General

Why For Returns!

Jim Hill answers your Disney-related questions. This time around, he talk about why it took so long to revive this JHM column, where “The Producers” appears at MGM as well as allowing us a look back at the young John Lasseter. Plus Scott Liljenquist of Mouseketrips offers up some details about the new Disney Dining Plan

Published

19 years ago

January 26, 2006

Jim Hill

First, Brother Bare writes in to ask:

Jim:

I’m glad to hear that you’re soon going to be starting up your weekly “Why For” columns again. But what I don’t understand is why you stopped writing that column in the first place. It was honestly my favorite feature at JHM. And I know that a lot of friends liked “Why For.”

So why for did you stop writing something that was so popular?

Brother Bare

Brother Bare;

You know, it was really never my intention that almost eight months would go by before I’d finally get around to writing another one of these columns. I just figured that “Why For” would go away for a few weeks during the summer. Then I’d start this feature up again once Fall rolled around.

But then September gave way to October … And suddenly it’s the last week of January in 2006. And the last time I put together a new “Why For” was … Back in May of 2005?! Yikes! I gotta seriously make up for some lost time here. So let’s get started with your questions, okay?

Next up, Richard F. writes in to say:

Jim —

Love the site. I’m glad to hear that you’re bringing back “Why For.” That column used to be my favorite thing about your website.

The question that I’d like you to answer deals with in-jokes. Specifically an in-joke that’s supposed to be on public display at Disney-MGM that has absolutely nothing to do with a Disney film. A WDW cast member once challenged me to find this gag. And since then, I’ve repeatedly searched the studio theme park only to come up empty-handed.

So can you help me out, Jim, by telling me where this non-Disney in-joke might be?

Richard F.

Dear Richard F.

I think I know what that WDW cast member was talking about. And what’s particularly cool about this particular Disney-MGM in-joke is not only doesn’t it have any Mouse-related ties, but that this gag actually references a recent Universal Pictures release!

Okay. You know the studio theme park, right? Specifically Disney-MGM’s Echo Lake area. Right next to the “S.S. Down the Hatch,” you’ll find a bunch of cargo boxes stacked next to this faux tramp steamer. Have you ever taken a close look at the labels on these boxes?

Photo by Robert Bish

Well, if you had, you’d notice that they’re all addressed to various famous film characters. For example, there’s a box here for Scarlett O’Hara of “Gone with the Wind” fame. She’s supposedly receiving a shipment of dresses from Fleming Fashion Ltd. of Atlanta, GA.

Now what’s really great about this gag is how thorough the Imagineers were. Take — for example — that “Fleming Fashion” portion of the address. That’s actually a sly tribute to “Gone with the Wind” ‘s director, Victor Fleming.

You’ll find these sorts of labels on all of the boxes stacked near “Min & Bill’s Dockside Diner.” Rick Blaine (I.E. That’s the name of the character that Humphrey Bogart plays in “Casablanca”) is recieving a shipment of liquor from Curtiz Wine & Spirits. Curtiz (As any good film historian will tell you) refers to “Casablanca” ‘s director, Michael Curtiz.

But you know what my favorite shipping crate in this stack is? It’s the one that’s being sent from …

Photo by Robert Bish

to …

Photo by Robert Bish

Now, as any good Mel Brooks fan will tell you, Max Bialystock is the name of the sleazy Broadway producer that was initially played by the late, great Zero Mostel in the 1968 Academy Award-winning comedy, “The Producers.” But — more recently — this colorful character was portrayed by Nathan Lane. First in the Tony Award winning stage musical, then in the movie version of this same musical.

Now there’s a couple of reasons that I really love the labels on this box. First there’s that return address: the Anita Doubleset Ledger Company. As in: I need a double set of ledgers so that I can scam everyone who wants to invest in my deliberately terrible musical, “Springtime for Hitler.”

Then there’s the address of Bialystock & Bloom Theatrical Productions. 246 West 44th Street. Which is actually the address of the St. James Theatre in NYC. Which is where the stage version of “The Producers” will soon begin its fifth year of performances.

Now add to this the fun that the recent movie musical version of “The Producers” was actually a Universal Pictures release … And you can understand why WDW cast members might find it cool that this particular shipping crate is still on public display at Disney-MGM.

Photo by Robert Bish

Next up, Alex writes in to say:

I had a friend tell me recently about the new dining offer Disney has made available as a part of their vacation packages. She told me that the plan costs significantly less than buying the same meals on your own. Forgive my skepticism, but I find it hard to believe that Disney would offer anything that would actually REDUCE the price a guest had to pay for something. Can you provide some more details on how this whole thing works and whether it really is a good deal or not?

Well, Alex … To be honest, I’m probably not as well versed with WDW’s dining plans as I should be. So why don’t I hand this question off to Scott Liljenquist of Mouseketrips.com. Take it away, Scott!

Thanks you, Jim. And hello, Alex. Please don’t apologize for being a little dubious about the claims you’re hearing about the new Disney Dining Plan. Here at Mouseketrips we’ve been flooded with questions about this new offering ever since it was announced earlier this year. Believe it or not, it actually does work out to be a great deal and can save you a significant amount of money on your food bill.

First, for those who might not be familiar with the plan, here’s how it works: If you book a vacation package through Disney (which includes lodging at a Disney hotel and theme park admissions), you can add the Disney Dining Plan to your reservation. The cost of doing so is $35 per adult, and $10 per child (age 3-9) per day. The number of days on your Dining Plan must match the number of days of your vacation package – in other words you can’t book a 7-night vacation package and only get the Dining Plan for 3 days.

Included in the Dining Plan are vouchers that entitle each person on your reservation the following for each day:

One table service meal – appetizer, entrée, dessert, non-alcoholic beverage, and gratuity.
One counter service meal – including entrée, dessert, and non-alcoholic beverage.
One snack – ice cream, bag of chips, popcorn, non-alcoholic beverage, apple juice, or a piece of fruit.

All taxes and gratuities are included in the price, so all you have to do is make Advance Reservations, show up at the appointed time, enjoy a good meal, give the server/cashier your Dining Plan voucher, and then head back out to the parks.

There are a few limitations to the plan, but nothing too onerous. If a child’s menu is offered at the dining location, anyone on a child’s Dining Plan must order from the child’s menu. Not every Walt Disney World Dining location participates on the Dining Plan, so you do have to do a little planning in advance.

There is, however, also some nice flexibility in the Dining Plan as well. You can use one of your table service vouchers for a Character Dining meal, or you can exchange two table service vouchers for a “signature” dining experience at some of the best and most expensive restaurants on property, or for a dinner show such as the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue.

Okay, but is it really worth it? Does it really save you money or is this just another way for the Mouse to remove more of your money for less value? Let’s consider a fictional family planning to visit Walt Disney World this fall. Tom Morrow and his wife Maybetu want to spend 4 nights at the parks with their two kids, ages 3 and 8.
We’ll assume that the Morrows stop at the grocery store on their way to the hotel to buy milk, cereal, bagels, cream cheese, juice, paper bowls and plastic utensils, a few snacks, etc. We’ll further assume that they always pay a 15% gratuity at any table service restaurant.

First off is a summary of the Morrow’s food budget if they were to forego the Disney Dining Plan and eat on their own:

Day 1

Breakfast – Bagels, cereal, juice, coffee in hotel room – $8
Snacks at food cart in Animal Kingdom – $12
Lunch – Pizzafari in Animal Kingdom – $34.68
Dinner – Whispering Canyon Café at Wilderness Lodge – $93.77

Day 2

Breakfast – Character Breakfast at Chef Mickey’s at Contemporary- $68.22
Lunch – Snacks at Sunshine Tree Terrace in Magic Kingdom – $14
Dinner – Pecos Bill’s in Magic Kingdom – $31.78

Day 3

Breakfast – Bagels, cereal, coffee, juice in hotel room – $8
Lunch – Electric Umbrella at Epcot – $31.68
Snacks at food card in Future World – $10
Dinner – Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue at Fort Wilderness – $151.30

Day 4

Breakfast – Bagels, cereal, coffee, juice in hotel room – $8
Lunch – ABC Commissary at Disney-MGM Studios – $33.32
Dinner – Snacks at Hollywood Hills Theatre before Fantasmic – $12

Total – $516.75

Now let’s look at the same plan for the Morrow family should they choose to purchase the Disney Dining Plan:

Day 1

Breakfast – Bagels, cereal, coffee in hotel room – $8
Snacks at food cart in Animal Kingdom – $ 1 Snack Voucher
Lunch – Pizzafari in Animal Kingdom – $ 1 Counter service voucher
Dinner – Whispering Canyon Café at Wilderness Lodge – $ 1 Table Service Voucher

Day 2

Breakfast – Character Breakfast at Chef Mickey’s at Contemporary- $ 1 Table Service voucher
Lunch – Snacks at Sunshine Tree Terrace in Magic Kingdom – $ 1 Snack voucher
Dinner – Pecos Bill’s in Magic Kingdom – $ 1 Counter service voucher

Day 3

Breakfast – Bagels, cereal, coffee, juice in hotel room – $8
Lunch – Electric Umbrella at Epcot – $1 Counter service voucher
Snacks at food card in Future World – $ 1 Snack voucher
Dinner – Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue at Fort Wilderness – $ 2 Ttable service vouchers

Day 4

Breakfast – Bagels, cereal, coffee, juice in hotel room – $8
Lunch – ABC Commissary at Disney-MGM Studios – $ 1 Counter service voucher
Dinner – Snacks at Hollywood Hills Theatre before Fantasmic – $ 1 Snack voucher

Total – $384.00 (Cost of the Dining Plan plus the grocery store bill)

As you can see, the Dining Plan actually does end up saving the Morrows over $130.00 on their food bill. In preparing the above examples I did not use the most expensive restaurants in every case, nor did I choose the most expensive items on the menu. You can save even more money if you do some planning and select the venues and menu choices that maximize the value of the Dining Plan.

So, Alex, believe it or not, the Disney Dining Plan does really offer visitors to Walt Disney World a way to save some money. With a little bit of careful planning, vacationers can enjoy days of wonderful meals at a great value while visiting Walt Disney World. Do keep in mind that Disney will increase the price of the dining plan in 2006 to $37 for adults and $12 for kids, but even then it’s still a good deal.

Anyway, that’s my take on Disney’s new dining plan. Let’s now throw this week’s “Why For” back to Mr. Hill. Jim?

Thank you, Scott … Our final question for this week comes from Atom Aunt writes in to say:

Don’t you think that you were awfully hard on John Lasseter with Wednesday’s column? Here’s a man who could potentially have a huge impact on both Disney Feature Animation and Walt Disney Imagineering, turning those two divisions entirely around. But all you could say was that you’d doubted that Lasseter would actually be able to accomplish much of anything. That doesn’t seem like a very smart thing to say about a man who’s about to become an extremely powerful executive at the Walt Disney Company.

Atom Aunt:

I think you misunderstood what I was trying to say in that article. The point that I was trying to get across is that John faces some pretty significant challenges in the weeks & months ahead. As he & Ed Catmull try to decide to integrate Disney Feature Animation and Pixar Animation Studios. Given the current redundancies between these two animation studios, there are almost certain to be lay-offs and firings. And one wonders if John is actually going to be able to keep his nice guy image intact once he & Ed have to start making significant changes.

But — that said — I’ve been a John Lasseter fan from ‘way, ‘way back. I can remember how excited I was when I first got to see that “Where the Wild Things Are” animation test that Lasseter and Glen Keane put together in the early 1980s. How it seemed to herald that something truly remarkable lay just beyond the horizon.

So having John Lasseter come back to Disney … There’s a lot about that news that just feels right. Of course, some of that feeling comes from the knowledge that John is a hardcore Disney geek. That his ties to this company run deep.

Don’t believe me? Then take a look at this photograph …

Copyright Walt Disney Productions

… Which Disney’s Publicity Department included as part of a press release that the studio sent out in the early 1980s. As the Mouse proudly talked up its newest employee.

John Lasseter
A Biography

It is the task of every artist to stimulate an audience, to evoke mood or emotion based on human experience. When John Lasseter, then a student at California Institute of Arts, was planning an animated film for his senior project he toyed with the story of a small boy whose bedroom filled with monsters when the lights went out. His classmates found the idea provoking. Lasseter was inundated with descriptions of the monsters which had haunted the darkened rooms of their youth. He had tapped a common experience. “Nitemare” went on to win the 1980 Student Academy Award for Animation.

“Nitemare,” five minutes of pencil animation was John’s second award-winning film. In 1979 he won his first Student Academy Award for animation on “The Lady and the Lamp.” Today Lasseter, who wears granny glasses on a head blonde and ruddy-cheeked like a peach, is a story artist with Walt Disney Productions. He is developing an untitled project based on the music of different cultures, a film that he hopes will bring Mickey Mouse back to the big screen.

Lasseter was born on January 12, 1957, in Los Angeles. Saturday morning cartoons first stimulated his interest in animation. “I realized that some cartoons like Bugs Bunny were better than others. Then I wanted to learn why,” he says

With advice from his mother, a high school art instructor, he began drawing. His models were waht he saw in the comic strips, particularly the work of Hank Ketchum. It was always his ambition to work for Disney, and while he was in high school he sent many drawings to the studio, asking for artistic and educational guidance.

At Disney’s suggestion, he enrolled in California Institute of the Arts. During his four years there he completed the Disney Studio’s animation training program in addition to winning his undergrad Oscars.

Before starting full time as a story artist he appeared on “The Today Show” and “Good Morning, America,” traveled alone in Europe for three months (“When you’ve seen five cathedrals, you’ve seen them all. What fascinated me was the people.”) and worked with Richard Williams Animation (“Just to know that there is life outside of Disney.”) Lasseter, who has a twin sister and an older brother, is single and lives in Glendale, California.

What amazes me about this press release is how many hints to John’s future you can find in this press release. “The Lady and the Lamp” serving as the jumping-off point for “Luxo, Jr.” “Nitemare” providing inspiration for “Monsters, Inc.”

As for that unnamed animated feature that was supposed ” … to bring Mickey Mouse back to the big screen” … Well, that was “Musicana,” an early 1980s attempt to follow up on “Fantasia.” And the portion of that production that Lasseter was developing was an animated version of the classic Hans Christian Anderson tale, “The Emperor and the Nightingale.”

Copyright Walt Disney Productions

One wonders if John would have stuck with Walt Disney Productions if “Musicana” had actually gone into production. Or — for that matter — if the studio had greenlit that all CG-version of “The Brave Little Toaster” that Lasseter had wanted to make in the mid-1980s. Would Pixar even exist today if John had stayed with Walt Disney Feature Animation?

These are all interesting questions. Maybe we can talk about some of them as part of next week’s “Why For.” Til then … Well, you folks all have a great weekend, okay? And we’ll see you all again come Monday morning.

Later,

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