General

ACCESS DENIED or “Was it something I said?”

Jim Hill reveals what can happen when you tick off Mouse House management. In this case, it meant that JimHillMedia.com — at the last possible moment — was barred by Disney Corporate Communications from covering this year’s annual meeting.

Published

20 years ago

March 3, 2004

Jim Hill

Cost of gas and tolls to drive down to Philadelphia: $40.00

Cost of room (per room) at Sheraton Society Hill Hotel: $68.00

Being told — at the very last moment — that you were being denied press access to Disney’s annual shareholder meeting: Priceless.
(From a publicity point of view, anyway …)

Oh, I have seen the Promised Land, my children. It is a wondrous place, laden with fresh Disney press kits and a sweet scent of a continental breakfast.

But — sadly — I was unable to reach the Promised Land (AKA the Press Room at Disney’s Annual Shareholders Meeting) yesterday morning, because … well, you see … at the last possible moment, Disney Corporate Communications decided to pull JimHillMedia.com’s press credentials for yesterday’s event.

Which meant that not only was I prevented from sampling that yummy smelling breakfast … but I was also prevented from covering yesterday’s shareholders meeting as a member of the working press.

Now let me stress here that — prior to yesterday morning — things seemed to be perfectly fine between me and Disney’s Corporate Communication Office. In fact, this past Monday afternoon (BEFORE Nancy and I got in the car to begin the 6½ hour drive down to Philly), I made a call to Disney’s Burbank headquarters. I spoke with Heather in the Corporate Communications to arrange for the site’s press credentials. She said that there’d be no problem. She even fired me off a e-mail confirmation. So I thought that we were good to go.

But then that situation changed. Why For? Well, how many of you saw Tuesday’s front page article in the Wall Street Journal? You know, the one that prominently featured yours truly. (With a woodcut-like photo of myself in the center column that proved — once-and-for-all — that I have a face that is best suited for radio. But I digress. Anyway …) Well, the folks at Disney Corporate Communications supposedly read that story and immediately decided that I now must be in cahoots with Roy. Which means I couldn’t be possibly a really-for-real reporter.

So it was ACCESS DENIED for JimHillMedia.com. “No soup for you!” in Seinfeld-speak. Or — in this case — no continental breakfast.

To be fair, I should point out that the Disney PR reps that I spoke with Tuesday morning were both extremely polite and very professional. They discreetly pulled me out of the press check-in line and quietly explained that — as a direct result of Tuesday’s WSJ piece — I was now being viewed as a member of Roy’s camp. A hostile party, you might say. Which is why I would no longer be allowed to officially cover Disney’s annual stockholders meeting as a member of the working press.

Now where this gets funny is that — earlier on Tuesday — while I was attending the “Save Disney” press conference, Roy Disney actually took me to task for saying things (in my recent articles) that weren’t all that positive about what he and Stanley Gold were attempting to do. So certainly, in the eyes of the folks over at “Save Disney,” I haven’t been playing favorites. But yet — less than 24 hours later — in the eyes of Mouse House management, I’ve somehow become Roy’s right hand man.

Talk about your Catch 22s.

Anywho … again, I should point out that the head of Disney Corporate Communications seemed somewhat sympathetic. He said that “I’m sorry that we can’t allow you in as a reporter, Jim. But — if you use your proxy — you can still get into the meeting.”

That’s when I explained to him that I didn’t have a proxy. You see, I don’t own any stock in the Walt Disney Company. “Why not?” you ask. Because — me personally — I think that it would be kind of unethical of me to own shares in a corporation that I write about. That that investment — no matter how small it may be — might still somehow color my perception of the Mouse House. Which is why I’ve always made it a point to never invest in the Walt Disney Company. I prefer to fritter away my discretionary funds on frivolous things like food and shelter …

Anyhow …

Back at the entrance to Disney’s press room, Disney’s head PR guy was still somewhat sympathetic. But NOT so sympathetic that he’d actually allow me to attend the annual meeting as a member of the working press.

Mind you … just to play Devil’s Advocate for a few moments here … but did Disney Corporate Communications REALLY have to wait ’til this morning to let me know that I was being denied access to the annual shareholder’s meeting? I mean, clearly these guys knew how to get ahold of me. After all, they were able to reach out to yours truly at 3:05 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon, sending me an e-mail to let me know that Bob Iger would be meeting with the media later that same day in the Grand Hall at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

So THAT message they were able to get to me in a timely fashion . But the message saying that my press credentials for Disney’s annual shareholders meeting had suddenly been revoked … THAT ONE, they couldn’t tell me in advance. THAT ONE had to wait ’til yesterday morning. Til the very last minute. When they could deliver it in person …

Now — if I were a suspicious sort — I’d have to say that this was a deliberate act on Disney Corporate Communication’s part. That this was NOT just a case of someone dropping the ball. But — rather — a cold and calculating effort that was deliberately done in order to deny me the chance to report on this monumental Mouse House event. This once-in-a-lifetime occurrence in Disney Corporate history.

“Payback is a ***,” as they say.

But — then again — I also got this odd sort of vibe off the Disney Corporate Communications people. That these folks actually weren’t the ones who actually made this call. That the decision to boot JimHillMedia.com wasn’t made at this level. But came from somewhere further up the food chain.

Which is why I guess that’s a good thing that I’m not really a suspicious sort. More importantly, that I found Disney Company’s rather heavy handed attempt to get back at me to be more amusing than aggravating.

After all, I came all the way down to Philadelphia to get a story. And believe you me, folks: Singling me out as the one reporter to be denied official access to Disney’s annual shareholders meeting — all because I’m supposedly in bed with Roy — that’s a pretty big story.

Wait. That’s not entirely true. It wasn’t just me who was denied access to this year’s annual shareholder meeting. Chuck Oberleitner also was denied credentials. Not because he’d actually done anything wrong. But rather, because he works for JimHillMedia.com.

Now I really wish that the Mouse hadn’t done that. After all, Chuck had paid his own way out here. Flying all the way from LA to Philadelphia. Just so he could cover this year’s shareholders meeting as a member of the working press.

But Oberleitner too was denied press credentials for yesterday’s event. Even though he’s never ever had any direct communication with Roy Disney. In fact, the only time that Chuck has ever talked with anyone from Shamrock was this past Tuesday morning, when he stood up at the “Save Disney” press conference and asked a question of Roy, Stanley and Mike McConnell. I guess that — given that he works at my website — Disney Corporate Communications must be working from the “Guilt by Association” principle.

Mind you, I guess I should mention that there’s actually a happy ending to this part of the story. At least in Chuck Oberleitner’s case … you see, Chuck … he’s a wily sort. He hadn’t traveled 3000 miles just to come up short 300 feet away from the entrance to the Pennsylvania Convention Center. So Oberleitner hung out near the entrance to the hall. And — within a half hour or so — he finally found a sympathetic JHM fan who took pity on the poor guy and took Chuck into the meeting as his guest.

So — in spite of the Walt Disney Company’ best efforts — JimHillMedia.com WILL have coverage of yesterday’s annual shareholder’s meeting. Only — this time around — Oberleitner will be the lead reporter on this story. He’s the guy who will eventually be bringing you the blow-by-blow of what Uncle Mikey said and did yesterday while he stood in the Pennsylvania Convention Center in front of Disney shareholders.

But as for me … I wasn’t going to stay where I obviously wasn’t welcome. So I opted to retreat to the car. Where — after I fired up my laptop — I quickly began calling all of those nice JHM readers who had originally volunteered to take me in to this year’s annual shareholder meeting as their guest. Unfortunately, given that most of these people were already seated inside the convention center, they then weren’t really in a position to help me now.

Which is why I found myself — on a warm March day — with lots and lots of free time on my hands in Philadelphia. Which really is a gorgeous city, by the way. And given that Jeff, Chuck and Nancy were now stuck on the inside of Disney’s shareholders meeting (which didn’t actually get over ’til nearly four — making this the longest shareholders meeting in Disney Company history), I opted to stroll around the town. Have myself a cheese steak. Go visit the Liberty Bell.

Oh. I also did one other thing to kill time while I was waiting for that meeting to get out.

I talked with reporters.

Lots and lots and lots of reporters.

CNN … MSNBC … etc.

Who all seemed keenly interested in hearing about how the management of the Walt Disney Company had — because of Tuesday’s Wall Street Journal article — decided (at the last possible moment) to deny me access to yesterday’s shareholder meeting.

Jim talking with Deborah Norville on MSNBC

(Click the image to visit the MSNBC site where you can watch the video of
Jim — and Fabulous Disney Babe Michelle Smith — speaking with MSNBC.)

Maybe, in the end, it would have been wiser for those guys to just let me in. For Disney Corporate Communications to just allow me to cover this story. Rather than unintentionally TURNING me into a story.

But then — hey — that’s just me. A relatively easy-going guy who suddenly found himself with a lot of time on his hands yesterday.

So — all in all — it was a pretty good day. And how was YOUR Wednesday?

General

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

Published

8 years ago

June 23, 2015

Jim Hill

Greetings from NYC. Nancy and I drove down from New
Hampshire yesterday because we'll be checking out
Disney Consumer Products' annual Holiday Showcase later today.

Anyway … After checking into our hotel (i.e., The Paul.
Which is located down in NYC's NoMad district), we decided to grab some dinner.
Which is how we wound up at the Melt Shop.

Photo by Jim Hill

Which is this restaurant that only sells grilled cheese sandwiches.
This comfort food was delicious, but kind of on the heavy side.

Photo by Jim Hill

Which is why — given that it was a beautiful summer night
— we'd then try and walk off our meals. We started our stroll down by the Empire
State Building
…

Photo by Jim Hill

… and eventually wound up just below Times
Square (right behind where the Waterford Crystal Times Square New
Year's Eve Ball is kept).

Photo by Jim Hill

But you know what we discovered en route? Right in the heart
of Manhattan's Garment District
along Broadway between 36th and 41st? This incredibly cool series of life-like
and life-sized sculptures that Seward
Johnson has created.

Photo by Jim Hill

And — yes — that is Abraham Lincoln (who seems to have
slipped out of WDW's Hall of Presidents when no one was looking and is now
leading tourists around Times Square). These 18 painted
bronze pieces (which were just installed late this past Sunday night / early
Monday morning) range from the surreal to the all-too-real.

Photo by Jim Hill

Some of these pieces look like typical New Yorkers. Like the
business woman planning out her day …

Photo by Jim Hill

… the postman delivering the mail …

Photo by Jim Hill

… the hot dog vendor working at his cart …

Photo by Jim Hill

… the street musician playing for tourists …

Photo by Jim Hill

Not to mention the tourists themselves.

Photo by Jim Hill

But right alongside the bronze businessmen …

Photo by Jim Hill

… and the tired grandmother hauling her groceries home …

Photo by Jim Hill

… there were also statues representing people who were
from out-of-town …

Photo by Jim Hill

… or — for that matter — out-of-time.

Photo by Jim Hill

These were the Seward Johnson pieces that genuinely beguiled. Famous impressionist paintings brought to life in three dimensions.

Note the out-of-period water bottle that some tourist left
behind. Photo by Jim Hill

Some of them so lifelike that you actually had to pause for
a moment (especially as day gave way to night in the city) and say to yourself
"Is that one of the bronzes? Or just someone pretending to be one of these
bronzes?"

Mind you, for those of you who aren't big fans of the
impressionists …

Photo by Jim Hill

… there's also an array of American icons. Among them
Marilyn Monroe …

Photo by Jim Hill

… and that farmer couple from Grant Wood's "American
Gothic."

Photo by Jim Hill

But for those of you who know your NYC history, it's hard to
beat that piece which recreates Alfred Eisenstaedt's famous photograph of V-J Day in Times Square.

Photo by Jim Hill

By the way, a 25-foot-tall version of this particular Seward
Johnson piece ( which — FYI — is entitled "Embracing Peace") will actually
be placed in Times Square for a few days on or around August 14th to commemorate the 70th
anniversary of Victory Over Japan Day (V-J Day).

Photo by Jim Hill

By the way, if you'd like to check these Seward Johnson bronzes in
person (which — it should be noted — are part of the part of the Garment
District Alliance's new public art offering) — you'd best schedule a trip to
the City sometime over the next three months. For these pieces will only be on
display now through September 15th.

General

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

Published

8 years ago

June 10, 2015

Jim Hill

Greeting from the 2015 Licensing Expo, which is being held
at the Mandalay Bay
Convention Center in Las
Vegas.

Photo by Jim Hill

I have to admit that I enjoy covering the Licensing Expo.
Mostly becomes it allows bloggers & entertainment writers like myself to
get a peek over the horizon. Scope out some of the major motion pictures &
TV shows that today's vertically integrated entertainment conglomerates
(Remember when these companies used to be called movie studios?) will be
sending our way over the next two years or so.

Photo by Jim Hill

Take — for example — all of "The Secret Life of
Pets" banners that greeted Expo attendees as they made their way to the
show floor today. I actually got to see some footage from this new Illumination
Entertainment production (which will hit theaters on July 8, 2016) the last time I was in Vegas. Which
was for CinemaCon back in April. And the five or so minutes of film that I viewed
suggested that "The Secret Life of Pets" will be a really funny
animated feature.

Photo by Jim Hill

Mind you, Universal Pictures wanted to make sure that Expo
attendees remembered that there was another Illumination Entertainment production
coming-to-a-theater-near-them before "The Secret Life of Pets" (And
that's "Minions," the "Despicable Me" prequel. Which
premieres at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival next week but
won't be screened stateside 'til July 10th of this year). Which is why they had
three minions who were made entirely out of LEGOS loitering out in the lobby.

Photo by Jim Hill

And Warner Bros. — because they wanted "Batman v
Superman: Dawn of Justice" to start trending on Twitter today — brought
the Batmobile to Las Vegas.

Photo by Jim Hill

Not to mention full-sized macquettes of Batman, Superman and
Wonder Woman. Just so conventioneers could then see what these DC superheroes
would actually look like in this eagerly anticipated, March 25, 2016 release.

Photo by Jim Hill

That's the thing that can sometimes be a wee bit frustrating
about the Licensing Expo. It's all about delayed gratification. You'll come
around a corner and see this 100 foot-long ad for "The Peanuts Movie"
and think "Hey, that looks great. I want to see that Blue Sky Studios production
right now." It's only then that you notice the fine print and realize that
"The Peanuts Movie" doesn't actually open in theaters 'til November
6th of this year.

Photo by Jim Hill

And fan of Blue Sky's "Ice Age" film franchise are in for an even
longer wait. Given that the latest installment in that top grossing series
doesn't arrive in theaters 'til July
15, 2016.

Photo by Jim Hill

Of course, if you're one of those people who needs immediate
gratification when it comes to your entertainment, there was stuff like that to
be found at this year's Licensing Expo. Take — for example — how the WWE
booth was actually shaped like a wrestling ring. Which — I'm guessing — meant
that if the executives of World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. didn't like
the offer that you were making, they were then allowed to toss you out over the
top rope, Royal Rumble-style.

Photo by Jim Hill

I also have to admit that — as a longtime Star Trek fan —
it was cool to see the enormous Starship Enterprise that hung in place over the
CBS booth. Not to mention getting a glimpse of the official Star Trek 50th
Anniversary logo.

Photo by Jim Hill

I was also pleased to see lots of activity in The Jim Henson
Company booth. Which suggests that JHC has actually finally carved out a
post-Muppets identity for itself.

Photo by Jim Hill

Likewise for all of us who were getting a little concerned
about DreamWorks Animation (what with all the layoffs & write-downs &
projects that were put into turnaround or outright cancelled last year), it was
nice to see that booth bustling.

Photo by Jim Hill

Every so often, you'd come across some people who were
promoting a movie that you weren't entirely sure that you actually wanted to
see (EX: "Angry Birds," which Sony Pictures Entertainment / Columbia
Pictures will be releasing to theaters on May 20, 2016). But then you remembered that Clay Kaytis —
who's this hugely talented former Walt Disney Animation Studios animator — is
riding herd on "Angry Birds" with Fergal Reilly. And you'd think
"Well, if Clay's working on 'Angry Birds,' I'm sure this animated feature
will turn out fine."

Photo by Jim Hill

Mind you, there were reminders at this year's Licensing Expo
of great animated features that we're never going to get to see now. I still
can't believe — especially after that brilliant proof-of-concept footage
popped up online last year — that Sony execs decided not to go forward
with production of Genndy Tartakovsky's
"Popeye" movie. But that's the
cruel thing about the entertainment business, folks. It will sometime break
your heart.

Photo by Jim Hill

And make no mistake about this. The Licensing Expo is all
about business. That point was clearly driven home at this year's show when —
as you walked through the doors of the Mandalay
Bay Convention Center
— the first thing that you saw was the Hasbros Booth. Which was this gleaming,
sleek two story-tall affair full of people who were negotiating deals &
signing contracts for all of the would-be summer blockbusters that have already
announced release dates for 2019 & beyond.

Photo by Jim Hill

"But what about The Walt Disney Company?," you
ask. "Weren't they represented on the show floor at this year's Licensing
Expo?" Not really, not. I mean, sure. There were a few companies there hyping
Disney-related products. Take — for example — the Disney Wikkeez people.

Photo by Jim Hill

I'm assuming that some Disney Consumer Products exec is
hoping that Wikkeez will eventually become the new Tsum Tsum. But to be blunt,
these little hard plastic figures don't seem to have the same huggable charm
that those stackable plush do. But I've been wrong before. So let's see what
happens with Disney Wikkeez once they start showing up on the shelves of the
Company's North American retail partners.

Photo by Jim Hill

And speaking of Disney's retail partners … They were
meeting with Mouse House executives behind closed doors one floor down from the
official show floor for this year's Licensing Expo.

Photo by Jim Hill

And the theme for this year's invitation-only Disney shindig? "Timeless
Stories" involving the Disney, Pixar, Marvel & Lucasfilm brands that
would then appeal to "tomorrow's consumer."

Photo by Jim Hill

And just to sort of hammer home the idea that Disney is no
longer the Company which cornered the market when it comes to little girls
(i.e., its Disney Princess and Disney Fairies franchises), check out this
wall-sized Star Wars-related image that DCP put up just outside of one of its
many private meeting rooms. "See?," this carefully crafted photo
screams. "It isn't just little boys who want to wield the Force. Little
girls also want to grow up and be Lords of the Sith."

Photo by Jim Hill

One final, kind-of-ironic note: According to this banner,
Paramount Pictures will be releasing a movie called "Amusement Park"
to theaters sometime in 2017.

Photo by Jim Hill

Well, given all the "Blackfish" -related issues
that have been dogged SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment over the past two years, I'm
just hoping that they'll still be in the amusement park business come 2017.

Your thoughts?

General

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

Published

8 years ago

June 9, 2015

Jim Hill

You know what Mickey Mouse looks like, right? Little guy,
big ears?

Truth be told, Disney's corporate symbol has a lot of
different looks. If Mickey's interacting with Guests at Disneyland
Park (especially this summer, when
the Happiest Place on Earth
is celebrating its 60th anniversary), he looks & dresses like this.

Or when he's appearing in one of those Emmy Award-winning shorts that Disney
Television Animation has produced (EX: "Bronco Busted," which debuts
on the Disney Channel tonight at 8 p.m. ET / PT), Mickey is drawn in a such a
way that he looks hip, cool, edgy & retro all at the same time.

Looking ahead to 2017 now, when Disney Junior rolls out "Mickey and the
Roadster Racers," this brand-new animated series will feature a sportier version
of Disney's corporate symbol. One that Mouse House managers hope will persuade
preschool boys to more fully embrace this now 86 year-old character.

That's what most people don't realize about the Mouse. The
Walt Disney Company deliberately tailors Mickey's look, even his style of
movement, depending on what sort of project / production he's appearing in.

Take — for example — Disney
California Adventure
Park's "World of Color:
Celebrate!" Because Disney's main mouse would be co-hosting this new
nighttime lagoon show with ace emcee Neil Patrick Harris, Eric Goldberg really had
to step up Mickey's game. Which is why this master Disney animator created
several minutes of all-new Mouse animation which then showed that Mickey was
just as skilled a showman as Neil was.

Better yet, let's take a look at what the folks at Avalanche Studios just went
through as they attempted to create a Classic version of Mickey & Minnie.
One that would then allow this popular pair to become part of Disney Infinity
3.0.

"I won't lie to you. We were under a lot of pressure to
get the look of this particular version of Mickey — he's called Red Pants
Mickey around here — just right," said Jeff Bunker, the VP of Art
Development at Avalanche Studios, during a recent phone interview. "When
we brought Sorcerer Mickey into Disney Infinity 1.0 back in January of 2014,
that one was relatively easy because … Well, everyone knows what Mickey Mouse
looked like when he appeared in 'Fantasia.' "

"But this time around, we were being asked to design
THE Mickey & Minnie," Bunker continued. "And given that these Classic
Disney characters have been around in various different forms for the better
part of the last century … Well, which look was the right look?"

Which is why Jeff and his team at Avalanche Studios began watching hours &
hours of Mickey Mouse shorts. As they tried to get a handle on which look would
work best for these characters in Disney Infinity 3.0.

"And we went all the way back to the very start of Mickey's career. We began
with 'Steamboat Willie' and then watched all of those black & white Mickey shorts
that Walt made back in the late 1920s & early 1930s. From there, we
transitioned to his Technicolor shorts. Which is when Mickey went from being
this pie-eyed, really feisty character to more of a well-behaved leading
man," Bunker recalled. "We then finished out our Mouse marathon by
watching all of those new Mickey shorts that Paul Rudish & his team have
been creating for Disney Television Animation. Those cartoons really recapture
a lot of the spirit and wild slapstick fun that Mickey's early, black &
white shorts had."

But given that the specific assignment that Avalanche Studios had been handed
was to create the most appealing looking, likeable version of Mickey Mouse
possible … In the end, Jeff and his team wound up borrowing bits & pieces
from a lot of different versions of the world's most famous mouse. So that
Classic Mickey would then look & move in a way that best fit the sort of
gameplay which people would soon be able to experience with Disney Infinity
3.0.

"That — in a lot of ways — was actually the toughest
part of the Classic Mickey design project. You have to remember that one of the
key creative conceits of Disney Infinity
is that all the characters which appear in this game are toys," Bunker
stated. "Okay. So they're beautifully detailed, highly stylized toy
versions of beloved Disney, Pixar, Marvel & Lucasfilm characters. But
they're still supposed to be toys. So our Classic versions of Mickey &
Minnie have the same sort of thickness & sturdiness to them that toys have.
So that they'll then be able to fit right in with all of the rest of the
characters that Avalanche Studios had previously designed for Disney Infinity."

And then there was the matter of coming up with just the
right pose for Classic Mickey & Minnie. Which — to hear Jeff tell the
story — involved input from a lot of Disney upper management.

"Everyone within the Company seemed to have an opinion
about how Mickey & Minnie should be posed. More to the point, if you Google
Mickey, you then discover that there are literally thousands of poses out there
for these two. Though — truth be told — a lot of those kind of play off the
way Mickey poses when he's being Disney's corporate symbol," Bunker said.
"But what I was most concerned about was that Mickey's pose had to work
with Minnie's pose. Because we were bringing the Classic versions of these
characters up into Disney Infinity 3.0 at the exact same time. And we wanted to
make sure — especially for those fans who like to put their Disney Infinity
figures on display — that Mickey's pose would then complement Minnie.

Which is why Jeff & the crew at Avalanche Studios
decided — when it came to Classic Mickey & Minnie's pose — that they
should go all the way back to the beginning. Which is why these two Disney icons
are sculpted in such a way that it almost seems as though you're witnessing the
very first time Mickey set eyes on Minnie.

"And what was really great about that was — as soon as
we began showing people within the Company this pose — everyone at Disney
quickly got on board with the idea. I mean, the Classic Mickey that we sculpted
for Disney Infinity 3.0 is clearly a very playful, spunky character. But at the
same time, he's obviously got eyes for Minnie," Bunker concluded. "So
in the end, we were able to come up with Classic versions of these characters
that will work well within the creative confines of Disney Infinity 3.0 but at
the same time please those Disney fans who just collect these figures because
they like the way the Disney Infinity characters look."

So now that this particular design project is over, does
Jeff regret that Mouse House upper management was so hands-on when it came to
making sure that the Classic versions of Mickey & Minnie were specifically
tailored to fit the look & style of gameplay found in Disney Infinity 3.0?

"To be blunt, we go through this every time we add a new character to the
game. The folks at Lucasfilm were just as hands-on when we were designing the
versions of Darth Vader and Yoda that will also soon be appearing in Disney
Infinity 3.0," Bunker laughed. "So in the end, if the character's
creators AND the fans are happy, then I'm happy."

This article was originally posted on the Huffington Post's Entertainment page on Tuesday, June 9, 2015