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Scrooge U : Part XXXIII — “Christmas Carol — The Movie” beefs up Belle

Jim Hill continues his look at the many adaptations of "A Christmas Carol." This time around, Jim talks about the 2001 animated version. Which significantly expands the part that Scrooge's fiancee previously played in this holiday tale

Published

18 years ago

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Belle has always been one of the more intriguing characters in Charles Dickens' classic holiday tale. The woman who gave Ebenezer Scrooge back his engagement ring because she was the first to see how hard his heart was becoming.

Whatever became of Belle after she walked out of Ebenezer's life? Some adaptations of "A Christmas Carol" actually follow Dickens' original text. Which has the Ghost of Christmas Past showing Scrooge that his former fiancee has gone on to live a rich, full life without him. That Belle now has lots of children & a loving husband.

Mind you, the sight of this happy scene deepily wounds Ebenezer because he knows that this is the life that he & his fiancee could have had. If Scrooge had just chosen a different path.

Still other adaptations of this classic holiday tale (Like "The Stingiest Man in Town") show Belle old & alone. Suggesting that she never quite recovered from the social stigma that came from breaking off her engagement with Ebenezer.


Copyright 2003 MGM Home Entertainment

"Christmas Carol — The Movie" imagines an entirely different path for Scrooge's fiancee. Where Belle actually appears to be making an effort to make up for all the misery that this miser has been causing the world by working as a nurse in a charity ward.

Which — I know — seems like a pretty significant departure from the way this story is traditionally told. But — to be honest — it's just one of many ways that director Jimmy T. Murakami & screenwriter Piet Kroon depart from the Dickens. With the end result being an animated adaptation that may not be faithful but is always fascinating.

How so? Well, let's start with the first 10 minutes of "Christmas Carol — The Movie." Where we see Ebenezer Scrooge acquiring a new list of debtors from another money lender, Mr. Leach. Ebenezer then turns these accounts over to Old Joe. You know? The guy who usually runs the Rag & Bone Shop? The place where the undertaker, the charwoman and the laundress go to sell off Scrooge's belongings in the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Be portion of the story?

Anyway … Ebenezer tells Old Joe to move on these accounts immediately. And even though it's Christmas Eve, Joe gets the necessary court orders and begins making the rounds. Rousting those who can't pay from their homes and then taking them straight to debtors prison.


Copyright 2003 MGM Home Entertainment

While all of this is happening, we're then introduced to Belle's world. We see that she now works for kindly old Dr. Lambert. Who is — just this moment — is discharging Tiny Tim after treating this poor boy for pneumonia.

Suddenly Old Joe & his goons burst in. And after collecting Lambert for falling behind in his payments, they then tell Belle that — if she wants to get the good doctor out of debtors prison — she's going to have to bring payment in full to the man who now holds his account. One Ebenezer Scrooge.

So Belle now writes a letter to Ebenezer that asks this old miser to take their personal history into account & show some mercy toward Dr. Lambert. Belle then hand-delivers this message to Scrooge's office. Only to have Bob Crachit accidentally misplace her note.

Mind you, all of this story comes before the start of the traditional version of "A Christmas Carol." Where Scrooge arrives at his office & begins barking at Bob Crachit, heaping abuse on his nephew, Fred, etc. Now to add to this that one of the very first things that we see Ebenezer do once he actually gets into work is this miser being kind. Slipping a tiny piece of cheese to a mouse in his office, while deliberately making sure that Bob Crachit doesn't witness this act of charity.


Copyright MGM Home Entertainment

And while we're now sort of plugged into the version of "A Christmas Carol" that we've previously known, the deviations from Dickens keep on coming. Take — for example — Tiny Tim's illness. Now Bob Crachit's son becomes deathly ill because Tim's part of a group of Christmas carolers that Scrooge tries to drive away from his window by throwing a bucket of water on them. So becoming wet on the cold streets of London is what causes Tiny Tim's persistant cough to return. And then … Well, you can guess where this part of the story goes from here.

And when it comes to all of those spirits who visit Ebenezer on Christmas Eve, Murakami & Kroon mix up the batting order a bit. Given that they have the Ghost of Jacob Marley visit Scrooge in his offices just after Bob Crachit leaves for the night.

This sequence is particularly eerie. Given that — even as Jacob is trying to tell Ebenezer to mend his ways — Marley is always fighting against his chains, trying to prevent them from pulling him backwards out the window.

You see, this version of Jacob is literally chained to another set of miserable spirits. Which is why Marley can always pause a moment in Ebenezer's office before he must continue on in his unending journey of torment.


Copyright MGM Home Entertainment

Mind you, Scrooge clearly doesn't learn all that much during Jacob's visitation. Given that — immediately after Marley's ghost is pulled backwards through the window — the charitable gentlemen show up at Ebenezer's offices seeking contributions for the poor. And Scrooge quickly brushes these two off before heading home for the night.

We now cut back to Belle watching over the remaining sick children in the charity ward. Agonizing how she's ever going to take care of all of these kids now that Dr. Lambert has been locked away in debtors prison.

From here in on, we pretty much follow the established path for "A Christmas Carol." What with the Ghost of Christmas Past arriving and then taking this flinty old miser on a tour of his past. Again, Murakami & Kroon try to make Belle much more of a presence in this version of Dickens' classic tale by casting her as Fan's best friend from school. Which means that Ebenezer is now able to meet his future fiancee much, much earlier in the story.


Copyright MGM Home Entertainment

We now chug through the usual moments. The party at Fezziwig's. Belle & Ebenezer becoming engaged. Followed by Scrooge's fiancee returning his engagement ring because his heart has become so hard.

Now it's time for the Ghost of Christmas Present to come on the scene. Where this holiday spirit first takes Ebenezer on a stylized trip through Christmas Day. The animation in this section of this movie is particularly striking. With Scrooge learning to wield the Ghost of Christmas Present's horn of plenty as they fly past these holiday scenes rendered in wild pastels.


Copyright MGM Home Entertainment

Mind you, this joyful interlude is interrupted by a scene which shows Old Joe & his crew clearing all of Dr. Lambert's equipment out of his office. Thereby making it impossible for this charity ward to stay in business. Then it's time to drop by the Crachits for Christmas dinner. Where Ebenezer now learns about the part he played in Tiny Tim's latest illness.

As Scrooge is trying to process all this, finally realizing the full depth of the misery that he's brought into the world … Who should arrive but the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Be?

Now what's truly cool about this section of "Christmas Carol — The Movie" is that this holiday spirit is composed entirely of shadows. So that — when the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Be has something that he has to show Scrooge — he just transforms himself into that particular scene. So that we now get to see the Crachits' first holiday dinner after Tiny Tim's passing done entirely in silhouette.


Copyright MGM Home Entertainment

Murakami & Kroon also do a neat callback to Jacob Marley's appearance in Scrooge's graveside scene. Given that — almost immediately after Ebenezer arrives in front of his headstone — a chain jumps out of the ground & wraps itself around this miser's waist. And — as Scrooge apologizes to Bob Crachit for the role that he played in Tiny Tim's death — he finds himself dragooned into the same group of ghouls as Jacob Marley. Who then drag the now-screaming Ebenezer off into the night sky.

Now Christmas morning arrives. And Scrooge discovers that he is not in fact dead. But very much alive and able to make amends for all the wrongs that he's done over the years.

So we now see Ebenezer go through all of the usual "Christmas Carol" moments. Sending that young boy off with a wad of cash so that he can then buy the prize turkey for the Crachits. But then — for just a moment — Scrooge backslides. Wondering aloud if that boy will actually do as he asked or just run off with the money.


Copyright MGM Home Entertainment

But then Ebenezer glances in the mirror and catches a glimpse of that immense chain that Jacob mentioned still wrapped around his waist. Scrooge now realizes that he's actually going to have to work this spiritual debt off. So the now-reformed miser then wanders through the streets of London, doing good. And — en route — Ebenezer once again encounters the Ghost of Christmas Past & Present. Who genuinely seem pleased to see Scrooge out amongst his fellow man, trying to undo all of the damage that he's done over the years.

Which brings us back to Belle. Who — late Christmas night — confronts Ebenezer on the steps of his home and then berates her old fiancee for closing Dr. Lambert's charity ward. Scrooge immediately apologizes and says that he'll forgive the doctor's debts. Ebenezer even promises to replace all of Lambert's now-lost equipment and underwrite the cost of running this clinic for the poor from here on in. As Belle wonders what's happened to her old fiancee to cause him to undergo such a huge change of heart, there's a hint that these two may eventually reconcile.

From there, we get the usual assortment of final scenes. With Scrooge promising to help Crachit & his struggling family and all that. And with that, "Christmas Carol — The Movie" quickly draws to a close.

Okay. So this is obviously not a traditional adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic holiday tale. And I haven't even mentioned the most annoying aspect of "Christmas Carol — The Movie." Which is this cloyingly cute pair of mice that Murakami & Kroon have shoehorned into the story. Who — just as Jaq & Gus did with that key in Disney's "Cinderella" — are constantly hauling Belle's note around, trying to get Ebenezer to finally notice it.

If you're willing to overlook that particular aspect of this adaptation (As well as the fact that the film-makers play pretty fast & loose with the traditional plot of Dickens' classic holiday tale), what you're left with is a very well animated version of "A Christmas Carol" that features a surprisingly strong vocal cast (I.E. Simon Callow as Ebenezer, Kate Winslet as Belle and Nicholas Cage as Jacob Marley).

In short, "Christmas Carol — The Movie" is an interesting variation of this old holiday theme. One that you may want to check out sometime if you've finally had your fill of the Alastair Sim version of "A Christmas Carol."

Tomorrow … How exactly do they celebrate the holidays down in the Briar Patch? Well, I guess we'll find out when I review "Brer Rabbit's Christmas Carol."

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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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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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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