General

An Early Peek at “The Polar Express”

JHM guest columnist Michael Howe returns with a column that talks about Robert Zemeckis’ recent appearance at the Chicago Film festival as well as offering up some info about this much anticipated holiday film.

Published

20 years ago

October 27, 2004

Jim Hill

Well JHM readers,

I’m back! Back from California (finally got a tan after 2 years) and back with another story, and review. So today, I’ll be frank about going from the nice sunny weather of San Diego, to the cold but enchanting weather of the North Pole. Because right after I got off the plane, it was a hop skip and a jump to the Grand Finale of the 40th Chicago Int. Film Festival. And their feature film was ‘The Polar Express.’ Now this wouldn’t have been a big deal, but the fact that Tom Hanks and Robert Zemeckis were going to be in attendance. And, when you hear that Bob Z is coming to town (actually, he’s a Chicagoan from long past himself), not even a time paradox was gonna keep me.

A little background first: I’m a huge fan of Robert Zemeckis’ films. I was hooked on ‘Back to the Future before I hit 1st grade, and ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’ cemented my love of his films. Of course, I became enchanted with ‘Forrest Gump,’ ‘Contact,’ and his two more recent films: ‘What Lies Beneath’ and ‘Cast Away.’ But his latest film, would be a major departure. A G-rated venture, Zemeckis was relying on motion-capture technology for all his characters, including facial capture that made some people on animationnation comment on the eerie look of Tom Hanks’ train conductor. So I figured I’d give this a look, and report to the front lines.

After braving the lines at the Cadillac Theatre (and confiscating my camera for the after-party), I went to my seat, 2 rows back from the stage. Finally, the lights dimmed and out strolled the head of the Film Festival. Good-looking guy, considering he had started this 40 years ago. After him, came Mayor Daley’s wife, to tell us of her love of the book ‘The Polar Express.’ Soon, she gave up the stage as the crowd roared with delight as Tom Hanks took the stage. Hanks gave a few funny one-liners, but his line of ‘What Paris is to Euopre, Chicago is to the United States’ brought on thunderous applause (hey, we mid-westerners love to be acknowledged). Hanks then told us an interesting story, about how Bob Z had gone from Chicago’s South Side to USC film school:

Apparently, Young Zemeckis had been into film at a young age, but had no way of knowing how to break into it. One night, he was watching the ‘Tonight Show’ with Johnny Carson in his parent’s Rec Room (‘I have no idea what a Rec Room is,’ commented Hanks), and Johnny Carson’s guest was Jerry Lewis. When Carson asked Lewis what he was up to, Lewis replied that he was teaching a seminar at USC Film School. At this, Robert Zemeckis sat bolt upright at said: “You mean there’s such a thing as a FILM SCHOOL!?’

This was a very insightful look into Zemeckis (since there’s no actual biography on him to read, and as Jim pointed out in his review on ‘The Films of Robert Zemeckis,’ there isn’t even an ACCURATE biography yet). After this, we were treated to clips of Zemeckis’ films from ‘I Wanna Hold Your Hand’ to ‘The Polar Express.’ With this conclusion, Zemeckis walked out on stage. Myself and several others instantly bolted from our seats for a standing ovation/
Zemeckis then corrected Tom’s story: it wasn’t a Rec Room, it was a basement. But then, basements aren’t commonplace in California. Zemeckis thanked Hanks, and made mention to his family, many of whom were in the audience, before the head of the Film Festival presented him with the Film Festival’s Career Achivement Award (as he was too young for a Lifetime Achievement Award). Before leaving the state for the film to begin, Hanks chimed in “It’s October 21, let’s get into the Christmas Spirit.’ And so, began Zemeckis’ 13th Feature film.

The Review

I’m sure that many of us remember the good old days of our childhood. For me, I’m still looking into children’s picture books, for inspiration and ideas. Years after I was out of grade school, my sister Stacey got into some of the books of Chris Van Allsburg, including Jumanji, and The Polar Express. These two are some of her favorite picture books, and have great use of technique, along with a simple story to guide those reading the book.
‘Jumanji’ had been made into a feature film almost 9 years ago, directed by Joe Johnston (The Rocketter, October Sky), the film loosely followed the 32-page book, sending the adventures of two kids into the path of two former Jumanji players, as their town is soon invaded by killer mosquitos, game hunters, and stampeding animals. Being a former member of the visual effects company, Industrial Light & Magic, Johnston had a good grasp upon the effects, but the story suffered.

Along with Jumanji being on my mind going into seeing this film, were the Brian Grazer-produced ‘Cat in the Hat’ and ‘The Grinch.’ These two films were chastised by critics and some who remembered these books with a sense of innocense, that was now replaced with crude jokes involving mistletoe and spaying and neutering (8 neutering jokes in ‘Cat in the Hat’ were 8 jokes too many). These three films were in my mind as I sat at the Cadillac theatre as the film began.

Zemeckis opens in the boy’s bedroom, just as Allsburg’s does, including his first full paragraph, with only one slight word change. So far, so good. But in the course of the next 10 minutes, it becomes apparent that our ‘Hero Boy’ (as he’s called in the credits), is not as faithful to Mr C as the book. Apparently, he’s beginning to have doubts. We hear his sister in the next room, talking about what he’s been thinking. This boy’s just one step away from being that wet blanket in kindergarten who tells you ‘there’s no such thing as Santa Claus.’

And then, the room shakes, the lights stream through the window, and through the smoke (like the DeLorean’s reveal in Back to the Future), we see the Steam Locomotive. As the boy looks, he is then greeted by the Conductor (acted and voiced by Hanks). There seems to be no actual criteria for who is chosen to come on the Polar Express, but there are a couple of things our boy’s done that have caused some at the North Pole grave concern: no picture with the department store Santa, no letter received this year and-yikes!-he had his sister put out the cookies and milk, instead of doing it together. Moreso out of curiousity, our lead boards the train, where he meets several other children, including a little girl (voiced and performed by Nona Gaye), and Know-it-All (Zemeckis veteran Eddie Deezen), who will talk your ear off more than anything. From the gales of laughter I heard from the kids, I’d say Know-it-All is proof that Eddie Deezen has won over the recent generation of kids.

As his journey continues, our young boy will also meet a mysterious hobo, encounter a herd of Caribou, and even has a front row seat as the train barrels across a frozen patch of ice.

Overall, Zemeckis manages to do much less meddling with the material than other picture book-to-movie transitions. All the major set pieces are there. We don’t have some huge added backstory. It’s in the introduction of all the other characters on The Polar Express that Zemeckis has chosen to open the palette a bit.

Probably one of the biggest concerns by many, is that the film is trying for almost photo-realistic characters. We’re dealing with motion capture here, the likes of which could be compared to 2001’s ‘Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within.’ Here, it works a little smoother, but it still feels a bit ‘mechanically smooth’ at some times. The interaction between characters also felt a bit lacking, interaction being putting hands on shoulders, etc. As well, the textures are not fully photo-realistic, they’re off just a bit, to try and match the pastel quality of the illustrations. I think half-way through the film, I stopped analyzing the film and started to get into the plot.

Of interest as well, is that adult performers are performing the actions of the children. Hanks, Gaye & Deezen mainly did their movements with oversized props, and their data was fed into the kids onscreen. Also, you can see little facial traits, which proves how well the facial tracking system works. At one point, the boy smiles as he pulls the train’s whistle, and you can clearly see Hank’s half-smile light up his face.

‘The Polar Express’ also marks the first Zemeckis film to feature musical numbers. When the children are served hot chocolate, a chorus line begins, with Hanks chiming in, along with acrobatic chefs and servers. The number is pretty elaborate, but due to my position, the music seemed a bit garbled. One that got in my head was a number that featured a children’s choir and Hanks singing about the Polar Express, it’s got a nice driving rhythm.

Overall, The Polar Express isn’t the greatest Zemeckis film, but it is in no way the worst. It’s a film that manages to be a children’s film, but also doesn’t really make the audience feel like babies, like some Hollywood G-rated fare. This definitely feels like a better choice than ‘Surviving Christmas’ or ‘Christmas with the Kranks.’ My big fear is that this film is going to be released during the second week of ‘The Incredibles,’ and the humanistic characters will probably turn some away. All I can say is, there’s gonna be a marginal audience of those who saw ‘The Grudge’ going to see this film (caught three kids today heckling the poster for this film).

Overall, The film will charm those who read the book, and for those who worry about favorite moments getting iced over, fear not. But if you get the chance, see this film in a Dome IMAX when the big-screen theatres release it. Some sequences half-way through have the kind of vertigo feel like the scene in ‘Aladdin’ when the carpet just spirals down several hundred feet.

Back to the Cadillac Theatre

After the film, I got a chance to attend the Afterparty for the festival. The stage was cleared up, and the hors’doeuvres and free spirits flowed freely. Giant banners were strung up, everywhere. I was looking for Hanks and Zemeckis. I overheard one person say that once the film started, Hanks had to take off for L.A. But nearby, I finally spotted Robert Zemeckis. Unfortunately, he was surrounded by people wanting to shake his hand and get his autograph. Luckily, I managed to slip him my DVD covers for ‘Back to the Future’ and ‘Forrest Gump,’ and offer my thanks to him, before he had to exit out the side door. I finally found a seat and began talking to an older woman. Soon, it became apparent that I was sitting next to Bob Z’s Mom! I told her a bit how her son had influenced my love of films, before she had to leave as well.

Overall, it was an interesting way to end my vacation from work. I saw ‘The Incredibles’ before I left, and saw ‘The Polar Express’ before I returned to work. I hope this has given you an insight into the film, but before I go, I’m gonna pass off a little tidbit about a Bob Z film that I heard a couple years ago from Richard LeParmentier: who played General Motti in ‘Star Wars’ (or as he’s known: The guy who was choked by Darth Vader), and Lieutenant Santino in ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit.’ When Richard was in town for Chicago’s Comic-Con, I began talking to him about his role in ‘Roger,’ and Richard told me how Jeffrey K had some trepidations about some language in the film (it must have been a good story, because the guy who played Boba Fett was listening in). Apparently, after Eddie wakes up with Santino standing next to him, the original line was ‘Jesus, Eddie, if you needed money so bad, why didn’t you come to me?’ But when Jeff K heard that, he said: Wait a minute, this is a Disney film, he can’t say that! So, the line was looped, and ‘Jesus Eddie’ became ‘Gee whiz Eddie.’

And that’s my prattling on Bob Z and his films…for now. I plan to return with some reviews of his films on DVD (including the recently released ‘I Wanna Hold Your Hand’).

Michael Howe

General

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

Published

9 years ago

June 23, 2015

Jim Hill

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

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

… the postman delivering the mail …

Photo by Jim Hill

… the hot dog vendor working at his cart …

Photo by Jim Hill

… the street musician playing for tourists …

Photo by Jim Hill

Not to mention the tourists themselves.

Photo by Jim Hill

But right alongside the bronze businessmen …

Photo by Jim Hill

… and the tired grandmother hauling her groceries home …

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

… or — for that matter — out-of-time.

Photo by Jim Hill

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

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

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

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

General

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

Published

9 years ago

June 10, 2015

Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Your thoughts?

General

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

Published

9 years ago

June 9, 2015

Jim Hill

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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