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Knott’s Berry Farm honors its heritage by revamping / refreshing Calico Mine Train & Camp Snoopy

Published

11 years ago

on

On the heels of its highly successful redo of that theme
park’s iconic Timber Mountain Log Ride, Knott’s Berry Farm is doubling down for
the Summer of 2014.

This time around, two elements of this Southern California
favorite are receiving some much needed TLC: The Calico Mine Train (which first
began riding the rail back in November of 1960) and Camp
Snoopy (which greeted its first
guests back in July of 1983).


Campy Snoopy back in the early days. Photo by Shelly Valladolid

In the case of Calico, Knott’s is sticking to its Timber
Mountain template. As in: Preserve
what everyone originally loved about this Ghost Town attraction while at the
same time updating many of the figures & effects found deep inside of this
seven stories-tall show building.

This time around, though, Garner Holt Productions (i.e. the
San Bernardino-based operation that built the 58 animatronic figures that were
installed in Timber Mountain Log Ride during its redo) really have their hands
full. You see, when themed entertainment legend Bud Hurlbut & his team
originally built the Calico Mine Train ride (for a then-absolutely-astounding
sum of one million dollars), they used 275 tons of steel.


Calico Mine Train attraction under construction in 1960.
Copyright Cedar Fair Park. All rights reserved

That coupled with the extremely tight passages that those
ore-cars-full-of-passengers have to travel through as the Calico Mine Train
makes its 8 minute-long journey through a detailed recreation of an 1880s gold
mining operation … Well, that didn’t leave Garner and his team much room to
work within this enormous show building. Especially when it came to finding
places to install new figures & effects.


One of Garner Holt’s new miner animatronic
figures. Photo by Shelly Valladolid

But as it turns out, Holt has already had some experience when it comes to
Calico. You see, Garner & his team actually built 5 new characters for Knott’s
mine train ride back in the early 1990s. And it was the info / experience that
Holt gained from installing those figures inside of this attraction two decades
ago which then made it possible for his crew to place over 50 new state-of-the-art
animatronic figures along its track this time around.


And what’s an animatronic miner without his mechanical burro? Photo by Shelly Valladolid

Now add in the 70-or-so donkeys, bats, fishes &
creepy-crawly things that Garner Holt Productions has built to place along the
Calico Mine Train’s track along with a brand-new audio & themed lighting
system … And you have just the sort of stellar attraction that Bud Hurlbut
& his crew would have built back in 1960 if the necessary funds &
technology would have been available.

But you want to know the very best part? Things that Bud himself had put into
place decades inside of the mine train ride that were eventually shut off or
discontinued are now being restored. Take — for example — the ethereal music
that Knott’s visitors used to hear as their ore car climbed to the highest point
along the track, the “Ascending into Heaven” room” (i.e., that
chamber deep inside this attraction which was filled with hundreds of
stalagmites & stalactites).


The “Ascending into Heaven” room inside of Knott’s Berry Farm’s Calico Mine Train ride
as it initially appeared back in the 1960s. Copyright Cedar Fair Park. All rights reserved

The music for this area inside of the Calico Mine Train was supposedly to have replicated
that eerie, unearthly sound which the wind sometimes makes as it whistles
through deep caverns. Sadly, the recording which had used to serve as the
soundtrack for this specific scene in the ride has severely degraded over the
decades.

Mind you, Bill Reyes — a longtime fan of this Knott’s Berry Farm —  had begun a restoration of the music that was
used in this portion of the Calico Mine Train. All with the hope that he’d
eventually be able to present a copy of this music to Hurlbut as a gift. Sadly,
Bud passed away in January of 2011 prior to this project being completed.


Bud Hurlbut with one of the Calico Mine Train ride trains prior to painting.
Copyright Cedar Fair Parks. All rights reserved

But the upside is — thanks to the restoration work that Reyes had already been
done — an all-new recording of the music for Calico’s “heaven room”
sequence could now be made. And on a Mighty Wurlizter organ, no less. And
thanks to this new soundtrack recording (as well as the new themed lighting
package that’s being installed in this portion of the attraction), this scene
in the ride will be more spectacular than it’s ever been.

Another nice aspect to the Calico Mine Train redo is that
Garner Holt Productions — while it didn’t reuse / duplicate  any of the animatronic figures that it
created for Timber Mountain Log Ride in the second Ghost Town attraction GHP
revamped / enhanced — did make sure that these figures looked similar. That
they all appeared to be members of the same community. So that Knott’s guests
could imagine that — at the end of their workday — all the lumberjacks who
worked up on Timber Mountain & all of the miners who dig for gold deep down
inside the Calico Mine could then meet up for drinks at the saloon in Calico
Square.


The entrance area / exterior queue for Calico Mine Train is still being refurbished.
Photo by Shelly Valladolid

As you might expect, given that the revamped / refreshed
version of Calico Mine Train isn’t supposed to open ’til June, this corner of
Knott’s Berry Farm’s Ghost Town is still very much a construction site. Even
so, the marketing staff at this theme park was nice enough to take us behind
the barriers yesterday. Where we actually got to enter this show building and
then walk down the mine train track for a hundred feet or so.


Photo by Shelly Valladolid

Once we were inside of the Calico Mine Train show building, we got to see a
test of this attraction’s steam effect (The new boiler which powers this steam
effect had just been lowered in through the roof the day before). We also got
to peek in to the bottom of the Glory Hole, that 65 foot-wide & 90
foot-deep show scene which (later this Summer) will be filled with dozens of
animatronic prospectors all looking to strike it rich as they dig for gold.


Workmen prep the “Glory Hole” portion of Calico Mine Train for the upcoming
installation of its new animatronic figures. Photo by Shelly Valladolid

Meanwhile over in Campy Snoopy … Well, the folks at Knott’s
Berry Farm weren’t as much interested in gold as they were with forest greens
& browns.

To explain: Back in 1983 when the Knott family took 5 acres of their theme park’s
parking lot and then turned it into a celebration of Charles M. Schulz’s characters,
that project used the most recent feature-length “Peanuts” film —
1977’s “Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown!
” — as its inspiration.
Which is why — rather than showcase these comic strips stars in the sort of suburban
setting that Schulz usually placed his characters in — Knott’s Berry Farm
opted to go the Camp Snoopy
route instead. Create this lush green area that replicated the look & feel
of California’s High Sierras.


Copyright 1977 Paramount Pictures. All rights reserved

Unfortunately, even though the 10 foot-tall trees that
Knott’s horticultural  team planted back
in 1983 have now reached over 60 feet in height, Camp Snoopy’s original “high-in-the-Sierras”
feeling slowly began slipping away. Beginning back in December 1997 (which —
not so co-incidentally — was when Knott’s Berry Farm was acquired by Cedar
Fair), there was less & less emphasis placed on “How can we preserve
this area’s theme?” and more & more emphasis placed of “How can
we shoehorn another ride in back here?” Which is how Camp
Snoopy wound with
wildly-out-of-theme attractions like GR8SK8, which was this giant skateboard,
and Lucy’s Tugboat. 


Copyright 2014 Fox / Blue Sky Studios. All rights reserved

Well, now that there’s a new “Peanuts” movie on
the horizon (An all-CG production from Blue Sky Studios which will hit theaters
in November of 2015), Knott’s Berry Farm has decided to seriously spruce up Camp
Snoopy. Not only replace the rides
that don’t really fit in this part of that park but also fold in more Charlie
Brown-based fun. Which is why, sometime in June or thereabouts, three brand-new
“Peanuts” -themed family rides will come online in Camp
Snoopy. These include:


Copyright 2014 Cedar Fair Parks. All rights reserved

  • The Linus Launcher — This spinner recreates that classic
    moment from the “Peanuts” comic strip when Snoopy would grab Linus’
    blanket and then drag him around the neighborhood. On the Linus Launcher,
    guests will lay on one of twelve “blankets” as they get spun around. This
    attraction replaces Camp Snoopy’s
    old Charlie Brown’s Speedway ride.


Copyright 2014 Cedar Fair Park. All rights reserved

  • Pig Pen’s Mud Buggies — As Pig Pen looks down from his
    central perch, guests can take their very own all-terrain vehicle for a circular
    drive through the High Sierras. Pig Pen’s Mud Buggies replaces Knott’s old Log
    Peeler attraction.


Copyright 2014 Cedar Fair Park. All rights reserved

  • Charlie Brown’s Kite Flyer — Remember the bad ol’
    kite-eating tree from the “Peanuts” comic strip? Well, he’s back,
    bigger & badder than ever. Swinging 32-passengers 18 feet up in the air
    while good ol’ Charlie Brown looks on, lashed upside down to the truck of this
    tree in a tangle of kite string. Charlie Brown’s Kite Flyer replaces Camp
    Snoopy’s old Snoopy-themed bounce
    house.


Copyright 2014 Cedar Fair Park. All rights reserved

And as for Lucy’s Tugboat … Again taking their inspiration
from “Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown!” (More importantly, that
animated feature’s whitewater rafting scenes), Camp
Snoopy’s tugboat is now being
rethemed as Rapids River Run.


Lucy’s Tugboat has been turned into a whitewater raft.
Photo by Shelly Valladolid

And as for GR8SK8, that oversized skateboard has gone to
that great skate park in the sky. In its place, Knott’s Berry Farm is building Beagle
Scout Headquarters. Which will soon be where guests can go if they’re looking
to meet-n-greet with the Peanuts characters.


Concept art for Knott’s Beagle Scout Headquarters / meet-n-greet area.
Copyright 2014 Cedar Fair Park. All rights reserved

And as a longtime Charles M. Schulz fan, I have to admit that I
love the great attention-to-detail that Knott’s creative team has folded into
Beagle Scout Headquarters. How they are recreating iconic “Peanuts”
locations as Lucy’s psychiatry booth and that low stone wall where Linus &
Charlie Brown would often stand & talk.

But what’s also great about Beagle Scout Headquarters is —
even though the interior features some faithful recreations of memorable
location from the “Peanuts” universe — the exterior of this
meet-n-greet area has deliberately been designed so that it then fits Camp
Snoopy’s High Sierras setting.
Everything from the natural wood that this building will be constructed out of
to the split-cedar shingles that cover its roof will tell Knott’s visitors that
they’re now somewhere deep in the woods.

In every possible way, Knott’s creative team is making
changes to Camp Snoopy
to reinforce this High Sierra theming. Take — for example — all of the new
signage that’s being creating for the 13 rides that guests will be able to
experience in this 5-acre forest-themed section of the park. All of these three-dimensional
signs are being made out of real redwood. Not only that, but they’re being
sandblasted to bring out their wood grain. And best of all — again to
reinforce the whole you’re-at-a-camp-in-the-High-Sierras feel of this area at
Knott’s — all of these Camp Snoopy
ride signs are deliberately being designed to look like merit badges.


Photo by Shelly Valladolid

And this readjusting / reinforcing of Camp
Snoopy’s deep-in-the-woods themes
goes all the way down to the pavement treatment for this part of the park.
Knott’s creative team is in the process of resurfacing every walkway that runs
through this 5-acre area. Replacing all of that old slurry with brand-new
concrete which — thanks to the color it’s been painted as well as all of the
pebbles that have been embedded in its surface — will now make it look as
though a dirt road runs through the camp.

That said, given that they were replacing all of the
pavement that ran through Camp Snoopy,
the creative team at Knott’s also used this opportunity to address some ADA
issues that this side of their theme park had. To be specific: They lowered the
bridge in front of Grizzly Creek Lodge by a foot or so to make it that much
easier for guests in wheelchairs & ECVs to traverse.

Getting back to the Peanuts theming now … Knott’s Berry
Farm is going all-out this time around. It’s looking for all sorts of
innovative ways to get people interested in Charles M. Schulz’s characters. Take
— for example — the “Peppermint Patty’s Pucker Powder” that will soon
be sold in Camp Snoopy’s
new candy store.


Copyright 2014 Cedar Fair Park. All rights reserved

But of all the “Peanuts” plussing that’s being
done in & around Camp Snoopy,
I think the attraction I’m most looking forward to is the revamped version of Grand
Sierra Railway. Starting in June, this miniature replica of an actual steam
locomotive will begin chugging past wilderness scenes which show many members of
the Peanuts gang camping in the High Sierras.


Copyright 2014 Cedar Fair Park. All rights reserved

Garner Holt handled the fabrication of these Peanuts characters.
And as you can see by the version of Sally & Franklin that were on display
during Knott’s Calico Mine Train / Campy Snoopy media event, they did an
excellent job when it came to translating Charles M. Schulz’s original drawings
into fully dimensional figures. By the way: 
Before these figures could then be installed in six different scenes
along the Great Sierra’s track route, the Schulz family first had to sign off
on all of GHP’s dimensional sculpts of these characters.


A 3D printer-created version of Woodstock.
Photo by Shelly Valladolid

Another interesting side note: When it came to producing Woodstock
& all of his Beagle Scout bird friends for the Great Sierra Railway, Garner
& his team opted to the 3D printer route. Holt used the exact technology
when it came to producing some of the bats & fish which will appear in the
caverns of Calico Mine Train.

So what’s my favorite part of Knott’s Great Sierra Railway
redo? To be honest, it’s a tie between learning that Linus Van Pelt himself
will be narrating this eight minute-long journey or the fact that — en route
to the Peanuts’ characters campsite — this miniature steam train will roll
past a recreation of Needles, California.
Where Snoopy’s brother Spike will be hanging out with all of his cacti buddies.

And once the Great Sierra Railway pulls back into the
station and guests disembark at the Camp Snoopy Depot, there’ll still be a
whole lot more new stuff to see. Things like the Peanuts Play Lot. Which will
be this area right next to the Timberline Twister where nature, adventure &
imagination come together and little kids can then play in a safe zone.


Construction continues on Campy Snoopy’s Peanuts Play Lot.
Photo by Shelly Valladolid

Not to mention the overall beautification effort that
Knott’s horticultural staff is putting into this side of the park. Which — in
addition to the redwoods, pine trees, shrubs, ferns and perennial flowers that
people can already see as they walk through Camp
Snoopy — will soon include river
birches & blue cedar trees by the stream next to Rapid River Run.

In short, Campy Snoopy will soon be returning to its roots.
Becoming the same sort of inspired / inspiring tribute to the High Sierras that
it was back when this 5-acre area first opened back in July of 1983. But at the
same time, this corner of Knott’s Berry Farm will also have a fresh &
modern feeling.

Mind you, with what’s being done to Calico Mine Train &
Camp Snoopy looking like it’s actually going to top the refresh / restoration
work that was done on Ghost Town in 2012 & Timber Mountain Log Ride in
2013, what’s Knott’s Berry Farm going to do for an encore? Well, this theme
park’s creative crew & marketing team weren’t exactly ready to go
on-the-record. Not yet, anyway. But it’s been suggested that Knott’s Fiesta
Village area may be the next part
of this park to receive a makeover. One that will take its inspiration from
LA’s festive Olvera Street
marketplace. But — hey — you didn’t hear that from me.


Will Knott’s Fiesta Village be the next park of this theme park to get a
facelift? Photo by Jim Hill

In the meantime, while I have to admit that it was fun to
wander around the park this past Thursday & the sample all of the
Boysenberry flavored culinary delights to be found at Knott’s Berry Bloom, I
just can’t wait for June to get here. So that I can then see how the finished
versions of Calico Mine Train & Camp Snoopy turned out.

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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

9 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

9 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.' "


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"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.


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"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.


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"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.


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"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.


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"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?


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"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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