General
Mouse FACTory 5.0
Dale Ward’s back with even more historical trivia about the Walt Disney Company. This time around, Dale goes under the ice with the really-for-real Nautilus, down to Walt Disney World to experience “America on Parade” ‘s premiere, reveals how Mr. Johnson got his name as well as takes us back to Donald Duck’s big-screen debut … among other stories.
June 6th
June 6, 1959 — Disneyland’s “Submarine Voyage” Attraction opens in Tomorrowland: On July 23, 1958, the USS. Nautilus (SSN-571) left sunny Pearl Harbor. She was embarking on the completely misnamed “Operation Sunshine.” Misnamed because Nautilus was going to be the first ship to reach the geographic North Pole.
USS Nautilus was the world’s first nuclear submarine. She was the sixth US ship to carry the name but the first to live up to Jules Verne’s fictional sub. She had been christened just a few weeks after Walt released “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea” and her first mission set a record for submersion. Just a few years into her career, the Nautilus logged 60,000 miles(I.E. The equivalent of 20,000 leagues). And she continued to set depth and speed records throughout her entire career.
On August 1, 1958, the Nautilus submerged in the Barrow Sea Valley near Alaska and reached the North Pole on August 3rd. It took another three days and almost 2000 miles of ice before she surfaced again near Greenland. She had been under the ice for close to 6 days, an important milestone at the time.
Nuclear power taking man to places he’d never been before and pioneers’ taming the last great unknown was the kind of stuff that Walt loved. Development of Disneyland’s “Submarine Voyage” was just getting under development when “Operation Sunshine” took place. Which is why this naval operation eventually became the template for this Tomorrowland attraction.
Walt’s Navy consisted of 1/6th scale subs patterned after the USS Nautilus. He was fond of saying his eight new subs were the 8th largest submarine fleet in the world. Of course, Disney failed to mention that his submarines were only 50 feet long, had flat bottoms and a top speed of less than 2 miles an hour.
On Disneyland’s expedition to the North pole and back, your sub encountered a coral reef, sunken treasure, a storm at sea, the remains of a lost civilization, a giant squid, mermaids and a sea monster. Not bad for an eight minute long trip.
June 6, 1975 — “America on Parade” debuts at Walt Disney World: For America’s Bicentennial, Walt Disney Productions put together a really big parade with some really big characters. “America on Parade” featured fifty different floats that tried to represent the entire social history of the United States. Marching along with these floats were 150 eight foot tall characters, all dressed in appropriate period clothing
The music for Disney’s “America on Parade” parade was provided by a moog synthesizer which was then mixed with a 1901 band organ. For those of you who don’t know: Band organs were huge instruments used at the end of the 19th century for traveling shows and carnivals. Disney’s search for just the right sound for this show led them to St. Louis. Where they found a band organ nicknamed “Sadie Mae,” who was a big girl with a big voice.
Sadie is a 99-key Military Trumpet Organ and she makes some serious noise. Besides her 200-plus pipes, Sadie plays a bass drum, snare drum, cymbal and 17 tuned bells. Her origins are a little sketchy. But it’s now believed she was made by DeKleist, an American Organ Company in Tonawanda, NY. If this is true, Sadie is a rare instrument with an important American lineage.
Disney found Sadie in St. Louis where she had been making music at the Gay 90’s Melody Museum. In the years before that, she had played in Ramona Park, a now defunct amusement park outside of Grand Rapids Michigan. Walt Disney Productions bought Sadie, then had this band organ shipped her to Nashville. Where Sadie was reconstructed in a recording studio.
Band organs play on the same principle as player pianos — with rolls of paper that mechanically change the notes. Sadie was given custom hand punched rolls made just for her “America on Parade” recordings.
Getting those “books” proved to be more of a challenge than the Mouse had bargained for. Given that not many companies made copies of rolls for pianos or band organs anymore. More importantly, given there weren’t any companies in the United States that could custom-make new ones.
As a result, the rolls that were used for the “America on Parade” were finally made by a man in Belgium who seemed to be the last maestro of a dying art. The results of Sadie Mae’s recording sessions were then sent to LA. Where this recording of a band organ was mixed with a Moog synthesizer — the hip, happening instrument of 1975.
If you’re wondering what happened to Sadie Mae: After her “America on Parade” recordings, this band organ was then shipped to Walt Disney World. Where Sadie Mae sat for years until this band organ was sold to a private party in the 90’s.
After 100 years, Sadie Mae is still making music. Not many can say that.
June 7th
June 7, 1975 — Disney World’s “Mission to Mars” debuts in Tomorrowland: When “Rocket to the Moon” opened at Disneyland in July of ’55, it was an exciting fictional trip to the moon well ahead of its time. When “Flight to the Moon” opened in WDW in October of 1971, it was 15 months after Neil Armstrong and Apollo 11 had changed fiction to fact. So obviously it was time for the Imagineers to reach a little farther.
On this date 30 years ago, “Mission to Mars” premiered at WDW’s Magic Kingdom. More importantly, this Tomorrowland attraction introduced Mr. Johnson, the AA host of “M2M” to the world. For those who don’t know: Mr. Johnson’s name isn’t just some WED inside joke. But — rather — Johnson’s name is a nod to the Johnson Space Center in Houston. Which — of course — is named after our 36th president, Lyndon Baines Johnson.
June 9, 1934 — Donald Duck makes his big screen debut in “The Wise Little Hen”: Of the “Fab Five” (Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy & Pluto), Donald was the last character to appear in a cartoon and the only one to premiere in color. He was also the first of the characters to have a voice before he had ever been put to paper.
Clarence Nash grew up on a farm in Oklahoma. To amuse himself, he imitated the sounds of the animals. He turned his imitations into a vaudeville act which led to radio gigs. His best gag was reciting “Mary Had a Little Lamb” as a billy goat. It’s Nash’s billy goat voice that became Donald.
Depending on who you talk to, the story of Clarence Nash’s meeting with Walt Disney varies. Some say it was Walt who heard Nash doing the “Mary Had a Little Lamb” skit on the radio while others say Nash went and applied at Disney. In either case, the result was the same. Clarence “Ducky” Nash was hired to be the voice of a yet-undrawn duck.
Donald’s first appearance is more like a walk-on role than a starring vehicle. He and Peter Pig are two lazy and whiny buddies who lie to their neighbor (I.E. The title character in 1934’s “The Wise Little Hen”) to get out of working. While he has a much longer beak and much more feathery fingers, the duck that we have grown to love was still underneath. He’s wearing his trademark sailor suit and his “I’ve got a bellyache” excuse is all Donald.
Donald’s second cartoon is opposite Mickey in 1935’s “Orphans Benefit.” And it’s here that Donald’s popularity really begins to soar. The Duck spends all his on-stage time in this cartoon trying to recite “Mary Had a Little Lamb” while being heckled by the audience. In fact, it’s the hecklers who send Donald into his very first tantrum. Which is also the first time this character strikes his infamous “fighting pose,” hopping up and down while swinging his fist. That pose was created by animator *** Lundy.
Starting in Sept. of 1935, Donald appeared frequently in the “Silly Symphonies” comic strip. Donald’s own comic strip started on February 7, 1938. It was scripted by Bob Karp and drawn by Al Taliaferro. The two talented artists remained with the strip for over 30 years. Karp and Taliaferro were also responsible for Donald’s Sunday comic strip, which premiered Dec. 10, 1939.
In 1942, Carl Barks and Jack Hannah were approached to draw a “Donald Duck” comic book. Barks & Hannah had been story men at Disney and had written some of Donald’s funniest early cartoons. The comic script they were given was an adaptation of a Donald cartoon that was never made. Barks and Hannah split the pages to draw and made Disney history (The comic today is worth around $10,000). “Donald Duck Finds Pirate Gold” was in Dell Color Comics No. 9 and was the beginning of Carl Barks’ comic career.
Barks went on to become one of the most influential and beloved comic book creators in the world. He is responsible for Grandma Duck, Gyro Gearloose, Magica de Spell and his most memorable character: Scrooge McDuck (who wouldn’t appear in a Disney cartoon for 30 years).
In the 40’s, Donald reached the peak of his fame. During wartime, Donald had eclipsed Mickey in popularity and was the most requested character for war insignias during WWII (an estimated 400). By the 60’s, the Duck had made over 120 cartoon shorts and was probably the most popular guest star on “The Wonderful World of Disney.”
For Donald in the 21st century, the fickle pendulum of fame has swung the other way. Both Mickey and Winnie the Pooh are more popular characters but it hasn’t slowed him down much. In 2001, he appeared in “House of Mouse.” And in 2003, the Duck stole the show at Walt Disney World’s “PhilharMagic.”
Donald Duck also appeared with Mick and Goof in last year’s “Three Musketeers” and “Twice Upon a Christmas.” And — this year — he’s appearing opposite Steve Martin in the “Disneyland: The First 50 Magical Years” movie that’s playing at the Main Street Opera House.
While most ducks in their seventies are getting ready for that last flight south, Donald still makes time to sign autographs at Disney Parks all over the world. It looks like the tough old bird will be around for quite a while.
Who’s got the sweetest disposition
One guess, guess who?
Who never never starts an argument
Who never shows a bit of temperament
Who’s never wrong but always right
Who’d never dream of starting a fight
Who gets stuck with all the bad luck
No one, but Donald Duck— Donald’s theme song
June 10th
June 10, 1995 — Disney’s “Pocahontas” premieres in Central Park: One hundred and ten thousand people gather on the Great Lawn in NYC’s Central Park for the world premiere for “Pocahontas.” The Walt Disney Company paid $1 million dollars to the Parks Department for the right to show this animated film there and it appears that they did it none too soon.
Not long after this event. the Great Lawn was closed off, torn out and replanted. This Central Park refurbishment project was a massive & much needed undertaking, replenishing the lawn and installing a state-of-the-art irrigation system. Experts now figure that the Great Lawn can take 3 or 4 venues a year with crowds of no more than 60,000 people.
This is such great news for concert goers because — you know — only 60,000 makes a concert or premiere feel so much more … intimate.
June 12th
June 12, 1957 — Disneyland’s “House of the Future” opens: This Monsanto exhibit may have looked like just another attraction dreamed up by Walt and his Imagineers. But — truth be told — this Tomorrowland attraction was actually designed by architects at MIT.
Monsanto wanted to show both consumers and the construction industry just what plastics could do. So they went to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with the idea of building a plastic house. The design process started in 1954, a year before Disneyland was open. And by the time the design was completed, Monsanto hadn’t quite decided where they were going to put the house. This problem was solved when Walt offered up a primo piece of real estate inside of Disneyland’s Tomorrowland.
The decision as to where to actually place the house in the park, Walt left to Imagineer John Hench. Hench chose a location just off of the Hub and designed the “House of the Future” outdoor landscaping to include a pond and waterfall. FYI: That pond was used to run the house’s futuristic cooling system.
Monsanto’s “House of the Future” remained in the park for ten years before it was removed. But this Tomorrowland icon didn’t go quietly into the night. The house actually resisted the wrecking ball and finally had to be pulled apart with hand tools before it could finally be carted away.
June 12, 1999 — “Tarzan” premieres at the El Capitan: Edgar Rice Burroughs was living check to check when he took a job as a sales manager for a pencil sharpener company. One day while waiting for his sales reps to come back with orders, Burroughs was reviewing some of the magazines in the office for the placement of his company’s pencil sharpener ads.
One of these mags was a “pulp,” an early science fiction and fantasy magazine filled with new short stories from an emerging genre. While he enjoyed what he was reading, Burroughs felt he could write something as good or better. So he wrote a novel about “A Princess on Mars” and sold it right out of the chute, on the first try.
Two novels later, Burroughs struck pay dirt again with “Tarzan.” The first installment of Tarzan appeared in the October 1912 issue of “All-Story Magazine” and the jungle legend began.
Guests at the El Capitan premiere of Disney’s “Tarzan” were treated to a Tarzan-inspired stage show, a Phil Collins concert performance as well as the debut of the “Mighty Wurlitzer.”
The “Mighty Wurlitzer” installed at El Capitan was originally a giant organ that came from the Fox theater in San Francisco. Billed by those in the know as the finest theater ever built on the west coast.
When the Fox theater was demolished in 1964, the organ was saved and moved to the home of Frank Lanterman, a California state legislator who was once a theater organist. From there, it became the property of the City of Glendale and then was finally purchased by the Walt Disney Company.
The “Mighty Wurlitzer” added to an already immersive experience in the El Capitan Theater, giving patrons the opportunity to experience a movie like they used to be seen back in Hollywood’s golden era. The organ is now part of the El Capitan’s preshow, giving audiences the chance to hear the rich full sound of a concert organ and step back some 80 years or more in movie history.
Birthdays
June 10 — Bob Cummings (1908 -1990) : ABC television and Disney decided to do a live show for the opening of Disneyland. Walt asked longtime friend Art Linkletter if he would host the live telecast. Art agreed and hand picked his two co-hosts, Ronnie Reagan and Bob Cummings. While today Cummings is probably the least known of the three hosts of “Dateline: Disneyland,” he was on a roll at the time.
Cummings had been in movies since the early 30’s. In early films, he often played the somewhat bumbling young suitor. He handled both dramatic and comedic roles well and was always a solid Hollywood player. But 1954 and 55 were breakout years for Bob.
First Cummings started off 1954 with Alfred Hitchcock’s 3-D thriller “Dial M for Murder.” While the 3-D aspect was mildly smarmy, co-starring with Grace Kelly was good for anyone’s career. He followed the movie with an Emmy winning performance in Studio One’s live television presentation of “12 Angry Men.”
In January of 1955, Cummings starred in a new sitcom with the ever-so-original name “The Bob Cummings Show”. The show is a hit and Bob is the “it” guy for 1955.
Okay — for those of you scoring at home — let’s recap. Big budget picture. Emmy winning performance. Hit sitcom. You can’t get more buzz than that unless your porn tapes end up on the internet.
Oh, yeah. One last thing. If you’ve seen the “Walt Disney Treasures — Disneyland USA” DVD, Leonard Maltin talks about errors during the live performance. One of those errors shown is Cummings flirting with and kissing a girl at the park. That’s not an error. That’s Bob doing his thing. That’s the character he played on his sitcom, a playboy and ladies man. He was just giving people what they expected.
If you’re going to have a “thing,” flirting with the opposite sex is a really good one. I wish I’d thought of that. Can I just make it my “thing” now?
Why are people laughing?
June 12th
June 12 — Richard Sherman (1928 – ): It started with a bet.
Richard and Robert Sherman were sharing an apartment in LA. And — like most guys just out of college — they had big dreams and no focus. Robert wanted to write the great American novel, while Richard was working on the great American symphony.
The Sherman’s dad, Al, was a songwriter who made his living writing popular tunes. Al bet his sons they couldn’t write a tune “that a kid would spend their lunch money on.”
The brothers accepted the challenge and wrote “Gold Can’t Buy You Anything But Love” which was recorded by singing cowboy Gene Autry and that started the ball rolling.
In 1958, ex-Mouseketeer Judy Harriet records “Tall Paul,” a song the Shermans co-wrote with Bob Roberts. A Disney executive hears the song and thinks it might be good for another Mouseketeer, Annette Funicello. The song is Annette’s first big hit and the Shermans continue to write songs for her. Well, you can’t be writing music for Walt’s golden girl and not get Walt’s attention.
The first song that Richard and Robert officially wrote for Walt Disney Studios was the “Medfield Fight Song” for 1961’s “The Absent Minded Professor.” And like so many other talented people who came to Disney to do just one project, the Sherman Brothers stayed for 12 years.
In those 12 years, the Sherman Brothers wrote over 150 songs. Among the 150 are songs for “Mary Poppins,” “The Jungle Book,” “The Parent Trap” and “Winnie the Pooh.”
And the hits just keep on comin’, because Richard & Robert recently wrote new songs for the uber-successful London & Broadway stage productions of “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.”
If there was an actual dollar amount placed on the bet between Al and his sons, I’m pretty sure Dad didn’t mind ponying up. Because it sure paid off in the long run.
General
Seward Johnson bronzes add a surreal, artistic touch to NYC’s Garment District
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.
General
Wondering what you should “Boldly Go” see at the movies next year? The 2015 Licensing Expo offers you some clues
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
You know what Mickey Mouse looks like, right? Little guy,
big ears?
Truth be told, Disney's corporate symbol has a lot of
different looks. If Mickey's interacting with Guests at Disneyland
Park (especially this summer, when
the Happiest Place on Earth
is celebrating its 60th anniversary), he looks & dresses like this.
Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc.
All rights reserved
Or when he's appearing in one of those Emmy Award-winning shorts that Disney
Television Animation has produced (EX: "Bronco Busted," which debuts
on the Disney Channel tonight at 8 p.m. ET / PT), Mickey is drawn in a such a
way that he looks hip, cool, edgy & retro all at the same time.
Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights
reserved
Looking ahead to 2017 now, when Disney Junior rolls out "Mickey and the
Roadster Racers," this brand-new animated series will feature a sportier version
of Disney's corporate symbol. One that Mouse House managers hope will persuade
preschool boys to more fully embrace this now 86 year-old character.
Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc. All rights reserved
That's what most people don't realize about the Mouse. The
Walt Disney Company deliberately tailors Mickey's look, even his style of
movement, depending on what sort of project / production he's appearing in.
Take — for example — Disney
California Adventure
Park's "World of Color:
Celebrate!" Because Disney's main mouse would be co-hosting this new
nighttime lagoon show with ace emcee Neil Patrick Harris, Eric Goldberg really had
to step up Mickey's game. Which is why this master Disney animator created
several minutes of all-new Mouse animation which then showed that Mickey was
just as skilled a showman as Neil was.
Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc.
All rights reserved
Better yet, let's take a look at what the folks at Avalanche Studios just went
through as they attempted to create a Classic version of Mickey & Minnie.
One that would then allow this popular pair to become part of Disney Infinity
3.0.
"I won't lie to you. We were under a lot of pressure to
get the look of this particular version of Mickey — he's called Red Pants
Mickey around here — just right," said Jeff Bunker, the VP of Art
Development at Avalanche Studios, during a recent phone interview. "When
we brought Sorcerer Mickey into Disney Infinity 1.0 back in January of 2014,
that one was relatively easy because … Well, everyone knows what Mickey Mouse
looked like when he appeared in 'Fantasia.' "
Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc. All rights reserved
"But this time around, we were being asked to design
THE Mickey & Minnie," Bunker continued. "And given that these Classic
Disney characters have been around in various different forms for the better
part of the last century … Well, which look was the right look?"
Which is why Jeff and his team at Avalanche Studios began watching hours &
hours of Mickey Mouse shorts. As they tried to get a handle on which look would
work best for these characters in Disney Infinity 3.0.
Copyright Disney
Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved
"And we went all the way back to the very start of Mickey's career. We began
with 'Steamboat Willie' and then watched all of those black & white Mickey shorts
that Walt made back in the late 1920s & early 1930s. From there, we
transitioned to his Technicolor shorts. Which is when Mickey went from being
this pie-eyed, really feisty character to more of a well-behaved leading
man," Bunker recalled. "We then finished out our Mouse marathon by
watching all of those new Mickey shorts that Paul Rudish & his team have
been creating for Disney Television Animation. Those cartoons really recapture
a lot of the spirit and wild slapstick fun that Mickey's early, black &
white shorts had."
But given that the specific assignment that Avalanche Studios had been handed
was to create the most appealing looking, likeable version of Mickey Mouse
possible … In the end, Jeff and his team wound up borrowing bits & pieces
from a lot of different versions of the world's most famous mouse. So that
Classic Mickey would then look & move in a way that best fit the sort of
gameplay which people would soon be able to experience with Disney Infinity
3.0.
Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc. All rights reserved
"That — in a lot of ways — was actually the toughest
part of the Classic Mickey design project. You have to remember that one of the
key creative conceits of Disney Infinity
is that all the characters which appear in this game are toys," Bunker
stated. "Okay. So they're beautifully detailed, highly stylized toy
versions of beloved Disney, Pixar, Marvel & Lucasfilm characters. But
they're still supposed to be toys. So our Classic versions of Mickey &
Minnie have the same sort of thickness & sturdiness to them that toys have.
So that they'll then be able to fit right in with all of the rest of the
characters that Avalanche Studios had previously designed for Disney Infinity."
And then there was the matter of coming up with just the
right pose for Classic Mickey & Minnie. Which — to hear Jeff tell the
story — involved input from a lot of Disney upper management.
Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc. All rights reserved
"Everyone within the Company seemed to have an opinion
about how Mickey & Minnie should be posed. More to the point, if you Google
Mickey, you then discover that there are literally thousands of poses out there
for these two. Though — truth be told — a lot of those kind of play off the
way Mickey poses when he's being Disney's corporate symbol," Bunker said.
"But what I was most concerned about was that Mickey's pose had to work
with Minnie's pose. Because we were bringing the Classic versions of these
characters up into Disney Infinity 3.0 at the exact same time. And we wanted to
make sure — especially for those fans who like to put their Disney Infinity
figures on display — that Mickey's pose would then complement Minnie.
Which is why Jeff & the crew at Avalanche Studios
decided — when it came to Classic Mickey & Minnie's pose — that they
should go all the way back to the beginning. Which is why these two Disney icons
are sculpted in such a way that it almost seems as though you're witnessing the
very first time Mickey set eyes on Minnie.
Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc. All rights reserved
"And what was really great about that was — as soon as
we began showing people within the Company this pose — everyone at Disney
quickly got on board with the idea. I mean, the Classic Mickey that we sculpted
for Disney Infinity 3.0 is clearly a very playful, spunky character. But at the
same time, he's obviously got eyes for Minnie," Bunker concluded. "So
in the end, we were able to come up with Classic versions of these characters
that will work well within the creative confines of Disney Infinity 3.0 but at
the same time please those Disney fans who just collect these figures because
they like the way the Disney Infinity characters look."
So now that this particular design project is over, does
Jeff regret that Mouse House upper management was so hands-on when it came to
making sure that the Classic versions of Mickey & Minnie were specifically
tailored to fit the look & style of gameplay found in Disney Infinity 3.0?
Copyright Lucasfilm / Disney
Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved
"To be blunt, we go through this every time we add a new character to the
game. The folks at Lucasfilm were just as hands-on when we were designing the
versions of Darth Vader and Yoda that will also soon be appearing in Disney
Infinity 3.0," Bunker laughed. "So in the end, if the character's
creators AND the fans are happy, then I'm happy."
This article was originally posted on the Huffington Post's Entertainment page on Tuesday, June 9, 2015
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