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The 3rd Annual ABC Primetime Preview Weekend at DCA: Will there be a 4th?

George Lopez proves to be more trouble than Andy ***.

Published

21 years ago

on

Well, for the first time, we had a three day ABC Primetime Preview event, they added Friday this year, with the event being held September10th thru 12th.

I have a great story regarding George Lopez, but we will save that till the end….

Let’s look quickly back at the event, the 1st version was held in August of 2002. The highlights included a live version of Whose Line is it Anyways? in the Hyperion Theater hosted by Drew Carey, who said some interesting jokes, some directed at the park he was in. One interesting fact was that they lifted the blockout dates for AP holders to attend the event at DCA (though they were still blocked out of Disneyland). A big highlight for me was the fact that they had the 4 major Sports Trophies all at the same time, on one table! (NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL). It is VERY rare to get all four of them in one location. (ABC was broadcasting all 4 championships that year).

Year 2 had the event moved to September, which makes sense in regards to the start of the Television Fall Season, but also happens to fall at the same time as the opening weekend of the Los Angeles County Fair. Was this one reason for moving the event, to shift some of the media coverage to the Disneyland Resort and away from Pomona?

And now we just had year 3, also held the weekend after Labor Day, also the opening of the LA County Fair, but when they announced the ABC event, they stated that it would be 3 days long, Friday thru Sunday.

Well Friday turned out to be named “TGIF Sneak Peek” just a couple of weeks before the event, and was a much lesser day than either Saturday or Sunday. Friday consisted of 4 screenings of the Friday comedy’s in the Golden Dreams Theater, and then what was billed as “America’s Funniest Home Videos Live”. This turned out to be a question and answer session with Chris Harrison of the Bachelor hosting, with AFV’s host Tom Bergeron coming out and basically answering questions from both Chris, and the audience. Only a couple of minutes of actual home video was shown. Attendance at the park seemed to be about the same as a average off-season Friday night.

Saturday was the big day, which offered the most shows, plus the one performance of Jim Belushi’s band. Last year, they offered the concert on two nights (it was the “big” event that replaced the live version of Whose Line is it Anyways?). A couple of other changes, first is that Disney found a sponsor, Aloha Airlines to help cover the costs. Also, they cut back on the events offered. To help facilitate the movement of the celebrities they centralized the event around the Golden State Park area.

The setup this year had the Live Radio booths along the Parade Route near the Pacific Wharf area, a small stage (compared to last year) in the Golden State Amphitheater, Screening of shows, and sometimes a live Q&A in the Golden Dreams Theater. The Public Photo Location was set up along the Grizzly Trail, near the bathrooms behind the Golden Dreams Theater. The private Media center for Still Photography and Television interviews was placed in the west end of the Golden Vine Winery (they built walls to keep the area closed to the public). Disney also set up a backstage rest area, and converted part of the Wine Country Trattoria to serve the celebrities meals and give them some privacy. Last year, the Public Photo Ops were spread throughout the park, which ended up causing some serious time delays to the schedule. This year keeping everything condensed and being able to use some backstage routes helped keep things pretty much on schedule.

A second area was setup in the Hollywood Pictures Backlot area. This was for the “ABC Kids Zone”, plus the Wonderful World of Disney. This was designed for kids with lots of Character photo ops plus a couple of Q&A sessions with the cast of Phil in the Future on the Hollywood Backlot Stage.

A Information booth was set up in the middle of Sunshine Plaza, and a couple of booths set up near the entrance of the Boudin Bakery Tour to allow folks to apply to be on either Extreme Makeover or Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.

Saturday had 10 ABC shows in attendance, while Sunday had 6.

By far the most popular thing was the Public Photo Op on the Grizzly Trail. This was where guests actually got to stand next to their favorite celebrities and get a photo taken (due to time constraints, no Autographs were allowed). The second most favorite event was the Question and Answer sessions held at Golden State Amphitheater. The Golden Dreams Theater were mainly full, partially due to the fact they offered Air Conditioning, as since it was unusually Hot and Humid in Anaheim.

Saturday seemed to be busier than normal, but by no means packed, than an typical off-season Saturday. Sunday’s crowd seemed to be actually a bit less than normal. I expected more, especially since the Southern California Annual Pass holders were blocked out on Saturday, but could attend on Sunday.

So will we see a 4th Annual ABC Primetime Preview weekend?

Good question, ABC likes the event, as it gives them some extra exposure, a chance to film commercials with non-paid “extras” (aka guests), and offers a centralized media event, where they can get a lot of coverage in one place. Also, this event is similar to the NFL Pro Bowl (Say WHAT!!!!) Football and DCA… well, where is the Pro Bowl played…. Hawaii! The players really don’t want to play ONE more game, so the “free trip” for let alone the player, but also their family is a big deal.. not for the player, but for the family, who will put pressure on the player to attend. Same with this event, celebrity families (read into this “the kids”) get a weekend at the park, they get free nights at the Grand Californian, front of the line ride privileges, etc…. And many families do show up. Also the synergy factor, as the commercials ABC films will help plug DCA when they air.

Disney Theme Park division likes the fact that they don’t have to “pay” to get the celebrities, and the fact that the ABC division helps pay the bill. They are hoping to help drive attendance, but based on what I know, all they are doing is drawing in some AP holders who will make an extra visit due to the event, plus all those comp admissions from the celebrities and their families. They also like the exposure from the media coverage. Interesting to note that if you notice the logo’s around the park, inside the park they said “at Disney’s California Adventure Park”, but in the Media center, and in ABC’s coverage, they used “at Disneyland Resort”, so management knows about the coverage of the event, and what they want to advertise. The big drawback to the Theme Parks is the extensive labor they need to set up and run the additional events, plus all the hosts they need to escort the celebrities and the media. (Though they did cut back on that somewhat this year, one of the reasons for the centralized locations).

So will we have a 4th Annual event? Good Question, we won’t know until sometime next summer, but I am not sure, my guess about 50/50…

Why…

  • Will it detract from the 50th celebration?
  • Is it worth the extra costs?
  • And who will pick up the costs?

All good questions and only time will tell.

But I promised you a story, one that makes George Lopez a “Bad Boy”.

First off, I was truly impressed by all the celebrities that attended the event this weekend..

Saturday night after the event, I happened to be at the HearthStone Lounge at the Grand Californian around 9 PM. Dominic Monoghan from the new series “Lost”, but better known as “Merry” from the Lord of the Rings trilogy was also there. He was so gracious with his fans, posing for pictures and signing autographs, and this was supposed to be his “time off”.

I can tell many more stories like that, but lets focus on George Lopez, on my way to the HearthStone Lounge Saturday night, George and his family was walking down the Grizzly Trail, it was pretty quiet, but a few guests still went up and said hello, and he was signing autographs and being very nice to them. And his “official” duties ended around 5 PM.

But let me tell you a story from the media center. Most shows had a group of activities, they had time at the Public Photo Op, the Q&A session with the guests, the Parade of Stars, some promotional filming, mainly having them ride Tower of Terror and maybe one or two more rides, and maybe some commercial filming in the park. Then they had the Media stuff, spending some time walking down a line of Live Radio booths, which this year was about 10 station from the West Coast, plus the Media Center, which was set up for TV interviews (for about an hour), plus the still “Paparazzi” photo shots. And yes, there was quite a few professional photographers who solely came to the event to get just the “right” shot with the Promo Wall behind them that could be sold to People Magazine, etc…. Well, as a photographer I also got the right to take photos at the same time…. And I got some great shots, but it is a long day for the Paparazzi since they basically get a few minutes of shots about every 90 minutes, and a lot of waiting in between. Many of the stars know the regular photographers, and well, George Lopez is one of those. He came out early “between” shots and said hello, and could tell the photographers were bored, so he came up with an idea to “wake us up”.

When he came out for his official Media Photo Op, he had a Sharpie, and started to write on the wall, the one that is used for the backdrop with the logos. Well, he wrote “Watch George Lopez Tuesday’s 8:30 on ABC!”. Which is clever, though a few folks in management started to worry about how they were going to get it off the wall before the next Photo Op. Well, George posed for a few photos, and then decided to go back to the wall… this time he added “No on Bush!”.. now he really got the management attention, remember this is the same company that decided not to release Michael Moore’s latest film. But they still needed to bring out more of the cast, so the photo op went on…. but George wasn’t done, he decided to add one last comment… this time “Erik Estrada Sucks”.

Well, when the cast went to the TV interview areas, they said “no more pictures” and they couldn’t get it covered up fast enough. The joke in the Media center after that was that all the stars were being frisked for Sharpies before entering the center. While some of us Media folks wanted to start selling spray paint…. Hoped you enjoyed the article and the photos, if you want to check out more, you can always visit my photo site, http://darkbeer.smugmug.com.

See you next time.

— David Michael
darkbeer@ml1.net

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

10 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

10 years ago

on

June 10, 2015

By

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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

Your thoughts?

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General

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

Published

10 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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