel in a pure profit situation for that month, rather than weighing what "Jolly Holidays" took in versus what it cost to actually mount and run that show.

2) But another consideration was that there was considerable overlap between the Contemporary's "Jolly Holidays" show and the Magic Kingdom's "Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party." As in there were music numbers performed in both of these seasonal extravaganza that were identical. And — since many WDW visitors would buy tickets to attend both "JH" and "MVMCP" — invariably in January, WDW Guest Relations office would be inundated with letters from angry Disney World guests saying "Hey, I paid twice to see virtually the same show. What gives?"

This meant that WDW Guest Relations office wound up giving out an awful lot of comp tickets to the Contemporary's "Top of the World" dinner show in an effort to make these disgruntled guests happy with the Mouse once more. That hotel's management eventually got tired of giving away dinners at its most exclusive restaurant … Which definitely became a factor in Disney World's decision to eventually shut down its "Jolly Holidays" show.

Of course, the real irony here is — about the same time that the Contemporary decided to shut down its "Jolly Holidays" seasonal show — the operations staff at WDW's Magic Kingdom decided to overhaul all of the entertainment offered at "Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party." They put in a brand new stage show in front of the castle as well as making significant changes to all of the other entertainments offered in the park.

The end result? There would have then been virtually no overlap between the Contemporary's "Jolly Holidays" show and the Magic Kingdom's "Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party" … If the hotel had actually decided to keep that seasonal show up and running. Which is kind of sad, don't you think?

Next, Jason R. writes in to ask:

Hey Jim,

Love the site, keep up the good work.

Here's something I've often wondered but have never found a clear answer on.

What's the story behind the Swan and Dolphin hotels. Why are they not near Downtown Disney, but in the middle of the resort? I know they are not owned by Disney, so I'm wondering why the special treatment?

Again keep up the excellent work and I'm looking forward to more stories on the Paris, Tokyo and Hong Kong resorts in the future.

Thanks

Jason R.

To understand why the Dolphin and the Swan got built where they did, Jason, you have to understand that — prior to Michael Eisner's arrival at the Walt Disney Company — Disney's then-chairman Ray Watson had cut a deal with Tischman Realty and Construction, the folks who built the bulk of Epcot Center. In return for helping to get WDW's second theme park open on time, Tischman was given the sole right to develop new hotels on WDW property.

Then — of course — Michael and Co. came on board. And among the very first deals that Eisner cuts is an agreement with Marriot to added 20,000 hotel rooms to the Florida property. The guys who run Tischman hear about this and go ballistic. They filed a $1.5 billion lawsuit against the Walt Disney Company, claiming breach of contract.

Eventually — on the advice of the corporation's attorneys — the Walt Disney Company backs out of its arrangement with Marriott and agrees to honor Watson's previous deal with Tischman. Which will allow the New York-based construction company to built two huge new hotels as well as a convention center whenever they'd like at Walt Disney World.

That "wherever they'd like" part of the deal would eventually come back and bite Disney in the ass. For Tischman decided that they wanted their hotel and convention center complex to be built at the very center of the Central Florida property. As close as possible to the recently-opened Epcot Center and the soon-to-be-built Disney-MGM Studio Theme Park.

At the very last minute, Michael Eisner threw in a condition that he hoped might make this deal a bit more advantageous for the Walt Disney Company. Which was that Tischman's hotels had to be designed by a top name architect like Michael Graves. Tischman agreed, which is how Graves eventually won the commission to design the Dolphin and the Swan.

Now — even back when the Dolphin and the Swan were in model form — the Imagineers were warning Michael that WDW guests were going to be able to see the hotels from inside World Showcase. But Eisner wouldn't listen.

Of course, the day finally came when Michael was touring Epcot Center and noticed those two huge buildings looming on the horizon. "Can't something be done about that?" Disney's CEO supposed asked one Imagineer who was there. "Can't you guys build a berm … or something like that?"

Now no one had that guts to tell Eisner that it would be impossible to build a berm that would be high enough to blot out the Dolphin and the Swan (Or the more derisive name that Epcot employees use to describe these hotels, the Tuna and the Turkey). Though Craig McNair Wilson, one of Imagineering's wittier vets, did come up with a fairly amusing solution to the whole problem:

"To make the Dolphin and the Swan blend in with World Showcase, all that Disney has to do is put a giant version of each country's national animal on top of each of the international pavilions. So the American Adventure would have this huge eagle draped over it, the U.K. a proud lion perched on top of its pavilion, China … a panda. France? I don't know. A frog?"

Kind of a funny solution, don't you think? Too bad that the Imagineers didn't actually go forward with Craig's idea.

And finally, Chris A. writes in to ask:

Jim —

My family just took our 20-month old on his first trip to Disney World (Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom). We requested a trip-planning DVD from the Disney web page, and one thing that struck me was its consistent use of the term "Disney Studios", in spoken copy and on-screen graphics, as the name of the third theme park. Not "Disney-MGM Studios". In fact, in the few places on the DVD where there are shots of the front gate, the "MGM" has actually been digitally removed, as seen in the attached screenshot:

We didn't go to that park, and all the signage and information we saw elsewhere in WDW continued to use the term "Disney-MGM Studios", so I'm just wondering if something is up. After all, these "studios" no longer produce anything on-site, do they?

— Chris A.

Chris A. –

Okay — just like with my Dolphin and the Swan story above — before you understand what's really going on here, you need to know a little Disney Company history. You see, back n April of 1985, Michael Eisner announced that he intended to build a new $300 million Hollywood-themed theme park as part of his expansion plans for the Disney World Resort. The only problem was … Disney's catalogue of movies was kind of the thin side. Very heavy on animation and family friendly stuff, but very light when it came to the motion picture's main genres: Horror, Drama, Musicals, Westerns, Action- Adventure, Thrillers, etc. Which didn't really give the Imagineers enough material to work with if they were going to build a theme park that would adequately pay tribute to Tinsel Town's legacy.

So Disney's legal department went snooping around to see if they could perhaps license a few cinematic properties which might help beef up this new theme park's assortment of attractions. Co-incidentally — at this very same time — MGM/UA was in desperate need of a cash infusion.

Which is why the Mouse was able to strike this extraordinary deal with the executives at MGM/UA. For a starting licensing fee of just $100,000 a year (which — over a 20 year period — would eventually grow to a $1,000,000-a-year licensing fee), Disney got the right to use hundreds of that studio's films and characters in the creation of their new theme park. Not to mention the use of the MGM name as well as the company's trademark roaring lion.

Of course, when Kirk Kerkorian — the colorful billionaire who actually owned MGM/UA — heard about what his executives had done, he did a lot of roaring himself. Kirk actually ordered his attorneys to sue the Walt Disney Company in an effort to break this deal.

Unfortunately for him, Kerkorian's lawsuit got thrown out in 1992. The judge then ordered that MGM/UA must honor the terms of its contract with the Mouse to the letter, which meant that the Walt Disney Company had the right to use the "MGM" name in association with its Central Florida theme park through June of 2005.

So — what you're seeing now, Chris — what with the "MGM" name actually being digitally erased out of WDW's tripping planning videos as well as the DVD's narrator calling this theme park "Disney Studios" is just the Mouse preparing for that theme park's upcoming transition period. Rather than having this big jarring change come in June of 2005, with the "MGM" name suddenly being stricken from everything in Orlando, Disney's opted to go with a more gradual approach. Which is to slowly introduce the "Disney Studios" name to the public, with the hope that this will make the coming transition easier.

Of course, given that nearly everyone I know — when they're using verbal shorthand to describe this WDW theme park — just calls Disney-MGM Studio Theme Park MGM … I would imagine that this name, like it or not, is going to hang on for many years yet to come.

And speaking of hanging on … I'm hoping that JimHillMedia.com will be able to hang on for many years yet to come. But — in the months ahead — we're looking to make pretty significant changes here. A bold new look. A more reliable server. Maybe even get some new features in place that will allow JHM to start displaying more photos, etc.

Of course, in order to do this, the site's gonna need better cash flow…. Soooo — as much as it pains me to do so — it's time to pass the hat again, folks. So — if I ask nice — can I please get you members of the JimHillMedia.com family (arguably the nicest bunch of people to ever wander around the Web) to toss a few coins in our Amazon.com contributions box?

That way, I don't have to concern myself with the site's financial problems. I can just concentrate on what you folks want. Which for me to crank out even more stories about what's really going on inside the Mouse House.

Speaking of which, be sure and come back Monday when we've got a great new series debuting at the site. Which will cover the many and varied ways that the Walt Disney Company can possibly turn around the situation that it currently find itself in.

That's it for today. Have a great weekend, okay?

Related Topics:

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

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General

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

Published

8 years ago

on

June 23, 2015

By

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. 

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

Published

8 years ago

on

June 10, 2015

By

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?

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General

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

Published

8 years ago

on

June 9, 2015

By

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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