General

“Enchanted” ‘s long, long journey to the big screen

It’s an ambitious project that will combine live action and animation. It’s a Disney Studios production that has already consumed three directors and five different screenwriters. Which is why Jim Hill is wondering: Will Kevin Lima finally be the guy who can turn this romantic fantasy into a reality?

Published

19 years ago

November 16, 2005

Jim Hill

With this week’s announcement that Amy Adams had officially been cast to play Princess Giselle in “Enchanted,” it looks like this oft-postponed project (Disney’s first feature-length film to combine live action and animation since 1988’s “Who Framed Roger Rabbit“) is finally getting ready to go into production.

And yet … Even though “Enchanted” already has a director attached (I.E. Kevin Lima. The co-director of Disney’s 1999 release, “Tarzan.” Not to mention being the guy who helmed 2000’s “102 Dalmatians“), there are still those in Hollywood that say: “I’ll believe that the Mouse is actually making this movie when it finally turns up at my local multiplex.”

Why do industry insiders have such a downbeat attitude about a project that’s supposed to be a lightweight romantic fantasy? You don’t understand, folks. Disney execs have been trying to get this film made since they first optioned Bill Kelly‘s screenplay back in September of 1997. But each time they’ve attempted to put “Enchanted” into production, the project has fallen apart.

I’m serious, people. This Kevin-Lima-directed version of “Enchanted”? If it actually makes it before the cameras,

this will be the fourth time that Walt Disney Studios has tried to get this motion picture made. Only to have the project stall out just as production is supposed to be getting underway.

“But — if this is really such a troubled project — then why does the Mouse keep trying to make this motion picture?,” you ask. Well, it’s because this movie has an absolutely killer premise. In which a Disney princess is magically banished from the animated world. Forced to make her way through the real world (I.E. modern day Manhattan) as a flesh-and-blood human being.

Mind you, Kelly’s first pass at his “Enchanted” screenplay still had a few kinks in its tale. In that early version of this script, Bill sent his Disney Princess to Chicago. Where she wound up at a bachelor party and — because of her royal get-up — was mistaken for the party’s entertainment (I.E. The stripper).

But even with these obvious story mis-steps, it was still clear that “Enchanted” had great potential. That — with just a wee bit of tweaking — Kelly’s screenplay could be turned into a clever family-friendly comedy. Just the sort of thing that wouild go over big with moviegoers. Which is — of course — just the sort of movie that the Mouse likes to make.

Which is why the Walt Disney Company eventually wound up out-bidding Dreamworks and 20th Century Fox for the rights to produce “Enchanted.” Paying $450,000 to acquire Bill Kelly’s screenplay. Which was then supposed to be produced by Barry Sonnenfeld (I.E. The director of “Men in Black” and “The Addams Family“) & Barry Josephson (I.E. Executive producer of “The Last Boy Scout” and “Wild Wild West“).

After carefully reviewing Kelly’s script, the two Barrys realized that — in order for “Enchanted” to work — the first 20 minutes (I.E. The portion of the picture that was supposed to be animated) had to come across as a legitimate animated feature. Which is why they wound up hiring “Pocahontas” co-director Eric Goldberg to supervise the movie’s animation, while Academy Award winner Alan Menken was then recruited to write several songs for the film’s score.

Then Sonnenfeld & Josephson hired Rita Hsaio (Best known as one of the writers on “Mulan” and “Toy Story 2”) to do a polish on Bill’s original screenplay. And then — to helm the project — the two Barrys grabbed the guy who’d just directed ABC’s highly acclaimed remake of “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella” : Broadway vet Rob Marshall.

With this much talent on its production team, “Enchanted” looked to be a sure-fire hit. And — if all had gone according to plan — this ambitious live action / animated fantasy would have actually gone into production in late 2000 / early 2001. With the idea that “Enchanted” would then have been Walt Disney Studios’ big release for the 2001 holiday season.

But then in June of 2000, Disney execs (strictly as a cost-cutting move) decided not to renew the studio’s production deal with the two Barrys. Which left “Enchanted” in a bit of the lurch … at least temporarily.

Well, rather than wait around to see if this ambitious animated / live action feature would actually ever get produced, Rob Marshall decided to find himself another film to direct. Maybe you’ve heard of it? Miramax Pictures’ “Chicago“?

Once the dust settled, Sonnenfeld & Josephson were still on board as “Enchanted” ‘s producers. But now the picture needed a new director. Someone who was really familiar with the Disney house style. Which is why — in January of 2001 — studio execs decided to recruit Jon Turteltaub.

Turteltaub (for those of you who don’t know) is the helmer behind some of the Mouse Factory’s bigger hits of the past decade. He’s the guy who rode herd on “3 Ninjas,” “Cool Running,” “While You Were Sleeping,” “Phenomenon,” “The Kid” and — most recently — “National Treasure.” Given his track record (More importantly, given Jon’s commercial instincts), Disney execs thought that Turteltaub would be the perfect man to direct “Enchanted.”

And at first, Jon did seem to be the right guy for the project. By that I mean: He certainly leaped in with both feet. Turteltaub quickly set Goldberg to work on the first 20 minutes of “Enchanted.” Which Eric intended to have traditionally animated by the artists working at Disney Studios in Paris.

By April of 2001, Jon was already out there trying to hire actors to appear in “Enchanted.” At Turteltaub’s request, Disney offered the role of the film’s villain (I.E. The evil queen) to Academy Award winner Susan Sarandon. And — as for the picture’s comic relief — the Mouse attempted to recruit Emmy Award winner David Hyde Pierce to play the queen’s valet. And as for “Enchanted” ‘s prince … Would you believe John Travolta?

This project was virtually greenlit. Animation was already underway in Paris. But then — on May 31, 2001 — Disney’s “Pearl Harbor” was released to theaters. And this $135 million production under-performed at the box office. To add insult to injury, “Atlantis: The Lost Empire” opened wide on June 15th and didn’t do all that well either.

As a direct result of those two films’ under-performing, then-Disney studio head Peter Schneider resigned on June 20th. And the remaining execs at the Walt Disney Company … They suddenly got extremely cautious.

Which was why then-Disney Feature Animation head Thomas Schumacher — rather than put another big budget project into production just then and risk the wrath of Michael Eisner — opted to shut down “Enchanted” … at least for a little while.

Schumacher reportedly shut down the project on July 17, 2001. Not-so-co-incidentally, Goldberg supposedly decided to exit Walt Disney Feature Animation on July 25. Allegedly because Eric was upset at the way that Thomas had shut down this particular production.

Mind you, in a weird sort of way, Disney deciding to put “Enchanted” into turnaround (at least for a little while) might have been the very best thing that could have happened to the project. to explain: In the wake of 9/11, it was going to be a couple of years before Manhattan would seem like a suitable setting for a new romantic comedy.

Of course, just like Rob Marshall, Jon Turteltaub wasn’t willing to just sit around and wait to see if “Enchanted” was ever going to come out of turnaround. Which is why Jon moved on. Opting to tackle another project that Walt Disney Studios had been struggling to produce for quite a while now: “National Treasure.”

Which meant — when Disney execs finally decided to put “Enchanted” back on the production track in early 2003 — they now had to find another director. Luckily, they already had a guy working for the studio — Andy Shankman — who had just helmed a hit, “Bringing Down the House.”

Shankman got offered “Enchanted” in April of 2003. He immediately saw this project as a starring vehicle for someone like Reese Witherspoon or Kate Hudson. Which is why Andy reportedly pursued these two actresses for the role of Princess Giselle.

When both of these performers reportedly expressed their reservations about “Enchanted” ‘s script, Shankman had the screenplay rewritten. First by screenwriter Todd Alcott (Best known for his work on the script for “Antz“), and later by Bob Schooley and Mark McCorkle (I.E. The creators of “Kim Possible” as well as the writers of “Sky High“)

But then in early 2004, Disney Studios execs suddenly decided to shut down production of “Enchanted” again. Reportedly because the first 20 minutes of the film (which were supposed to be traditionally animated in the style of “The Little Mermaid” and “Beauty & the Beast“) would now be prohibitively expensive to produce. What with WDFA having shut down its traditional animation unit and all.

So — once again — a director that had been assigned to helm “Enchanted” suddenly found himself out of work. Luckily, Disney execs soon found Andy another in-house gig. They hired Shankman to ride herd on Vin Diesel’s new comedy for the studio, “The Pacifier.” Which eventually turned out one of the studio’s biggest hits for 2005.

Which brings us up to the spring of this year. After viewing the test footage that Disney master animator Glen Keane had put together for “Rapunzel Unbraided,” Mouse House executives suddenly realized that it was actually possible to produce a Disney Princess film using only CG. So — once again — “Enchanted” was pulled out of mothballs & put back into active development.

As to why Disney selected Kevin Lima to be the film’s new director … Well, Kevin’s already got a proven track record with the studio. Given his work on “Tarzan” and “102 Dalmatians,” Lima’s obviously comfortable working with both animation as well as films that feature a lot of special effects. More to the point, given that Kevin’s the guy who directed both of those “Eloise” TV movies (I.E. “Eloise at the Plaza” and “Eloise at Christmastime“) for ABC’s “Wonderful World of Disney” … Lima’s now knows what it takes to shoot on location in NYC.

So with this week’s signing of Amy Adams to play Princess Giselle, does this actually mean that “Enchanted” is finally officially a “Go” project at Disney studios? Based on what company insiders told me yesterday, it would seem that this Kevin Lima film has been tentatively penciled in to be Disney’s big holiday release for 2006. Reportedly rolling into theaters next year in virtually the same spot that “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” occupies this year. Meaning that this movie should hit the multiplexes during the first week of December.

But given that actresses have supposedly been signed for this film before (I’m told that Susan Sarandon had already inked her contract to appear in “Enchanted” when Disney officially pulled the plug on that version of the project back in July of 2001), I’m afraid that — at least for the time being — I’m going to have to side with the doubters. I’ll believe that “Enchanted” is actually coming to a theater near me when this production officially completes principal photography. Which (hopefully) should be sometime in early 2006.

So what do you folks think? Does “Enchanted” sound like the sort of film that you’d like to see? Are you intrigued by the ideas that Princess Giselle will be the first Disney Princess to be done in CG, even beating Rapunzel to the big screen by at least three years? What are your thoughts on this project?

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