Mouse FACTory 4.0

Dale Ward’s back with even more historical trivia about the Walt Disney Company. So let’s look back at the opening at WDW’s Typhoon Lagoon as well as the “If You Had Wings” attraction.

Published

20 years ago

May 29, 2005

Jim Hill

May 30th

May 30, 2003 — “Finding Nemo” is released to theaters: If you’re wondering why Bob Iger has been knocking on Pixar’s door with flowers & candy, then take another look at “Finding Nemo” ‘s grosses.

“Finding Nemo” made $70 million in its first weekend. This Andrew Stanton film then went on to earn $340 million domestically, $840 mil worldwide. Which made this Pixar Animation Studios’ release the highest grossing film of 2003.

And — given that Pixar’s most recent release, “The Incredibles,” did almost as well ($261 million domestic, $631 worldwide) … Well, you can see why Bob is eager to get Steve Jobs back to the negotiating table.

June 1st

June 1, 1989 — WDW’s Typhoon Lagoon Opens: “Hurricane Connie ripped through Safen Sound, FL. Sucking up boats, docks and whatever else she felt like. Only to spit them out again on Placid Palms Resort. When Connie was through, she had permanently carved a name for herself on the tiny retreat and left debris big and small in some of the strangest places …”

This is Imagineering’s backstory for Typhoon Lagoon, Disney World’s beautifully landscaped water park. The centerpiece of the 56 acre park is Mount Mayday, a 100 foot high volcano / geyser topped by Miss Tilly.

Tilly, a charter out of Safen Sound, FL. was caught up in Connie’s wrath and skewered like a shrimp atop Placid Palms’ resident volcano, stopping the normal flow of geothermal gas. Steam from Mount Mayday now builds and blows through the horns of the old ship every half hour, shooting 50 foot geysers into the air.

At the base of the geyser is a two and a half acre tropical lagoon and wave pool (The largest wave pool in the United States. Or says the Mouse) filled with 2,750,000 gallons of water that can be pushed into waves up to six feet high. White sandy beaches surround the lagoon, making it a tanning haven as well as a body surfer’s dream.

If body surfing isn’t your thing, the Imagineers have designed nine other water attractions, two restaurants, plenty of snack bars and a store full of swimwear to round out the park.

June 1, 1995 — Space Mountain Paris Opens: In 1866, Jules Verne’s “From the Earth to the Moon” was originally published. In the novel, a Boston Gun Club has very little to do after the Civil War. Serious studies of firing distances and muzzle velocity to further the Union’s cause is now nothing more than theoretical discussion. The Club is due for some boring years ahead until club president Impey Barbicane makes a bold suggestion.

Barbicane proposes that the Club should make a cannon large enough to shoot a bullet to the moon. The audacious plan not only inspires the gun club to build the cannon, the designers decide to make the bullet a manned capsule. Work begins on the cannon; dubbed the Columbiad, and the project captures the imagination of the world.

Imagineers used the story as a launch point for “De La Terre Al La Lune” and the Discoveryland ride is definitely not your father’s Space Mountain. The cars don’t just chug up a hill. They’re launched from a cannon across the outside of the mountain. The Columbiad faithfully fires a 24 passenger “shell” into space every 36 seconds at peak operation. “De La Terre” is the only Space Mountain to have loops, corkscrews and extreme inversions. More to the point, this thrill ride is 30 percent faster than the “Space Mountains” at Walt Disney World, Disneyland or Tokyo.

As — if that wasn’t already bcool enough — this DLP attraction received a makeover earlier this year. It seems the flight to the moon was so successful that the cannon is now launching explorers into deeper space. “Space Mountain: Mission 2” has better sound, more effects and an even longer and faster launch. Viva La France!

June 2nd

June 2, 1989 — Touchstone Pictures releases “The Dead Poets Society” : When director Peter Weir filmed “The Dead Poets Society,” he made two unusual decisions. The first was to shoot the movie in continuity, to shoot it beginning to end as it’s seen in the theaters. The reasoning was to give certain realism to the deepening bond between Keating (Robin Williams) and his students. The second decision was to keep the kids playing the students away from the dailies. The kids didn’t get to see just how they were performing, making their performances more of a team collective and perhaps making the experience a little less competitive.

The film was a hit for Robin Williams and helped ensure his position as a box office draw. The film got him nominated in the Best Actor category at the Golden Globes and the Oscars.

“They’re not that different from you, are they? Same haircuts. Full of hormones, just like you. Invincible, just like you feel. The world is their oyster. They believe they’re destined for great things, just like many of you; their eyes are full of hope, just like you. Did they wait until it was too late to make from their lives even one iota of what they were capable? Because, you see gentlemen, these boys are now fertilizing daffodils. But if you listen real close, you can hear them whisper their legacy to you. Go on, lean in. Listen, you hear it? — Carpe — hear it? — Carpe. Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary.” — John Keating, “The Dead Poets Society.”

June 3rd

June 3, 2001 — “Atlantis: The Lost Empire” debuts in Hollywood: If you were fortunate enough to see this animation feature during its run at the El Capitan Theatre, then you would have had the chance to experience “Destination: Atlantis,” the three story walk-through attraction next door.

How much fun would it have been to sit in a scale model of an Atlantean Ketak, that manta ray-shaped vehicles from the film? Or learn the Atlantean language from a touch pad kiosk? The multileveled experience let you dig for a crystal or sharks tooth to make into a bracelet, touch sea life in pools provided by the Long Beach Aquarium or build a city out of blocks and watch an earthquake send it to the watery depths.

Inside the “Whitmore Library” exhibit, you could peruse cases filled with artifacts “donated” by members of the Atlantis Expedition along with sketches used during the film. A scale model of the submarine Ulysses dominated the middle of the room.

Did I mention the Lazer Tag arena? Where guests could don vests and enter a room filled with smoke, neon and the glowing icons of Atlantis & attempt to score points while shooting at their friends?

The whole thing must have cost the Mouse a fortune. It’s a shame that “Destination: Atlantis” was experienced by so few moviegoers during its approximately 6 week run. A show like that at aquariums or children’s museums across the US could have given this underrated film a much needed boost.

June 4th

June 4, 1990 — WDW’s Dolphin resort opens: This distinctive 27-story hotel appears to be floating on a blue lagoon. The tan and brick-red exterior is painted with a banana leaf mural and topped with two gigantic fish statues. But the fish aren’t really fish. They’re dolphins. Or — to be specific — early seafarer’s versions of dolphins. Like something you might find drawn in the margins of a pirates map.

Architect Michael Graves designed both the Swan & Dolphin Hotels with early Florida tourism in mind. The huge tented foyer in the Dolphin brings to mind elegance of a bygone age. When caravans of upper class eastern tourists would come to bask in the warm weather and see the unusual seaside delights of an early Florida.

All the floral patterns and exotic animals framed in Terra Cotta, Coral and Turquoise are the distinctive signature palette of many Michael Graves projects. Both a designer of household goods for clients like Target as well as an architect for projects like the San Juan Capistrano Library, Graves’s eclectic personal view of design has created in both the Swan & Dolphin two very distinctive buildings. The Dolphin — like the architect that created it — is anything but ordinary.

June 5th

June 5, 1972 — “If You Had Wings” debuts at WDW’s Magic Kingdom: This Tomorrowland attraction was presented by Eastern Airlines, which was Disney World’s official airline at the time. “If You Had Wings” made use of the Omnimover system (I.E. The ride system that is still used today to move guests through all the various versions of “The Haunted Mansion”) to move WDW visitors past exotic ports of call. While a catchy little ditty written by “Buddy” Baker tied the whole thing together.

While it wasn’t a very complex ride (And — to be honest — this Tomorrowland attraction was little more that a commercial for Eastern), “If You Had Wings” still had a simple charm that many Disney World old timers wax nostalgic about.

“If you had wings
You could do anything
You could widen your world
If you had wings”

If you’d like to learn even more about “If You Had Wings,” I suggest you check out this link. Which will be the only “If You Had Wings” site you’ll ever need.

June 5, 1998 — “Mulan” premieres at the Hollywood Bowl: Disney loves extravagant premieres and “Mulan” was no exception. While not as huge as the “Pocahontas” premiere in Central Park or as expensive as the premiere of “Pearl Harbor,” “Mulan” was a memorable and large stage production that included an hour’s entertainment before the premiere and fireworks effects timed to the film.

Because of the size of the Hollywood Bowl, sound takes a little while to travel to the back. To fix this, Disney employed a sound system that divided the Bowl into different zones. Each of the zones received the sound with a small delay to make sure that it better matched the action on the screen.

A big challenge was getting enough light on the giant 85 foot long screen. A summer sunset of 8:30 or 9 p.m. coupled with the huge amount of ambient light always hovering over Hollywood meant special 70 mm prints of “Mulan” had to be made. Because the print was so specialized, it took thousands of feet of film to get things right, a very expensive proposition.

Birthdays

Lonnie Burr (May 31 1943-) Lonnie was one of only nine Mouseketeers that managed to stay with the Mickey Mouse Club from beginning to end. In spite of being one of the group’s most outspoken members, Lonnie is often seen at Disney events — including Disneyland’s 50th Celebration. The omni-talented singer, dancer, actor, author and playwright will turn 62.

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

Published

10 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

10 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

10 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