General

A Special Weekend Edition of Why For?

Since he was without power for most of Friday, Jim Hill was unable to send along this column ’til just now. Which details what Disneyland would have been like if the “Disney Decade” plan had actually been followed as well as revealing which lucky JHM readers won the NYC “World of Disney” contest.

Published

19 years ago

November 4, 2004

Jim Hill

My apologies, folks. But a freak wind storm blew into New Hampshire today. And somewhere out in the woods, a branch came down on a wire. Which was why Nancy and I were without power for most of Friday. Which prevented me from being able to button up this week’s “Why For.”

But finally around 5:30 p.m. EST, the lights (more importantly, the heat) came back on. Which is why I’m finally able to answer Darlene D.’s e-mail. Which reads:

Jim —

Love the site. Particularly those articles that you do about all the rides & attractions that are proposed for the Disney theme parks but then never actually got built.

Which brings me to my question: What is this “Disney Decade” that you keep referring to? This ambitious plan keeps popping up in a lot of your “What If” articles. But then you never actually get around to explaining what exactly the “Disney Decade” was supposedly to entail.

So — for once — could you give us some actual details about the “Disney Decade”? What attractions were proposed for what parks, etc.

Thanks in advance for your help. Keep up the great work,

Darlene D.

Dear Darlene —

Details on the “Disney Decade,” eh? How much time do you have?

Sorry. I don’t mean to be glib, Darlene. But the plans for the “Disney Decade” are kind of hard to sum up in just a few paragraphs. You see, the Walt Disney Company was on a real roll in the late 1980s. Coming off the smashing success of the grand opening of the Disney-MGM Studios theme in May of 1989, Michael Eisner told the Imagineers to dream big. And dream big, they did.

The “Disney Decade” — arguably the most ambition plan that WDI ever out together — called for many successful WDW attractions to be recreated in Anaheim. Above, you’ll find a concept painting for Disneyland’s Hollywoodland, a brand new “land” for the Anaheim theme park inspired by Disney-MGM Studios theme park.

Look, rather than try & sum up this entire plan in today’s “Why For,” why don’t we concentrate on what was supposed to happen to just one of the Disney theme parks? Disneyland, to be specifc. Let’s see what the “Happiest Place on Earth” would have wound up looking like if all of the rides, shows & attractions that were proposed for the Anaheim theme park as part of the “Disney Decade” plan had actually been built.

The first new show that was proposed for Disneyland — “The *** Tracy Musical Revue: Diamond Double Cross” — actually did get built. The action-packed stage show ran during the summer of 1990 and (to be honest) was a lot more entertaining than the Warren Beatty film that inspired it.

But — after that — things got pretty hit & miss about what made it off of WDI’s drawing board and what didn’t. Take — for example — 1991, when Disneyland was supposed to recieve:

The Young Indiana Jones Adventure Spectacular — This elaborate stunt show (which was to have been presented in an outdoor arena where Disneyland’s “Hunchback of Notre Dame Festival of Fools” show was eventually presented) was to have been produced in collaboration with George Lucas. According to Disneyland press releases circa the Spring of 1990, this ” … this action-packed live extravaganza will thrust Young Indy into a series of thrilling adventures and misadventures, adding a new dimension to the legendary lore of one of Hollywood’s greatest heroes.”
Here Come the Muppets — Disneyland was supposed to have gotten a clone of Disney-MGM’s original Muppet attraction (which used to be presented in the theater where that theme park’s “Voyage of the Little Mermaid” stage show is now being presented). This stage show — which was originally supposed to replace the “*** Tracy: Diamond Double Cross” stage revue — would have been performed several times daily in the Videopolis Theater.
The Magnificent Muppet All-Star Motorcade — Similiar to what wound up happening back in 1992 (When both Disneyland and Disney-MGM got copies of the “Aladdin Royal Caravan” parade to run in their theme parks), both the Anaheim & Orlando theme parks were supposed to get ” … a daily parade featuring the Muppet characters, their own ‘Electric Mayhem’ band and the legendary Muppet tour bus.” Sounds pretty neat, huh?

Well, obviously, none of that stuff ever got built. Mind you, the Imagineers did a little bit better in 1993. When that year’s plans for the “Disney Decade” called for (and I’m quoting directly from the Disneyland press release here) :

Mickey’s 65th Birthday – Mickey Mouse will celebrate his birthday with a yearlong party at Disneyland and the opening of a whole new “land” in his honor:
Mickey’s Starland — In addition to being the home for Disneyland’s biggest star and providing a place for guests to personally meet Mickey, Mickey’s Starland will serve as party headquarters during Mickey’s 65th birthday celebration. It will be located on a 4.5 acre site adjacent to “It’s a Small World.”

Of course, prior to the beginning of construction, this Disneyland expansion project underwent a name change. With “Mickey’s Starland” (Which — not so co-incidentally — was named after the new “land” that had been hurriedly added to WDW’s Magic Kingdom back in 1988 as part of Mickey’s 6oth birthday celebration) eventually becoming “Mickey’s Toontown.”

Mind you, the Imagineers’ original plans for this Disneyland addition do differ significantly from what eventually actually got built. For — if WDI had gone forward with their first line-up of attractions for this part of the park, “Mickey’s Starland / Mickey’s Toontown” would have featured:

Kermit the Frog presents Muppetvision 3D — Yep, prior to this show being proposed as a possible replacement for Disneyland’s “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln” attraction (and long before “Muppetvision 3D” wound up in DCA), the Imagineers envisioned building the Muppet Theater right in the middle of Toontown’s downtown area. Which (I’ll admit) seems like kind of a strange fit. But wait ’til you hear what was supposed to built right next door to Miss Piggy & pals.
The Little Mermaid — According to the “Disney Decade” press release: “Set to open in the mid-1990s in Mickey’s Starland, this magical adventure will take guests for a ride in the mirthful, musical undersea kingdom of Ariel the meraid and her friend Sebastian the Crab.

FYI: The “Little Mermaid” dark ride that the Imagineers were proposing for construction in Disneyland’s “Mickey’s Starland / Mickey’s Toontown” area was actually going to be a clone of an attraction that WDI was already planning on building as part of Euro Disneyland’s “Phase II.” You can actually see images of this proposed “Little Mermaid” attraction on early versions of the EDL souvenir map, which list the ride as “Coming Soon.” Sadly, neither the Disneyland nor the Euro Disneyland version of this “Little Mermaid” drak ride ever get built.

Starting to get depressed yet, Darlene? Wait. It gets worse. In 1994, Disneyland was supposed to have gotten a brand new Tomorrowland. AKA Tomorrowland 2055, a completely new take on this side of the theme park. Quoted again from that “Disney Decade” press release:

Disneyland’s exciting “land of the future” will get a totally new 21st Century look for the summer of 1994. Guest will be able to stroll along “Sky Walks” which will give the area a second story. The ever-popular “Star Tours” and “Space Mountain” attractions will be joined by several sensational new adventures:

Alien Encounter, produced in collaboration with George Lucas, will put visitors in the middle of a teleportation experiment gone wrong. An interplanetary foul-up will cause a terrifying alien to appear in the spectators’ midst.
Plectu’s Fantastic Galactic Revue will house a resident troupe of itinerant alien entertainers. Stranded in Tomorrowland, these extraterrestrials will turn to show business for survival, presenting an outer-space musical-variety revue.
A New Circle-Vision 360 Film — Presented by Delta Air Lines, the spectacular new addition to the Circle-Vision 360 theatre will explore the scenic wonders and culture of Western civilization. Sophisticated Audio-Animatronics characters will disappear into the film at key points, blurring the line between fantasy and reality.

A New Disney 3-D Motion Picture, produced by George Lucas, will offer visitors to the new Tomorrowland the latest in dazzling, 3-D film technology.

Of the four projects listed above, only two of them — “Alien Encounter” and that new Circle-Vision 360 film (I.E. “The Timekeeper” AKA “From Time to Time”) — ever actually made it off WDI’s drawing board. And even then neither of these attractions were ever built in Anaheim. But — rather — made their debuts in WDW’s “The Future That Never Was” version of New Tomorrowland and Euro Disneyland’s Discoveryland, respectively.

For 1995 … The Imagineers were able to stay on track for at least part of their “Disney Decade” plans for the “Happiest Place on Earth.” Which called for ” … Walt Disney’s first theme park will celebrate a historic birthday with bigger-than-ever festivities, parades and shows.” One of the proposed highlights of Disneyland’s 40th anniversary celebration was “… the welcoming of Disneyland’s 400 millionth guest.” Sadly, this part of the Imagineer’s plan did pan out either. For the Anaheim theme park didn’t actually receive its 400 millionth visitor ’til July 5, 1997, when Minnie Pepito pushed her way through the turnstiles.

Anyway … Once 1996 rolled around, had the “Disney Decade” masterplan been closely adherred to, Disneyland would have seen the addition of a brand-new attraction — *** Tracy’s Crime Stoppers — which would have actually heralded the coming of a whole new “land” at the Anaheim theme park, Hollywoodland.

“So what would it have been like to ride the ‘*** Tracy’s Crime Stoppers’ attraction?,” you ask. Quoting again from that Disneyland press release from the Spring of 1990:

Guests will literally get “into the act” in this new high-tech action-adventure featuring the very latest in Audio-Animatronics, simulation, sound and special effects.Guest will join America’s favorite comic-strip detective in a high-speed chase with his gangster adversaries.

1999 would have seen the completion of Disneyland’s Hollywoodland. Which was to have been constructed on that piece of backstage property between Tomorrowland and Main Street U.S.A. This new “land” was to have been ” … an idealized recreation of Hollywood Boulevard in the ’30s and ’40s, complete with shops, restaurants and the atmosphere that marked the ‘Golden Age of Movies.’ “

“But what about Space Mountain?,” you query. “Wouldn’t that large white futurristic-looking building looming up behind Hollywood Boulevard have blown the effect that the Imagineers were going for?” Not to worry, folks. WDI had a plan. Which involved redressed the backstage-facing portion of Space Mountain so that the show building now resembled the Hollywood hills. Complete with its very own replica of the original Hollywood sign.

The above pencil drawing is one of the only layouts that I’ve ever seen for Disneyland’s Hollywoodland. Guests would have enter this part of the theme park via the arch at the lower right, which was to have been located near just off of Town Square in Main Street U.S.A.

As for the attractions that the Imagineers hoped to have built in Disneyland’s Hollywoodland area, these were to have included (again quoting from that 1990 press release):

Toontown Trolley will introduce a new fantasy dimension to the simulator technology made popular by “Star Tours.” Roger Rabbit will take guests on a wild ride through the cartoon world of Toontown, first seen in the Touchstone Pictures release, “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” executive-produced by Steven Spielberg.
Baby Herman’s Runaway Baby Buggy Ride, inspired by the misadventures of Baby Herman and Roger Rabbit in the recent Disney cartoon short “Tummy Trouble,” will zoom through the sets of Toontown Hospital, fly down stairs, crash through doors and bound over beds.
The Great Movie Ride, which debuted last year at the Disney-MGM Studios at Walt Disney World in Florida, travels through the most memorable scenes from classic films of yesteryear, as recreated with the most complex and realistic Disney Audio-Animatronic technology ever developed.
Superstar Television will enable guests to step into scenes from classic television programs and take co-starring roles opposite their favorite TV stars.

Above is a concept painting of the interior of the “Toontown Trolley” attraction, where Roger Rabbit was supposed to take Disneyland guests on a tour of “The City That Toons Built” … And — of course — something goes horribly wrong as soon as the ride gets underway.

As for the plans for the rest of the Disneyland Resort, this press release mentions that “… the Disneyland Hotel is already seeing the first steps in a $40 million enhancement program which will bring major improvement and additions in guest rooms, recreation and dining.”

As for a second gate for the resort, there’s absolutely no mention of Westcot, Port Disney or California Adventure. Just a bland, deliberately vague paragraph which reads:

Development and construction of a second Disney theme park for Southern California will begin before the end of the 1990s. The new park will be located either adjacent to Disneyland or in Long Beach.

And that — my friends — is Disneyland’s portion of the “Disney Decade” plan. Please note that nowhere in this plan is there any mention of a “Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin” ride, an “Indiana Jones Adventure” attraction or a “Fantasmic!” waterfront show. Or — for that matter — is there any talk of a “Light Magic” streetacular or the “Rocket Rods.”

Anyway … That’s enough “Disney Decade” for this week, Darlene. Maybe sometime in the not-so-distant future, I’ll get around to detailing what sorts of rides, shows & attractions the Walt Disney World resort would have gotten under this plan.

Alright. Enough with talking about what might have been built at Disneyland. Let’s get to the questions & the answers that you folks really want to hear. As in: Who won this week’s JHM NYC / Disney Trivia Challenge.

QUESTION NO. 1: What’s the name of the NYC theater where “Steamboat Willie” had its theatrical debut?

ANSWER: “Steamboat Willie” debuted at the Colony Theater in New York City on November 18, 1928.

QUESTION NO. 2: Which Disney feature length animated cartoon had its world premiere at this very same theater some twelve years later?

ANSWER: “Fantasia” debuted at this same theater (which — sometime during the intervening years — had changed its name from the Colony to the Broadway Theater) on November 13, 1940.

QUESTION NO. 3: What was the name of the first Disney animated feature to be adapted to the stage?

ANSWER: This was the trick question that tripped up most JHM readers. The answer was NOT “Beauty and the Beast,” but — rather — “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” Which Walt Disney Productions presented in NYC in 1979.

QUESTION NO. 4: In which theater was this show presented?

ANSWER: The stage version of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” was presented at Radio City Music Hall.

QUESTION NO. 5: What was the name of the first Disney Theatrical production to be presented in the newly renovated New Amsterdam theater?

ANSWER: A concert version of “King David” was the inaugural event at the New Amsterdam. This new musical by Alan Menken & Tim Rice debuted on May 18, 1997 was only performed nine times in NYC (Six regular performances and three previews).

Of the nearly 200 entrants, would you believe that we only had three JHM readers who actually got it right? Their names are:

Robert A. Kolakowski
Tony Ruberto, Jr.
Benji Breitbart

Congratulations, gentlemen! I’ll be contacting you shortly to get your mailing information. Thanks to all of you who entered this week’s JHM readers contest. If you’d like another shot at some pretty nifty prizes, go check out Andrew Frank’s “Incredibles” contest.

That’s it for this week, folks. Here’s hoping that the lights stay on where you are this weekend. We’ll see you all again on Monday, okay?

Have a great weekend,

jrh

General

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

Published

9 years ago

June 23, 2015

Jim Hill

Greetings from NYC. Nancy and I drove down from New
Hampshire yesterday because we'll be checking out
Disney Consumer Products' annual Holiday Showcase later today.

Anyway … After checking into our hotel (i.e., The Paul.
Which is located down in NYC's NoMad district), we decided to grab some dinner.
Which is how we wound up at the Melt Shop.

Photo by Jim Hill

Which is this restaurant that only sells grilled cheese sandwiches.
This comfort food was delicious, but kind of on the heavy side.

Photo by Jim Hill

Which is why — given that it was a beautiful summer night
— we'd then try and walk off our meals. We started our stroll down by the Empire
State Building
…

Photo by Jim Hill

… and eventually wound up just below Times
Square (right behind where the Waterford Crystal Times Square New
Year's Eve Ball is kept).

Photo by Jim Hill

But you know what we discovered en route? Right in the heart
of Manhattan's Garment District
along Broadway between 36th and 41st? This incredibly cool series of life-like
and life-sized sculptures that Seward
Johnson has created.

Photo by Jim Hill

And — yes — that is Abraham Lincoln (who seems to have
slipped out of WDW's Hall of Presidents when no one was looking and is now
leading tourists around Times Square). These 18 painted
bronze pieces (which were just installed late this past Sunday night / early
Monday morning) range from the surreal to the all-too-real.

Photo by Jim Hill

Some of these pieces look like typical New Yorkers. Like the
business woman planning out her day …

Photo by Jim Hill

… the postman delivering the mail …

Photo by Jim Hill

… the hot dog vendor working at his cart …

Photo by Jim Hill

… the street musician playing for tourists …

Photo by Jim Hill

Not to mention the tourists themselves.

Photo by Jim Hill

But right alongside the bronze businessmen …

Photo by Jim Hill

… and the tired grandmother hauling her groceries home …

Photo by Jim Hill

… there were also statues representing people who were
from out-of-town …

Photo by Jim Hill

… or — for that matter — out-of-time.

Photo by Jim Hill

These were the Seward Johnson pieces that genuinely beguiled. Famous impressionist paintings brought to life in three dimensions.

Note the out-of-period water bottle that some tourist left
behind. Photo by Jim Hill

Some of them so lifelike that you actually had to pause for
a moment (especially as day gave way to night in the city) and say to yourself
"Is that one of the bronzes? Or just someone pretending to be one of these
bronzes?"

Mind you, for those of you who aren't big fans of the
impressionists …

Photo by Jim Hill

… there's also an array of American icons. Among them
Marilyn Monroe …

Photo by Jim Hill

… and that farmer couple from Grant Wood's "American
Gothic."

Photo by Jim Hill

But for those of you who know your NYC history, it's hard to
beat that piece which recreates Alfred Eisenstaedt's famous photograph of V-J Day in Times Square.

Photo by Jim Hill

By the way, a 25-foot-tall version of this particular Seward
Johnson piece ( which — FYI — is entitled "Embracing Peace") will actually
be placed in Times Square for a few days on or around August 14th to commemorate the 70th
anniversary of Victory Over Japan Day (V-J Day).

Photo by Jim Hill

By the way, if you'd like to check these Seward Johnson bronzes in
person (which — it should be noted — are part of the part of the Garment
District Alliance's new public art offering) — you'd best schedule a trip to
the City sometime over the next three months. For these pieces will only be on
display now through September 15th.

General

Wondering what you should “Boldly Go” see at the movies next year? The 2015 Licensing Expo offers you some clues

Published

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