General

Say good-bye to Little Red: Finale of DAK’s Kilimanjaro Safaris to be retooled

Jim Hill freshens up a JHM readers’ favorite as he talks about the pending redo of Disney’s Animal Kingdom’s ride-through zoo attraction

Published

17 years ago

January 31, 2007

Jim Hill

According to Mark Goldhaber over at MousePlanet, the Kilimanjaro Safaris at Disney’s Animal Kingdom is about to undergo a fairly significant rehab. And that once the redo of this ride-thru zoo is complete, one of the events that used to drive the story of this DAK attraction (I.E. Little Red has been captured by poachers! And you — the Disney World tourist — must now cut your safari short in order to help save him!) will then be snipped from the script.

Which I know is going to offend a lot of you purists out there. Who always complain when Disney theme attractions depart from their original storylines and/or get dumbed down.

But — truth be told — Kilimanjaro Safaris has never really played as well as the Imagineers had originally hoped. Which is easy to understand. Given that — just weeks prior to the April 1998 grand opening of Disney’s Animal Kingdom — Disney execs ordered the removal of one particularly gruesome setpiece from this attraction.

What scene am I talking about? That moment in Kilimanjaro Safaris where your ride vehicle was supposed to just happen upon the enormous corpse of Little Red’s mother, Big Red.

The way I hear it, the children of cast members (Who were visiting DAK as part of that theme park’s Cast Member Only previews which were held back in early March) just lost it as soon as they saw that enormous fake mother elephant lying dead in the grass. These kids then cried loudly all of the way back to Kilimanjaro Safaris off-load station. Which (obviously) was not the reaction that the Imagineers had been hoping for as the action-packed finale of this attraction got underway.

Of course, the more sensible of you out there are probably already asking: “Why the hell did the Imagineers put a big bloody fake mother elephant corpse next to the Kilimanjaro Safaris ride track in the first place?”

Well, to answer that question, you have to understand that — back when the Imagineers were initially designing Disney’s Animal Kingdom — they were honestly hoping to use this new WDW theme park to help educate people about conservation. However, recognizing that the Epcot approach (I.E. sugar-coating an attraction’s key concepts, then cramming them down the guest’s throat) wasn’t exactly working, the guys at WDI decided to take a different tact.

This time around, the Imagineers’ goal was try and be subtle. To fold important information about conservation right into the very plot of the attraction. All with the hope that — as WDW guests rode through this ride — they’d somehow acquire a clue.

This is why — as guests float through DAK’s Kali River Rapids — they suddenly encounter that stretch of fake, burned-out rain forest. The idea that these WDW visitors are supposed to get (particularly as they narrowly miss being crushed by that teetering logging truck) is that “Cutting down the rain forest is bad.”

Okay, I’ll admit it. This is not exactly subtle storytelling. The point is that the Imagineers meant well. That — by including this overly grim sequence in DAK’s Kali River Rapids — they were honestly trying to find an entertaining way to teach theme park visitors about the merits of conservation. (Whether or not anyone actually remembers this message after the second half of Kali River Rapids — where they’re almost drowned like rats — remains to be seen. Anyway …)

This brings us back to the Big Red story. When mapping out possible story lines for DAK’s Kilimanjaro Safaris attraction, the Imagineers struggled to find a way to make guests aware of the dangers of poaching. After knocking around a number of ideas, these guys finally decided to borrow a page from “Bambi.”

You remember “Bambi,” don’t you? The Disney film that taught us all that “Hunting was bad” by killing off Bambi’s mother? Well, WDI decided to use the very same plot device to nail home Kilimanjaro Safaris’ underlying message.

This is why — as you enter the queue area for Kilimanjaro Safari — you’re constantly fed information about Big and Little Red. While telling guests about all the other animals that they’re about to see, the overhead monitors and voice-over narration in the pre-show — every so often — also mentions KS’s newest addition: the cute baby calf — Little Red — that Big Red recently gave birth to.

This seemingly minor plot thread continues to weave through the narrative of the first two thirds of DAK’s Kilimanjaro Safaris ride. As your driver takes your vehicle through all of the other animal enclosures, he repeatedly checks in with Miss Jobson, the attraction’s pre-recorded airborne naturalist. You know? That woman who’s supposedly flying over the game preserve in a plane, continually asking “Have you seen Big Red yet?”

The rest of the attraction’s story line is just as carefully laid out. The off-hand radio message that suggests that there may be poachers lurking about. The back gate to the game preserve that seems to have been busted in.

So now your driver finally takes you through the elephant paddock (where — if you’re lucky — you actually get to see a pachyderm or two) where you begin looking for Big Red and Little Red. Only the mother and child elephant are nowhere to be seen. So your driver continues on, taking you past the lions’ den …

When suddenly your driver spies it! Big Red’s enormous bloody corpse off by the side of the road (partially obscured by tall grass). Since her tusks have sawn off, this is obviously the work of poachers. Your driver quickly radios in a report, and is immediately ordered to give chase.

This was the moment that the Imagineers had hoped would be seen as Kilimanjaro Safaris’s thrilling finale. The high speed pursuit of Big Red’s killers (highlighted by the poachers actually firing a few rounds from a machine gun directly at your vehicle). Your jeep avoiding erupting geysers as you chase the criminals up a not-so-dry river bed.

Copyright Disney Enterprises LLC

Kilimanjaro’s climax comes when we catch a quick glimpse of the authorities, who have successfully captured the poachers as well as rescuing Little Red. As we wave good-bye to our new Audio Animatronic baby elephant friend, we’re told that — as a reward for helping to capture these criminals — we’re now going to be given access to the most exclusive part of Harambe’s game preserve: The Gorilla Falls research station. As we exit from our ride vehicle, we’re told to just follow the signs to our next adventure.

On paper, this sounds like an exciting if fairly innocuous to end the attraction, right? Well, imagine WDI’s dismay when they actually began cycling WDW cast members and annual passholders through DAK’s “Kilimanjaro Safaris” ride and found that they were getting dozens of complaints about the dead Big Red.

What exactly was the guests’ problem with the faux elephant corpse? Well, where WDI seems to have miscalculated with DAK’s Kilimajaro Safaris was that — right up to the attraction’s finale — every single animal that WDW visitors had seen had been real. Not Audio Animatronics. But really-for-real zebras, gazelles and hippos. All roaming free.

So now — in the closing moments of the show — the “Kilimanjaro Safaris” vehicle suddenly rolls past what looks like an authentic dead elephant. Which is why most of the children on board the ride vehicle (as well as some of the more gullible adults) immediately burst into tears. Because a really-for-real animal had seemingly been killed.

Just like Bambi’s mother.

Typical of the comments heard in “Kilimanjaro Safaris”‘s off-load area was this line: “I can’t believe that they actually let the poachers kill that elephant. I’m never going on that ride again.”

It was the latter portion of that guest’s comment that particularly concerned the Imagineers. For they were really counting ofnKilimajaro Safaris’ re-ride-ability (I.E. due to the unpredictable nature of all of the animals on display in DAK’s signature attraction, WDW guests were virtually guaranteed a different experience every time they rode the ride. Which — hopefully — would translate into guests riding Kilimanjaro Safaris two or three times over the course of their WDW vacation) to help put WDW’s newest theme park on the map.

But — if Kilimanjaro Safaris’ finale was already putting a bad taste in WDW guests’ mouths during their initial ride-through of that attraction — obviously something had to be done to fix this situation. And fast.

The only problem was that Kilimanjaro Safaris’ slender plot line basically hinged on that awful moment where Big Red’s tragic death was revealed. Without that moment, everything that followed — the pursuit of the poachers up the not-so-dry river bed, etc. — made absolutely no sense. And it wasn’t like the Imagineers actually had the option of redoing the attraction at this point. Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park was due to open to the public in less than four weeks.

The “What to do about the dead elephant?” question flew up the Disney chain of command until it landed on the desk of the company’s then-CEO, Michael Eisner. Eisner — who had been a big fan of DAK’s conservation message — was obviously reluctant to remove the Big Red sequence. He felt that the powerful image of that dead mother elephant lying by the side of the road gave WDW visitors a poignant reminder of the real cost of poaching.

But then there were all these complaints that DAK Guest Services was reportedly receiving from all those angry parents whose children had supposedly been traumatized by glimpsing the dead Big Red near the end of Kilimanjaro Safaris. Surely Eisner couldn’t ignore all these negative comments. After all, Disney World resort’s family friendly image might be at stake (not to mention the $800 million that the company had just invested in the construction of WDW’s newest theme park).

Not sure exactly what he should do, Eisner hemmed and hawed for a couple of days. Finally — just three weeks prior to DAK’s grand opening — one of Michael’s minions actually watched “Bambi” and learned the real secret behind the film’s powerful anti-hunting message. Enlightened, the flunky quickly shared this crucial bit of info with his boss:

Yes, “Bambi” is a memorable and powerfully moving motion picture because they shoot Bambi’s mother. But the important thing to remember is Bambi’s mom is killed off-camera. You hear the shot, but never actually see the mama deer go down. Her death is implied.

Eisner was thrilled when he got this news (for it meant that no expensive, last minute fixes for DAK’s signature attraction were necessary). He immediately told the Imagineers to pull the fake dead mother elephant out of Kilimanjaro Safaris and to rewrite the attraction’s script so that Big Red’s death is not seen but implied.

This seemingly minor series of changes virtually eliminated all guest complaints about DAK’s Kilimanjaro Safaris ride. True, due to the deliberately vague language that the drivers now use while taking their vehicle full of WDW visitors through the attraction’s finale (“Big Red is down!” rather than the previous, more specific “Big Red has been shot!”), some guests get off the ride and have absolutely no idea what has just happened. All they know is that they were enjoying looking at some African animals … and then — suddenly — their jeep sped up.

But this — as far as Michael Eisner was concerned — was the sort of vague guest complaint that the Walt Disney Company could happily live with. Which is why DAK’s Kilimanjaro Safaris opened on April 22, 1998 with its dead Big Red hidden well out of sight somewhere backstage. For years now, I’ve been expecting that her giant plastic corpse would eventually turn up for sale over at Mouse Surplus. But — to date — that hasn’t happened.

Anyway … Here we are, nearly nine years later. With the Imagineers now hoping that this upcoming redo of Kilimanjaro Safaris will finally eliminate some of the story kinks that resulted of Michael Eisner’s last minute edit.

Do you think this is a smart move on Disney’s part? Just removing the whole Little Red storyline? Which means that — from here on in — this DAK attraction will just limp to a close? Or is it finally time to admit that just half a story is worse than no story at all?

General

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

Published

9 years ago

June 23, 2015

Jim Hill

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

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

… the postman delivering the mail …

Photo by Jim Hill

… the hot dog vendor working at his cart …

Photo by Jim Hill

… the street musician playing for tourists …

Photo by Jim Hill

Not to mention the tourists themselves.

Photo by Jim Hill

But right alongside the bronze businessmen …

Photo by Jim Hill

… and the tired grandmother hauling her groceries home …

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

… or — for that matter — out-of-time.

Photo by Jim Hill

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

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

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

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

General

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

Published

9 years ago

June 10, 2015

Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Your thoughts?

General

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

Published

9 years ago

June 9, 2015

Jim Hill

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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