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Never Mind About “The Future That Never was.” What about the Tomorrowland that Tokyo Disneyland almost got: Sci-Fi City.

With “The Timekeeper” and “The Carousel of Progress” no longer even listed in the 2005 edition of Birnbaum’s WDW Guide, Jim Hill has to ask: Are Tomorrowland’s days as a viable concept at the Disney theme parks numbered? Will WDI ever get the chance to build even more outrageous takes on tomorrow — Like Tokyo Disneyland’s abandoned plans for Sci-Fi City?

Published

20 years ago

on

Let me share a piece of e-mail that I got earlier this weekend:

Jim —

Have you seen the 2005 Birnbaum WDW guide yet? I picked up my copy today at Barnes & Noble and was shocked to find absolutely no listing for WDW’s Carousel Of Progress and The Timekeeper show.

Was this just a printer’s error on Hyperion’s part? Or are the rumors true? Will both of these Magic Kingdom favorites be closing for good in 2005?

Trudy C.

Dear Trudy —

I wish I had some better news for you here. But — according to my sources within WDI — both the “Carousel of Progress” and “The Timekeeper” will be closing for good once “Stitch’s Great Escape” opens in November.

Which (I’m sure) will be sad news to all you “Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow” fans out there and/or you people who like Robin Williams. But it’s time to face facts, folks. It’s been years since either of these Tomorrowland attractions has even come close to drawing a crowd, In fact, in the ten years that “From Time to Time” has been open, this Circlevision 360 show has never once met its THRC (I.E. THRC = theoretical hourly ride capacity). In spite of repeatedly changing the signage out front in front of this show building, adding promotional banners to “The Timekeeper” ‘s marquee, etc., “From Time to Time” has never really caught on with WDW visitors.

“So what will we see as replacements for these WDW shows?,” you ask. Well … For nearly 15 years now, the Imagineers have been toying with the idea of bringing a Disneyland favorite — the Flying Saucers — to Florida. Only — in this incarnation — this rather troubled Tomorrowland attraction would be built indoors. Which would hopefully prevent this actually-pretty-popular-in-its-day ride from becoming the maintenance nightmare that the Anaheim original once was.

“So which Tomorrowland attraction would be gutted for the Flying Saucers?,” you continue. Well, there are two schools of thought when it comes to which show building would best be suited for the Magic Kingdom version of this old Disneyland favorite. Some Imagineers are pulling for the “Carousel of Progress” because … Well … The show building’s already round. So — with a little work on the COP’s exterior — this Tomorrowland icon could easily be turned into a full-sized replica of a flying saucer. With the idea being that WDW guests would then queue up outside of the full-sized saucer so that they could eventually go inside and test drive a smaller version of the same vehicle.

Of course, the only problem with this proposed retro fit is that most of the “Carousel of Progress” ‘s queue area is exposed to the elements. So when it rains, even the guests who are standing under the attraction’s outside overhang still sometimes get wet.

This is why some Imagineers are pushing for “From Time to Time” to become the home of the Magic Kingdom’s proposed “Flying Saucer” ride. You see, the Circlevision 360 show building has a huge internal queue area. Which would (in theory) eliminate all of WDI’s concerns about Central Florida’s changeable weather having any sort of a negative impact on WDW guests being able to enjoy this alleged Tomorrowland addition.

There’s no official word yet as to which show building this proposed new Disney World attraction will eventually end up in. To date, all that my sources within WDI will say is that they hope to have the Magic Kingdom’s “Flying Saucers” ride up and running by October 2006. Just in time for WDWs’ 35th anniversary celebration.

I know that the above news will disappoint a lot of you “Carousel of Progress” and “Timekeeper” fans out there. But — me personally — I’m more concerned about what the Tomorrowland purists will say. You know, those folks who are becoming increasingly upset because more cartoon-inspired attractions like “Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin” and “Stitch’s Great Escape” are being built on this side of the theme park.

Well, if you’re not happy about Buzz & Stitch being in Tomorrowland, you’re certainly not going to be excited about the possible themes being considered for Disney World’s proposed “Flying Saucers” ride. One version would have the attraction being hosted by the Little Green Men featured in “Toy Story” & “Toy Story II.” While another version of this alleged Tomorrowland addition would feature the aliens from an alternate dimension who play the villains in Disney’s Summer 2005 release, “Chicken Little.”

That’s right. Aliens from an alternate dimension are the villains in “Chicken Little.” Why else do you think that that film’s teaser trailer ends with the catch-phrase: “This time, the sky really is falling”?

Anyway … I know a lot of your Tomorrowland purists out there are troubled by the idea that the Walt Disney Company seems to be turning its back on Walt’s original concept for this side of the theme park. Which was to have been a place where the hopes & dreams of tomorrow would be celebrated. Where hard fact as well as scientific speculation — rather than figures from the studio’s fantasy films — would serve as the inspiration for Tomorrowland’s attractions.

Well, those days are gone, folks. Over the past 50 years, the Imagineers have grown tired of trying to predict what tomorrow will be like. Of spending tens of millions of dollars on these hopeful, optimistic, futuristically-themed rides & shows … Only to have the future not follow the predicted path. Which means that — every 10-15 years or so — the guys from WDI are forced to go back to the drawing board and come up with yet another concept for Tomorrowland.

This explained why — back in 1994 in Orlando and in 1998 in Anaheim — the “Future That Never Was” theme was embraced by both of the stateside Tomorrowland. Rather than waste time & money on trying to predict how the future was going to turn out, the Imagineers began to indulge in this strange mix of sci-fi and nostalgia. Which is why Tomorrowland soon became a place where Buck Rogers would feel at home.

Speaking of Buck Rogers: Had executives from the Oriental Land Company actually okayed the Imagineers’ plans for the redo of Tokyo Disneyland’s Tomorrowland, the original space ranger would have felt very much at home on this side of that theme park.

Never mind about the “Future That Never Was.” How would you like a peek at the “Tomorrowland that Never Happened,” Sci-Fi City?

Sci-Fi City would have been the most ambitious redo of any of the Tomorrowlands around the globe. These plans called for a top-to-bottom reimaging of this entire side of Tokyo Disneyland.

Mind you, some of TDL’s classic Tomorrowland attractions would have remained in place. According to the version of the plans that I’ve seen (circa 1998), both “Star Wars” as well as “Microadventure” (AKA TDL’s “Honey, I Shrunk the Audience” attraction) would have stayed right where they were. Though the exteriors of both of these Tomorrowland shows would have recieved a significant redesign.

But everything else in Tokyo Disneyland’s Tomorrowland (And — yes — I’m including Space Mountain) would have received a significant upgrade. Soooo … You wanna take a peek at what might have been?

Guests entering Sci-Fi City would have come in from TDL’s Hub via Cosmic Way. Cosmic Way was to have been …

… the “Main Street” of Science Fiction … Bright, colorful and elegant, Cosmic Way is full of futuristic technology and labor-saving devices, gadgets and gizmos. Inspired by “The Jetsons,” “Buck Rogers” and “The Rocketeer,” guests can board Rockit Bikes and onto the Sci-Fi City freeway for fun and adventure.

Yeah, you read that right. Rockit Bikes. Just like Disneyland’s Rocket Rods, this …

… high speed new E-Ticket adventure guarantees to appeal to the teenage audience. Guests will be “rocket launched” to traverse Sci-Fi City on intergalatic motorcycles, maneuvering through craters, crashed spaceships, HyperSpace Mountain and Cosmic Way at fast speed and around sharply banked turns. THRC: 1800.

Okay. I know. One of the names in the above attraction description leaped right out at you: HyperSpace Mountain. That proposed Sci-Fi City attraction was to have been …

… an enhanced version of the existing TDL Space Mountain which includes on-board audio, new show elements in the pre-show and along the ride, a new facade as well as a new entrance queue. THRC: 2160.

Of course, that “Hyper Space Mountain” facade would have been just one of the amazing signs that you’d have been able to see as you strolled around Galactic Circle …

… the kinetic “Times Square” of Sci-Fi City, with video walls, kinetic sculptures and animated electronic billboards. Flashing against the backdrop of “Hyper Space Mountain.” Inspired by “Metropolis,” “Blade Runner” and “Judge Dredd.”

One of the nicest new touches for this section of Sci-Fi City would have been the redo of Tokyo Disneyland’s Rocket Jets. Borrowing a page from Disneyland’s past (as well as Disney World’s future), this attraction’s rocket-like vehicle would have been replaced by saucer-shaped cars. So that you could …

… pilot your own spaceship in an updated version of Rocket Jets. New facades will allow the guest to load below the crater’s surface and emerge into the skylight for the flight above Crater Town.

” ‘Crater’s surface?!’ ‘Crater Town’ ?! What’s that?,” you ask. Well, Crater Town was to have been …

… This rambling gathering of temporary structures and cannibalized spaceships is literally a “Boom Town,” the product of on-going meteor showers. These meteors have provided Crater Town’s temporary residents the opportunity to set up a mining operation — uncovering rich mineral contents within the meteors. Guests can tour the craters via Lunar Rovers, or visit genetically engineered alien lifeforms in the Sci-Fi Zoo, or walk-through the craters. The thrill-seekers can search out the Space Pirates hideout … Inspired by “Mad Max,” “Waterworld” and “Outland.”

Okay. I know. I can hear you Disney theme park info junkies out there gibbering already. “Lunar Rovers?!” “Sci-Fi Zoo?!” Hang on. Here’s the breakdown on the Lunar Rovers. Which were supposed to have been …

… a modified version of the existing Grand Prix ride system, with upgraded vehicle bodies and tires, new electric motors and on-board effects, anti-collision software and a new track layout which will allow guests to traverse crater landscape and mining operations, exploring terrain that has been bombarded by meteor showers throughout the centuries. Ideal attraction for smaller children and their parents. THRC: 2160

As for the “Sci-Fi Zoo” … Well, this was to have been Sci-Fi City’s big new show …

... a new E-Ticket attraction that features an interactive alien zoo walk-through with amazing state-of-the-art audio-animatronic figures, climaxing in a huge theater show with large-scale animation and fantastic bottomless pit “fog effect.”

As for the “Space Pirate Hideout” … I’m told that this section of Crater Town was to have been inspired by the then-still-in-production animated feature, “Treasure Planet.” This was the area where Tokyo Disneyland guests could have queued up to meet Jim Hawkins, B.E.N. and Long John Silver.

Anywho … The above all sounds very snazzy, doesn’t it? So why didn’t Oriental Land Company executives opt to go forward with this radical redo of Tokyo Disneyland’s Tomorrowland. Well, for starters, OLC was already pouring nearly $3 billion into an expansion of the TDL resort. With most of that money going into the construction & creation of the Tokyo DisneySea theme park as well as the Miracosta Resort Hotel.

Then there was the problem with Disneyland’s Rocket Rods attraction. Given that the Imagineers couldn’t ever seem to get the Anaheim version of this attraction working properly, Oriental Land Company execs were understandably reluctant to okay an expensive redo of Tokyo Disneyland’s own Tomorrowland section that would be built around yet another version of the troubled Rocket Rods ride.

So OLC executives tabled all of WDI’s plans for an ambitious redo of TDL’s Tomorrowland. Opting instead to take a more piecemeal approach. I.E. Adding one new attraction at a time. Like this year’s opening of Tokyo Disneyland’s popular “Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters” ride.

Still — with the announcement earlier this month that the Oriental Land Company is planning to do $1.28 billion worth of expansion at both Tokyo Disneyland & Tokyo DisneySea — some Imagineers are holding out hope that their ambitious plans for Sci-Fi City may yet rise from the ashes. Which would leave Tokyo Disneyland with the greatest Tomorrowland of them all.

But — as for all us stateside Disney theme park fans … Well, I guess (as of this moment) that the best that we can hope for is that — once the Imagineers decide which location Disney World’s proposed “Flying Saucers” attraction is going to get built in — that WDI will then get started knocking around ideas for what they can build inside of that other empty Tomorrowland show building.

Me personally? I think that a WDW version of TDL’s proposed “Sci-Fi Zoo” attraction would be pretty snazzy.

But what are your thoughts?

Related Topics:

Jim Hill is an entertainment writer who has specialized in covering The Walt Disney Company for nearly 40 years now. Over that time, he has interviewed hundreds of animators, actors, and Imagineers -- many of whom have shared behind-the-scenes stories with Mr. Hill about how the Mouse House really works. In addition to the 4000+ articles Jim has written for the Web, he also co-hosts a trio of popular podcasts: “Disney Dish with Len Testa,” “Fine Tooning with Drew Taylor” and “Marvel US Disney with Aaron Adams.” Mr. Hill makes his home in Southern New Hampshire with his lovely wife Nancy and two obnoxious cats, Ginger & Betty.

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General

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

Published

9 years ago

on

June 23, 2015

By

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. 

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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

on

June 10, 2015

By

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?

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General

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

Published

9 years ago

on

June 9, 2015

By

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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