General

Monday Mélange: From Show Tunes to Lunchtime Toons

This week’s column takes you from Broadway to Burbank, as Jim Hill reveals the latest scuttlebutt about what’s going on with Disney Theatrical and Walt Disney Pictures. Plus a brand-new JHM trivia contest.

Published

20 years ago

January 9, 2005

Jim Hill

Since January is traditionally thought of as the start of the new year, I thought that it might be fun to use today’s “Mélange” to talk about what 2005 has in store for the Mouse. Particularly when it comes to Disney’s theatrical division.

2004 certainly ended well for that arm of the company. What with the stage version of “Mary Poppins” getting generally great reviews following its opening in London last month. So — naturally — stateside Disneyana fans are now wondering when that practically perfect nanny will be popping up on Broadway.

Well, now might be a good time to get yourself a “Spoonful of Sugar,” folks. For the medicine / message that I’m about to deliver isn’t all that good. Based on what I’ve been hearing, it may be as long as the Fall of 2006 before the stage version of “Poppins” finally crosses the pond.

“What’s the hold-up?,” you ask. “Is it because Mary is having trouble getting that carpet bag through airport security?” Well, no. One of the main problems here is that the show’s creative team all already have other commitments for the coming year. So it’s actually going to be a while before Disney Theatrical can get director Richard Eyre & choreographer Matthew Bourne back in the same room together to begin the arduous task of casting, then rehearsing the Broadway version of “Mary Poppins.”

The other factor is that the Mouse is looking for just the right house for “Poppins” to land in. Which — right now — is actually a lot harder than you might think. Given that — for the first time in years — virtually every theater on Broadway is already spoken for. With many of the great houses for musical theater already occupied and/or waiting for previously booked shows to come in. So Disney’s carefully considering its options right now.

One theory has Disney Theatrical putting “Mary Poppins” in the Palace, the historic old vaudeville house that was once home to the company’s first Broadway show — “Beauty & the Beast” — for years & years. Only to have Disney shift “Beast” over to the Lunt-Fontaine in November of 1999 to make room for “Aida.”

The only problem with this theory is that — starting next month — the Palace is due to be occupied by a brand-new musical, “All Shook Up.” Mind you, given that this show’s gimmick is that its score is made up entirely of old Elvis Presley songs, the current belief among theater insiders is that “All Shook Up”‘s chances of having a very long run on Broadway seem shakey at best. Should this show close before the Fall of 2005 … Well, that would then leave the Palace (and — more importantly — its 1,740 seats) open, making this theater the perfect spot for the practically perfect nanny to land.

“But what if ‘All Shook Up’ turns out to have legs?,” you query. “I mean, nobody though that ‘Movin’ Out’ — that show that was built around Billy Joel’s song catalog — would ever last. But that musical has been filling seats at the Richard Ridgers theater since November of 2002. So what if ‘All Shook Up’ ‘s investors avoid ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ and this Elvis-based show winds up hanging on well into 2006?”

To be honest, that’s exactly what worries the folks at Disney Theatrical as well. Which is why they’re supposedly exploring some alternate scenarios, like pulling a “Beast” with “The Lion King.” As in: Moving this Tony Award winner out of the New Amsterdam and having it set up shop somewhere in the 42nd Street area. So that “Poppins” can then drop into this historic old house (formerly the home of the “Ziegfeld Follies” !) and start filling up its 1,771 seats.

But that’s the worst case scenario, folks. Disney Theatrical really wants to keep “The Lion King” in the New Amsterdam (if only to avoid the cost involved with schlepping Julie Taymor’s extraordinary sets & costumes off to some other theater). Which is why they’re hoping & praying that another house — ideally the Palace — becomes available for “Mary Poppins” very soon.

“So what’s Disney Theatrical going to do to occupy its time ’til ‘Poppins’ arrives?,” you ask. Well .. That division’s president — Thomas Schumacher — kind of has his hands full right now. His latest pet project — “On the Record” — hasn’t been doing all that well since this new musical revue initially hit the road back in November.

This modestly budgeted show — which features a cast of eight singing 64 classic Disney songs — has been dogged by somewhat middling reviews. And it’s never a good sign when one of your name performers — Tony Award nominee Emily Skinner — suddenly bails out of your show a little more than a month after “On the Record” started its nationwide tour.

Mind you, Skinner’s decision to drop out of Disney Theatrical’s new revue could wind up costing this musical theatre vet big-time. How so? Well, Emily was one of a handful of Broadway insiders who — back in February of 2003 — took part in a reading for the stage version of Disney’s “The Little Mermaid.” And it was thought (at that time, anyway) that Skinner had a virtual lock on the role of Ursula.

But now that Emily has exited “On the Record,” Disney Theatrical’s no longer under any obligation to cast this actress as the Sea Witch. Which means that “Little Mermaid” ‘s new director Francesca Zambello (Yep. The same woman who directed “Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular” at DCA’s Hyperion Theater) can now indulge her whims.

“And what sort of casting ideas is Ms. Zambello supposedly toying with?,” you wonder. Well, they allegedly go from the somewhat safe & predictable (As in: Having Emmy Award winner Megan Mullally play Ursula. Of course, the only problem with doing that is that Disney Theatrical would then have to wait ’til “Will & Grace” completes its run on NBC before it could safely sign Mullally to play this part) to the truly ballsy choice (As in: Hiring Tony Award winner Harvey Fierstein to pull another Edna Turnblad. Meaning that Harvey would dress in drag every night in order to put his own special spin on the Sea Witch).

Seeing Fierstein dress in drag to play Ursula wouldn’t be all that shocking to theater-goers who’ve already seen his Tony Award-winning turns in “Torch Song Trilogy” and “Hairspray.” (And — to be honest — after hearing Harvey croak his way through “Poor Unfortunate Souls,” now audiences would finally understand why the Sea Witch really wanted to get her hands on Ariel’s voice.) But — given that Disney Theatrical prides itself on producing family-friendly entertainment (More importantly, that your typical audience member for a Disney Broadway doesn’t actually have a lot of experience with attending other Broadway shows), it seems kind of unlikely that Mickey would have the cojones necessary to cast Mr. Fierstein as Ursula.

Which really is a shame. Given — as the well-recieved recasting of Broadway’s “Fiddler on the Roof” revival is now proving — sometimes it really pays to put Harvey in a somewhat unlikely sounding part.

Speaking of “Fiddler on the Roof” … Did you see who’s now playing Golde to Fierstein’s Tevye? “Second City Television” favorite (and Tony Award winner) Andrea Martin.

Now where this gets interesting is that this isn’t the first time Ms. Martin has been cast to play the long-suffering wife of that Russian milkman. How many of you remember that — almost two years ago — that ABC was getting ready to produce a three-hour-long TV movie version of this memorable musical? Which was to have featured Andrea as Golde, opposite “Alias” ‘s Victor Garber in the role of Tevye?

That television program — which was to have been produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, the same folks who did “Annie” & “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella” for Disney — was literally weeks away from shooting when the network suddenly got cold feet. Not because of the subject matter, mind you. But because of the war in the Middle East.

You see, Disney’s insurance company was concerned — what with “Fiddler” slated to shot in Prague in the late spring/early summer of 2003 — that production of this TV movie could potentially be interrupted by the war. To make matters worse, the insurance company was also insisting that Storyline Entertainment (I.E. Zadan & Meron’s production company) hire additional on-set security in order to keep Garber, Martin et al safe from potential terrorist threats.

Given that these additional security costs were turning an already expensive project into a prohibitively expensive one, Craig & Neil reluctantly pulled the plug on their “Fiddler” TV movie. With the idea being that — once the war was over and it was safe for their cast to once again travel overseas — that they’d then put this production back in motion.

Of course, given that the situation in the Middle East now seems somewhat open-ended, Storyline Entertainment supposedly has a different battle plan in place for their “Fiddler” TV movie. Which is to wait until the current Broadway revival ends its run in NYC and then completes a nationwide tour, THEN make the three-hour movie television version for ABC.

Now where this gets interesting is that Zadan & Meron — under their Zadan/Meron movie production banner — just signed with New Line Pictures to produce the movie version of Harvey Fierstein’s last Broadway hit, “Hairspray.” The musical version of this 1988 John Waters movie is actually supposed to begin production in Baltimore later this year, with the finished film due to hit theaters sometime in 2006.

Now wouldn’t it be funny that — as they’re working with Harvey on “Hairspray” — that Craig & Neil come to think of Fierstein as the absolutely perfect person to play Tevye in their “Fiddler” TV movie? So that — when it’s finally time to go over to Prague and shoot this picture — that it’s Harvey working with Andrea Martin again.

Unfortunately, that project is still a few years off. In the meantime, Zadan and Meron are already hard at work on their next project. Which they’ll be making with Dean Deblois, the co-director of Disney’s animated hit, “Lilo & Stitch.” Craig & Neil will be handling the production end of Dean’s next picture. Which will feature some animation but — truth be told — will mostly be a live action film.

This motion picture — tentatively entitled “Banshee” — will be a period piece set in Ireland. When I spoke with Deblois at last year’s Comic Con, he described the film as being family-friendly but suspenseful. Being in the tradition of such Disney films from the 1970s as “Escape from Witch Mountain.” As for details on the movie’s story … They’re all being carefully kept under wraps right now. Except (of course) for the few bare bones plot points that were leaked out to the trades a few months back. Which described “Banshee” as being about …

” … a boy who is ignored by the world and pretends to be a ghost?until he comes into contact with a real ghost.”

As for Dean’s old partner — Chris Sanders — he’s already at work on a new project of his own. A CG animated feature for Disney entitled “American Dog.” Which isn’t due to hit theaters ’til sometime in late 2006 /early 2007.

Speaking of animation … I got a lot of e-mail this past weekend about all the concept art that was featured in Friday’s “Why For” column. It seems that you JHM readers just can’t get enough looks at what-might-have-been.

Well, with the hope that the following images will help make your Monday happier, I’ve unearthed a few more images from Maroon Studios. You know, the “Roger Rabbit” -themed area that was supposedly to be built as part of the Sunset Boulevard expansion project at Disney-MGM?

Anyway, what follows are some concept shots for a restaurant that was proposed for Maroon Studios: The Toon Commissary.

The basic idea behind this restaurant was this was where the toon stars would dine when they weren’t busy making pictures for R.K. Maroon. This explains the Imagineer’s somewhat toony take on the place. From its “Caution! Wet Floor!” sign …

… right down to the entrees that this restaurant would serve. Check out those baby carrots!

Copyright 1989. The Walt Disney Company.

Of course, while you were dining at the Toon Commissary, rubberhead versions of Roger, Mickey, Donald, Goofy and the gang would invariably wander through. Signing autographs, posing for pictures, etc.

Sounds like a pretty entertaining place to eat, don’t you think? So why didn’t Disney actually build the thing? It’s the same old story, folks. Steven Spielberg and the Mouse got into a p*ssing contest over who really controlled the rights to the “Roger Rabbit” characters. The end result was — over the past 10 years — virtually nothing of size has been done with these characters.

Which is really a shame. Given that I know that Disney’s already got a couple of scripts on file for “Roger Rabbit” sequels. And there’s at least one or two of these screenplays (Chief among these “Roger Rabbit II: Toon Platoon” and “Who Discovered Roger Rabbit?”) that would make really entertaining films. Remind me to tell you about them someday.

Well, that’s pretty much it for this week’s “Monday Mélange.” Except — of course — for this week’s JHM trivia contest.

In honor of Harvey Fierstein and Andrea Martin (I.E. The once and future Tevye & Golda), I thought that I’d make this week’s questions fairly easy for JimHillMedia.com readers. And the question is:

Andrea Martin & Harvey Fierstein both have ties to Disney animation. Can you name the movie and/or the TV show that these two Tony Award winners have done voice work for?

BONUS QUESTION: What were the characters’ names?

Just send your answers in an e-mail to me at jim@jimhillmedia.com. Later this week (on Friday, to be exact), I’ll announce which three randomly selected winners will recieve their very own bag of fresh roasted, whole bean “Just Plain Joe” Coffee.

That’s it for today, folks. Hope you enjoyed the somewhat random mix of this week’s “Mélange.” Talk to you tomorrow, okay?

jrh

General

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

Published

9 years ago

June 23, 2015

Jim Hill

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

… 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.

General

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

Published

9 years ago

June 10, 2015

Jim Hill

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?

General

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

Published

9 years ago

June 9, 2015

Jim Hill

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.' "

"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.

"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.

"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.

"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.

"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?

"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