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Does Hollywood actually believe that American audiences have lost their taste for Anglo-style animation?

Jim Hill has stumbled upon a fascinating explanation as to why Disney just shut down production of “Gnomeo & Juliet” and Dreamworks Animation is currently retooling “Flushed Away.” Could it be that certain studio executives actually believe that the type of humor & story-telling that is typically found in British-themed toons doesn’t appeal to American audiences anymore?

Published

19 years ago

on

Quick question: How many of you Trek fans out there remember that classic old SNL routine, “The Last Voyage of the Starship Enterprise” ?


For those of you who can’t actually recall this memorable sketch: “The Last Voyage” made its debut ‘way back in May of 1976 during “Saturday Night Live” ‘s first season. It featured John Belushi doing a dead-on impression of William Shatner, Chevy Chase portraying Leonard Nimoy and guest host Elliot Gould as Herb Goodman, head of programming at NBC.


This routine starts off as a pretty faithful imitiation of your typical “Star Trek” episode. But then the sketch takes a decidedly bizarre turn as the Starship Enterprise finds itself being pursued by a 1968 Chrysler Imperial.


The next thing you know (In a moment that would have done Luigi Pirandello proud), Herb Goldman is standing on the deck of the Enterprise. Where he announces that — due to low ratings — NBC is cancelling “Star Trek.”


Mind you, Shatner & Nimoy are (at this point in the sketch, anyway) refusing to break character. Still playing their roles of captain & science officer, Kirk turns to Spock and says:



Captain Kirk: Wait, Mr. Spock! We have yet to try Vulcan mind meld. Where you actually enter the alien’s brain, merge with his intelligence and read his thoughts.


Mr. Spock: I entered Mr. Goodman’s mind while you were talking to Dr. McCoy, Captain. (As Nimoy talks, he gradually grows more & more hysterical) It was all … all dark and empty in there. And … and there were little mice in the corners. And spiders had spun this web …


Captain Kirk: Spock!


Mr. Spock: I kept bumping my head on the ceiling. And once …


Captain Kirk: Snap out of it, Spock!


I bring up this particular SNL sketch because … Well, over the past 30 years, there have admittedly been many huge changes in the entertainment industry. But one thing (sadly) has remained the same. And that is the empty-headness of most studio execs.


Don’t believe me? Then let’s talk about the rumors that have begun circulating about what many industry executives supposedly believe to be the real justification for “Gnomeo & Juliet” ‘s cancellation? Or — better yet — why Dreamworks Animation’s November 3rd release, “Flushed Away,” is currently being retooled?


The way I hear it, certain execs are now insisting that the real reason that “Gnomeo” got its plug pulled and “Flushed Away” is being retooled because these two animated projects were just too British.


I kid you not, folks. In today’s Hollywood at certain levels of management, just the mere fact that a new animated project is set in the U.K. and/or that the tone & humor of a proposed film is thought to be a bit too Anglo-centric is now considered to be a real liability.


“What a ridiculous idea,” I can hear you all saying “Why would any executive in Hollywood think something like that?” Well, I can give you four reasons, actually.



It was “The Curse of the Wererabbit” that had a particularly chilling effect on any British-themed animated projects that were then in the production pipeline out in LA … Or so I’ve been told.

I mean, this Nick Park & Steve Box film was one of the more widely acclaimed motion pictures of 2005 (Rottentomatoes.com gave this stop motion movie a 95% rating. Meaning that 95% of the critics who reviewed this Dreamworks Animation / Aardman Animation production thought that this particular motion picture was flat-out wonderful) and then went on to win this year’s Academy Award for Best Animated Feature … And yet — in spite of all of those accolades — “Wallace & Gromit” still only managed to pull in $56.1 million during its initial domestic release.


To be fair, “The Curse of the Wererabbit” did much, much better overseas — pulling in $131.1 million in foreign theaters. Which meant that the combined worldwide box office for this Dreamworks Animation / Aardman Animation release was $187.4 million. Which is (admittedly) a very nice chunk of change.


But Hollywood (as it turns out) is a very small town. And studio execs? They like to be able to brag about how well their film did during its initial domestic release. Not eventually point out how well their motion picture did once it finally reached the cineplexes in Chechnya.


Plus industry execs are  prone to making these profound-sounding blanket statements. Saying things like “Musicals are dead.” Which — given how the movie versions of “Phantom of the Opera,” “Rent” and “The Producers” just performed at your local multiplexes — seems like a very astute observation right about now.

And yet let’s remember that — until just a few years ago — it was a widely held belief in Hollywood that “People won’t pay to see a pirate picture anymore” … And then Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” came along and blew that assumption right out of the water.

When it comes to the way that this industry actually works, perhaps it’s veteran sceenwriter William Goldman who put it best: “Nobody knows anything.” But — that said — that still doesn’t prevent certain studio execs from pretending that they really know what’s going on. That they alone have a finger on the pulse of what moviegoers really want to see.

And given that the cost of producing a film now hovers somewhere between $64 – $80 million (More importantly, that the cost of marketing this same movie now averages between $35 – $40 million) … Well, I guess you can understand why studio executives have grown increasingly cautious. Only greenlighting projects that seem to be pre-sold. Like the recently announced big screen version of “Welcome Back Kotter” (Which will star Ice Cube in the role that Gabe Kaplan used to play). Or — better yet — how about that live action remake of that somewhat popular animated show from the 1960s, “Underdog,” which Walt Disney Pictures recently began casting on?


Now let’s be honest here, folks. Are audiences out there actually clamoring to see big screen versions of “Welcome Back Kotter” and/or “Underdog”? Hell, no.

But studio executives … They like to try & remove any elements of risk involved with the projects that they’re producing. They want to make sure that — if they’re actually greenlighting production of a ridiculously expensive motion picture — that there are at least some safeguards in place that will  guarantee that the studio will eventually get a return on its investment.


And in today’s Hollywood, these “safeguards” can often amount to little more than following a trend. Soooo  … If American movie-goers seem to have temporarily lost their enthusiasm for any animated films that feature British settings and/or rely far too heavily on English-style storytelling and humor … Well, then that’s now considered to be a good enough justification for development executives to steer their studios away of these sorts of projects. At least for the time being.


Which (I know) sounds rather ridiculous. Particularly to those of us who live in the outside world. But you have to remember that this is Hollywood that we’re talking about here, people. A place where consistency and logic are (at best) abstract concepts.


You know who else finds this sort of top-studio-brass-group-think mentality to be particularly laughable? “The Incredibles” director Brad Bird. While taking part in a panel discussion on “The Animated Performance: Art Meets Technology” (Which was held at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater back in July of 2005), Bird really tore in the corporate decision makers that currently populate Tinseltown. Saying things like …



“You have to understand that Hollywood is like this big dumb shark. It doesn’t want to be bold or innovative. It just wants to make money. Which is why studio executives so aggressively follow trends nowadays. They’re always trying to figure out what it was that made that last film so popular with ticket buyers. So that they can then duplicate that exact same formula and have a hit film of their very own.


I swear that — if there were two hit movies where the hero wore a red shirt during the bulk of those motion pictures — that there then would be some stupid studio exec in this town who’d proclaim: ‘Audiences now love heroes who wear red shirts. Make sure that all of the heroes in all of our studio’s movies all wear red shirts from now on.’ “


Does Brad’s quote give you a better understanding of the sort of corporate mindset that we’re dealing with here, folks? I hope so …


Anyway … Getting back to this whole “Hollywood-seems-to-be-trying-to-get-away-from-making-animated-films-that-feature-British-settings-and-characters” scenario: You’ve got to feel sort of sorry for the guys who are currently retooling “Flushed Away.” Given that this is an Aardman Animation film that’s actually set in the sewers under London … Well, it’s going to be pretty damned difficult to de-British-ify that particular animated feature.


And — as for Disney … Well, they’re supposedly being very selective about which projects they actually de-Anglo-ify. Take — for example — “My Friends Tigger and Pooh.” That new CG series that’s due to debut on the Disney Channel as part of that cable channel’s preschool block in the Spring of 2007.

The reason that the Christopher Robin character was dropped from “My Friends Tigger and Pooh”  & replaced by a cute little American girl who likes to bike was … Well, Disney Channel executives supposedly felt that this energetic new character might have a much broader appeal to “Playhouse Disney” viewers than pale & passive old Christopher Robin.


And as for the upcoming stage musical version of “Mary Poppins” that Disney Theatrical Productions will begin presenting at the New Amsterdam Theatre starting in October … Well, there’s a strong belief in-house at DTP that the London version of this show may be just a bit too dark & Anglo-centric for American audiences to really enjoy.


Which is why (it’s been strongly rumored) that many of the “improvements” that were made to the London version (I.E. Folding in large chunks of the original P.L. Travers stories into that musical’s libretto) will now be removed for the Broadway version. With Disney Theatrical Productions opting instead to make the NYC version of this new musical more closely resemble the 1964 Academy Award-winning film.


Of course, the real irony of this increasingly bizarre situation is  … Well, here we have Disney executives who are supposedly deliberately steering their company away from including too much British-style humor and story-telling in its upcoming movies, TV series and stage plays … And yet what was the highest grossing film that Walt Disney Pictures was involved with (I.E. Disney co-produced this motion picture with Walden Media) last year? That very, very English fantasy, “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.” Which — to date — has sold over $718 million worth of movie tickets worldwide.


Mind you, the DVD version of this C.S. Lewis novel goes on sale today. And given how popular the first “Chronicles of Narnia” film was, I would imagine that (just as Brad Bird said they would) that the film-makers who are making this “Narnia” sequel (I.E. “Prince Caspian,” which is expected to begin production later this year and finally be released to theaters in December of 2007) are going to try & follow the exact same formula that made that first film so popular. Which means — in essence — embracing the very British nature of the original source material.


And don’t even get me started on the whole “Harry Potter” phenomenon. Which is arguably the most successful series of books & movies that have ever been produced. Which are aggressively (some might even say obnoxiously, in a charming sort of way) English.


Now as to why we could have these two hugely popular motion pictures in 2005 (I.E. “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” and “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”) that seem to celebrate British culture … And yet — at the same time — we still have studio execs saying things like “The American movie-going audience just doesn’t seem to get British humor. So — if you really want your film to be a huge success — you’d better get that Anglo-centric stuff out of there” … I don’t know what to tell you, folks. Other than to repeat what I said earlier. Which is that this is Hollywood that we’re talking about here. A place where consistency & logic are — at best — abstract concepts.


But what do you folks think? Do you think that the British subject matter and/or the Anglo style of humor actually prevented “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” “Valiant,””Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Wererabbit” and “Doogal” from reaching a wider audience here in the U.S.? Is this a valid excuse on the part of studio executives? Or just another case of empty-headed people-in-power attempting to explain away something that really can’t be explained?


What are your thoughts on this matter? Would you care to “beam up” an answer to JHM’s discussion boards?

Related Topics:

Jim Hill is an entertainment writer who has specialized in covering The Walt Disney Company for nearly 40 years now. Over that time, he has interviewed hundreds of animators, actors, and Imagineers -- many of whom have shared behind-the-scenes stories with Mr. Hill about how the Mouse House really works. In addition to the 4000+ articles Jim has written for the Web, he also co-hosts a trio of popular podcasts: “Disney Dish with Len Testa,” “Fine Tooning with Drew Taylor” and “Marvel US Disney with Aaron Adams.” Mr. Hill makes his home in Southern New Hampshire with his lovely wife Nancy and two obnoxious cats, Ginger & Betty.

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General

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

Published

9 years ago

on

June 23, 2015

By

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


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. 

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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

on

June 10, 2015

By

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?

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General

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

Published

9 years ago

on

June 9, 2015

By

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.


Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc.
All rights reserved

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.


Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights
reserved

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.


Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc. All rights reserved

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.


Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc.
All rights reserved

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.' "


Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc. All rights reserved

"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.


Copyright Disney
Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

"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.


Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc. All rights reserved

"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.


Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc. All rights reserved

"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.


Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc. All rights reserved

"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?


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Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

"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

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