General

The Once and Future Kingdom — Part II: The Fellowship

Themed entertainment insider Vance Rest continues his exciting debut series at JHM. In today’s installment, Vance talks about what the Walt Disney Company should be doing to keep its Creative staff happy and productive.

Published

20 years ago

February 3, 2004

Jim Hill

Hey, gang!

Based on the e-mails I got yesterday as well as the notes that popped up on JHM’s discussion boards, it’s clear that you guys really like hearing what Vance Rest has to say. So I’m not going to waste any more of his or your time by foisting yet another yammering introduction on you all.

I just want to remind you folks that Vance is a rather passionate guy and that — upon occasion — he uses words and/or makes jokes that aren’t entirely family friendly. That said, I still feel that this is an important piece of writing. Something that everyone who loves what the Walt Disney Company once stood for should make a point of reading.

Okay. That’s enough out of me for this morning. Let’s see what Mr. Rest have to say today, okay?

jrh

IT WOULD BE TUNNEL-VISION, EXCEPT THEY SOLD THEIR EYES ON EBAY

In Part I of this series, “The Meek Shall Inherit the Happiest Place on Earth,” the shroud of ‘business as usual’ that veiled the strip-mining Nihilists in charge of the Walt Disney Company was cast aside, and we examined the roots of their cowardice. We are now at the Second PASS/ FAIL point for Disney’s Resuscitate and Revitalize Team. Once the callous fools that are currently holding the corporate reins are gone, it is time for the Mouse House’s new management team to line up its Creative Troops. With a decade of unrelenting greed by the company’s higher-ups and treatment of Disney employees that was so shameful that it is painful to even consider, this is going to be a Battle Royale to win back the hearts and minds of the people, and Disney’s Creatives are going to need your support.

That’s right, executive-producing-business-end folks. Your new role will be in support.

More than a fundamental understanding of Disney’s role in the American cultural fabric, more than developing a keen eye for storytelling that will keep you from saying “no thanks” to “Ice Age,” “Lord of the Rings,” and “we’ll do fine without ‘Harry Potter’,” you executive-producing-business-end folks need to be in the business of making Glass Tubes…

THE ONCE AND FUTURE KINGDOM *WHAT WENT WRONG* and *The STRATEGIC OPPORTUNITIES to REBUILD the NAME and IDEA of DISNEY* A 3 PART code book to the American Imagination PART II: THE FELLOWSHIP

Awash in a sea of typical ABC dreck, several years ago, there existed a lone program of exceptional quality. Naturally, the executives (who couldn’t market the Second Coming) had no idea what to do with it, and canceled it to make way for little gems like “Are You Hot?” and “I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here.” But the lessons of the unfortunately named screwball comedy “Sports Night” must not be forgotten. With devilishly clever dialogue and expertly crafted characters, the show revolved around the personal and professional lives of the quirky but immensely talented cast and crew of a “Sports Center” -esque cable sports show. Much of the show within a show’s conflict sprang from the production team’s ON-GOING BATTLE TO DO THEIR JOBS UNDER THE THUMB OF THE NICKEL-NURSING MBAs’ CRIPPLING MICROMANAGEMENT. Yes, Disney is getting dangerously close to buckling under the weight of its own *irony*, but let’s stay focused, people, shall we? Grasping the (hauntingly ironic) importance of one episode in particular is essential to Disney’s rebirth, and sustaining that success once its achieved. It features a tour-de-force 11th hour monologue from William H. Macy’s character, a ratings consultant named Sam Donovan. He addresses a coven of network executives, who, though they have no experience in creative fields, have been providing “helpful” notes on producing the show.

SAM:

You guys know who Philo Farnsworth was? He invented television. I don’t mean he invented television like Uncle Milty. I mean he INVENTED the television in a little house in Provo, Utah at a time when the idea of transmitting moving pictures through the air would be like me saying I figured out a way to beam us aboard the Starship Enterprise. He was a visionary. He died broke and without fanfare.

The guy I really like, though, was his brother-in-law, Cliff Gardner. He said, “Philo, I know everyone thinks you’re crazy, but I want to be a part of this. I don’t have your head for science, so I’m not going to be able to help much with the design and the mechanics of the invention, but it sounds like you’re going to need glass tubes.” You see Philo was inventing the cathode receptor, and even though Cliff didn’t know what that meant or how it worked, he’d seen Philo’s drawing, and he knew he was going to need glass tubes…

Sam goes on to rhapsodize on Cliff’s sacrifices and steadfast dedication to play an invisible, supporting role in this monumental achievement that would afford him NO fortune or glory.

SAM:

…”I want to be a part of this,” Cliff said. I don’t have your head for science. How would it be if I were to teach myself to be a glass blower? And I could set up a little shop in the backyard. And I could make all the tubes you’ll need for testing.” There ought to be Congressional Medals for people like that.

(turning to the Network Executives) I’ve looked over the notes you’ve been giving over the last year or so, and I would have to say they exhibit an almost *total* lack of understanding of how to get the best from talented people. You’ve said before that for whatever reason I seem to be able to exert some authority around here. I assure you it’s not ’cause they like me. It’s ’cause they knew two minutes after I walked in the door I’m someone who knows how to do something. I can help. I can make glass tubes. That’s what they need.

In “The Sting,” Paul Newman says “Don’t treat your Friends like your Mark.” The Second PASS/ FAIL point for the Better Angels in Disney’s immediate future is whether or not they can assemble a support network of producing- executive-business-end types who can “make glass tubes.”

HOW IT’S DONE

Getting the best from creative people is a difficult skill to learn in the best of circumstances, but given the amount of damage control that is going to have to be done when the rebirth is launched, it’s going to be like teaching shell-shocked war veterans to be pyrotechnicians. Fortunately, we have a decade of laughably disastrous mismanagement to turn to for anti-precedent. Whole careers will be made trying to undo the damage of that braying joker Pressler.

THE CARE AND FEEDING OF YOUR CREATIVES: TREAT THEM RESPECTFULLY

This one should go without mention, but sadly, the state of the art is that the folks up top treat their Creatives in a manner unbefitting prisoners of war. HOW CAN YOU EXPECT MEN AND WOMEN DEATHLY AFRAID OF LOSING THEIR JOBS TO FUNCTION ARTISTICALLY?!? In fact, forget that they are even in creative positions for the moment, you CANNOT treat any employees in this fashion. As you continue to give yourselves multi-million dollar bonuses for screwing up the most intellectually significant company in the world, it is UNCONSCIONABLE that you would say to the Heart and Soul of your company that “You were overpaid.” These are real people with real husbands and wives and real children, and given the FREEDOM and JOB SECURITY to create, they will provide you with the most extraordinarily resonant stories ever told.

This is an adjunct to the above point, but (apparently) it must be said: You Must Treat the Outside Companies You Deal With In An EQUALLY Respectful Manner. NO MORE CHEAP NEGOTIATING and SCHEMING to SCREW YOUR CREATIVE PARTNERS. This is precisely what blew the Muppet deal in the early ’90s- when the lawyers and executives tried to take advantage of the death of Jim Henson to craft a cheaper deal. And this POSTURING GARBAGE is what’s screwing up the PIXAR deal for Disney (EDITOR’S NOTE- Vance sent this last week, BEFORE PIXAR walked away. Jeez, the Psychic Friends Network should have called this guy). Folks, this is not typical deal-making, not even in Hollywood. Last May, Disney Executives reportedly CONSPIRED to plant stories the week after “Finding Nemo” opened- billing it as ‘the Summer’s Big Disappointment’ in an effort to strike a cheaper deal with PIXAR. Fortunately the good taste of the public (with the largest opening weekend for an Animated Movie- Ever) forced them to scrub that plan at the last second. Remember that the next time you hear Michael and his underlings take credit for “Finding Nemo,” and how it gave Disney a deceptively profitable year for the Studio. The fact remains, the higher-ups at the Mouse House pull this kind of bush league trickery ALL THE TIME. It’s offensive to their Creative Partners, and the absolute worst way to get the best out of creative people. Not to mention it’s Amateur Hour crap that leaves a bad taste in everyone’s mouth, including the public’s. THE PUBLIC NEEDS TO SEE YOU TREAT YOUR CREATIVES RESPECTFULLY… You’ll see how this is the cornerstone to Disney’s future and how this pays off in Part III.

THE CARE AND FEEDING OF YOUR CREATIVES: TRUST AND CONFIDENCE

You are the executive-producing-business-types. Your role is to support the creative. You must TRUST THE CREATIVES ON THE CREATIVE. Did you work hard to get where you are? So did they. Only more so because there is only ONE place in the world that does what they do. They are the summital of their craft. Leave the artistic decisions to them. When you figure that out, your lives GET A LOT SIMPLER.

YOU DON’T HAVE TO SPEND MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN MARKETING AND SURE-FAIL QUICK-FIXES TO CONVINCE PEOPLE TO COME TO SOMETHING IF IT’S WHAT THEY WANTED TO DO IN THE FIRST PLACE. Stop telling people what they want. If people had wanted to go to a Six Flags with delusions of California Grandeur, they would have gone by now. How reliable was your marketing researching after all?

I very briefly touched on this in Part 1, but focus groups and surveys only tell you what that independent vendor wants you to hear to ensure more work for themselves. The way people answer surveys and in focus groups enters variables of posturing and what is socially acceptable. After an election, surveys show a significantly higher number of people who say they voted than actually did. Trust your artists, they won’t make fools out of you. Additionally, confidence in projects is essential to more than the artists. IT IS THE ROCK THE PUBLIC BUILT THEIR CHURCH ON. Again, you’ll see how this pays off in Part III, but (let me give you a little preview) not waiting to see if an animated or live action picture cracks $200 million before starting development of a ride would be a good thing. These things energize one another.

While we’re on the subject of box office, the receipts for the first 3 days (or in the case of the screwing of “Brother Bear” 2 days) are NO INDICATOR OF HOW WELL A STORY HAS RESONATED WITH THE PUBLIC. Quick, NAME the characters in “Armageddon” or “Independence Day” (and don’t say Bruce Willis and Bill Pullman). Remember, “The Wizard of Oz” tanked royally when it first hit theaters in 1939. It was only after WWII, with Annual Televised Valentine’s Days’ showings, that “Oz” found its way into the hearts of the people. If you can’t see parallels between this and current cash cow “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” you’re not trying hard enough.

To revitalize, to succeed, DISNEY MUST BE A BRAIN TRUST OF THE BEST AND BRIGHTEST CREATIVE MINDS IN THE WORLD TODAY- fostering new genius and partnering with established brilliance (Hey, executives. That was your cue to put down that product proposal for the “Lizzie McGuire” home pregnancy test and call J.K. Rowling and Peter Jackson NOW).

NO MORE CASTE SYSTEM OF IDEAS. there’s no such thing as “good enough for TV.” DON’T MOVE ON ANYTHING UNTIL IT BLOWS YOUR HAIR BACK AND MAKES YOUR EYELIDS FLAP LIKE WINDOWSHADES!

Do you producing-executive-business-types even watch the Bonus Features on the PIXAR DVDs? They’re only the highest selling movies of all time… <pause for awkward silence from executives>… Fine, let me explain… no there is too much, let me sum up- THE STORY IS EVERYTHING!

Your R and D and STORY Departments are your best friends. And they must have YOUR TRUST and THEIR FREEDOM to do their jobs. The Haunted Mansion was in development for over a decade. And now it is one of the most beloved attractions of all time. It has been a tent-pole of the park experience since the day it opened in 1969 and its merchandise potentials (only vaguely being realized now) are making more $ for the company than ever.

Speaking of which, CLASSIC IS CLASSIC BECAUSE IT NEVER GOES OUT OF STYLE- THE GOAL MUST BE TO MAKE EVERYTHING YOU MAKE CLASSIC (THE PARKS ARE THERE FOREVER. QUICK-FIXES ARE FICTION. PEOPLE WHO PROPOSE THEM ARE LIARS TRYING TO GET AHEAD AT THE EXPENSE OF THE LONG TERM. THEIR LOYALTY IS TO THEMSELVES. This is a great Loyalty Test.).

Now that’s only the tip of the ice berg, but this foundation should give you an idea of how to progress. But I would be remiss not to at least mention an epidemic that has slipped in under radar- one that absolutely cripples any attempt to get the best from your Creatives…

THE CARE AND FEEDING OF YOUR CREATIVES: THE CHEATER’S OPINION

Cynicism. This unspeakably detrimental outlook is poisonous and it courses through the heart of the Walt Disney Company, heralding its downfall. There is not enough time now to examine its roots, but there is time to warn of its existence to those that would rebuild.

No one ever asks you to back up a cynical argument, because it comes with BUILT-IN LEGITIMACY. A cynical perspective *implies* you have examined an idea and rejected it because you know better. And now you are able to reap the windfall brilliance mystique. It’s easier. It isn’t risky. The power-players responsible for the gutting and collapse of Disney only offer negative fodder, and they *SEEM LIKE* the Smart Ones. Hell, anybody can sit around and criticize and reject. In a post-post-modern, info-saturated world, it’s a remarkably easy, popular position to take, just for the sake of having a position.

QUO VADIMUS — WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE

Randy Bright was right. His “American Adventure” show at Epcot speaks the truth. It is in mankind’s darkest hours that Americans are at their best, when they pull together and shine most spectacularly. Today, everywhere you turn, hope has faded to a twinkle — invisible to the naked eye. Who is refueling the imagination of man? Who is sparking the excitement of a world of possibilities to children? Disney must be the WPA for the human Imagination- lifting man’s hopes up by their bootstraps and giving them a new star to follow. This is only possible with management that TRUSTS the Creatives.

Returning once more to that lost gem “Sports Night,” this time we look to wisdom of Robert Guillome’s character, managing editor Isaac Jaffee.

ISAAC:

If you’re dumb, surround yourself with smart people. If you’re smart, surround yourself with smart people who disagree with you.

You must let go of the obsessive need to follow trends, and marketing data and all that other b.s. Trust your Creatives. Support them and your lives become a lot simpler. As it has been said, THE BEST WAY TO PREDICT THE FUTURE IS TO CREATE IT.

There are Greater Minds poised to unleash Disney’s potential standing at the gate. They have learned from the abundant mistakes of the past. They have the will to fight. They have the drive to enact change. Their quest is clear. Rid the company of the Creative Cowards whose loyalty is to themselves.

Fill the executive positions with folks who have finely honed instincts for creativity. You wouldn’t have a Medical Review Board without Doctors, would you?

Allow the artists to do their jobs by showing that you TRUST THEM

Then all that’s left is the fun part… ELECTRIFYING NEW IDEAS. And knowing what we know about the Creatives of Disney, when they have the freedom to do what they do best, well… THEY’LL BLOW THE DOORS OFF THE PLACE!

We’ll explore the specifics of these plans in Part III.

ADDENDUM: If I may have a word with the UNenlightened executives in power now…

Attention all producing-executive-business-end types who are incapable or unwilling to TRUST the Creatives in the manner discussed in Parts I and II: If you’re ashamed of what the real Disney is, you have no place at the organization.

Heed my words like you’ve never listened to another piece of advice in your lives. TIME IS UP. The Ramifications you’ve been ducking for a decade are breaking down the front door. IT’S TIME YOU FOUND GAINFUL EMPLOYMENT ELSEWHERE, WHERE YOU CANNOT HARM ART, STORIES AND THE IMAGINATIONS OF THE YOUNG AND THE YOUNG AT HEART. It might be best to leave Disney now, decrying it as a madhouse run by the inmates, than to be forced out when the great purging is upon you and the STENCH of your transgressions hangs upon you for the rest of your professional lives.

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