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After 22 years, Lella Smith checks out as Creative Director of Disney’s Animation Research Library

Published

11 years ago

on

When Lella Smith‘s 10-year-old godson, Rey, found out she
was retiring from the Walt Disney Animation Research Library (ARL), he was
incredulous. “Why would you do that auntie?,” he said. “You’ve got the coolest
job in the world!”  Smith has been the
Creative Director for the ARL, the little-known department of the Mouse Factory
once described by Disney CEO Bob Iger as “… the most important department in
the Company.”  The ARL is the repository
for all the Disney artwork created for its feature-length and classic short
animated films.

“Don’t get me wrong. I love my job and have honestly
enjoyed every second that I’ve spent at the ARL,” Smith stated during a
recent phone interview. “When you work for the Walt Disney Company, you
work pretty hard on a continuing stream of very interesting and complex
projects that engage your imagination and challenge you. Naturally with that
comes great pride and satisfaction in the nature of your work. It is fun to go
to work each and every day.” 

And when Lella talks about “interesting and complex
projects,” she ticks off a few of the recent projects she and her team
have worked on over the last year.


Lella Smith (center) shows some of the pieces from Disney’s Animation Research
Library’s collection to a group of visiting foreign journalists. Copyright Disney
Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

  • The ARL began designing a large Disney art exhibition,
    scheduled to open the summer of 2015, to introduce the Company’s characters and
    stories to the people of China.
    Lella wrote the exhibition catalog, designed by Leon Ingram.
  • The ARL’s Research and Image Capture teams provided the
    folks at Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment with artwork and research for
    inclusion in the new bonus materials for the Diamond Edition of “The
    Jungle Book
    .”
  • The ARL also worked with the production team for the live-action
    film, “Maleficent,” providing them with a variety of reference materials from
    Disney’s 1959 feature “Sleeping Beauty
    ” so that the look of the production would
    be true to and evocative of the original.


Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

Mind you, this is just a sampling of the diverse projects
that Smith and the ARL worked on in 2013. Their primary mission remains the
preservation of the Walt Disney Company’s animation legacy and, by extension,
much of the history of animation’s ascendency to a legitimate art form in its
own right. This requires the constant care and careful cataloging of an
astounding estimated 65 million animation drawings, background paintings,
concept pieces and story sketches that Disney keeps in this climate controlled/
high security facility that would be the envy of any museum. 

“Fortunately, Disney is luckier than most of the studios out
here in California. You see, Walt
was kind of an archivist,” Smith explained. “Perhaps it was because
he came from the advertising world where it was common practice to store
completed works and research in the “morgue” (the original name for the ARL) so
that it could be retrieved in the event the material could be useful for future
campaigns. His decision to follow this practice at the Studio has proven to be
an essential element facilitating the Company’s synergistic growth to become
the largest entertainment enterprise in the world. Naturally, as the Company
grows, the demand for artwork grows along with it.  It is not unusual for a client to request
more than a hundred images for projects as disparate as decorating hotels and
cruise ships or developing a new consumer products line.”

“Surprisingly, the Studio initially didn’t keep the rough
animation because they thought only the clean-up animation might be used again,”
Lella continued. “Over time they started to keep story sketches and
concept art when they realized that there was interest in reviewing the
evolving nature of the animation process itself. When one sees an early Snow
White
character as a blond or redhead with various physiques and facial
features, one understands the extensive experimentation pursued by the artists
for every character, location, or film style. 
It really highlights Walt’s reputation as a visionary for having the
foresight to begin doing this 85 years ago.” 


Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

All of this carefully preserved artwork is still being
actively consulted today. Case in point, when Imagineers wanted to create a
sophisticated garden-like decor for a Club 33 venue in Shanghai Disneyland, set
to open in 2015, they reached out to the ARL for artwork to reference in their
design. Smith and her team were able to provide WDI with images of concept art
from the original 1940 production of “Fantasia
.” This made it possible for the
artists and designers working on this venue to add an air of elegance that
still subtly evokes the artistic legacy of the Studio.

“Of course, in order to be able to do something like
that, it is helpful to have a thoroughly cataloged collection and that takes
time,” Smith said. “Take, for example, Disney’s ‘Sleeping Beauty.’ Some
studio veterans will tell you that this film was in production for six years
while others will tell you it took ten. All I know is that it took a team of
six ARL Collections Specialists and four Image Capture Specialists 18 months to
first analyze and reconstruct the storyboards and then document and digitize
just the concept art and story sketches from that film. Remember, in those
days, it was not unusual to create over a million pieces of artwork for an
animated feature film.”

But, in Disney Corporate’s typically forward thinking
fashion, it just wasn’t sufficient that the artwork from its 60 full-length
animated features was being kept safe and dry. John Lasseter and other Mouse
House executives wanted this material to be remotely accessible by all parts of
the Company. This prompted the development of 
the GEMS initiative at the ARL, headed up by the ARL’s Managing Director
Mary Walsh, Technical Manager Mark Dawson, and a team of professional
photographers.  Lella considers it to be
the most exciting and significant project that Disney’s Animation Research
Library undertook during her tenure. 


Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

“We began by photographing all of the older, more fragile
assets associated with the early animated features, such as ‘Snow White and the
Seven Dwarfs.’  Our next goal was to
capture the iconic moments in animation history, such as the spaghetti eating
scene from ‘Lady and the Tramp
.’ All the while, we were challenged to meet
important deadlines for various Company initiatives, such as providing Disney
Animated with thousands of images for the popular interactive Disney App
containing artwork and movie clips for Apple mobile devices.

“Capturing the artwork at a high resolution helps us in two
ways,” Lella explained. “First, it is an educational tool and source of
inspiration for today’s artists. Disney and Pixar animation employees can now
call up all of these rarely seen artworks right from their desktops enlarging
the image to study the painterly style of the artist or follow the progression
of animation drawings. And, secondly, now that this art has been digitized we
no longer have to handle them quite as frequently, which, given how fragile
some of these items are, is a blessing.”

“Digitizing all of this artwork and, in particular,
getting the color on each individual scan just right, is admittedly a slow go. But,
after five years, we have captured 1.5 million images.” Smith said. “Everyone
in the Company loves what we’ve done so far and it has enabled us to share this
wealth of assets with others in the Company all over the world.”


Lella Smith speaking at the opening of “Dreams Come True: Art of Classic Fairy
Tales from Walt Disney Studios” during this exhibition’s stop in South Korea.
Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

Mind you, The Walt Disney Company clearly believes in the
mission of the ARL. That’s why — just in the time that Lella has been working
at the library — she’s seen the ARL team grow from just 5 to 23 current cast
members, with each of them dedicated to preserving and protecting Disney’s
creative legacy.  Thousands of works of
art have been properly archived and made available for future generations and a
traveling exhibitions program has been developed, including “Dreams Come True,
Art of the Classic Fairy Tales from the Walt Disney Studio,” brings this art to
such venues as New Orleans, Australia,
South Korea, Taiwan
and soon to Europe.


The exterior of the building at the Walt Disney Family
Museum which housed “Snow White and the Seven
Dwarfs: The Creation of a Classic” last year.

But even with all of the pats-on-the-back that she received
for curating last year’s “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: The Creation of a
Classic” that opened at the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco and moved
on to the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, MA where over 96,000 people
visited during its five month run or the possibility of being able to travel to
China next year to help launch the new exhibition, Smith still thinks that she
made the right decision to retire this month.


The interior of the “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: The
Creation of a Classic” exhibition.

“I can’t begin to tell you how proud I am of the team
at Disney’s Animation Research Library. No matter what the assignment: the
researchers under the direction of Fox Carney discovering a fascinating piece
of concept art attached to pages of an early treatment for ‘Cinderella
,’ circa 1940;
or the Design team, under the direction
of Tamara Khalaf, preparing an exhibition of ‘Frozen
‘ artwork for Bournemouth
University in the United Kingdom; or the Collections team under the direction
of Kristen McCormick, reaching another major milestone as they preserve the
artwork for generations to come; or the Image Capture team, under the direction
of Richard Kanno crafting custom technical solutions to difficult requests, we
are doing everything possible to ensure the safety of the collection while
sharing it with the world.”

And though she’ll obviously miss the unique perks of her
position like attending a museum opening of Disney artwork at the Grand Palais
in Paris, or just sharing artwork with employees as she did on a recent trip to
Pixar in Emeryville just last month to show Pixar employees some of the character
and costume designs that Disney Legends Mary Blair and Eyvind Earle created for
‘Sleeping Beauty,’ Smith still thinks that it’s time that she made her exit.  “One of the most satisfying aspects of the
job has been introducing original Disney artwork to people around the world,
watching their response to the artistry, and most importantly, making lasting
friendships in these places.”

“Oh, I’m sure I’ll miss the excitement. The surprises
that you can only get when you work at a place like the ARL. Take, for example,
opening a scene of animation from ‘The Skeleton Dance‘ and finding
drawings from ‘Trolley Troubles,’ the first Oswald the Lucky Rabbit
short released two years earlier, a short for which we thought we had no
animation,”  Lella exclaims, “It’s so exciting
to hold a piece of animation history in your hands like that and know that now
you will be able to share it with others.”

“I have to say, though, I did think long and hard about
that trip to China
in 2015,” Lella admitted. “I have not been to China
since 1980 when I took an exhibition to Beijing
from the Armand Hammer Collection.  It
would be interesting to see the new museums and all of the changes that have
occurred. But then again, when you have worked for Disney, you never really
stop working for the Company. For instance, later this Fall, the Disney Cruise
Line has asked that I give five talks about (what else?) legendary Disney
artists and the history of Disney animation art. And I will remain involved in
Disney projects as long as they ask me.”


“Justine,” one of the many beautiful quilts that Lella has
created over the years. Thus named for the picture of
Smith’s goddaughter included as part of this quilt.

Lella went on to explain, “This experience is energizing and
tantalizingly pulls you along until one day you decide, almost arbitrarily,
that the moment is right for me to spend more time in my quilting studio
pursuing personal creative endeavors and that the next Disney project as an
employee will be my last.

But, before Lella headed out the door and settled into her
quilting studio, she took on one last project: a book about one of Walt Disney’s
great artists Marc Davis (1913-2000). The book, entitled “Marc Davis, Walt
Disney’s Renaissance Man
” will be released this Fall by Disney Publishing.  Smith made a pledge to Marc’s widow, Alice
Davis, that she would not retire until Marc’s book was published. Many people
know that Marc animated such characters as Maleficent and Cruella de Vil and
designed charming theme park attractions, but his talent was much broader. 


Alice Davis & Lella Smith at Lella’s retirement party

Working with book designer Tamara Khalaf and the entire ARL
team, she found dozens of artworks never published before, both from the Alice
Davis collection and from the Disney Company to reveal the breadth of Marc’s
talent;  his fine arts, animal and motion
studies, watercolors from his travels to places like Papua
New Guinea and his sketchbook drawings.  Included in the book are original essays by
well-known Disney scholars and professionals.

Well, with this Fall’s publication of that Marc Davis book,
here’s hoping that Smith can take pride in all the changes that the ARL
underwent during her two decades+ tenure. More to the point, that she can sail
off into retirement at the end of March knowing that the collection will be in
the very capable hands of Mary Walsh, Lella’s co-director for the last seven
years.

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

9 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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General

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

Published

9 years ago

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

9 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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