General

Around the World with Why For

Disney World, that is. In honor of next week’s Mega-Mouse Meet at WDW, Jim Hill answers your questions about Central Florida’s vacation kingdom. Revealing what the Costa Rica pavilion that was proposed for World Showcase was supposed to have been like as well as talking about all the problems that Disney had with constructing the Contemporary & Polynesian hotels. Plus the winner of this week’s JHM readers contest!

Published

20 years ago

December 2, 2004

Jim Hill

First of all, let me apologize for my somewhat low profile at JHM this week. But we’ve had some pretty wild weather these past couple of days up here in New England. With winds of 45-50 MPH knocking down tree limbs. Which — in turn — took out a number of power lines in our neck of the woods.

And — you know — there’s nothing like sitting a cold, dark house for a couple of days to make you think: it’s really time to get back to Orlando.

Which is where I’ll be this time next week. Doing the meet-n-greet thing at Mousefest 2004 as well as running my latest set of JHM tours over at the Magic Kingdom. (Though — to be honest — I don’t know which I’ll enjoy more: Getting to chat with all you nice JHM readers at Saturday’s Mega-Mouse Meet or just being someplace where it’s nice and warm again. Anyway … )

In honor of next week’s festivities in Orlando, I thought that I might put together a special Disney World edition of “Why For.” Where I’d answer JHM readers’ questions about Central Florida’s vacation kingdom.

So — first up — is a question from Carla F. Who asks:

Dear Mr. Hill —

As they say on talk radio, I’m a long-time listener, first-time caller. I’ve been a fan of your stuff ever since I first read your “California Misadventure” series over at MousePlanet. (Those are the sorts of stories that I think you really do best, Jim. Those long-winded tales about theme parks or attractions that never got built. Which is why it’s been nice to see you getting back to articles like that lately and not spending so much time beating up on SaveDisney.com.)

Speaking of stuff that never got built, I was wondering if you could tell me something about my favorite theme park: Epcot. Whenever I’m walking around World Showcase lagoon, I always notice all the huge gaps between the international pavilions. Like that big open space between China and Germany. I know that — back in the early 1980s, when Epcot Center first opened — that Disney had originally hoped that a lot more countries would eventually sign up to be part of World Showcase. But that — for some reason or another — that never happened.

So can you help me fill in the gaps, Jim? Tell me what country was supposed to be where in World Showcase?

Thanks,

Carla F.

Dear Carla F. —

Sure, I’d be glad to help out you out here. Take — for example — that gap between China and Germany where the “Villager Traders” souvenir shop and the “Refreshment Outpost” snack stand are currently located. That was where Epcot’s Equatorial African pavilion was supposed to have been built.

But — when we’re talking about what-was-supposed-to-be-where at World Showcase — it’s always important to remember that WED had several different site plans for this section of Epcot Center. And that — over the decade that this theme park was in serious development — World Showcase’s layout actually changed a number of times.

Take — for example — the 1977 plan. Back when the Imagineers were still convinced that they’d be able to recruit enough countries to fill up every available inch of space around World Showcase Lagoon. Of course, this was back when the U.S. pavilion wasn’t supposed to be housed in some enormous red-brick federalist-looking building on the other side of the lake. But — rather — an immense futuristically-styled structure that was to have stood (on stilts, no less!) in the Showcase Plaza area. Right inbetween where the “Port of Entry” and “Disney Traders” shops are currently located.

Yeah, that version of World Showcase (as it was envisioned by the Imagineers back in 1977) was to have been decidedly different from the one that we have today. Instead of the “American Adventure” occupying the 12 o’clock position at the very top of World Showcase Lagoon, WED wanted to build an ornate bridge in that spot. One that was to have allowed Epcot visitors to walk past this beautiful fountain, which was supposed to have sprayed water hundreds of feet in the air.

“A fountain? There?!,” you gasp. “But then where would all of the countries have gone?” Well … Sticking with our clock face analogy for a while: If you would have traveled around World Showcase Lagoon — moving from the 12 o’clock to 3 o’clock position — you would have encountered (in this order):

Italy
Great Britain
Sahara / Africa
France
Mexico

At the 3’clock position, you would have encountered another bridge. Which was pretty much in the position where you’ll find the bridge that separates Epcot’s France and United Kingdom pavilions today.

Then — moving from the 3’oclock to the 6 o’clock position around World Showcase Lagoon — you would have encountered (in this order):

Scandanavia
Israel
South Korea
Canada
Saudi Arabia

At the 6’clock position, we would have found that futuristic-looking U.S. pavilion that I described earlier. Then — moving from the 6 o’clock to the 9 o’clock position — you would have encountered (in this order):

Morocco
Costa Rica
Taiwan
Australia / New Zealand
Switzerland

At the 9 o’clock position, Epcot visitors would have found yet another bridge. One quite similar to the one that lies between the China & German pavilion today. Then — moving from the 9 o’clock to the 12 o’clock position — you would have encountered (in this order):

Holland
West Germany
Brazil
Japan
Poland

That’s one pretty wild mix of countries, don’t you think? Europe right next to South America, which is then right next to Asia. But you have to understand that this was actually the effect that the Imagineers were originally shooting for. To give Epcot visitors that sharp sense of contrast that can only come when you place several distinctly different types of architecture right next to one another.

“But which one — out of all of the World Showcase pavilions that the Imagineers ultimately didn’t build — do you think was the biggest loss, Jim?,” you query. To be honest, I think I’d have to say that it was actually the smallest structure that WED ever designed for this part of the theme park … The Costa Rica pavilion.

I mean, take a look at this photo of several Imagineers fussing over the model for Epcot’s proposed Costa Rica pavilion.

1980 Walt Disney Productions

Doesn’t the exterior of this proposed pavilion look really great? Like a set for some yet-to-be-filmed “Indiana Jones” film?

“So what would the inside of the Costa Rica pavilion have been like?,” you ask. Here. Let’s let David Baron — the WED executive who actually supervised the development of World Showcase — take you on a brief tour of this show building:

“We feel (that this proposed World Showcase addition will be) a jewel. The architecture is Spanish colonial. We’ve taken the liberty of creating a crystal palace containing tropical gardens of Costa Rica. There’s an orchid show at the entrance. The conservatory covers a third of an acre, it has waterfalls, tropical birds — a very relaxing atmosphere. You’ll exit through a tourism area. There’ll be a snack bar serving seafoods and melons. Leather items, carved wood and that sort of thing will be sold in the craft and merchandise area.”

Mind you, I’m evidently not the only person who thought that the Costa Rica pavilion was really something special. The model that’s depicted in the above photograph was actually stolen out of WED’s model shop back in the early 1980s. Evidently some Imagineer — who was upset to learn that the Costa Rica pavilion had suddenly been pushed back from EPCOT Center’s “Phase I” to “Phase II” (Which meant — in essence — that this attraction was now mostly not going to get built) — decided to protest this decision by stealing the model.

Given the cost of creating a highly detailed model like this, Disney Productions management was (understandably) furious when they learned of the theft. The company launched a full-scale investigation, interviewing dozens of Imagineers. (After all, given the size of this model, it’s highly unlikely that just one man — or woman — could have spirited the thing out of WED’s model shop all by themselves.) But the culprit and/or culprits were never found.

To this day, the model for Epcot’s proposed Costa Rica pavilion remains MIA. Though — to be honest — every so often, I go over to eBay and type in the words “Epcot & Costa Rica.” Just to see what the site’s search function comes up with.

Anyway … I hope this gives you a little better sense of what was supposed to have been where in Epcot, Carla F.

Next up, BestinShow writes in to ask:

Jim —

What do you know about the hotel rooms over at the Contemporary? Weren’t they supposed to be built with this state-of-the-art construction technique where the completed rooms were slid straight into the building’s A frame — like drawers into a dresser?

If that’s really what happened here, Jim, then why haven’t we seen any cranes towering over at the Contemporary whenever that WDW hotel has had a rehab? Wouldn’t it stand to reason that — whenever Disney’s redone that resort — that they should just pulled out the old hotel rooms and replaced them with brand-new rooms?

Just wonderin’,

BestinShow

Dear Bestinshow–

Yeah, that was the plan originally. That — every decade or so — the folks at Walt Disney World would just be able to yank the old rooms out of their slots at the Contemporary and Polynesian Resort Hotels and replace them with brand-new state-of-the-art units.

But then — when Disney & the folks at U.S. Steel (I.E. The corporation who actually built & operated the on-site factory that constructed all of the hotel rooms for the Contemporary and the Polynesian) came up with this innovative construction technique — they forgot to take one rather important thing into account: Central Florida’s incredible humidity. Which is how all of these 1970s-era hotel rooms basically wound up rusting in place inside of their resort’s metal frames.

Thus ended Disney’s experiment in modular construction. Though — truth be told — given the enormous cost over-runs that the company incurred during the construction phase of these two hotels (U.S Steel had originally promised to deliver finished modular hotel rooms to the Disney Corporation for just $17,000 per unit. But — by the time the construction of the Contemporary & the Polynesian had basically been completed — the cost of these finished modular hotel rooms had actually risen to over $100,000 per unit. So is it any wonder that Disney & U.S. Steel eventually had a huge falling-out? With the end result being that the Mouse actually bought out U.S. Steel’s share in the resort and then booted this American manufacturing giant off of the WDW project? Anywho …), I seriously doubt that Disney is ever going to use this particular construction technique again.

And — finally — Michael M. writes in to ask:

Jim —

I don’t get it. Disney World has a monorail system that runs from the Magic Kingdom to Epcot. And yet it only runs buses to Disney-MGM and Animal Kingdom.

Wouldn’t it be less expensive in the long run (and more environmentally sound) for Disney to just extend its pre-existing monorail system to the resort’s two other theme parks as well as Downtown Disney? Not to mention Wilderness Lodge, Animal Kingdom Lodge, the Boardwalk resorts and all those water parks?

I mean, not running monorails to WDW’s value resorts … That — I guess — I can understand. But to only have trains that service the Magic Kingdom, its resorts and Epcot just seems like incredibly poor urban planning on Disney’s part.

So what’s really going on here, Jim? Why doesn’t Disney run monorails all over its Central Florida property? Did the company have some sort of falling-out with Alweg? What’s the real story here?

Thanks for agreeing to answer my letter. Please keep up the good work at your site,

Michael M.

Dear Michael M. —

Well, for starters, Alweg didn’t make Walt Disney World’s monorails. That resort’s first set of trains were actually constructed by the Martin Marietta Corporation at that company’s Central Florida production facility.

Now — as to why the monorails don’t run to Disney-MGM, Animal Kingdom et al … Well, it’s the same old story when it comes to the modern Walt Disney Company, Michael M. The projected cost of adding several different monorail lines to the WDW resort eventually proved to be too high.

How high are we talking here, Michael? Well, I’ve seen reports that suggest that it could cost as much as $1 million for every quarter mile of track that was to be added to the pre-existing system. And we’re just talking about track here, folks. Not the new trains that you’d need to ride on Disney World’s expanded monorail system. Not the new stations that you’d have to build at each of the resorts and theme parks on these lines. Not the new personnel that you’d need to hire to drive these trains and/or mann those stations. Or all of the back-of-the-house stuff and/or the annual maintenance involved. Just the track itself. Anyway …

The good news is that all the survey work that’s necessary for Disney World to eventually expand its pre-existing monorail system was actually done back in the early 1990s. And all this info (which includes a monorail line out to Celebration & back as well as an extension of the existing Magic Kingdom / Epcot line to accomodate a 5th WDW theme park) is currently on file at the Team Disney building in Lake Buena Vista. Just waiting for a Disney CEO who isn’t afraid to spend a little (Alright. A lot of) dough to upgrade Disney World’s current transportation system.

So maybe if we all wish and hope … Hey! Speaking of wishes: We actually have a winner in this week’s contest. Where JHM readers had to write in and list exactly how many different characters the Genie played in “Aladdin.”

Well, I’m pleased to report that loyal JHM reader Gregory K. won this week’s contest by putting together this fairly exhaustive listing of the Genie’s characters. In alphabetical order, no less.

According to Mr. K, the Genie’s characters in the original “Aladdin” film include:

Real People
Walter Brennan
William F. Buckley, Jr.
Julius Caesar
Carol Channing
Rodney Dangerfield
Robert De Niro
Elvis
Arsenio Hall
Groucho Marx
Ethel Merman
Jack Nicolson
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Ed Sullivan
Señor Wences (ventriloquist)

Cartoon Characters
Jafar
Pinocchio
Sebastian

Professions
boxing trainer
chef
cheerleadering squad
drum major
fat man
French waiter
Frenchman
flight attendant
game-show host
harem girl
little boy
magician
muscle man
nightclub entertainer
one-man band
pitcher (baseball)
Scotsman
script prompter
stewardess
tailor
teacher
tourist
TV parade hosts

Inanimate Objects
certificate
fireworks rocket
hammock
lampshade
moon
pair of lips
roast turkey
slot machine
submarine

Animals
bee
devil
dragon
goat
pink rabbit
rabbit
Scottish terrier
sheep
tiger
zombie

So — in recognition of all of Gregory’s fine work here — I’ll be sending him a copy of the “Aladdin” screenplay. Just as soon as he forks over his mailing information. So hop to it, Mr. K. !

Anyway … That about does it for this week’s “Why For.” (Mind you, Scott L. over at Mouseketrips.com would love it if I reminded you that there were still some spots available for the JHM Magic Kingdom tours that we’ve got scheduled for this coming Thursday & the Monday-after-next. So — if you’re going to be in Orlando over the next 10 days and would like to hear yours truly tell some seldom-told tales about that theme park — then I suggest that you follow this link and sign up for one of those tours ASAP.)

Beyond that … Even if you’re not in a mood to hear me yammer about the Magic Kingdom, I’d still be pleased if all you JHM readers who’ll be in the Central Florida area next Saturday would drop by the Swan Hotel and check out this year’s Mega-Mouse Meet. I — along with dozens of other Disneyana webmasters — will be attending this once-a-year event. So this event should be a lot of fun.

So — if you’re free next Saturday — be sure to drop by Ballroom Salon 10 at the Swan Hotel and say “Hello.” You won’t be able to miss me. I’ll be the loud man in the loud shirt who’s wearing the extremely large name tag.

That’s it for this week, folks. Have a great weekend, okay?

jrh

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