General

Much Ado about Disney & the Muppets

Jim Hill returns with the latest stories and rumors that continue to swirl Disney’s recent acquisition. Jim talks about why various department heads at Disney are reluctant to get in the Muppet business. He also reveals some long-forgotten images from the never-built “The Great Muppet Movie Ride.”

Published

20 years ago

December 6, 2004

Jim Hill

Do you remember the article that JHM ran last Monday about what a good job the Walt Disney Company had been doing reviving the Muppet franchise?

Well, you can scratch that, folks. Over the past week, I’ve had a number of employees who work in various divisions of the Disney Corporation get in touch with me. And none of the people that I’ve spoken with over the past 7 days have had much good to say about what Disney’s been doing with the Muppets.

“So what’s the problem?,” you ask. Well, for starters, there’s the way that the Walt Disney Company initially went about acquiring these characters back in February. You see, Disney didn’t snatch Kermit & Co. away from the Jim Henson Company because the Mouse had this all-encompassing plan in place about what to do with the Muppets. But — rather — because Michael Eisner learned that a prize that had long eluded him was suddenly available for a very affordable price.

Said one unnamed Disney insider:

“You have to understand that Disney basically bought the Muppets as a trophy for Michael Eisner. You see, Uncle Mike never quite got over the idea that the Jim Henson Company had slipped through his fingers back in 1990. That’s why Eisner has continually pursued this company — on and off — for the past 15 years. All because Henson was ‘the big one that got away.’

Well, once Eisner finally got his trophy, he had to actually justify the cost of acquiring these characters from Henson. Which is why Michael then turned to his trusted lieutenant — Chris Curtin — and said: “You’re now in charge of selling the Muppets to all the divisions at Disney. So get these folks cracking on turning out new Muppet stuff.”

The only problem is … Most of the heads of the departments at Disney are still sitting on their hands when it comes to the Muppets. They’re reluctant to spend good money on what many people consider to be a faded franchise.”

Why would the department heads at Disney be thinking this? Well, I’m told that the company commissioned a survey that served up some pretty sobering results when it came to revealing what the public really thought of the Muppets. The way I hear it, Henson’s creations have very limited appeal these days. Only adults from 25 – 48 (I.E. People who actually grew up watching the Muppets on TV on “Sesame Street” and “The Muppet Show”) seem to have any real interest in seeing new Muppet stuff. And — even among these folks — the Muppets’ appeal is mostly a kitsch / nostalgia-based thing.

So — given that each division of the Walt Disney Company (Be it ESPN or Baby Einstein) is tasked with making money for the Mouse — no one relishes the idea of getting behind this seemingly dead-in-the-water set of characters right now. After all, it may take years — and ten of millions of dollars — before this franchise can finally start making some serious cash for the corporation. So why not let some other department at Disney take the risk?

This is why so many division heads at the Walt Disney Company are reportedly hanging back when it comes to the Muppets. Take — for example — the corporation’s theme parks. Their entertainment offices — citing the excuse that all of their funding for 2005 has already been allocated for “Disney’s Golden Celebration” (AKA The Disney corporation’s worldwide & year-long celebration of the 50th anniversary of the opening of Disneyland) — have actually pushed back their plans to bring any Muppet-related shows into the theme parks ’til at least 2006.

And Disney Consumer Products … Well, given that licensors aren’t exactly beating down Disney’s doors in order to win the rights to produce new Muppet-based material, you can bet that these guys aren’t that thrilled about all the extra effort that they’re going to have to put in in order to make Kermit & the gang seem commercially viable again.

Speaking of an extra effort … I’m told that Chris Curtin — the general manager and vice president of the Muppet Holding Company LLC — really puts on one hell of a show as he tries to sell the various department heads at Disney on the idea of finally getting serious about the Muppets. I hear that there are charts, graphs, bells, whistles. This really must be one hell of a PowerPoint presentation.

The only problem is … Curtin’s become the Walt Disney Company’s equivalent of Willy Loman. What he’s trying to sell, many divisions at the Disney Company just aren’t buying. Which is why the Muppets continue to languish at the Mouse House.

“But … but … but,” you stammer. “Chris Curtin’s supposed to be Michael Eisner’s longtime lieutenant, right? So shouldn’t that mean that Chris can get Michael’s help? Have Eisner order the various divisions of the company to start rushing Muppet-based stuff into production?”

Well, yes. In theory, that’s how the system should work. But the fact of the matter is … What with having to deal with all of that “Save Disney” nonsense, then stepping down as Chairman of the Disney corporation, dealing with his own succession issues instead of getting ready for the Ovitz compensation trial, Michael Eisner’s been really distracted these past few months. Which is why Disney’s CEO hasn’t been able to pay much attention to what’s been going on with the Muppets.

Which — to be honest — suits the heads of the various divisions at Disney just fine. Given that there’s a very strong possibility that Michael Eisner may be out of power as early as June of 2005, some department heads are deliberately dragging their feet right now. Waiting to see if Disney’s next CEO is just as gung-ho as Eisner is about Henson’s creations.

That may explain why — to date — only three divisions of the Disney corporation have heeded Chris Curtin’s call and begun working on Muppet-related projects. These departments of the company are:

Disney.com
Buena Vista Home Entertainment
ABC Television

Of course, it’s fairly easy to understand why these three divisions at Disney were so quick to get in the Muppet business. Disney.com is always looking to up its hit count. So it just stands to reason that — the sooner Muppets.com is up & running — the sooner the Mouse can start snatching customers away from Henson.com, MuppetCentral.com, toughpigs.com and kermitage.com.

As for Buena Vista Home Entertainment … These guys are constantly on the prowl for new titles to put in Disney’s retail pipeline. Which is why these guys are already hard at work churning out those full season “Muppet Show” DVD sets.

And ABC … Well — at the time when Disney initially acquired the Muppets — the Alphabet Network was still in the toilet. Which was why ABC was perfectly happy to grab a Muppet-related project that the Jim Henson Company had originally developed for Fox and schedule that TV movie to run during the network’s May 2005 sweeps.

And that TV movie is — of course — “The Muppet Wizard of Oz.” The high-profile project that many folks at Disney hope will finally the characters back into the spotlight.

The only problem is … There have recently been some disquieting rumors about “The Muppet Wizard of Oz.” How this project — which was once supposed to have been a top tier TV movie like ABC’s remake of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “Cinderella,” which Disney produced back in 1997 for $17 million — suddenly had its budget scaled back. Though no one that I spoke with at the Mouse House this past week wanted to go on record about what “Oz” supposedly cost now, insiders have suggested that this new Muppet TV movie actually cost about as much to produce as the Muppets’ last TV movie, 2002’s “It’s a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie.”

And — given that press reports from when “It’s a Very Muppet Christmas Movie” initially aired on NBC suggested that that TV movie cost $10 million to produce … Well, I’ll leave it to you to decide what Disney cut the budget of “Muppet Wizard of Oz” back to.

This news — plus those persistent rumors that Mouse House officials may have also mucked with this TV movie’s script just prior to the start of production — doesn’t exactly bode well for “The Muppet Wizard of Oz.” Which is why some Disney insiders are already pinning their hopes on the projects that follow “Oz.”

“And what might those projects be?,” you query. Well, I’m told that Disney has already copywritten titles for at least two other TV movies: “The Muppet Alice in Wonderland” and “The Muppet Peter Pan.”

(Speaking of the Muppets & that much beloved JM Barrie story … Did you know that the Imagineers already had plans to send Kermit & Co. off to Neverland? Strange but true, folks? As part of the “Great Muppet Movie Ride,” a project that was planned for the Disney-MGM theme park but ultimately never built, the Muppets were supposed to have parodied Disney’s 1953 version of “Peter Pan.” You can see a concept drawing for this particular sequence in that attraction below)

There’s also supposedly been some semi-serious talk of doing yet another seasonally based “Muppet” TV movie. Something along the lines of “It’s a Very Muppet Christmas Movie.” A television program that’s deliberately designed to be a perennial. Only this TV movie would celebrate some holiday other than Christmas.

With this in mind, Disney is supposedly eyeballing a script that the Jim Henson Company once developed for a “Muppet Haunted Hotel” film. With the thought that — with a little bit of rewriting — this project could possibly become a Muppet Halloween TV movie that Disney could run in 2006 or 2007.

(Speaking of horror … Another one of the sequences that the Imagineers mapped for “The Great Muppet Movie Ride” was a scene where Kermit & Co. sent up James Whale’s 1931 horror classic, “Frankenstein.” You can see the concept drawing for that sequence — which includes a monster-sized Beaker — below.)

Okay. While fans will probably be glad to hear that there may soon be other Muppet TV movies entering Disney’s production pipeline, the downside is … There are currently no plans to do any new Muppet theatrical releases. Nor is there a new weekly TV series starring the Muppets under consideration at ABC. (You see, now that the Alphabet Network has a couple of hit series [I.E. “Desperate Housewives” and “Lost”], they’re not as desperate as they once were for new Muppet-based show ideas. Why is which ABC execs supposedly told Chris Curtin to get “lost” when that Disney rep recently came by to pitch them on the idea of the network running a new Muppet TV series.)

Mind you, even though ABC isn’t currently in the market for a Muppet-based TV series, I hear that the Disney Channel may soon be. There’s been some semi-serious talk about the basic cable channel reviving the old “Muppet Babies” TV series. Though — instead of using traditional animation to show Baby Gonzo, Scooter & Skeeter at play — Disney now reportedly plans to use motion-capture technology to produce an all-new CG version of that same show, which would then air in the Disney Channel’s “Playhouse Disney” programming block.

There’s also been rumors that this basic cable channel is also looking into reviving an idea for a Muppet-based TV series that Jim Henson himself once pitched: “Muppet High.” This proposed TV series — which was to have feature teenage versions of Kermit, Fozzieet al — looks to be a smart fit with the Disney Channel’s early evening line-up. When the Mouse aggressively pursues tween viewers.

So — as you can see — there’s some disturbing trends afoot concerning the intergration of the Muppets into the Walt Disney Company, despite Chris Curtin’s best efforts. With Kermit, Miss Piggy, Gonzo & pals continually being forced to play characters other than themselves, or having to play babies or teenaged versions of themselves. Some longtime observers of the Muppets think that this is a rather odd way to try & introduce these characters to a new generation. I mean, how are consumers supposed to get to know Kermit & Co. if the Muppets don’t actually ever look or act like the characters that people have loved for nearly 50 years now?

Speaking of which … 2005 is the 50th anniversary of the Muppets. But do you think that Disney has any plans to acknowledge this anniversary? NOOOOOOO … All of Disney’s marketing might has been thrown behind that “Disney’s Golden Celebration” event. Though I hear that there is a potentially fun idea in the works for 2006. Which is that Disney celebrates the Muppets’ 51st anniversary in a rather hurriedly & deliberately-slapped-together-looking manner. As if both the Mouse & the Frog had forgotten that this anniversary was coming up.

Well, that’s it for today, folks. I promise that we’ll explore all the subjects that we’ve touched on today in future JHM columns. As well as address some other intriguing issues …

“What other intriguing issues?,” you ask. Well … Why do you suppose — when the Mouse acquired the Muppets — Disney turned that holding company into an LLC? Why would Mickey’s lawyers insist on doing something like that? The answer may surprise you …

But that’s a story for another time …

Your thoughts?

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