General

An Electrifying Why For

Jim Hill offers up a detailed look at Edison Square, another never-built “land” at Disneyland … as well as announcing that JHM has officially begun taking names of those readers who wish to recieve an audio version of his now-defunct Disneyland history tour.

Published

20 years ago

March 31, 2005

Jim Hill

Manny the Uncanny writes in to say:

Dear Jim —

I was severely bummed to hear that Disneyland Security booted you out of the park last Sunday for daring to give your “The Disneyland That Never Was” tour. I was actually planning on signing up for the next round of tours that you were going to give in July. But now I guess I missed my chance.

Now I know you’re supposedly putting together a CD version of your Disneyland tour. But — being a longtime JHM reader — I know that what Jim promises isn’t necessarily what Jim delivers. Case in point: The JHM newsletter, which was originally supposed to have come out last spring.

I don’t mean to bust your b*lls, Jim. But — just in case this CD never actually appears — can you at least give us a taste of some of the stories that you used to give on your Disneyland history tour?

Somewhat respectfully yours,

Manny the Uncanny

Dear Manny the Uncanny —

First of all, it’s nice to see that there’s at least one other Paul Rugg fan out there. By that I mean: For the longest time, I thought that Nancy & I were the only two grown-ups on the planet who actually enjoyed watching Rugg’s antics as Manny the Uncanny on ABC’s long defunct Saturday morning cartoon block, “One Saturday Morning.” But your signature suggests that you too enjoyed Paul’s goofy man-on-the-street schtick.

And as for busting my b*lls about not delivering long-promised projects on time, Manny … It only hurts because it’s true.

After all, I am running a year behind schedule on delivering the JHM newsletter. And — as for my unauthorized Disneyland history, “Once Upon an Orange Grove” — that was due at the publishers months ago. So I can obviously understand why you might be a wee bit skeptical about me actually being able to deliver on that promise to produce a CD version of the JHM Disneyland tour.

Well, all I can tell you, Manny is that tomorrow I’m driving down to Connecticut to meet with Jeff Lange. Jeff’s serving as the defacto producer of the JHM Disneyland audio tour project. And tomorrow afternoon, he and I will be putting together a very detailed production schedule for this project. Setting specific deadlines for the delivery of the script, recording dates, etc. With our ultimate goal being that we have a finished product ready for ship by the middle of May. June 1st at the absolute latest.

(A special note to those of you who took part in JHM’s donation drive last year: You’ll be among the first to receive a copy of this Disneyland audio tour. And that CD will be sent out to you free of charge as a very belated “Thank You” gift for taking part in last spring’s fund-raiser for the site.)

“So what happens if I don’t actually deliver?,” you ask, Manny … Well, Jeff has said that he will actually bust my b*lls. He’s supposedly already made a trip to Home Depot to pick out an appropriate ball peen hammer. Which will be used in the event that I miss even one of my deadlines.

So — as you can see, Mr. Uncanny — it’s actually in my own best interests to deliver the audio version of the JHM Disneyland tour on time. Which is why I’ve already begun writing the script for the CD. I actually finished the first five pages of the thing on Tuesday as I was flying back from Honolulu.

Now — as for giving you a taste of the stories that I do on my “Disneyland That Never Was” tour … I guess that only seems fair. Soooo … Since we talked about Liberty Street a few weeks back, why don’t we now talk about another proposed addition to Disneyland’s Main Street U.S.A., Edison Square?

According to a promotional booklet that WED created back in the mid-1950s (With the hope that this booklet could then be used to convince G.E. officials to put up the funds necessary to build this proposed addition to the Anaheim theme park), Edison Square was supposed to be located ” … just a few steps from Main Street and near the Plaza … A paved brick street on which America will be seen passing from the ‘old’ of the 19th Century to the ‘new’ of the early 1900s. The electric light is seen taking the place of gas lamps; horse-drawn vehicles are giving way to electrical and gasoline-powered ‘horseless carriages.’ “

Edison Square architecturally was supposed to be a composite of a number of major American cities at the turn of the century. Among the distinct architectural styles that were to be represented in this proposed addition to Disneyland were:

The red brick buildings of Philadelphia
The brownstones of New York City
The graystones of Chicago
The ornate wooden structures found in St. Louis and San Francisco
As well as Boston’s distinct colonial brick buildings

Guests entering this extension of Main Street U.S.A. would first have had to walk under the Edison Arch Marquee. As they did, they’d undoubtedly have noticed the new “land” ‘s central landmark. Which was a life-size statue of Thomas A. Edison.

Now the life of that famous American inventor wasobviously to have played an important part in Edison Square. And indeed — as you entered the pre-show area for this new “land” ‘s main attraction, the “Harnessing the Lightning” show — you would have encountered five full-dimensional dioramas. Which — by making use of specialized lighting and animated effects — these dioramas were supposedly to “come to life,” recreating various dramatic scenes from Edison’s life.

The climax of this pre-show was supposed to have been “The 40 Hour Watch.” A diorama that showed Thomas A. & his associates finally achieving their ultimate goal. Which was when they created the first incandescent lamp that burned for 40 consecutive hours back in 1879.

As the lights dimmed on that diorama, special Disney-created theme music, lighting effects and voice recordings were supposed to signal to the audience that it’s time for Act I. So the 125 guests who were assembled in the “Harnessing the Lightning” lobby area would then shuffle into the first theater. Where the footlights would now come on, the curtains would pull back and the stage show would finally get underway.

Now most Disneyland history buffs will tell you that the “Harnessing the Lightning” show was actually the predecessor for the “Carousel of Progress.” Only in the Edison Square version of this attraction, the audience didn’t ride in a theater-go-round as they moved from scenes to scenes. But — rather — Disneyland guests stood throughout the entire presentation and were then expected to walk to the next theater as each scene of the attraction ended.

But me … I have to tell you that I’m pretty intrigued by the differences between the proposed script for “Harnessing the Lightning” and the show that Walt eventually put on his theater-go-round building. The scenes set in the then-modern day of 1958 & the future of 19?8 are markedly different.

Don’t believe me? Okay. Then here’s a word-for-word transcript of what the show was supposed to have been like from that booklet that WED personnel put together for those G.E. executives:

Act I: Circa 1898 — 1% inspiration, 99% perspiration

Act I will present on stage a unique play in which the setting is an American home just prior to the turn of the Century, in 1898. This particular home has been selected as the model for the period, containing all the latest up to date furnishings and appliances

It is the days of pre-electricity. Our narrator, Mr. Wilbur K. Watt, is an incredible electro-mechanical man. As he rocks back and forth in his armchair, he describes the scene we see on the stage. It is almost as though Mr. Watt were alive, for his movements are synchronized and life-like as he describes the play.

As though the scene were a Broadway play coming to life, Mr. Watt takes us into this model American home of 1898, where we will meet all the wonderful characters who will demonstrate the “newest” home appliances which have made life easier for them.

Like Wilbur K. Watt, these characters are full-sized electro-mechanical figures. Walt Disney and his creative staff will bring them to life before our eyes. They will move, talk and go about their daily household activities, actually acting out their roles in the drama.

Each member of our cast of life-like figures is highly stylized, dressed in the mode of the day and anxious to demonstrate these “newest” appliances so that the scene on stage becomes a living, vital drama of their home life.

Various aspects of their everyday existence will be acted out as the spotlight features the Monday wash, the newest ice box, the new model in stoves and other “modern conveniences,” some of which are detailed on the following pages. Mr. Watt will explain these “new gadgets” as the play progresses.

Assisting Mr. Watt in the presentation of this stage setting is the musical background, grinding out the theme songs of the day on a phonograph whose sound, though sometimes scratchy, is nevertheless “hi-fi” quality of its day.

Before we leave this family of 1898, Mr. Watt will make the optimistic prediction that some day, the very latest electrical appliances will help make these people to Live Better Electrically.

As Act I is completed, the music will increase in tempo, the house lights will go on, and the audience will progress into the second theatre for Act II.

Act II: Circa 1918 — The Initials of a Friend

We have now moved into the second stage setting, the transition accompanied by theme music from the old phonograph. As the lights brighten in the theatre, we hear our narrator, Wilbur K. Watt, describing the scene on stage, a post-war family in the year 1918.

The play now depicts a model American home in the early days of electricity. Although it is electrically lighted, containing all the very latest General Electric lighting, refridgerators, toasters, water heaters and other fine appliances, this up-to-date home is also a veritable jungle of wires.

Our electro-mechanical cast of characters will again actually move, talk and demonstrate all the latest, up-to-date lighting and appliances, accompanied by sound effects from the vacuum, washing machines and other conveniences and energy-saving devices. Before our eyes, these appliances will be operated by our life-like cast, just as they were used in 1918.

Copyright 1958 WED Enterprises

The theme music, sometimes drowned out by the deafening noise of an elevated train passing by the window, now emanates from the brassy radio, playing the popular tunes of the day.

As the radio music increases in volume, Mr. Watt makes the prediction that radio is becoming so real you can almost imagine sound becoming sight.

The audience then progresses into the third stage setting for the presentation of Act III.

Act III: Circa 1958 — Live Better Electrically

The theme music tells us that we have now reached the present day in our evolving electrical drama, and are viewing, on stage, another American family in its model contemporary home of the year 1958.

Mr. Watt’s prediction of 50 years ago has come true. We are indeed seeing an American family Living Better Electrically, with the aid of all the very newest interior lighting and automatic home equipment.

This American family of 1958 is enjoying the comforts of its combination family room and patio. Outside, it is snowing, but they never even notice: their radiant heat and climate control shield them completely from the weather while they swim, watch television or bask in the General Electric “sunshine.”

Copyright 1958 WED Enterprises

Our electro-mechanical cast of characters acts out the drama. Mom is keeping tabs on the kids through the scanner which allows her to see any other room in the house. She has already set the automatic equipment for Dad’s dinner, which is cooking by itself while she relaxes.

Before the lighting and musical effects signal the end of Act III and we move to the final theatre, Mr. Watt, ever the optimist, can’t help taking leave of 1958 without the prediction that some day, these same people will be traveling into outer space.

Act IV: Circa 19?8 — More Power to America

Ever moving toward the future, we have reached the ultimate of present predictions in Act IV, the year 19?8.

The scene is a penthouse overlooking New York City of the Future. There are stars above us and stars below us in this “island in the sky.”

The audience itself is on stage in this scene. We walk in and make ourselves at home among the space scanners, the ultra-modern furnishings, and the automatic, time-savings devices.

Mom is programming her dinners for the entire week in her automation-controlled kitchen. She presses a button, and her “cooking” for the week is completed, with the proper diet and calorie content included for every member of the family. She takes a look into an electronically controlled scanner, presses another button, and the bedroom is cleaned automatically.

Through the skyview, spaceships are seen racing across the nighttime sky toward their destination: anywhere in the universe.

Now — at this point — you may be asking: Where’s the show’s host gone? What has become of the ever-present Wilbur K. Watt.

Well, this is when Mom turns our attention to a wall screen. On it, a telecast shows the first space ship from Earth to successfully land on Venus. And who’s among this ship’s very important passengers? You guessed it. Wilbur K. Watt.

As he get ready to disembark, Wilbur notices that his space ship’s nuclear reactor are emblazoned with “the Initials of a Friend.” As in: The ship’s power plant was supposedly built by G.E. Who — even in the far-off future — is still supposedly putting out great products.

Adjusting the oxygen dial on his space helmet, Wibur strides confidently out onto the surface of Venus … As the curtains to Act IV automatically close and the audience moves into “Harnessing the Lightning” ‘s post-show area.

This part of the proposed Edison Square attraction was euphamistically called the “institutional-product area.” Translation: This was the G.E. product showroom. Here, various product displays would have demonstrated General Electrical’s clear superiority in the home appliance field by talking up the corporation’s continuing commitment to research & development, advances in manufacturing technique as well as the company’s speedy product delivery system.

As they left this area, Disneyland visitors were supposed to be left with the impression that G.E. was tops when it came to Living — and working — Better Electrically on land, sea or air.

So — as I was saying — obviously those last two scenes in “Harnessing the Lightning” were significantly different from what Disney eventually did with the last two sequences of “Carousel of Progress.” So why did Walt ultimately decide to make those changes?

Well, that part of the story … I think I’ll hold back for the audio version of my Disneyland tour …

If you’d like to be on the official notification list for this CD (I.E. If you’d like me to send you a note letting you know when it actually becomes available), please send an e-mail to my jim@jimhillmedia.com address. And I’ll make sure that your name gets put on the appropriate list.

Anywho … That’s it for this week, folks. I hope to see you all again here next Monday morning. Til then, you take care, okay?

Best Regards,

jrh

Special thanks to Uncle Skippy for provided me with all that great Edison Square research material.

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

10 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

10 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