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Huffington Post — Disney’s skillful mix of high art & low clowning helped make “Aladdin” the surprise hit of this season

Published

11 years ago

on

It was June of 1913 that Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr. moved his
legendary Follies over from the Moulin Rouge to the New Amsterdam Theatre. And
for the next 14 years, this NYC landmark was not only home to the most
beautiful costumes, sets & showgirls in the city, it also played host to an
amazing array of clowns. We're talking legendary comics like W.C. Fields, Ed
Wynn, Eddie Cantor and Will Rogers.

Which is why it's kind of fitting that Disney
"Aladdin" has now set up shop at the New Amsterdam.
A century after Ziegfeld filled this 1800-seat showplace with music &
merriment, thanks to the artistic efforts of Bob Crowley, the lavish sets are
back. And thanks to Gregg Barnes' stylish designs, the dazzling costumes are
back. Best of all, thanks to the inspired comedic capering of Brian Gonzales,
Brandon O'Neill, Jonathan Schwartz and Don Darryl Rivera, the clowns are back too .


Some of Gregg Barnes' costumes for Disney
"Aladdin." Photo by Cylla Von Tiedemann.
Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc.
All rights reserved

Mind you, it did take Disney Theatrical a little while to
sort out which performers were going to play what role in this season's
surprise smash.

"When I first went in to audition for 'Aladdin,' I was
originally up for the role of Babkak," Rivera recalled during a recent
phone interview. "But as soon as Casey Nicholaw [i.e., the director /
choreographer of this new Disney Theatrical Production] saw me, he asked if I
could take a look at the Iago sides. And I — of course — said 'Absolutely.'
Casey then told me a specific side to look at. But I was so nervous that I
wasn't actually listening. So I wound up having to learn all three of those
sides that I'd been given. I then went back into that room and just had a blast
reading for this part. And that's how I wound up playing Iago."

Which isn't to say that Casey & Co. didn't continue to
tinker with the part of Iago once Don had been cast in this role.


Don Darryl Rivera as Iago and Jonathan Freeman as Jafar in Disney "Aladdin."
Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

"It honestly took us all quite a while to settle on the
proper way this character should be played. During the pilot production of Disney
'Aladdin' at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in Seattle
back in 2011, Iago was much more soft back then," Rivera continued.
"It wasn't until last year's try-out in Toronto
that I finally found this character's voice, figured out a way to make Iago
seem both mean & funny. And once that version of this character was in
place … Well, we really poured 
gasoline on that fire. By the time the show back to New
York City, Chad
[Beguelin, who wrote the book & additional lyrics for this musical comedy]
had written all of these great new one liners for the character. And from that
point forward, Iago became who he is right now: Jafar's laughably lethal
henchman."

Nicholaw & Beguelin has similar problems with Babkak,
Omar & Kassim, Aladdin's three buddies that Howard Ashman & Alan Menken
had originally dreamed up for Disney's 1992 animated version of this tale from
"1001 Arabian Nights."

"Alan & Howard had written all of these additional
verses for their 'Arabian Nights' song, with the idea that they'd then be used
to move the movie's story along, maybe comment on the action," explained
Brandon O'Neill, who plays Kassim in this new musical comedy. "So — as
they were adapting 'Aladdin' to the stage — what Chad & Alan decided to do
was give all of these extra verses to Babkak, Omar & Kassim. So that our
characters could then serve as the narrators of this stage show. Be a part of
the action but — at the same time — be able to step out of the show and then
comically comment on the action."


(L to R) Brian Gonzales as Babkak, James Monroe Iglehart as the Genie, Andrew
Keenan Bolger as Omar, Adam Jacobs as Aladdin and Brandon O'Neill as
Kassim in the 2011 pilot production of Disney "Aladdin" at Seattle's Fifth
Avenue Theatre. Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

Which sounds like a fun idea on paper. But as
"Aladdin" 's out-of-town try-out was getting underway at the Ed
Mirvish Theatre, it quickly became obvious that audiences just weren't warming
to the idea that Babkak, Omar & Kassim were pulling double duty. That these
characters were Aladdin's pals as well as being this show's narrators.

"Which is why — over time — our characters' function
in 'Aladdin' changed and the humor in this show changed as well," Brian
Gonzales, who plays Babkak, stated. "We went from making a lot of pop
culture references and doing a lot of commenting on the show itself with meta
humor to being dry & sarcastic. And then for a while there, we were really
slapstick and silly."

But in the end, what Casey, Chad & Alan eventually
realized was that — as brilliant & as funny as Howard Ashman's unused
"Arabian Nights" lyrics were — they were also allowing the audience
to get ahead of the story. Worse than that, because Babkak, Omar & Kassim
had been saddled with delivering all of this unnecessary narration, the audience
weren't embracing Aladdin's friends with all that much enthusiasm.


(L to R) Jonathan Schwartz as Omar, Brandon O'Neill as Kassim and Brian Gonzales
as Babkak performing "Arabian Nights" during the Toronto try-out of Disney
"Aladdin." Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

"But this is why shows go out-of-town. So that you can
fix things," O'Neill continued. "I won't lie to you. It was a hard
thing for us to wrap our heads around initially. That the three of us were no
longer going to be 'Aladdin' 's narrators. But once Brian, Jonathan & I saw
how well the show functioned now that Babkak, Omar & Kassim were always
part of the story, rather than when we were constantly stepping away and
commenting on the action … Well, speaking for myself, I was happy to take a
step back and play the role that we're playing now."

"What really softened the blow here was that Casey
& Chad treated us like real collaborators when it came to this show," Brandon
stated. "Take — for example — 'High Adventure.' Casey was just so
wonderful when it came to this second act number. He told us 'I trust you guys.
Come up with something and then let's see what you've got.' And so — from show
to show — we'd come in with a new idea, a new joke. Our handprints are all
over 'High Adventure.' Of all the numbers in this show, that's the one which is
most reflective of how the three of us eventually came together as a comedy
team. How we melded all three of our very different comedy styles into
something that audiences really seem to enjoy watching as it unfolds
onstage."

And given the huge waves of laughter that crash down on the
stage as Babkak, Omar & Kassim race off to rescue their friend Aladdin …
Well, it kind of makes you wonder how Fields, Cantor, Wynn & Rogers must
have felt when they stood in the exact same spot at the New Amsterdam as
Gonzales, O'Neill & Schwartz do now.


(L to R) Brandon O'Neill as Kassim, Brian Gonzales as
Babkak and Jonathan Schwartz as Omar in Disney
"Aladdin." Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc.
All rights reserved

"I can't look up sometimes," Jonathan admitted.
"Because of the way the New Amsterdam is set up,
the audience is very close to the stage. And I worry that — if I look up
sometime and see how people are actually up there in the balcony & the
mezzanine staring at me — I might have a panic attack. I mean, I love hearing
those big, big laughs. But because the audience at the New Amsterdam
is so close to the action, I honestly have to tell myself sometimes not to look
at them."

Which perhaps explains why — given that Jonathan Freeman
& Don Darryl Rivera do so many of their scenes in Disney
"Aladdin" in one (which is Broadway parlance for staging a scene out
in front of a closed curtain at the very lip of the stage) — Rivera's favorite
place at the New Amsterdam is now one of the quieter corners found in this
historic old theater. Which is the public lounge on the basement lobby level.

"My favorite place in this theater is the New
Amsterdam room. I just love that statue on the ceiling. I love the
fact that there's still one original painting in there. It feels special just
to be able to walk into that place. There's just something about that room
which makes me feel kind of like royalty," Don enthused.


A portion on the ceiling in the New Amsterdam room. Photo by Jim Hill

Mind you, there's a line from Shakespeare's "As You
Like It" carved into the ceiling of the New Amsterdam Room that seems
entirely appropriate, given the topic of today's article. It reads "I had
rather have a fool to make me merry than experience to make me sad.''

But given the great reviews that Disney "Aladdin"
got when it opened last month, I would imagine that a good many people are
going to be made merry once they get the chance to experience Gonzales,
O'Neill, Riveria and Schwartz's antics in this new musical comedy. Which —
just like Ziegfeld did back with his Follies — proves how entertaining things
can be when you mix high art with low clowns.

Related Topics:

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

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General

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

Published

9 years ago

on

June 23, 2015

By

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

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

… the postman delivering the mail …


Photo by Jim Hill

… the hot dog vendor working at his cart …


Photo by Jim Hill


Photo by Jim Hill

… the street musician playing for tourists …


Photo by Jim Hill

Not to mention the tourists themselves.


Photo by Jim Hill

But right alongside the bronze businessmen …


Photo by Jim Hill

… and the tired grandmother hauling her groceries home …


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

… or — for that matter — out-of-time.


Photo by Jim Hill

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


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

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

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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

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

Published

10 years ago

on

June 10, 2015

By

Greeting from the 2015 Licensing Expo, which is being held
at the Mandalay Bay
Convention Center in Las
Vegas.


Photo by Jim Hill

I have to admit that I enjoy covering the Licensing Expo.
Mostly becomes it allows bloggers & entertainment writers like myself to
get a peek over the horizon. Scope out some of the major motion pictures &
TV shows that today's vertically integrated entertainment conglomerates
(Remember when these companies used to be called movie studios?) will be
sending our way over the next two years or so.


Photo by Jim Hill

Take — for example — all of "The Secret Life of
Pets" banners that greeted Expo attendees as they made their way to the
show floor today. I actually got to see some footage from this new Illumination
Entertainment production (which will hit theaters on July 8, 2016) the last time I was in Vegas. Which
was for CinemaCon back in April. And the five or so minutes of film that I viewed
suggested that "The Secret Life of Pets" will be a really funny
animated feature.


Photo by Jim Hill

Mind you, Universal Pictures wanted to make sure that Expo
attendees remembered that there was another Illumination Entertainment production
coming-to-a-theater-near-them before "The Secret Life of Pets" (And
that's "Minions," the "Despicable Me" prequel. Which
premieres at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival next week but
won't be screened stateside 'til July 10th of this year). Which is why they had
three minions who were made entirely out of LEGOS loitering out in the lobby.


Photo by Jim Hill

And Warner Bros. — because they wanted "Batman v
Superman: Dawn of Justice" to start trending on Twitter today — brought
the Batmobile to Las Vegas.


Photo by Jim Hill

Not to mention full-sized macquettes of Batman, Superman and
Wonder Woman. Just so conventioneers could then see what these DC superheroes
would actually look like in this eagerly anticipated, March 25, 2016 release.


Photo by Jim Hill

That's the thing that can sometimes be a wee bit frustrating
about the Licensing Expo. It's all about delayed gratification. You'll come
around a corner and see this 100 foot-long ad for "The Peanuts Movie"
and think "Hey, that looks great. I want to see that Blue Sky Studios production
right now." It's only then that you notice the fine print and realize that
"The Peanuts Movie" doesn't actually open in theaters 'til November
6th of this year.


Photo by Jim Hill

And fan of Blue Sky's "Ice Age" film franchise are in for an even
longer wait. Given that the latest installment in that top grossing series
doesn't arrive in theaters 'til July
15, 2016.


Photo by Jim Hill

Of course, if you're one of those people who needs immediate
gratification when it comes to your entertainment, there was stuff like that to
be found at this year's Licensing Expo. Take — for example — how the WWE
booth was actually shaped like a wrestling ring. Which — I'm guessing — meant
that if the executives of World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. didn't like
the offer that you were making, they were then allowed to toss you out over the
top rope, Royal Rumble-style.


Photo by Jim Hill

I also have to admit that — as a longtime Star Trek fan —
it was cool to see the enormous Starship Enterprise that hung in place over the
CBS booth. Not to mention getting a glimpse of the official Star Trek 50th
Anniversary logo.


Photo by Jim Hill

I was also pleased to see lots of activity in The Jim Henson
Company booth. Which suggests that JHC has actually finally carved out a
post-Muppets identity for itself.


Photo by Jim Hill

Likewise for all of us who were getting a little concerned
about DreamWorks Animation (what with all the layoffs & write-downs &
projects that were put into turnaround or outright cancelled last year), it was
nice to see that booth bustling.


Photo by Jim Hill

Every so often, you'd come across some people who were
promoting a movie that you weren't entirely sure that you actually wanted to
see (EX: "Angry Birds," which Sony Pictures Entertainment / Columbia
Pictures will be releasing to theaters on May 20, 2016). But then you remembered that Clay Kaytis —
who's this hugely talented former Walt Disney Animation Studios animator — is
riding herd on "Angry Birds" with Fergal Reilly. And you'd think
"Well, if Clay's working on 'Angry Birds,' I'm sure this animated feature
will turn out fine."


Photo by Jim Hill

Mind you, there were reminders at this year's Licensing Expo
of great animated features that we're never going to get to see now. I still
can't believe — especially after that brilliant proof-of-concept footage
popped up online last year — that Sony execs decided not to go forward
with  production of Genndy Tartakovsky's
"Popeye" movie.  But that's the
cruel thing about the entertainment business, folks. It will sometime break
your heart.


Photo by Jim Hill

And make no mistake about this. The Licensing Expo is all
about business. That point was clearly driven home at this year's show when —
as you walked through the doors of the Mandalay
Bay Convention Center
— the first thing that you saw was the Hasbros Booth. Which was this gleaming,
sleek two story-tall affair full of people who were negotiating deals &
signing contracts for all of the would-be summer blockbusters that have already
announced release dates for 2019 & beyond.


Photo by Jim Hill

"But what about The Walt Disney Company?," you
ask. "Weren't they represented on the show floor at this year's Licensing
Expo?" Not really, not. I mean, sure. There were a few companies there hyping
Disney-related products. Take — for example — the Disney Wikkeez people.


Photo by Jim Hill

I'm assuming that some Disney Consumer Products exec is
hoping that Wikkeez will eventually become the new Tsum Tsum. But to be blunt,
these little hard plastic figures don't seem to have the same huggable charm
that those stackable plush do. But I've been wrong before. So let's see what
happens with Disney Wikkeez once they start showing up on the shelves of the
Company's North American retail partners.


Photo by Jim Hill

And speaking of Disney's retail partners … They were
meeting with Mouse House executives behind closed doors one floor down from the
official show floor for this year's Licensing Expo.


Photo by Jim Hill

And the theme for this year's invitation-only Disney shindig? "Timeless
Stories" involving the Disney, Pixar, Marvel & Lucasfilm brands that
would then appeal to "tomorrow's consumer."


Photo by Jim Hill

And just to sort of hammer home the idea that Disney is no
longer the Company which cornered the market when it comes to little girls
(i.e., its Disney Princess and Disney Fairies franchises), check out this
wall-sized Star Wars-related image that DCP put up just outside of one of its
many private meeting rooms. "See?," this carefully crafted photo
screams. "It isn't just little boys who want to wield the Force. Little
girls also want to grow up and be Lords of the Sith."


Photo by Jim Hill

One final, kind-of-ironic note: According to this banner,
Paramount Pictures will be releasing a movie called "Amusement Park"
to theaters sometime in 2017.  


Photo by Jim Hill

Well, given all the "Blackfish" -related issues
that have been dogged SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment over the past two years, I'm
just hoping that they'll still be in the amusement park business come 2017.

Your thoughts?

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

Published

10 years ago

on

June 9, 2015

By

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

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


Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc.
All rights reserved

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


Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights
reserved

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


Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc. All rights reserved

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

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


Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc.
All rights reserved

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

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


Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc. All rights reserved

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

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


Copyright Disney
Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

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

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


Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc. All rights reserved

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

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


Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc. All rights reserved

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

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


Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc. All rights reserved

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

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


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

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