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Even more concept art from the lobbies of the Disneyland Resort Hotel

You asked for it. You got it. Thanks to Nancy Stadler, here’s another series of photos that highlights some of the great pieces of concept art that are used to decorate the public areas of the Disneyland Resort Hotel.

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Every so often, I get something right.

By that I mean: I always thought that there might be a fun series of stories in writing about all of the great pieces of concept art that are used to decorate the lobby areas of the Disneyland Resort Hotel. But it wasn’t ’til last Thursday’s story got posted on this site and got such a strong response from JHM’s readers that I actually knew for sure.

So — sometime in the not-so-distant future — the staff of JimHillMedia will officially get started on the Disneyland Hotel concept art project. With our ultimate goal being a detailed photo archive (which we’ll keep here at the site) which would contain images of each single piece of concept art found in the public areas of the DL hotel. As well as a downloadable & printable version of a guide to all this concept art. Which would then (in theory) allow you to go to the Disneyland Resort Hotel and locate each of these concept paintings. So that you can then view all of these snazzy pieces of art in person.

Anyway … As a “Thank You” to all of you who wrote in to say: “That’s a great idea, Jim. I’d love to see a series like that up on JHM” … Well, here’s another series of pictures that the lovely Nancy Stadler took of all that concept art.

Mind you, some of these pictures were harder to get than others. Take — for example — this photo of the concept painting for the never-built Jazz Club that was proposed for New Orleans Square.

photo by Nancy Stadler

Try as she might, Nancy couldn’t get a picture of this concept painting that didn’t feature a sizable reflection. Which was kind of frustrating to Ms. Stadler. Given that she knew how much I wanted a decent photo of this particular concept painting.

Why for? Because this was one of the more infamous projects that never quite made it off of Disneyland’s drawing board. You see, Walt’s original plan for the second floor of New Orleans Square wasn’t just limited to a private apartment for the Disney family as well as Club 33. No, Walt also wanted to add another private club to the Anaheim theme park. Someplace where he & his guests could go and hear some of the greatest musicians of the day perform in a truly intimate setting.

From what I’ve heard, New Orleans Square’s Jazz Club would have only been able to seat 50-100 people at a time. That — just like Club 33 — it would have sold alcoholic drinks. And the way Walt had envisioned things unfolding was that — for his extra special guests — that an evening’s entertainment would start out with cocktails in the Disney family apartment. Then the group would have moved over to the Trophy Room at Club 33 for a sumptuious private dinner. After that, Walt’s group would cross one of the overhead bridges in New Orleans Square for an exciting evening of music at the Jazz Club.


photo by Nancy Stadler

Of course, Disney being a guy who was always a little bit ahead of his time, Walt was always concerned about his disabled friends. Those folks who wouldn’t be able to climb the stairs up to Club 33 and/or the Jazz Club. Which is why he wanted to have elevators installed at both establishments so that they’d both have handicap access.

Speaking of being a little bit ahead of himself, take a look at this concept painting of Disneyland’s new Tomorrowland that Imagineering legend Herbie Ryman painted for Walt back in 1965.

photo by Nancy Stadler

Mind you, this isn’t the first time that Herbie tried to envision a “Land of Tomorrow” for the Anaheim theme park. Take a gander at this Buck Roger-ish concept painting that Ryman did back in 1954. Back when Walt was still trying to get a handle on what this side of Disneyland might look like.

photo by Nancy Stadler

What I love about this concept painting is here — years before Disney actually got around to envisioning a monorail as a crucial part of the theme park — here’s Herbie already anticipating what Walt might like.

Of course, Ryman’s early take on Disneyland’s monorail system featured trains that hung down from their tracks. Rather than riding along on top of their beams, just as today’s monorails do. Imagineer *** Hennesy kept Herbie’s version of the monorail as part of his Tomorrowland concept painting …

photo by Nancy Stadler

… Which you’ll find in the upper left hand corner of this painting.

Speaking of this 1954 concept painting. Disney World fans may find something very familiar about this *** Hennesy painting. For (I’m told that) this concept painting actually served as an inspiration for the look & the styling of “The Future That Never Was.” AKA the Magic Kingdom’s New Tomorrowland, which debuted back in the early 1990s.

It’s this sort of stuff that I love about all the concept art that’s on display in the public areas of the Disneyland Hotel. You get to see all of these first passes at ideas. Stuff like Herbie Ryman’s original take on Disneyland’s “Peter Pan Flight Thru” attraction.

photo by Nancy Stadler

Now some of you may notice that — as Herbie originally envisioned this Fantasyland dark ride — that you flew counterclockwise to Neverland. Which (as every good Disneyland fan knows) is the exact opposite direction that the “Peter Pan” attraction runs today.

But me? What I like best about this early concept painting of the “Peter Pan Flight Thru” attraction was its entrance area. Where Ryman wanted to recreate a real street in London …

photo by Nancy Stadler

… So that your transition to the dark ride’s “Flying over London at night” sequence would be absolutely seamless. Mind you, I heard that — when Herbie was doing design work on Epcot’s U.K. pavilion in the late 1970s — he actually had WDI’s librarians pull this piece of concept art out of the archives. Just so he get the look & feel of this part of World Showcase just right.

You’ll see that a lot as you wander through the Disneyland Hotel’s lobby areas. All these little pieces of Orlando that were originally supposed to have been built in Anaheim. Take — for example — this painting that Herbie Ryman did of the inner courtyard of Sleeping Beauty Castle back in 1954.

photo by Nancy Stadler

This was back in the day when Walt wanted the area within the castle’s walls to have an authentic medieval flavor. Later — as the money begun to run out — Disney ordered that this concept be radically simplified. Which is how the original Fantasyland ended up with all this plywood bunting & banners. As if it were always “Tournament Day” at “The Happiest Place on Earth.”

Well, though this idea never ever saw the light of day at Disneyland, the Imagineers always kept this concept pretty close to their heart. And — when they began design work on Disney World’s Magic Kingdom in the mid-1960s — one of the very first ideas that they pulled out of the pile was doing an authentically medieval version of Fantasyland.

Me? What I love about this painting is that — once again — Ryman was anticipating what Walt might want. Did you catch the name of the shop in this concept painting?

photo by Nancy Stadler

Yep. That’s Merlin’s Magic Shop. Now keep in mind that — ‘way back in 1954– Walt Disney Productions hadn’t even acquired the rights to produce a movie version of T.H. White’s “Sword in the Stone” novel yet. Let alone begun development of an animated version of this same book. Yet here’s Herbie already making Merlin a prominent character in Walt’s Magic Kingdom.

Sometimes the changes that were envisioned are small. Take — for example — David Negron’s original version of the exterior of the “Snow White’s Scary Adventure” attraction. Check out the bizarre floral arrangements and topiaries that Negron wanted placed in front of this Fantasyland show building …

photo by Nancy Stadler

… These weirdly-shaped flower beddings & plantings were supposed to give you a sense that something’s not quite right about this attraction. Sadly, there ultimately wasn’t enough money in the New Fantasyland’s budget (More importantly, there wasn’t really enough room in front of “Snow White’s Scary Adventure”) for a surrealistic garden. Which is why this once-thought-to-be-important detail got cut out of the attraction.

Other times, the changes were enormous. I mean, think how much more fun the “Dumbo the Flying Elephant” attraction would have been if this part of Fantasyland had been surrounded by a circus train (Which was to have housed numerous fast food establishments)?

photo by Nancy Stadler

Again, it’s the little details that make this concept painting for me. Take a gander at the ticket booth at the bottom center of this photo. Where — keeping the whole “Dumbo Circus” theme going — two giraffes have poked their necks up out of the top of the booth.

That’s what I love about all this concept art. It lets us see what might have been or what used to be …

photo by Nancy Stadler

… Like Fantasyland’s old Midget Autopia. Last week, we reminded you of what the cars looked like. This week, we give you a peek at this kiddie ride layout.

All this old concept art also allows us to revisit Disneyland attractions that are supposedly still there but are currently closed to the public. Fondly remembered rides & shows like the “Sleeping Beauty Walk-Through” in Fantasyland.

photo by Nancy Stadler

You’ll find the concept art for each & every one of Eyvind Earle’s “windows” on the second floor of the Disneyland Hotel, in the upstairs corridor right above “Goofy’s Kitchen.” These paintings alone — with their striking color & design — are worth taking a trip to the Anaheim resort to see.

Anywho … That’s a quick taste of what you can find as you wander through the public areas of the Disneyland Resort Hotel. In the weeks ahead, look for a formal archives section to be set up here at JHM. Where — over time — we’ll be posting images of every single piece of concept art that can be found in the lobbies of this Anaheim hotel.

That’s it for this week. Hope you folks enjoyed today’s articles. Have a great weekend, okay?

See you on Monday!

jrh

Jim Hill

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

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

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

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

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

… the postman delivering the mail …


Photo by Jim Hill

… the hot dog vendor working at his cart …


Photo by Jim Hill


Photo by Jim Hill

… the street musician playing for tourists …


Photo by Jim Hill

Not to mention the tourists themselves.


Photo by Jim Hill

But right alongside the bronze businessmen …


Photo by Jim Hill

… and the tired grandmother hauling her groceries home …


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

… or — for that matter — out-of-time.


Photo by Jim Hill

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


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

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

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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

Jim Hill

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

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

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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?

Jim Hill

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

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

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You know what Mickey Mouse looks like, right? Little guy,
big ears?

Truth be told, Disney's corporate symbol has a lot of
different looks. If Mickey's interacting with Guests at Disneyland
Park
(especially this summer, when
the Happiest Place on Earth
is celebrating its 60th anniversary), he looks & dresses like this.


Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc.
All rights reserved

Or when he's appearing in one of those Emmy Award-winning shorts that Disney
Television Animation has produced (EX: "Bronco Busted," which debuts
on the Disney Channel tonight at 8 p.m. ET / PT), Mickey is drawn in a such a
way that he looks hip, cool, edgy & retro all at the same time.


Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights
reserved

Looking ahead to 2017 now, when Disney Junior rolls out "Mickey and the
Roadster Racers
," this brand-new animated series will feature a sportier version
of Disney's corporate symbol. One that Mouse House managers hope will persuade
preschool boys to more fully embrace this now 86 year-old character.


Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc. All rights reserved

That's what most people don't realize about the Mouse. The
Walt Disney Company deliberately tailors Mickey's look, even his style of
movement, depending on what sort of project / production he's appearing in.

Take — for example — Disney
California Adventure
Park
's "World of Color:
Celebrate!
" Because Disney's main mouse would be co-hosting this new
nighttime lagoon show with ace emcee Neil Patrick Harris, Eric Goldberg really had
to step up Mickey's game. Which is why this master Disney animator created
several minutes of all-new Mouse animation which then showed that Mickey was
just as skilled a showman as Neil was.


Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc.
All rights reserved

Better yet, let's take a look at what the folks at Avalanche Studios just went
through as they attempted to create a Classic version of Mickey & Minnie.
One that would then allow this popular pair to become part of Disney Infinity
3.0.

"I won't lie to you. We were under a lot of pressure to
get the look of this particular version of Mickey — he's called Red Pants
Mickey around here — just right," said Jeff Bunker, the VP of Art
Development at Avalanche Studios, during a recent phone interview. "When
we brought Sorcerer Mickey into Disney Infinity 1.0 back in January of 2014,
that one was relatively easy because … Well, everyone knows what Mickey Mouse
looked like when he appeared in 'Fantasia.' "


Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc. All rights reserved

"But this time around, we were being asked to design
THE Mickey & Minnie," Bunker continued. "And given that these Classic
Disney characters have been around in various different forms for the better
part of the last century … Well, which look was the right look?"

Which is why Jeff and his team at Avalanche Studios began watching hours &
hours of Mickey Mouse shorts. As they tried to get a handle on which look would
work best for these characters in Disney Infinity 3.0.


Copyright Disney
Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

"And we went all the way back to the very start of Mickey's career. We began
with 'Steamboat Willie' and then watched all of those black & white Mickey shorts
that Walt made back in the late 1920s & early 1930s. From there, we
transitioned to his Technicolor shorts. Which is when Mickey went from being
this pie-eyed, really feisty character to more of a well-behaved leading
man," Bunker recalled. "We then finished out our Mouse marathon by
watching all of those new Mickey shorts that Paul Rudish & his team have
been creating for Disney Television Animation. Those cartoons really recapture
a lot of the spirit and wild slapstick fun that Mickey's early, black &
white shorts had."

But given that the specific assignment that Avalanche Studios had been handed
was to create the most appealing looking, likeable version of Mickey Mouse
possible … In the end, Jeff and his team wound up borrowing bits & pieces
from a lot of different versions of the world's most famous mouse. So that
Classic Mickey would then look & move in a way that best fit the sort of
gameplay which people would soon be able to experience with Disney Infinity
3.0.


Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc. All rights reserved

"That — in a lot of ways — was actually the toughest
part of the Classic Mickey design project. You have to remember that one of the
key creative conceits of  Disney Infinity
is that all the characters which appear in this game are toys," Bunker
stated. "Okay. So they're beautifully detailed, highly stylized toy
versions of beloved Disney, Pixar, Marvel & Lucasfilm characters. But
they're still supposed to be toys. So our Classic versions of Mickey &
Minnie have the same sort of thickness & sturdiness to them that toys have.
So that they'll then be able to fit right in with all of the rest of the
characters that Avalanche Studios had previously designed for Disney Infinity."

And then there was the matter of coming up with just the
right pose for Classic Mickey & Minnie. Which — to hear Jeff tell the
story — involved input from a lot of Disney upper management.


Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc. All rights reserved

"Everyone within the Company seemed to have an opinion
about how Mickey & Minnie should be posed. More to the point, if you Google
Mickey, you then discover that there are literally thousands of poses out there
for these two. Though — truth be told — a lot of those kind of play off the
way Mickey poses when he's being Disney's corporate symbol," Bunker said.
"But what I was most concerned about was that Mickey's pose had to work
with Minnie's pose. Because we were bringing the Classic versions of these
characters up into Disney Infinity 3.0 at the exact same time. And we wanted to
make sure — especially for those fans who like to put their Disney Infinity
figures on display — that Mickey's pose would then complement Minnie.

Which is why Jeff & the crew at Avalanche Studios
decided — when it came to Classic Mickey & Minnie's pose — that they
should go all the way back to the beginning. Which is why these two Disney icons
are sculpted in such a way that it almost seems as though you're witnessing the
very first time Mickey set eyes on Minnie.


Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc. All rights reserved

"And what was really great about that was — as soon as
we began showing people within the Company this pose — everyone at Disney
quickly got on board with the idea. I mean, the Classic Mickey that we sculpted
for Disney Infinity 3.0 is clearly a very playful, spunky character. But at the
same time, he's obviously got eyes for Minnie," Bunker concluded. "So
in the end, we were able to come up with Classic versions of these characters
that will work well within the creative confines of Disney Infinity 3.0 but at
the same time please those Disney fans who just collect these figures because
they like the way the Disney Infinity characters look."

So now that this particular design project is over, does
Jeff regret that Mouse House upper management was so hands-on when it came to
making sure that the Classic versions of Mickey & Minnie were specifically
tailored to fit the look & style of gameplay found in Disney Infinity 3.0?


Copyright Lucasfilm / Disney
Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

"To be blunt, we go through this every time we add a new character to the
game. The folks at Lucasfilm were just as hands-on when we were designing the
versions of Darth Vader and Yoda that will also soon be appearing in Disney
Infinity 3.0," Bunker laughed. "So in the end, if the character's
creators AND the fans are happy, then I'm happy."

This article was originally posted on the Huffington Post's Entertainment page on Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Jim Hill

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

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