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Joke for One

Though Jim’s out in Southern California doing divorced daddy duty, he still managed to churn out an entertaining article for the site. This piece details some of the subtler — and sometimes obscene — gags that the Imagineers slip into their shows that feature AA figures.

Published

22 years ago

on

How many of you out there are familiar with Tom Morrow, the Audio Animatronic figure (voiced by Nathan Lane) that hosts the “Innoventions” exhibit in Disneyland’s Tomorrowland?

I mean really familiar. As in: You haven’t just watched this robot do all of his intro spiels to the various areas in “Innoventions.” You’ve actually hung around to watch this AA figure AFTER the rest of the guests have moved on. As Tom waits to spiel to the next set of Disneyland guests who enter the theater-go-round building.

What? You haven’t had a chance to do this yet? Oh, you GOTTA do this the next time you’re in Anaheim. After all, how many times do you get the opportunity to watch a robot grow bored?

Seriously, folks. The next time you’re at “Innoventions” in Disneyland’s Tomorrowland, linger around the Tom Morrow figure. After the rest of the guests have wandered off to look at the cutting edge medical technology exhibits and/or fiddle with computer games, just stand there in front of that AA figure and watch Tom kill time.

In the minute or so before the new group of tourists loads into the building, you’ll see Mr. Morrow:

Straighten his tie.
Check his nails.
Attempt to dig wax out of his ear, then look at it.
Shift his weight nervously.
Check his watch.

In short, it’s everything that you and I would do if we had this really boring, repetitive job where we had to be nice to tourists all day. I mean, it really is a beautiful little bit of AA figure programming. Very fluid. Incredibly lifelike … that virtually no one ever sees.

And why is that? Because is something that WDI likes to call a “Joke for One.” A clever little bit of programming and/or an extra added flourish to an Audio Animatronic figure that only the Imagineers, Disney cast members or those who are in the know ever get to see.

Take for example how the Timekeeper begins his performance cycle over in WDW’s “From Time to Time” Circlevision theater. On completion of his show cycle, that AA figure stands perfectly. Then — as the new show cycle begins — you hear over the speakers in the auditorium the sound of a very old car trying to start. With each “Rrrr … Rrrr … Rrrr …” of the aged starter trying to turn over, the Timekeeper shakes a little bit. As if the robot is this balky old piece of machinery that’s having trouble starting his day.

Finally, with a very loud “Ver-ROOM,” the Timekeeper AA figure officially “turns over” and the robot begins fluidly moving about. And it’s right about this time that the WDW cast member hits that switch that opens the automatic door leading out to the lobby and all the guests come filing in.

You see what I’m saying here? Here’s this great little gag that virtually no one ever gets to see. Only the Imagineers who originally programmed that the Timekeeper AA figure, the cast members who actually work at “From Time from Time” and the occasional tourist who lingers in the Circlevision theater ever get to see this clever bit of business.

Which I think is kind of a shame.

Mind you, sometime the public is never, ever supposed to see these little WDI inside jokes. Why for? Because a number of them really do border on the obscene.

How so? Well, how many of you remember Bonnie Appetit from the old “Kitchen Kabaret” show that Kraft Foods used to sponsor in “The Land” pavilion in EPCOT Center’s Future World section? For those of you who don’t recall: Ms. Appetit was this leggy AA figure who served as the hostess of this somewhat strange show. A weird cross between a harried housewife and a Vegas show girl, Bonnie would belt out these musical intros to the attraction’s various “acts” (I.E. a ham and egg vaudeville team, a milk carton who was a crooner, a collard full of samba-singing fruits and vegetables …)

Yes, “Kitchen Kabaret” really WAS one trippy little show. What I personally always found hilarious about this EPCOT Center attraction was that the exit doors to that auditorium pretty much funneled WDW visitors straight into “The Land”‘s food court area. As if to say to WDW guests: “You loved all the performers in today’s show, didn’t you? Well, show the cast of the ‘Kitchen Kabaret’ that you really care. Go EAT THEM !!!”

Anyway … getting back to Bonnie Appetit. It’s clear that the Imagineers who got stuck with programming all of the AA figures for “Kitchen Kabaret” got bored and/or were feeling really mischievous while they were working on this Future World show. How so? Well, it seems that these randy guys from WDI always tried to make Bonnie’s “pause and hold” position (I.E. The “at rest” pose that this robot would automatically go into should there be a sudden power failure hostess or something catastrophic happen at the attraction) as obscene as possible.

Which was fine with Imagineering management. After all, these WED / WDI vets enjoy a hoary old joke as much as the next man. The only condition that that they insisted on was that the public never, ever get the chance to see Bonnie being naughty.

The Imagineers who had done all of the programming on the Appetit AA figure had thought that they had had taken care of this matter. How so? By deliberately putting a line of code into the programming that controlled the “Kitchen Kabaret” theater that — should there ever be a sudden power failure and/or something catastrophic happen — the curtain would automatically come down. That way, no members of the public would ever get to see Ms. Appetit … er … um … what’s a polite way of putting this? “Mishandling her produce?”

Anyway, it seemed like a pretty foolproof scheme. The Imagineers could still have their girly AA figure who had been programmed to do some reportedly pretty raunchy things (which meant that Epcot’s “Kitchen Kabaret” would typically have a pretty full house during the final test-and-adjust of this EPCOT Center show. Why For? Because the Imagineers who were running the “Kitchen Kabaret” test would over-ride the “Bring Down the Curtain” command and then deliberately derail the show. Then the Imagineers in the auditorium would hoot andholler as Bonnie stopped being such a sweet innocent housewife and went into her “act”) while Disney World guest were kept unawares.

What the Imagineers failed to take into consideration was what might happen to the “Kitchen Kabaret” show if the “Land” pavilion were to be struck by lightening. Sure enough, one day in the early 1990s, a bolt came sailing out of the blue and struck the top of this Future World structure. That enormous jolt of electricity surged through the building, scrambling every computer …

Which is why the curtain in the “Kitchen Kabaret” theater didn’t automatically close. Which is why an auditorium full of tourists supposedly got to see the Bonnie Appetit AA figure lift up her short skirt with one hand as the other hand dove between her legs. I’m told that — as the robot threw back her head and thrust her pelvis out and then froze on stage in this position with the theater’s emergency lights shining down on her — that the audience gasped … then quickly filed out of the auditorium to go file complaints over at Epcot Center’s “Guest Relations” desk.

I’ve heard that the Mouse’s official cover story for what occurred that stormy afternoon was that it was the lighting strike — not some deliberately randy programming — that caused the Bonnie Appetit AA figure to … well … “go for the gusto.” But if that were truly the case, then why did Walt Disney World management have the Imagineers immediately reprogram all of Bonnie Appetit’s “Pause and Hold” positions (so that she would no longer automatically become a naughty homemaker whenever things went wrong with “Kitchen Kabaret”)?

This story is the stuff of legends at Walt Disney Imagineering. The sort of tale that the Imagineers tell to illustrate what the “Good Old Days at WED” used to be like. Back when you could get away with some truly funny stuff.

Nowadays, these “Jokes for One” that the Imagineers try to use the Park’s AA figures to tell tend to be on the quiet side. Sly little touches like that pack of condoms that they supposedly keep slipping into the *** pocket of the suit jacket that the Bill Clinton figure wears in the Magic Kingdom’s “The Hall of Presidents.”

I’m told that the President Kennedy AA figure also occasionally gets the condom treatment. And that — ‘way back during the Watergate hearings in the early 1970s — the Imagineers used to tie the Richard Nixon AA figure’s hands behind the robot’s back with a bandana. As if to illustrate what the then-President (who kept insisting that he was “not a crook”) would look like should “Tricky ***” ever get the cuffs slapped on him.

Me personally? I prefer the jokes that are out there for the whole world to see. The bored, fidgety Tom Morrow. The having-trouble-starting Timekeeper. And (my personal favorite) how the Iago AA figure behaves at the very end of WDW’s “Enchanted Tiki Room – Under New Management” show.

Given how obnoxious this parrot character was in the original “Aladdin” movie back in 1992, it’s really no surprise that Kevin Rafferty (the Imagineer who’s credited with putting together “Under New Management”‘s wildly funny if somewhat mean-spirited script) really let Gilbert Gottfried (the comedian who’s been providing the parrot’s vocals for well over a dozen years now) cut loose.

This is why Iago — who’s deliberately positioned over the attraction’s exit — attempts to hassle every tourist as they head out the door. Throwing off abrasive one-liners like “Hey, Lady! Smart idea, walking under a bird!” After a while, Iago seems to quiet down. But the very best zinger is saved for last.

After the very last tourist has almost assuredly filed out of the “Enchanted Tiki Room,” the paunchy parrot yawns and says “Well, I’m exhausted. I think I’ll go over to the Hall of Presidents and take a nap.”

This is a true first in Disney theme park history, folks. An AA figure from one show ragging on another theme park show. The first time I heard this, my jaw just dropped open … then I laughed myself silly.

All in all, it was the perfect “Joke for One” experience. The Imagineering equivalent of those “Easter Eggs” that get hidden on DVDs. The sort of gag that only someone who knows what to look for will ever find.

I don’t suppose that any of you folks out there have similar stories to share …

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

10 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

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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General

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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