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It’s going to take more than just magic to pull off all of WDW’s “Magical Gatherings” program

If you saw last Thursday’s “Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade” special on ABC, you no doubt heard (over and over and over again …) about “Magical Gatherings” at Disney World. But here’s something that you may NOT have heard: WDW’s resort staff is not entirely sure that they can actually pull off this much hyped program.

Published

20 years ago

on

Okay. Quick show of hands. Who here watched the “Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade” on ABC last Thursday morning?

(God, look who I’m asking. You’re a Disney dweeb, right? So of course you watched this program …)

Well, I — like you — sat and watched this year’s special. And just marveled at this Frankenstein-like production.

“Why ‘Frankenstein-like’?” you ask. Well, that sequence that featured the Brady Bunch wandering around Disney-MGM? That was actually shot back in October during Disney World’s annual press event. And that bumper where Susanne Lucci and several other actors from “All My Children” (also while standing around in the Disney-MGM Studio theme park) wished the viewing audience “… a very Merry Christmas”? That was shot back in early November during this year’s Super Soap Weekend.

George Lopez’s play-by-play of Disneyland’s Christmas parade? That was actually shot back on Saturday, November 15th. One of my JHM tour groups and I actually got to watch Lopez and a large film crew shoot a portion of that special while I was taking them through the theme park that morning.

Yet all these celebrities were saying “Hello” to Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa. Talking with the two “Live with Regis and Kelly” co-hosts as if they were all down there at Disney World at the exact same time. Ah, the magic of television. Sequences that were shot months apart, all artfully stitched together so that nary a seam does show.

Mind you, it was the stuff that was shot in the Magic Kingdom where the most artful stitching was done. You see, Ms. Ripa hadn’t actually been able to make it down to Walt Disney World for the first day or two of filming. Why for? Because she accidentally got snowed in in NYC on Friday, December 5th. So Kelly wasn’t actually able to make it down to Orlando ’til Sunday, December 7th. When 90% of this year’s “Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade” special was already in the can.

But not to worry. The folks at Lightship Productions (I.E. the television production company that actually put together this year’s parade special) just set up their cameras again. They had Regis and Kelly sit in their festively decorated broadcast booth in the foreground while they rolled a small number of parade floats through the background. They then shot a scene which had Phlibin and Ripa stood with the crowds along Main Street U.S.A. And Presto Changeo! It looked like Regis and Kelly had been on hand for the entire shoot.

(How do I know so much about the above story? Because — just like what happened back in Disneyland on November 15th — I was actually in the Magic Kingdom hosting a JHM tour [which was being offered as an exclusive to the nice folks at Mousefest 2003] on Sunday, December 7th when they were shooting all of that additional Kelly footage. I remember poor Jim Korkis, struggling to make himself heard in Town Square as various floats came rolling through and Ms. Ripa’s exteremly amplified voice rang out through the park. That may sound kind of annoying, but it was a really great time.)

Anyway … enough about the logistics of putting ABC’s “Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade” special together. Now let’s talk about the show itself. Or — as I like to call it — that two-hour-long commercial for Walt Disney World’s “Magical Gatherings” program … Oh, yeah. And the Christmas parade too.

Seriously, could the Walt Disney Company have crammed any more references to this new WDW program into the show? During the first hour alone, it was mentioned — in a veiled sort of way — by Michael Eisner himself:

“Join us as we continue the celebration of families and gatherings on the most joyous day of the year.”

Kelly Ripa then mentioned the program as part of her introductory remarks for the parade:

“What a beautiful place to celebrate the joy of Christmas and that special magic that happens when you get together with your friends and your family. It’s something called ‘Magical Gatherings’ and you’ll be hearing more about it throughout the show.”

Did you ever? Regis repeatedly talked about WDW’s “Magical Gatherings” program:

“Hey, welcome back everyone to the Christmas Day parade at the Magic Kingdom. Thanks for joining our Magical Gathering of friends and family.”

“Here’s a perfect song for our Magical Gathering this morning. Jump 5 singing ‘Welcome to Our Family’ from ‘Brother Bear.'”

The program was also mentioned by this anonymous family as a filmed insert leading out of commercial:

“Hi! We’re here from all over the United States. Chicago! Nebraska! Birmingham! And we’re happy to be having a Magical Gathering here at the Magic Kingdom with our great grandmother, Alita. Merry Christmas!”

And — if that wasn’t bad enough — parade viewers were then treated to a 5-minute-long sequence that hyped WDW’s “Magical Gatherings” program. This part of the show started off with the current Miss America, Ericka Dunlap, and her family gathered at WDW’s recently-opened Pop Century Resort Hotel. As she smiled for the cameras, Ms. Dunlap said:

“I’m lucky enough to spend time with my family at the Walt Disney World Resort. We’re having what’s known as a ‘Magical Gathering.’ It’s a great new way to bring friends and family together at Walt Disney World.”

Ericka then introduced a sequence which supposedly showed this typical family — the O’Sheas, a family of 15 from New Bedford, MA — who were having a “Magical Gathering” at Walt Disney World. As this warm-and-fuzzy filmed interlude got underway, parade viewers were told that this was the first tike that the family had all been together on vacation. The O’Sheas were then shown — all dressed in matching “Magical Gatherings” t-shirts — walking hand-in-hand through the Magic Kingdom.

Which was all well and good. Except that — every so often — there’d be these close-ups of various O’Shea family members reading what had to be carefully scripted remarks. I mean, can you imagine any of your relatives turning toward a camera and spontaneously saying:

“A ‘Magical Gathering’ is a group of family and friends who join together to experience Walt Disney World … just being together. Creating a special moment in time. There’s no better place to do this than here.”

If you can believe it, the “Magical Gatherings” promotional push got even heavier as this sequence went on. Parade viewers got to watch as one of the O’Sheas supposedly used the Internet to download the “Magical Gatherings” planner. As one of the other aunts went on and on about how using the Disney website …

“… made things so much easier. They’d keep you up-to-date on arrangements. Where we’re going to have dinner. Where we’re going to have breakfast.”

The “Magical Gatherings” promotional portion of last Thursday’s “Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade” broadcast closed out with the O’Shea family having not one, but two “Magical Gatherings” experiences. First, the family had a group photo — taken by an official WDW photographer — taken while standing on the lawn in front of Cinderella’s Castle. Next, the O’Sheas experienced the “Magical Gatherings” fireworks voyage. Where the family was taken out onto Seven Seas Lagoon and shown enjoying “Wishes” as the Magic Kingdom’s new fireworks extravaganza was seen exploding over that theme park.

And — just to make sure that parade viewers got the message — as the sequence drew to a close, one of the O’Shea women — in a voiceover — was heard to say:

“When we’re coming here, we’re just making memories.”

Which — given that this comment managed to plug both the Walt Disney Company as well as Kodak’s old promotional slogan — must have made the Mouse’s promotional staff happy.

Then — just in case the television viewing audience didn’t get the point of the whole O’Shea family “Magical Gatherings” sequence — the camera now cut back to Ericka Dunlap and her family standing in front of the Pop Century Resort Hotel. Where Ericka said:

“And that’s just one example of friends and family from around the world who are having a ‘Magical Gatherings’ vacation at Walt Disney World. Something that everyone can do year ’round. Not just at Christmastime.”

And then — just to hammer the all-too-obvious point home — they then cut away to commercial. And what’s the first ad to air after the O’Sheas “Magical Gatherings” sequence? The “Circle of Life” version of WDW’s “Magical Gatherings” commercial.

Now no one has ever accused the Mouse of being subtle. But all this occurred just during the first hour of this year’s “Walt Disney World Christmas Day Program” TV special. The second hour of this show had even more ham-handed mentions of WDW’s “Magical Gatherings” program, with poor Robin Roberts from ABC News wandering down Main Street U.S.A. and supposedly spontaneously encountering yet another group of friends and family who were also having a “Magical Gathering.”

It was all just too much hype. Particularly for a program that’s already having more than its share of problems.

“What’s that you say, Jim?” you query. “Disney World’s ‘Magical Gatherings’ program is already having some problems?” Yep. Here, let me share an e-mail that I recently received from a veteran WDW hotel staffer. Who wrote to me to vent some of his frustrations about Disney World’s “Magical Gatherings” program:

“The real problem, Jim, is that the Walt Disney World Vacations people are actively promoting this ‘Magical Gatherings’ program, promising people all of these amazing experiences. But they started promoting the program before the people in Resorts could actually figure out how to make ‘Magical Gatherings’ work.

I mean, they’re telling people that we’re going to be able to arrange all of these adjoining hotel rooms for large families at the various Disney World resorts. Jim, we haven’t ever been able to do this. Not even for press events, when we knew months in advance that we had to block out large numbers of adjoining hotel rooms for celebrities and the media. And now they’re expecting us to be able to do this on a daily basis. Impossible.

The same problem applies to the resort’s restaurants. They’re telling guests that we’re going to be able to carve out these huge holes in each evening’s seating arrangements so that these large families can dine together. This means that we’re constantly having to turn away smaller groups of diners — who are actually ready to eat immediately — so that we can hold space for these large groups. Which — typically — never show up on time.

It’s just been a nightmare so far, Jim. We’ve really been struggling to deliver on all of the ‘Magical Moments’ that these guests have been promised as part of their ‘Magical Gatherings” vacation. For — when these people don’t get everything that the folks at Walt Disney World Vacations promised them — they come down to the front desk in the lobby and just scream at us about how much money they’re paying for this once-in-a-lifetime vacation with their extended family.

As a result, the front line people at Walt Disney World are getting a lot of abuse, Jim. All because Disney’s promotional department rushed to get all of those ‘Magical Gatherings’ TV commercials and print ads out there. Long before WDW’s resort staff had a chance to figure out how they were actually going to pull this program off. Seriously, Jim. On the specs for the WDW’s ‘Magical Gatherings’ program that was circulated around property, the last line of the document actually read: ‘I hope that we can pull this off.’

Resorts staffers are grumbling that ‘Magical Gatherings’ is just yet another ill-conceived effort by Walt Disney Company management to fill up all of those empty hotel rooms on property. Which is why they pushed this program through at warp speed, with little thought at to how the cast members in the field were actually going to deliver on all the ‘Magic’ that the Mouse’s promotional staff had promised the guests.

Don’t worry, Jim. Eventually, I’m sure that we’ll work all the kinks out. But I can’t help but think about how much easier this ‘Magical Gatherings’ thing would have been if they had just talked with us first. Rather than going to WDW’s promotional staff and dreaming up a new ad campaign for the resort, THEN — after the fact — trying to figure out how to actually make ‘Magical Gatherings’ work.”

So there you have it, folks. In spite of all the hype and promotion, the resort staff at Walt Disney World are struggling mightily to try and deliver all of the magic that the Mouse’s promotional staff says that you’re going to get when you, your family and friends sign up for a “Magical Gatherings” vacation.

Which is why I suggest that — if you’re really interested in having a “Magical Gathering” — that you hold off on having that “Gathering” ’til the middle of next year. Til the folks in WDW resort operations finally figure out how to make good on all the magic that WDW’s promotional staff promised.

Your thoughts?

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

8 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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General

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

Published

8 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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General

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

Published

8 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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