General
Nate D. Sanders’ auction throws a spotlight on Ray Bradbury’s long association with The Walt Disney Company
When I dropped by Disneyland earlier
this month, I made a point of walking through Frontierland. Not so much to
check out the "Legends of Frontierland: Gold Rush" game …
Photo by Jim Hill
… which — I have to admit — given all the Guests crowded
around the telegraph station that afternoon looked wildly popular / like a lot
of fun.
Photo by Jim Hill
No, the reason I was there was to check out the Halloween
Tree. But because I was there on September 8th and Disneyland's
Halloween Time didn't officially get underway 'til September 12th, this
seasonal tribute to Ray Bradbury had yet to be decorated.
Here's a picture of the 2013 version of Disneyland's
Halloween Tree …
Photo by Jim Hill
… as well as a few close-ups of the jack-o-lanterns that
decorated its branches.
Photo by Jim Hill
Photo by Jim Hill
For those of you who don't know the history behind Disneyland's
Halloween Tree, this seasonal display actually started some seven years ago.
Appropriately enough on October 31,
2007. Ray himself was on hand for the occasion …
Disney Legend Tony Baxter (L) looks on as Ray Bradbury flips the switch and lights up
Disneyland's Halloween Tree on October 31, 2007. Copyright Disney
Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved
… and was gifted a copy of the plaque that's always on display in
Frontierland whenever the Halloween Tree is lit up.
Photo by Jim Hill
Now if you were to ask the folks who were at the Halloween
Tree's official dedication on Halloween night 2007, they tell you that the main
reason that this presentation was done at that time was to commemorate the 35th
anniversary of the publication of Bradbury's "Halloween Tree" book.
But there was another unsaid reason for holding this
specific event at that specific time. You see, Ray (who was 87 at that time)
was in declining health. And the folks at Imagineering wanted to let Bradbury
know how important he was to them. How much all of his years of hard work for
WED / WDI had been appreciated.
See, that's what a lot of Disney fans don't understand about
Ray Bradbury's relationship with the Mouse House. Sure, they may know the stories
about Ray's meeting with Walt in the early 1960s. Or about the feature film
version of Bradbury's magnum opus, "Something Wicked This Way Comes"
…
Ray (center of photo, in a
powder-blue suit) waves to the camera along the rest of the
cast of this Jack
Clayton film. Copyright 1983 Walt Disney Productions.
All rights reserved
… that Walt Disney Productions released to theaters back
in 1983.
No, I'm talking about the first real project-of-size that Ray worked on for the
Mouse House. Which — according to Marty Sklar's memoir, "Dream It! Do It!
My Half-Century Creating Disney's Magic Kingdoms" (Disney Editions, August
2013) — was …
… a show for Monsanto (a diversified company that has
evolved into the food biotech company of today). He worked with Marc Davis, one
of the greatest animators in the Disney studio. Ray wrote the treatment and the
script for the show. It had to do with the birth of the universe, and it was
spectacular. They used audio-animatronics and dimensional sets, but Ray was so
disappointed that no one had the imagination to be able to see what it was. Ray
would paint a word picture and Marc would draw the visuals. It was such a
spectacular undertaking that people in the business world couldn't see why they
should sponsor it.
Image courtesy of Nate D.
Sanders. All rights reserved
Davis & Bradbury worked together on this project off & on throughout
much of 1970. And while his "birth-of-the-Universe" show for Monsanto
never really got off the ground, the folks at WED had so enjoyed working with
Ray that when Card Walker finally allowed them to begin developing
Epcot-the-theme-park, the Imagineers immediately asked Bradbury to come back to
1401 Flower Street and help them dream up some rides, shows and attractions for
the place.
Copyright Disney
Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved
Now I've previously written about Ray's work on the core
concept & original script for Future World's signature attraction,
Spaceship Earth. Which is why — today — I'd like to talk about the other
pavilion that Bradbury did a lot of work on. You can see it to the right in the
photo above.
Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc.
All rights
reserved
That's the original version of Epcot's Space pavilion. It
was supposed to be the attraction that Ray hoped would reignite American's
interest in exploring the cosmos. Which seemed to be on the wane in the 1970s,
what with NASA abandoning its Apollo program in favor of
what-was-thought-to-be-far-more-cost-effective-by-Congress-anyway Skylab &
Space Shuttle programs.
Copyright Disney
Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved
What Bradbury wanted every Epcot visitor to be able to do
was take a walk in an astronaut's shoes. Which is why the exterior queue of
this pavilion was deliberately supposed to have resembled those enormous
gantries that you used to see standing next to the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo
rockets prior to launch.
Ray Bradbury holding the
Titan 1 Model. Copyright Disney
Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved
Once these WDW visitors had climbed aboard the Titan 1
(which — according the description of this proposed Future World attraction
that was printed up in Walt Disney Production's annual report of 1977 — was
supposed to have been this "huge, interstellar 'Space Vehicle' [that
would] transport passengers to the outer frontiers of the universe, highlighting
man's efforts to reach out for the stars around him"), that's when the
Wizards of WED would have really begun work their magic.
Designer John De Cuir (L)
views the interior of the Titan 1 model with Ray Bradbury.
Copyright Disney
Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved
You see, the Imagineers really wanted to give Epcot visitors
the impression that they were actually floating out in space. Which is why the
ride compartment that WDW Guests were supposed to sit in while they were
experiencing the Space pavilion was supposed to built on this massive
cantilever. Which — because it hung out over this massive futuristic structure
which was ringed with faux windows that were supposed to show these
synchronized pieces of FX footage of starfields — would have given people the
impression that they were in fact in deep space, spinning among the stars.
Concept art for the interior
of the original version of Epcot's Space pavilion.
Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved
Unfortunately, what with all of the cuts that the U.S.
Government had made to its space program, none of the aerospace corporations
which WED approached to possibly sponsor this Future World pavilion were
actually in a position to fund construction of the version of Space that Ray
Bradbury & John De Cuir dreamed up in the late 1970s / early 1980s. In
fact, it wasn't 'til the late 1990s / early 2000s — that the Imagineers
finally found a corporation that was willing to underwrite the cost of
constructing a spaceflight ride at Epcot. And that was Compaq /
Hewlett-Packard.
Copyright Disney
Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved
Speaking of flight, it is one of the supreme ironies of Ray
Bradbury's life that, for most of the time that he was on this planet — in
spite of the fact that this acclaimed author spending decades telling his
readers to reach for the stars / let their dreams take flight — he was deathly
afraid of flying.
Don't believe me? Then check out this excerpt from Sam Weller's excellent "Listen to the
Echoes: The Ray Bradbury Interviews" (Stop Smiling Books, June 2010).
Which reveals that …
Copyright Stop Smiling
Books. All rights reserved
Ray didn't fly in an airplane until 1982, when he was 62.
Prior to that, he had always crossed the country by passenger rail, and he
ventured to Europe by ocean liner. But in 1982, while
celebrating the opening of EPCOT Center
in Orlando, his train was
unexpectedly cancelled. Needing desperately to return home to work, he
acquiesced to his aviophobia and told his Disney hosts to buy him a plane
ticket, give him three double martinis and "pour him on the
airplane."
Image courtesy of Nate D.
Sanders. All rights reserved
From that moment on, Bradbury conquered his fear of flying. "I discovered
that I wasn't afraid of flying," he remarked. "I was afraid of me. I
was afraid that I would run up and down the aisles screaming for them to stop
the plane." When his fear did not come to fruition, Bradbury embraced the
airplane, and from that point forward, he became a frequent flyer.
Ray Bradbury speaking at a
meeting of Imagineers in the late 1970s.
Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All
rights
Yeah, the Imagineers had insisted that Ray be on hand for the grand opening of EPCOT
Center. Bradbury had not just been
one of the key creative voices during the realy developmental phase of the
project, he had also been one of the project's biggest cheerleaders as this science-and-discovery
theme park moved into its steel-and-concrete phase. The Wizards of WED just
loved Ray for saying things like …
… the way I look at the EPCOT project, if we build it
beautifully, if we set an example for the world, we can change the whole damn
country. That's how important you are. That's how important I feel, working
with you.
Image courtesy of Nate D.
Sanders. All rights reserved
Which is why the Imagineers (because they knew that Bradbury
had a love of Disney that went back for decades) always made sure to send swell
swag Ray's way. Whether it was a lithograph of Mickey's official 60th
anniversary portrait (which then showed the Mouse posing in front of the exact
same picture of EPCOT Center that Bradbury had been photographed in front of)
or the lithograph that Harry N. Abrams had created back in 1973 to celebrate
the publication of "The Art of Walt Disney."
Image courtesy of Nate D. Sanders. All rights
reserved
What's great about the above Al Hirschfeld-produced litho is
that it apes one that the King of Caricature did in 1962 to pay tribute to the
famed Algonquin Roundtable. Only this time around, you don't have Lynn
Fontanne, Alfred Lunt, Frank Crowninshield and Frank Case lurking in the
background.
Copyright Al Hirschfeld Group. All rights reserved
But rather Julie Andrews, Peter Ustinov, a very young Walt Disney
…
Image courtesy of Nate D.
Sanders. All rights reserved
… and Annette Funicello are looking on as Mickey, Donald
& Pluto sit in for Robert Benchley, Dorothy Parker and George S. Kaufman.
Image courtesy of Nate D.
Sanders. All rights reserved
Anyway … The Imagineers did this all the time for Mr.
Bradbury. Gifting him with things to let him know how special he was to WED,
how much this man & his writings meant to their collective creative
community. Take — for example — this poster for Disneyland Paris' Space
Mountain: De la Terre à la Lune.
Image courtesy of Nate D.
Sanders. All rights reserved
Tim Delaney (i.e., the then-Vice President of Show Design at
Walt Disney Imagineering. Not to mention the show producer of Disneyland Paris'
Space Mountain:
De la Terre à la Lune) made a point of signing this poster before sending it
off to Mr. Bradbury. I've posted a photo of that inscription below …
Image courtesy of Nate D.
Sanders. All rights reserved
… which reads:
Ray,
I dedicated Paris' Space
Mountain to my favorite visionaries
– Jules Verne and Ray Bradbury. Thanks for being in my life.
— Tim Delaney
Insert Bradbury 39. jpeg here — Copyright Disney
Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved
So how do I know all of these stories about Ray's dealings
with Disney? Well, I'm not just a Mouse House historian. I'm also a lover of
Bradbury's work. Which is why — earlier this week — I found myself thumbing
through the online catalog that Nate D. Sanders has created for his auction of
the Ray Bradbury estate.
Image courtesy of Nate D.
Sanders. All rights reserved
Nate has put together 462 lots loaded with absolutely
amazing items. Things that Ray himself kept around his desk and/or had on
display in his home to help inspire him. Me personally, I'm just hoping that
someone bids on Lot 456. Which is a bunch of hats that
Ray personally owned. Just so this particular set of Halloween-themed set of
Mouse Ears can then be worn by someone willing to visit Disneyland
Park …
Image courtesy of Nate D.
Sanders. All rights reserved
… so that a little bit of Ray can make one last trip to
see the Halloween Tree.
Nate D. Sanders' auction of the Ray Bradbury estate ends on
Thursday, September 25th at 5 p.m. PT.
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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