General

Did Roy jump the gun? Was there an Eisner exit strategy already in place?

As the news of Roy Disney’s resignation letter continues to explode around the Web, Jim Hill reveals a lesser-known aspect of this story. That Disney’s board of directors had allegedly already talked with Michael Eisner about his exiting the corporation. And Eisner had reportedly already agreed to vacate his CEO position by as early as September 2004!

Published

21 years ago

November 30, 2003

Jim Hill

Back in August, Wall Street analysts were wondering what to make of Roy Disney’s decision to sell off 40% of his Walt Disney Company holdings. Did this mean that Roy had grown tired of battling with Michael Eisner? That Walt’s nephew was just going to float off on his yacht? Go hide in his castle in Ireland and just let Uncle Mikey do whatever he wanted with Disney’s Magical Kingdom?

Well, judging by Carla Baranauckas’ story in today’s “New York Times,” I guess the other shoe has finally dropped.

Clearly, this is the first salvo in what could be a pretty brutal campaign to remove Disney’s current CEO from power. Now where this gets interesting is that — while Roy’s taking this battle to the street, publicly calling Michael Eisner out, so to speak — there’s been a much quieter campaign reportedly going on behind the scenes. With various members of Disney’s board of directors allegedly asking Eisner to step down for the good of the corporation.

And — if what my sources are telling me is true — Uncle Mikey had already supposedly agreed to an exit strategy. Which would have allowed Disney’s CEO to step down gracefully in September of 2004. Which would have been the 20th anniversary of Eisner’s arrival at the Walt Disney Company.

But now that Roy’s made his “Eisner Must Resign Now!” effort public, Disney’s board members are concerned that — in order to save face with his friends in Hollywood — Michael may now decide to dig in his heels. Attempt to hang around for the full length of his contract with the Walt Disney Company. Which doesn’t actually expire ’til 2006.

So — all in all — I’d expect that all us Disneyana fans in for some pretty exciting times ahead. That the next few weeks (or months) will be full of stories about Roy and Michael’s battle for the heart and soul of the Walt Disney Company.

But first … Let’s talk about the deal that Disney’s board of directors ALMOST pulled off here. The one where Michael Eisner would have relinquished control of the Walt Disney Company by September 2004.

So how did this particular story fall in my lap? Actually, it came in response to my November 20th article, “Why Disney Really Gave Up the ‘Ghosts’.”

In that story, an unnamed Wall Street analyst suggested that the real reason that Michael Eisner had been so aggressively downsizing Disney Feature Animation and getting the Disney Store retail chain ready for sale was that Uncle Michael might be thinking about selling off the entire Walt Disney Company to the highest bidder. That particular part of the article prompted this note from someone deep inside the Team Disney Burbank building. Who wrote to say:

Dear Mr. Hill –

I enjoyed your “A Few Good Ghosts” article earlier this week. But please don’t concern yourself with whether or not Michael Eisner is trying to sell off the Walt Disney Company, Jim. I can assure you that Disney’s board of directors already has a plan in place that will prevent Michael from doing something as stupid like that.

So please feel free to reassure your readers that the Walt Disney Company is NOT up for sale. The corporation is safe and sound, while Eisner stands on shaky ground.

That was a poem, wasn’t it? How fun.

You have to admit that was one pretty intriguing note. Something that sounded pretty darned definitive about what was actually going on with Disney’s board of directors. So naturally I immediately fired off a reply to this person we’ll now call “The Poet.”

10 or 15 e-mails later (Plus a number of phone calls that I made in order to verify this individual’s identity) made a believer out of me. “The Poet” really did seem to have the inside scoop when it came to what was really going on with Michael Eisner these days. Which is why I feel fairly confident about sharing the following story with you this morning.

In a nutshell, what has happened is this: Back in October of 2002, Michael Eisner supposedly had a pretty rancorous meeting with Disney’s board of directors. The financial press back then was full of stories about how the board had reportedly challenged Michael’s leadership of the Walt Disney Company, repeatedly questioning him about what his future plans were for the Mouse House.

At this fateful meeting, Eisner reportedly mounted a very spirited defense to these attacks. But according to “The Poet”:

This was the meeting that convinced most of the members of the board that Michael Eisner’s top priority wasn’t running the Walt Disney Company anymore. But — rather — insuring his own survival. That Michael would do whatever he had to to hang onto the top slot at the Mouse House. Even if it meant clipping Stanley Gold’s wings and/or pushing Andrea Van de Camp off the board. Anything that could to firm up his position, Eisner did.

Michael’s tactics evidently included lots of diversions. Projects that he deliberately put into operation with the hope that the financial press would respond favorably to them. Take — for example — Disney’s well-publicized efforts earlier this year to buy the Jim Henson Company. Uncle Michael was so desperate at that point to get some positive press going about himself and his management style that Eisner hoped — by finally buying the Muppets some 12 years after the Mouse’s attorneys had initially screwed up the Disney/Henson merger deal — that the media would lionize him once more.

So desperate was Eisner to get some good buzz going about his stewardship of the Mouse Factory that Michael actually bragged about the still-pending Henson deal at Disney’s annual stockholders meeting this past March in Denver, CO. This was the meeting where — when he was asked about the Muppets acquisition that — Eisner replied that “I would not be surprised to hear that there would be an announcement soon. I wouldn’t be surprised that the Walt Disney Co. would be finally culminating years of romance.”

Of course, when Disney’s attempt to acquire Henson fell through in May of this year, Eisner wound up with egg on his face. Which is why Michael then put pressure on Disney’s attorneys to close the deal with Pixar. To do whatever they had to come to terms with Steve Jobs and extend the Mouse’s contract with this CG animation studio. With the hope that this news would finally make Wall Street like the Walt Disney Company (and — by proxy — Michael Eisner himself) once more.

According to “The Poet,” it was this behavior that reportedly really alarmed Disney’s board of directors:

This is all that Eisner’s about these days, Jim. Pleasing Wall Street analysts. Never mind about long range planning or making smart choices for the company’s future. All Michael’s interested in doing is meeting those quarterly earnings projections. Doing whatever he has to to make sure that Disney matches those numbers.

So Eisner was ready to give away the store in order to hang onto Pixar. Even agreeing to give Steve Jobs Disney’s choicest release dates — the May / just-out-of-school slot as well as the Thanksgiving long holiday opening slot — if that would keep Pixar from wandering off the farm.

Of course, by putting terms and conditions like this on the table, Michael would effectively be hobbling Disney Feature Animation forever. That Eisner would even suggest something like this truly alarmed a lot of people at the studio. They brought their concerns to the board. Which is why the board then decided to act.

Which is why — sometime this past summer — members of Disney’s board of directors reportedly met with Michael Eisner and asked him for the good of the corporation to consider stepping down. It took a lot of convincing, but Eisner eventually allegedly agreed. But not without setting some conditions of his own.

First and foremost, Eisner will be the one who gets to decide when and where he exits. Though all parties involved here supposedly agreed that September of 2004 (What with that month being the 20th anniversary of Michael’s arrival at the Walt Disney Company) would be a very good time for Eisner to formally announce that he will be stepping down from his position as the Big Cheese, Michael still got to stage his own exit.

And just how long might this exit have taken? Well, given that Eisner’s still officially under contract to the Walt Disney Company ’til 2006, it’s conceivable that he could have hung on as long as the Spring of 2005. Why wait ’til then? “The Poet” explained that:

Eisner’s desperate to go out on a high note, Jim. Which is why he may try to hang on ’til the start of “Disney’s Golden Celebration.” So that he can go on one final trip around the globe as the head of the world’s most powerful media company. That he stand in the spotlight for one last time as part of the kick-off of Disneyland’s 50th anniversary celebration. Do a victory lap as Disney’s CEO, so to speak.

Of course, with the hope that they’ll actually be able to convince Eisner to exit much earlier than that, Disney’s board of directors have reportedly put together an incentive package for Michael that would truly boggle your mind, folks. A golden parachute so grandiose that it makes the monies that the Mouse paid out to former Disney president Michael Ovitz and former Disney studio head Jeffrey Katzenberg seem like chump change.

Mind you, “The Poet” wouldn’t share with me the exact amount of Eisner’s incentive package. All that they’d say was “It is an appropriate amount, given the 20 years that Michael’s spent on the job plus the explosive growth that the Disney corporation underwent during Eisner’s tenure.”

Nor would “The Poet” share any information about Michael’s successor. Other than to say: “The board’s candidate ISN’T Robert Iger. Mind you, Robert’s very highly thought of by board members. But it’s felt that the only way to put Disney on the right course once more is bring someone in from the outside. Someone that both Wall Street and the entertainment industry respects.”

And who might this be? “The Poet” (out of fear that — if this particular bit of news broke prematurely — the person in question might be scared off and opt not to take the top spot at Disney) wouldn’t say. Though he (or she) did offer up some fairly broad hints:

The board’s top candidate for Disney’s new CEO has been to Burbank several times over the past six months and has met quietly with members of the board.

Though nothing’s officially on paper yet, there’s reportedly already a handshake deal in place for this person to succeed Michael Eisner.

Of course, now that Roy’s taken his effort to unseat Eisner public … Who knows what’s going to happen next? According to my most recent e-mail from “The Poet”:

Everything’s up in the air right now. Everyone’s worried that Eisner’s going to dig in his heels now. Do whatever he has to discredit Roy. Bring up his age, his (alleged) drinking problem. Remind people that Roy’s role at Disney Feature Animation was largely a ceremonial one. How weeks and months at a time could go by without Walt’s nephew ever setting foot in the studio.

This could get really ugly, Jim. But what’s really scary to me is the likelihood that Eisner will now back out of his previous agreement with the board. Not step down by September 2004, but now try to hang on for the full length of his contract. Can you imagine this soap opera dragging on ’til 2006?

Me personally, I think the more pressing question is: Given that Roy’s reportedly has had little to no contact with Disney’s board of directors since August, could it be that Walt’s nephew was actually unaware that an effort was already under to oust Eisner? Or is this is a carefully coordinated maneuver, with Walt’s nephew working from the outside and Disney’s board of directors working from the inside to speed along Michael’s exit?

Or could it be that the very idea of Michael Eisner hanging on for even another 10 months, doing even more damage to Disney Feature Animation, just grew intolerable to Roy? Which why he had to move now.

By the way, for those of you who’d like to read the unedited version of what Roy Disney had to say to Michael Eisner in his resignation letter, I’ve attached a copy of the letter (which “The Poet” just this second forwarded to me) below:

Mr. Michael D. Eisner, Chairman
The Walt Disney Company
500 South Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91521

Dear Michael:

It is with deep sadness and regret that I send you this letter of resignation from the Walt Disney Company, both as Chairman of the Feature Animation Division and as Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors.

You well know that you and I have had serious differences of opinion about the direction and style of management in the Company in recent years. For whatever reason, you have driven a wedge between me and those I work with even to the extent of requiring some of my associates to report my conversations and activities back to you. I find this intolerable.

Finally, you discussed with the Nominating Committee of the Board of Directors its decision to leave my name off the slate of directors to be elected in the coming year, effectively muzzling my voice on the board — much as you did with Andrea Van de Kamp last year.

Michael, I believe your conduct has resulted from my clear and unambiguous statements to you and to the Board of Directors that after 19 years at the helm you are no longer the best person to run the Walt Disney Company. You had a very successful first 10-plus years at the company in partnership with Frank Wells, for which I salute you. But, since Frank’s untimely death in 1994m, the Company has lost its focus, its creative energy, and its heritage.

As I have said, and as Stanley Gold has documented in letters to you and other members of the Board, this Company, under your leadership has failed during the last seven years in many ways:

1. The failure to bring back ABC Prime Time from the ratings abyss it has been in for years and your inability to program successfully the ABC Family Channel. Both of these failures have had, and I believe will continue to have, significant adverse impact on shareholder value.

2. Your consistent micro-management of everyone around you with the resulting loss of morale throughout the Company.

3. The timidity of your investments in our theme park business. At Disney’s California Adventure, Paris and now in Hong Kong, you have tried to build parks “on the cheap” and they show it and the attendance figures reflect it.

4. The perception by all of our stakeholders — consumers, investors, employees, distributors and suppliers — that the company is rapacious, soul-less, and always looking for the “quick buck” rather than long-term value which is leading to a loss of public trust.

5. The creative brain drain of the last several years, which is real and continuing, and damages our Company with the loss of every talented employee.

6. Your failure to establish and build constructive relationships with creative partners, especially Pixar, Miramax, and the cable companies distributing our products.

7. Your consistent refusal to establish a clear succession plan.

In conclusion, Michael, it is my sincere belief that it is you who should be leaving and not me. Accordingly, I once again call for your resignation or retirement. The Walt Disney Company deserves fresh, energetic leadership at this challenging time in its history just as it did in 1984 when I headed a restructuring which resulted in your recruitment to the Company.

I have and will always have an enormous allegiance and respect for this Company, founded by my uncle, Walt, and father, Roy, and to our faithful employees and loyal stockholders. I don’t know if you and the other directors can comprehend how painful it is for me and the extended Disney family to arrive at this decision.

In accordance with Item 6 of Form S-K and Item 7 of Schedule 14A, I request that you disclose this letter and that you file a copy of this letter as an exhibit to a Company Form 8-K.

With sincere regret,

(signed) Roy E. Disney

cc: Board of Directors

Your thoughts?

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