General

“Save Disney” in disarray

Jim Hill talks about the rough week that Roy Disney & Stanley Gold have just had, then wonders if there’s anything that these two can do to turn their increasing tough situation around.

Published

20 years ago

September 19, 2004

Jim Hill

I’m sorry, folks. But there really isn’t a polite way to say this. Other than to say that the people working at “Save Disney” had a just plain awful week last week.

By that I mean: Roy Disney & Stanley Gold’s team got caught flat-footed by Michael Eisner’s surprise announcement on Friday, September 10th that he would be stepping down as Disney’s CEO as of September 2006. And Roy & Stanley have been forced to play catch-up ever since.

Yeah, Disney & Gold are now learning what a costly error it was to basically put their “Save Disney” campaign on hiatus for these past six months. To assume that the Disneyana faithful would just come a-running whenever Roy & Stanley called. To believe the media would always remain sympathetic to their “Oust Eisner” cause.

Don’t believe what I’m saying? Then let’s talk about the mass e-mailing that “Save Disney” sent out on Thursday, September 16th. Perhaps you received a copy of this message yourself? The one entitled “Action Alert!”? This e-mail asked those who were still sympathetic to Disney & Gold’s cause to immediately fax Disney Chairman George Mitchell and/or General Counsel Alan Braverman & express their concern with the Disney corporation’s succession issues.

Less than 24 hours later, “Save Disney” suddenly sent out a second mass e-mailing. You know, the one with a headline that read “Major Press Puts the Pressure on Mitchell!”? This follow-up note urged those hadn’t already faxed or e-mailed George Mitchell & Braverman to do so ASAP. Using urgent language like “It’s important that you join the chorus calling for change at this critical time.”

So why did “Save Disney” send out two such similiar e-mails within a single 24 hour span? Because — based on what I’ve heard from folks who work for that organization — that Thursday’s call to arms didn’t actually get much of a response. With fewer than a hundred people contacting Disney & Gold’s office and asking that their anti-succession messages be forwarded to Mouse House officials.

“That’s when the panic set in,” said one “Save Disney” insider. “Which is why we sent out that second e-mail, hoping that that message might get a better response from the people who subscribe to our mailing list.”

I’m told that the response to Friday’s “Save Disney” missive was equally tepid. Which is what led many members of that organization to finally realize what had been whispered about for weeks now was true. That Roy & Stanley no longer have the strong support of the Disneyana faithful. Which means that Disney & Gold are going to have to put in a truly heroic effort if they ever hope to win these people back.

Certainly the press is no longer in “Save Disney” ‘s pocket. Don’t believe me, eh? Okay. Then let’s look at the Wall Street Journal. Michael Eisner’s announcement that he would stepping down as Disney’s CEO in September 2006? That was literally front page news in the Journal on Friday, September 10th. With Bruce Orwall’s exclusive story running in the paper’s right hand column on Page A1.

On Monday, September 13th, Orwall & Joann S. Lublin wrote a follow-up to that Eisner-stepping-down story entitled “Lame Duck in Charge.” This feature (Which ran on Page B1. Which — for those of you who don’t know — is the front page of the Wall Street Journal’s “Marketplace” section. That part of the WSJ which is dedicated to covering technology, media and marketing-related stories. Anyway … ) listed a number of Eisner’s possible successors, including Disney president Bob Iger.

So what happened last Tuesday in the Journal? After Roy & Stanley sent their own letter to Disney’s Board of Directors, in which “Save Disney” threatened to ” … continue (its) campaign to oust Mr. Eisner unless the board quickly signals that it will hire a search firm and replace Mr. Eisner by next spring”? Where did the WSJ story covering Disney & Gold’s latest missive wind up? This Bruce Orwall & Joann S. Lublin collaboration got buried all the way back on Page B13. (Which — given that September 14th’s Wall Street Journal only had 14 pages in its entire “Marketplace” section — gives you some idea of how deeply this story got buried.)

Okay. I can hear some of you “Save Disney” types out there saying that the Wall Street Journal must be biased. That — because they’re the paper that originally scored the exclusive on Eisner’s stepping-down announcement — it was then probably in the WSJ’s best interests to bury that “Save Disney” -related article.

Well … Maybe … But — even if that were the case here — then how do you explain what’s going on with all those other newspapers out there? Like Laura Holson’s article in last Friday’s New York Times, “After Eisner, the Disney Board Faces Its Own Deluge.” That story — which also discussed succession issues at the Walt Disney Company — barely touched on “Save Disney.” Except for a paragraph about Bob Daly, the former co-chairman of Warner Brothers. Who is said to be interested in becoming the Walt Disney Company’s chairman — should that position ever become available.

In the paragraph in question, Holson states:

“Mr. Daly has been approached by two of Mr. Eisner’s most vocal critics — Roy E. Disney, the nephew of the company’s founder, and his financial adviser, Stanley P. Gold — to join an alternate slate of directors. But Mr. Daly turned them down because he did not want to be a hostile candidate, according to three media executives who were informed of the overture.”

You see what’s happening here, folks? This story is really starting to slip out of Roy & Stanley’s control. Where once “Save Disney” was the media’s darling, now we’re starting to hear about how influential people within the business & entertainment community are turning Disney & Gold down. Out of fear of what may happen to their reputations should they become associated with Roy & Stanley’s campaign. Which is now being percieved by people in the industry as being negative.

Even “Save Disney” ‘s hometown papers — the Los Angeles Time and Daily Variety — appear to be losing interest in Roy & Stanley’s efforts. This past Friday’s piece in the Times about the Walt Disney Company’s succession issues — Richard Verrier’s “Disney Chairman Isn’t in the Happiest Place” — doesn’t get around to mentioning Disney & Gold ’til 19 paragraphs in. And then this article pretty much dismisses Roy & Stanley’s entire “Oust Eisner” effort with a single ‘graph.

Whereas Daily Variety … In its inimitable show-bizzy style, Variety pretty much twitted the whole “Save Disney” campaign with last Friday’s headline: “Mouse dissidents still squeaking.”

Of course, Disney & Gold must have known that something like this might be in the wind. Given how badly their appearance on CNBC’s “Power Lunch” program last Wednesday afternoon went. The title of this program is entirely appropriate, given that “Power Lunch” ‘s hosts — Bill Griffeth and Sue Herera — basically chewed Roy & Stanley up and spat them out that day.

Disney & Gold had clearly hoped for a much more sympathetic handling by these two CNBC reporters. But Griffeth & Herera were just relentless with the former Disney board members. With Sue hammering away at Stanley, asking him for details about “Save Disney” ‘s dealings with Steve Jobs. (Gold sputtered out an answer to the effect that — given that this was a private conversation between himself & Jobs — that Stanley didn’t think that it was appropriate that he should discuss this matter on national television. Herera countered with words to the effect that — since the “Save Disney” reps had so often talked about Michael Eisner’s troubled relationship with Pixar — why shouldn’t “Save Disney” ‘s own dealings with Steve Jobs be fair game for discussion as well?)

But it was Bill Griffeth’s last question to Roy that proved to be the most telling. Griffeth asked Walt’s nephew what would happen if — in the worst case scenario — that the “Save Disney” campaign failed. What would happens if Disney’s Board of Directors didn’t actually heed any of Disney & Gold’s advice? If they opted to put in their own CEO candidate in place instead and then just proceeded from there?

Roy really didn’t have an answer for Bill’s question. He certainly didn’t say anything stirring like “I’m going to do whatever I have to protect my uncle & my father’s legacy.” Instead, under Griffeth’s grilling, Walt’s nephew pretty much wimped out. Closing out this segment of “Power Lunch” with words to the effect of ” … we’d continue to fight for the value of our shares.”

Which — I’m guessing here — might be a sound bite that would play well on Wall Street. But a quote like that isn’t going to do anything to help Disney & Gold win back the hearts of the Disney faithful. People who were hoping that — should Roy & Stanley actually win — that we’d see a second flowering of Walt’s Magic Kingdom. A whole slew of new traditionally animated films and/or a bucket of of new “E’ Tickets being built at the Disney theme parks. Stuff like that.

Again — let me stress here, folks — that I don’t get my jollies by writing stories like this. But it just bothers me to see so many Disneyana sites out there talking as if things are going great for “Save Disney” … When they’re really not.

Disney & Gold’s campaign is in complete disarray right now, people. And — unless Roy & Stanley get their act together and fast … Well, here. Let me close out with a quote from Bruce Orwall’s “Lame Duck in Charge” article:

“A widespread view on Friday was that Mr. Eisner may have cleverly disarmed his opponents with his retirement plans.”

That’s the same thing that I’ve been hearing as well, folks. That Roy & Stanley were completely out-flanked by Michael’s stepping-down-in-September-of-2006 manuever. That these two didn’t get a very strong response to last Thursday & Friday’s request to fax George Mitchell and Alan Braverman because … Well, to be frank, people don’t really care about Disney’s Board of Directors.

Which is why we find “Save Disney” in such a sorry state. With Roy & Stanley now fumbling to refine their message. To somehow get Disneyana fans as well as Wall Street movers & shakers excited about the idea of replacing Disney’s Board of Directors. Because if that doesn’t happen … Well, there’s little chance that Disney & Gold will ever find themselves again in positions of power at the Mouse House.

Again — I know — the Walt Disney Company has produced hundreds of cartoons, movies & TV shows over the years where there’s this come-from-behind finish and the hero succeeds against some really incredible odds. But this is real life, people. And “Save Disney” … Well, Roy & Stanley are supposed to be these really smart guys. But (me personally) I haven’t been all that impressed with their performance over the past six months. Most of their movement’s initial heat has been lost. The same thing can be said for much of “Save Disney” ‘s momentum.

And now that the Disney faithful aren’t heeding Disney & Gold’s calls to send faxes and the media seems to have turned its back on these two as well … I don’t see this story ending well for anyone other than Michael Eisner. Who now looks like he’s going to have another 700+ days to rule over the Magic Kingdom. Which should give Uncle Mikey plenty of time to repair his tattered reputation.

It really didn’t have to be this way, folks. If Roy & Stanley had just kept the pressure up after Philadelphia, if “Save Disney” hadn’t taken that six month long seista … We’d be dealing with a very different situation right about now.

But now … I can’t help but think about the irony of this whole situation. By that I mean: Today is the 20th anniversary of Michael Eisner’s arrival at the Mouse House. September 20, 1984 was the very first day that Eisner served as Disney’s CEO. And who got Michael that job? Roy & Stanley.

And now here’s Eisner stage-managing his own exit. With Michael doing everything he can to make sure that he goes out on a high note. And here are Disney & Gold. Who are equally determined to do whatever they have to in order to get Eisner tossed out on his ass ASAP.

As a good friend of mine likes to say: “If irony were strawberries, we’d all be drinking a lot of fruit smoothies right about now.”

Look for this already strange story to get even stranger later this week … Once we learn what Disney’s Board of Directors decided to do during their most recent series of meetings (which were held yesterday, today and tomorrow) and what Roy & Stanley’s counter-move might be.

Your thoughts?

General

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

Published

10 years ago

June 23, 2015

Jim Hill

Greetings from NYC. Nancy and I drove down from New
Hampshire yesterday because we'll be checking out
Disney Consumer Products' annual Holiday Showcase later today.

Anyway … After checking into our hotel (i.e., The Paul.
Which is located down in NYC's NoMad district), we decided to grab some dinner.
Which is how we wound up at the Melt Shop.

Photo by Jim Hill

Which is this restaurant that only sells grilled cheese sandwiches.
This comfort food was delicious, but kind of on the heavy side.

Photo by Jim Hill

Which is why — given that it was a beautiful summer night
— we'd then try and walk off our meals. We started our stroll down by the Empire
State Building
…

Photo by Jim Hill

… and eventually wound up just below Times
Square (right behind where the Waterford Crystal Times Square New
Year's Eve Ball is kept).

Photo by Jim Hill

But you know what we discovered en route? Right in the heart
of Manhattan's Garment District
along Broadway between 36th and 41st? This incredibly cool series of life-like
and life-sized sculptures that Seward
Johnson has created.

Photo by Jim Hill

And — yes — that is Abraham Lincoln (who seems to have
slipped out of WDW's Hall of Presidents when no one was looking and is now
leading tourists around Times Square). These 18 painted
bronze pieces (which were just installed late this past Sunday night / early
Monday morning) range from the surreal to the all-too-real.

Photo by Jim Hill

Some of these pieces look like typical New Yorkers. Like the
business woman planning out her day …

Photo by Jim Hill

… the postman delivering the mail …

Photo by Jim Hill

… the hot dog vendor working at his cart …

Photo by Jim Hill

… the street musician playing for tourists …

Photo by Jim Hill

Not to mention the tourists themselves.

Photo by Jim Hill

But right alongside the bronze businessmen …

Photo by Jim Hill

… and the tired grandmother hauling her groceries home …

Photo by Jim Hill

… there were also statues representing people who were
from out-of-town …

Photo by Jim Hill

… or — for that matter — out-of-time.

Photo by Jim Hill

These were the Seward Johnson pieces that genuinely beguiled. Famous impressionist paintings brought to life in three dimensions.

Note the out-of-period water bottle that some tourist left
behind. Photo by Jim Hill

Some of them so lifelike that you actually had to pause for
a moment (especially as day gave way to night in the city) and say to yourself
"Is that one of the bronzes? Or just someone pretending to be one of these
bronzes?"

Mind you, for those of you who aren't big fans of the
impressionists …

Photo by Jim Hill

… there's also an array of American icons. Among them
Marilyn Monroe …

Photo by Jim Hill

… and that farmer couple from Grant Wood's "American
Gothic."

Photo by Jim Hill

But for those of you who know your NYC history, it's hard to
beat that piece which recreates Alfred Eisenstaedt's famous photograph of V-J Day in Times Square.

Photo by Jim Hill

By the way, a 25-foot-tall version of this particular Seward
Johnson piece ( which — FYI — is entitled "Embracing Peace") will actually
be placed in Times Square for a few days on or around August 14th to commemorate the 70th
anniversary of Victory Over Japan Day (V-J Day).

Photo by Jim Hill

By the way, if you'd like to check these Seward Johnson bronzes in
person (which — it should be noted — are part of the part of the Garment
District Alliance's new public art offering) — you'd best schedule a trip to
the City sometime over the next three months. For these pieces will only be on
display now through September 15th.

General

Wondering what you should “Boldly Go” see at the movies next year? The 2015 Licensing Expo offers you some clues

Published

10 years ago

June 10, 2015

Jim Hill

Greeting from the 2015 Licensing Expo, which is being held
at the Mandalay Bay
Convention Center in Las
Vegas.

Photo by Jim Hill

I have to admit that I enjoy covering the Licensing Expo.
Mostly becomes it allows bloggers & entertainment writers like myself to
get a peek over the horizon. Scope out some of the major motion pictures &
TV shows that today's vertically integrated entertainment conglomerates
(Remember when these companies used to be called movie studios?) will be
sending our way over the next two years or so.

Photo by Jim Hill

Take — for example — all of "The Secret Life of
Pets" banners that greeted Expo attendees as they made their way to the
show floor today. I actually got to see some footage from this new Illumination
Entertainment production (which will hit theaters on July 8, 2016) the last time I was in Vegas. Which
was for CinemaCon back in April. And the five or so minutes of film that I viewed
suggested that "The Secret Life of Pets" will be a really funny
animated feature.

Photo by Jim Hill

Mind you, Universal Pictures wanted to make sure that Expo
attendees remembered that there was another Illumination Entertainment production
coming-to-a-theater-near-them before "The Secret Life of Pets" (And
that's "Minions," the "Despicable Me" prequel. Which
premieres at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival next week but
won't be screened stateside 'til July 10th of this year). Which is why they had
three minions who were made entirely out of LEGOS loitering out in the lobby.

Photo by Jim Hill

And Warner Bros. — because they wanted "Batman v
Superman: Dawn of Justice" to start trending on Twitter today — brought
the Batmobile to Las Vegas.

Photo by Jim Hill

Not to mention full-sized macquettes of Batman, Superman and
Wonder Woman. Just so conventioneers could then see what these DC superheroes
would actually look like in this eagerly anticipated, March 25, 2016 release.

Photo by Jim Hill

That's the thing that can sometimes be a wee bit frustrating
about the Licensing Expo. It's all about delayed gratification. You'll come
around a corner and see this 100 foot-long ad for "The Peanuts Movie"
and think "Hey, that looks great. I want to see that Blue Sky Studios production
right now." It's only then that you notice the fine print and realize that
"The Peanuts Movie" doesn't actually open in theaters 'til November
6th of this year.

Photo by Jim Hill

And fan of Blue Sky's "Ice Age" film franchise are in for an even
longer wait. Given that the latest installment in that top grossing series
doesn't arrive in theaters 'til July
15, 2016.

Photo by Jim Hill

Of course, if you're one of those people who needs immediate
gratification when it comes to your entertainment, there was stuff like that to
be found at this year's Licensing Expo. Take — for example — how the WWE
booth was actually shaped like a wrestling ring. Which — I'm guessing — meant
that if the executives of World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. didn't like
the offer that you were making, they were then allowed to toss you out over the
top rope, Royal Rumble-style.

Photo by Jim Hill

I also have to admit that — as a longtime Star Trek fan —
it was cool to see the enormous Starship Enterprise that hung in place over the
CBS booth. Not to mention getting a glimpse of the official Star Trek 50th
Anniversary logo.

Photo by Jim Hill

I was also pleased to see lots of activity in The Jim Henson
Company booth. Which suggests that JHC has actually finally carved out a
post-Muppets identity for itself.

Photo by Jim Hill

Likewise for all of us who were getting a little concerned
about DreamWorks Animation (what with all the layoffs & write-downs &
projects that were put into turnaround or outright cancelled last year), it was
nice to see that booth bustling.

Photo by Jim Hill

Every so often, you'd come across some people who were
promoting a movie that you weren't entirely sure that you actually wanted to
see (EX: "Angry Birds," which Sony Pictures Entertainment / Columbia
Pictures will be releasing to theaters on May 20, 2016). But then you remembered that Clay Kaytis —
who's this hugely talented former Walt Disney Animation Studios animator — is
riding herd on "Angry Birds" with Fergal Reilly. And you'd think
"Well, if Clay's working on 'Angry Birds,' I'm sure this animated feature
will turn out fine."

Photo by Jim Hill

Mind you, there were reminders at this year's Licensing Expo
of great animated features that we're never going to get to see now. I still
can't believe — especially after that brilliant proof-of-concept footage
popped up online last year — that Sony execs decided not to go forward
with production of Genndy Tartakovsky's
"Popeye" movie. But that's the
cruel thing about the entertainment business, folks. It will sometime break
your heart.

Photo by Jim Hill

And make no mistake about this. The Licensing Expo is all
about business. That point was clearly driven home at this year's show when —
as you walked through the doors of the Mandalay
Bay Convention Center
— the first thing that you saw was the Hasbros Booth. Which was this gleaming,
sleek two story-tall affair full of people who were negotiating deals &
signing contracts for all of the would-be summer blockbusters that have already
announced release dates for 2019 & beyond.

Photo by Jim Hill

"But what about The Walt Disney Company?," you
ask. "Weren't they represented on the show floor at this year's Licensing
Expo?" Not really, not. I mean, sure. There were a few companies there hyping
Disney-related products. Take — for example — the Disney Wikkeez people.

Photo by Jim Hill

I'm assuming that some Disney Consumer Products exec is
hoping that Wikkeez will eventually become the new Tsum Tsum. But to be blunt,
these little hard plastic figures don't seem to have the same huggable charm
that those stackable plush do. But I've been wrong before. So let's see what
happens with Disney Wikkeez once they start showing up on the shelves of the
Company's North American retail partners.

Photo by Jim Hill

And speaking of Disney's retail partners … They were
meeting with Mouse House executives behind closed doors one floor down from the
official show floor for this year's Licensing Expo.

Photo by Jim Hill

And the theme for this year's invitation-only Disney shindig? "Timeless
Stories" involving the Disney, Pixar, Marvel & Lucasfilm brands that
would then appeal to "tomorrow's consumer."

Photo by Jim Hill

And just to sort of hammer home the idea that Disney is no
longer the Company which cornered the market when it comes to little girls
(i.e., its Disney Princess and Disney Fairies franchises), check out this
wall-sized Star Wars-related image that DCP put up just outside of one of its
many private meeting rooms. "See?," this carefully crafted photo
screams. "It isn't just little boys who want to wield the Force. Little
girls also want to grow up and be Lords of the Sith."

Photo by Jim Hill

One final, kind-of-ironic note: According to this banner,
Paramount Pictures will be releasing a movie called "Amusement Park"
to theaters sometime in 2017.

Photo by Jim Hill

Well, given all the "Blackfish" -related issues
that have been dogged SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment over the past two years, I'm
just hoping that they'll still be in the amusement park business come 2017.

Your thoughts?

General

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

Published

10 years ago

June 9, 2015

Jim Hill

You know what Mickey Mouse looks like, right? Little guy,
big ears?

Truth be told, Disney's corporate symbol has a lot of
different looks. If Mickey's interacting with Guests at Disneyland
Park (especially this summer, when
the Happiest Place on Earth
is celebrating its 60th anniversary), he looks & dresses like this.

Or when he's appearing in one of those Emmy Award-winning shorts that Disney
Television Animation has produced (EX: "Bronco Busted," which debuts
on the Disney Channel tonight at 8 p.m. ET / PT), Mickey is drawn in a such a
way that he looks hip, cool, edgy & retro all at the same time.

Looking ahead to 2017 now, when Disney Junior rolls out "Mickey and the
Roadster Racers," this brand-new animated series will feature a sportier version
of Disney's corporate symbol. One that Mouse House managers hope will persuade
preschool boys to more fully embrace this now 86 year-old character.

That's what most people don't realize about the Mouse. The
Walt Disney Company deliberately tailors Mickey's look, even his style of
movement, depending on what sort of project / production he's appearing in.

Take — for example — Disney
California Adventure
Park's "World of Color:
Celebrate!" Because Disney's main mouse would be co-hosting this new
nighttime lagoon show with ace emcee Neil Patrick Harris, Eric Goldberg really had
to step up Mickey's game. Which is why this master Disney animator created
several minutes of all-new Mouse animation which then showed that Mickey was
just as skilled a showman as Neil was.

Better yet, let's take a look at what the folks at Avalanche Studios just went
through as they attempted to create a Classic version of Mickey & Minnie.
One that would then allow this popular pair to become part of Disney Infinity
3.0.

"I won't lie to you. We were under a lot of pressure to
get the look of this particular version of Mickey — he's called Red Pants
Mickey around here — just right," said Jeff Bunker, the VP of Art
Development at Avalanche Studios, during a recent phone interview. "When
we brought Sorcerer Mickey into Disney Infinity 1.0 back in January of 2014,
that one was relatively easy because … Well, everyone knows what Mickey Mouse
looked like when he appeared in 'Fantasia.' "

"But this time around, we were being asked to design
THE Mickey & Minnie," Bunker continued. "And given that these Classic
Disney characters have been around in various different forms for the better
part of the last century … Well, which look was the right look?"

Which is why Jeff and his team at Avalanche Studios began watching hours &
hours of Mickey Mouse shorts. As they tried to get a handle on which look would
work best for these characters in Disney Infinity 3.0.

"And we went all the way back to the very start of Mickey's career. We began
with 'Steamboat Willie' and then watched all of those black & white Mickey shorts
that Walt made back in the late 1920s & early 1930s. From there, we
transitioned to his Technicolor shorts. Which is when Mickey went from being
this pie-eyed, really feisty character to more of a well-behaved leading
man," Bunker recalled. "We then finished out our Mouse marathon by
watching all of those new Mickey shorts that Paul Rudish & his team have
been creating for Disney Television Animation. Those cartoons really recapture
a lot of the spirit and wild slapstick fun that Mickey's early, black &
white shorts had."

But given that the specific assignment that Avalanche Studios had been handed
was to create the most appealing looking, likeable version of Mickey Mouse
possible … In the end, Jeff and his team wound up borrowing bits & pieces
from a lot of different versions of the world's most famous mouse. So that
Classic Mickey would then look & move in a way that best fit the sort of
gameplay which people would soon be able to experience with Disney Infinity
3.0.

"That — in a lot of ways — was actually the toughest
part of the Classic Mickey design project. You have to remember that one of the
key creative conceits of Disney Infinity
is that all the characters which appear in this game are toys," Bunker
stated. "Okay. So they're beautifully detailed, highly stylized toy
versions of beloved Disney, Pixar, Marvel & Lucasfilm characters. But
they're still supposed to be toys. So our Classic versions of Mickey &
Minnie have the same sort of thickness & sturdiness to them that toys have.
So that they'll then be able to fit right in with all of the rest of the
characters that Avalanche Studios had previously designed for Disney Infinity."

And then there was the matter of coming up with just the
right pose for Classic Mickey & Minnie. Which — to hear Jeff tell the
story — involved input from a lot of Disney upper management.

"Everyone within the Company seemed to have an opinion
about how Mickey & Minnie should be posed. More to the point, if you Google
Mickey, you then discover that there are literally thousands of poses out there
for these two. Though — truth be told — a lot of those kind of play off the
way Mickey poses when he's being Disney's corporate symbol," Bunker said.
"But what I was most concerned about was that Mickey's pose had to work
with Minnie's pose. Because we were bringing the Classic versions of these
characters up into Disney Infinity 3.0 at the exact same time. And we wanted to
make sure — especially for those fans who like to put their Disney Infinity
figures on display — that Mickey's pose would then complement Minnie.

Which is why Jeff & the crew at Avalanche Studios
decided — when it came to Classic Mickey & Minnie's pose — that they
should go all the way back to the beginning. Which is why these two Disney icons
are sculpted in such a way that it almost seems as though you're witnessing the
very first time Mickey set eyes on Minnie.

"And what was really great about that was — as soon as
we began showing people within the Company this pose — everyone at Disney
quickly got on board with the idea. I mean, the Classic Mickey that we sculpted
for Disney Infinity 3.0 is clearly a very playful, spunky character. But at the
same time, he's obviously got eyes for Minnie," Bunker concluded. "So
in the end, we were able to come up with Classic versions of these characters
that will work well within the creative confines of Disney Infinity 3.0 but at
the same time please those Disney fans who just collect these figures because
they like the way the Disney Infinity characters look."

So now that this particular design project is over, does
Jeff regret that Mouse House upper management was so hands-on when it came to
making sure that the Classic versions of Mickey & Minnie were specifically
tailored to fit the look & style of gameplay found in Disney Infinity 3.0?

"To be blunt, we go through this every time we add a new character to the
game. The folks at Lucasfilm were just as hands-on when we were designing the
versions of Darth Vader and Yoda that will also soon be appearing in Disney
Infinity 3.0," Bunker laughed. "So in the end, if the character's
creators AND the fans are happy, then I'm happy."

This article was originally posted on the Huffington Post's Entertainment page on Tuesday, June 9, 2015