General

Disney Deja View: Sorting out the sequels III

JHM guest columnist Dan Weckerly continues his multi-part series on the various film series that Walt Disney Studios has produced over the years

Published

19 years ago

October 24, 2005

Jim Hill

In the 1970s and beyond, the Disney revisits (remakes and sequels) experienced a lull of sorts. The reasons seem to be twofold: Output in general was down during this period of transition from the Miller years to the Eisner reign. And by the mid-1980s, the feature animation engines were sparking to life, capturing a portion of the studio’s creative resources and bringing Disney to yet another renaissance. That next wave of animated classics would produce a whole crop of sequels themselves (examined in the final installment to this series).

Apples Don’t Fall Far…

Jack M. Bickham’s 1971 novel “The Apple Dumpling Gang” was purchased by the Disney Studios and came to the screen in 1975. In rustic (and aptly named) Quake City, CA, gambler Russel Donovan (Bill Bixby) is asked to pick up a package coming in on a stage, driven by sassy (and beautiful) Dusty Clydesdale (Susan Clark). The “package” is a trio of moppets, Clovis, Bobby, and Celia Bradley, who have been left in Donovan’s care, without his foreknowledge. The town and the plot get shaken up when an earthquake reveals a multi-carat hunk of gold to the kids, and numerous parties attempt to steal it. The most inept of the robbers are local swindlers Amos and Theodore, played to the hilt by Tim Conway and Don Knotts.

Conway and Knotts saddled up one more in “The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again” (1979), minus the romantic subplot between Donovan and Dusty. *And* absent the three kids. What’s left is a rather episodic, somewhat humorous, 88 minutes of revenge-seeking lawmen, foiled bank robberies, and an entire fort that’s torched.

Enjoyment of “ADG Rides Again” probably hinges on the age and maturity level of the viewer; for the under-10 set, it’s a laff riot. For adults… not so much.

Which Witch?

In “Escape to Witch Mountain” (1975), Kim Richards and Ike Eisenmann are Tia and Tony, respectively, two orphans with extraordinary powers of telekinesis. Evil millionaire Aristotle Bolt (Ray Milland) wants his henchman Lucas Deranian (Donald Pleasence) to capture the kids for his own benefit. The kids latch on to widower Jason O’Day (Eddie Albert), who delivers them safely to Witch Mountain, where we learn the secret behind their powers.

The film is a mixed bag of good and bad: The central performances from Eisenmann and Richards are very good — in fact, they outshine the teeth-gnashing villains handily. The technical aspects could have been better handled, too, as several wires are visible in the camera trickery of moving objects around on their own. And the blue-screened climax looks unlikely and cheesy by today’s standards.

But there was apparently enough interest in the story to continue it, hence “Return from Witch Mountain” in 1978. Tony and Tia are now teenagers on vacation in LA. Tony is kidnapped by a world-domination-plotting scientist Professor Gannon (Christopher Lee) and his greedy sponsor Letha (Bette Davis). Tia, with the help of the scrappy Earthquake Gang, helps him escape, with the chase climaxing at a plutonium plant.

The charm that “Escape” generated ebbs from the sequel, for reasons that include the age of the two leads. They’re stuck in that awkward-*** stage, making their “dramatic” scenes a little tough to swallow. Christopher Lee is appropriately black, but Bette Davis has little (if anything) to do. The SPFX are adequate, best rendered when Tony, under the mind control of Prof. Gannon, attempts to steal gold bullion from a museum.

The Witch Mountain franchise tried a cross-over to serial television in 1982, with “Beyond Witch Mountain.” Eddie Albert reprised his Jason O’Day role, but Tia was played by Tracy Gold and Tony was Andrew K. Freeman. The gist of the show was the weekly rescue of other Witch Mountain strandees, but the concept never made it beyond its premiere.

The original Disney Witch Project received a complete re-do and a major dumbing-down for a TV remake in 1995. Tony and Tia were Danny (Erik von Detten) and Anna (Elizabeth Moss), and their special abilities are named “purple power,” which sounds like a soft drink Barney the Dinosaur would sell. Robert Vaughn played evil Mr. Bolt.

Casual Friday

Annabel and Ellen Andrews are at odds with each other; Annabel is in a rebelling teenager phase, and her mother Ellen pines for her lost youth. When they both wish to swap places at precisely the same moment, the Powers That Be grant the request, and Ellen must navigate a day in daughter Annabel’s shoes, and vice versa. This was the plot of “Freaky Friday” (1976), a fish-outta-water comedy starring Jodie Foster as Annabel and Barbara Harris as mother Ellen.
The comic implications of the swapping of a 40-something with a teenager are played to the hilt, as Annabel/Ellen gets mauled on a lacrosse field, blows up a typewriter, and must face the prospect of waterskiing in a show for her real-estate dad’s clients. Ellen/Annabel, on the other hand, must cook, navigate the washer, and deal with an unending parade of repair and cleaning people arriving at the home.

The original is sweet, very funny, and contains two dead-on performances. It’s tough to decide who is the better delight: Foster-as-Ellen, trying to gulp down an ice cream sundae when she really craves a cigarette, or Harris-as-Annabel, wooing neighbor-boy Boris (Marc McClure) and skateboarding.
“Freaky Friday” got the TV treatment in 1995, but Shelley Long and Gaby Hoffman as Ellen and Annabel can’t hold a candle to the prior cast. It’s a by-the-numbers outing at best, containing little of the wit of the original.

In 2003, the film was again remade theatrically, keeping the same title but adapting a drastically new (but refreshingly funny) viewpoint. This time, it’s Anna (Lindsay Lohan) v. Tess (Jamie Lee Curtis). Anna believes mom is ruining her life by interfering in her romances, criticizing her dress, carping about the noise level of her garage band, and favoring her little brother. Tess is a little distracted: Her practice as a psychologist has her in daily contact with *very* needy patients, and she’s getting remarried after the death of her first husband, Anna’s father. New beau Ryan (Mark Harmon) spends most of the movie with his eyebrows raised, trying to steel himself for what he’s getting into.

The body swap-a-roo takes place at the hands of a well-meaning (but meddlesome) matriarch at the local Chinese restaurant. And the results are hilarious, with Anna-as-Tess facing a panicky interview promoting a book she hasn’t read, and Tess-as-Anna navigating the halls of high school, including a vindictive former gal-pal, a jealous teacher, and a state-mandated aptitude test.

Marc McClure has a nice cameo as Boris, now a Fed-Ex delivery man.

The climax, at Tess’ rehearsal dinner for the wedding where Anna is expected to play at a band audition, is heartfelt and true.

The two theatrical versions of “Freaky Friday” are the rarity in the Disney sequel canon; they both stand on their own as enjoyable, funny, fresh, and interesting character studies, a nod not only to the creative teams that assembled them but also to the strength of the Mary Rodgers source novel.

Down and Out

The entire southern California rich-n-famous lifestyle got a good skewering in 1986’s “Down and Out in Beverly Hills,” a Touchstone release. The Whitemans (nudge-nudge) live a completely isolated life in their mega-mansion. Husband Jerry (Richard Dreyfuss) has made a killing in wire dry cleaning hangers (wonder if he’s seen “Mommy Dearest”?), and wife Barbara (Bette Midler) flits from psychoanalysis session to nail appointments to shopping binges in the desire to be happy. Even the family dog, Matisse, is under a behaviorist’s care. It all turns upside-down when a homeless man (grungy Nick Nolte) wanders onto their property to commit suicide in the family pool.

The following year, Fox Television decided to give the concept a whirl as a weekly series. Hector Elizondo and Anita Morris were brought onboard as the Whitemans, and Tim Thomerson filled in for Jerry. Only Matisse remained from the original cast. This sit-com has the distinction of being the first Fox cancellation ever. The writing, audiences found, was down; therefore, the show was soon out.

Men and Babies

“Three Men and a Baby” (1987) used a French film as the inspiration to play the “Mr. Mom” card, wondering what laughs could be wrung from three bachelors stuck with a babe. Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg, and Ted Danson are the titular three men, and while they initially fumble around in sit-com style with diapers and feedings, they eventually find their way.

So in 1990, the melee continues in “Three Men and a Little Lady.” Baby Mary’s now a five-year-old, is in jeopardy of losing her three dads, as her mother (Nancy Travis) is considering a re-lo to England.

“Little Lady” is much more a romantic comedy, with Selleck on the move to Stop That Wedding! The original may have the aww factor going for it, but the sequel appeals if for nothing more than its slightly more mature outlook.

Let’s Get Small

1989’s “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” returned the studio to the wacky-scientist comedies of the 1960s, with Wayne Szalinski (Rick Moranis) taking his proper place among the Merlin Joneses and Ned Brainerds of releases past. His shrinking ray zaps his own children (and a neighbor kid) down to ¼-inch height, and they must battle many backyard adventures (ants, bees, the lawnmower) to return home and to normal size.

Excellent SPFX abound in “HISK,” but the pacing is a little sit-commy, as if the adult cast is standing around waiting for laughs from a studio audience that isn’t there.

In 1992, the “HISK” concept was turned on its side with “Honey, I Blew Up the Kid.” Toddler Adam Szalinski and his big bunny get shot by Wayne’s growth ray and shoot up to skyscraper size. They then terrorize Las Vegas, in a bright send-up of every monster-on-the-loose-in-a-big-city Sci-fi action flick. The green-screens are a little grainier and the pacing could still be a little brisker, but there’s fun to be had.

The small screen called twice in 1997, with “Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves” being released direct-to-video. This time, it’s the adults who get small and must navigate their way to safety among the dangers in the household: Hot Wheels, cockroaches, and sleepover girls who gorge on onion dip. (1997). The concept was then serialized, running 66 episodes and winning three Daytime Emmys. Rick Moranis was out and Peter Scolari was in. Often, plots spoofed a number of TV and movie conventions, including James Bond films and “Fantastic Voyage.”

Mia Thermopoli

In 2001, the Pygmalion story got an interesting update, with ugly-duckling Mia (Anne Hathaway) discovering — to her shock — that she’s actually a princess of a tiny pear-producing European country, Genovia. Mia’s grandmother, Queen Clarisse (Julie Andrews) comes aboard to mold the gawky teen into a glamour dream. By the last reel, in accordance with the tagline of the film, she rocks; she rules; she reigns in “The Princess Diaries.”

The sequel in 2004 brings Mia and grandmamma to Genovia, where there is much questioning of her ability to rule. As it turns out, the ruler of Genovia must be married, so the royals scurry for an appropriate mate.

Both films are tweener fantasies, with much being made of the jewelry, gowns, and glam. But thankfully, there’s more weight to these stories, provided by the likes of the regally cool Julie Andrews and the dizzy Heather Matarazzo as best-friend Lilly. The second film also benefits from of a short musical tribute from Julie Andrews, her first on-screen balladeering since a botched surgical procedure silenced her golden singing voice in 1999.

Next up, the Disney animated features and their often not-too-successful sequels.

General

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

Published

10 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