General

The “Star Tours” saga continues: George, Michael, Ron and Steven

Continuing his multi-part series on how this popular Disney theme park attraction actually came into being, Jim now reveals all the behind-the-scenes political manuevering that ultimately led to Michael Eisner being able to invite George Lucas to come work on a new ride for the parks.

Published

19 years ago

June 12, 2005

Jim Hill

Picking up where we left off on Friday: Hollywood is a very small town. Where you always have to be careful about what you say and — more importantly — who you say it to.

Case in point: The old ABC television, “Happy Days.” George Lucas wasn’t exactly thrilled with this Paramount sitcom. He always saw it as sort of a rip-off of his highly acclaimed 1973 feature, “American Grafitti.”

Now guess which then-ABC executive actually got this hit show on the air? More importantly, claims to have played a large part in this sitcom’s creation? You guessed it! Michael Eisner.

Now — of course — Lucas could have made a fuss about how “Happy Days” so obviously rode on “American Grafitti” ‘s coattails. How this Paramount Television production even went so far as cast Ron Howard — one of the members of “Graffiti” ‘s ensemble cast — to play Richie Cunningham.

But even back then, George was too smart to provide fodder for the Hollywood rumor mill. So though he may have groused privately about that TV show, Lucas never spoke out in public about how unhappy “Happy Days” made him.

And it was probably a good thing that he kept his mouth shut. For — five years later — when George and Steven Spielberg are going around Hollywood, trying to get some studio to cover “Raiders of the Lost Ark” ‘s estimated $20 million production cost, only one guy was brave enough to take a flyer on the project. And that was then-Paramount Pictures president Michael Eisner.

Mind you, before they went to Paramount, Lucas & Spielberg did make a stop at Walt Disney Productions. And then-Disney studio head Ron Miller did really want to make “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” But then-CEO Card Walker absolutely refused to allow Ron to pursue this project.

Why for? Because Card felt that the production deal that George & Steven had outlined (EX: The studio that ultimately produced “Raiders” would have to agree to share all of the revenue that this film produced with Lucas & Spielberg from the very first dollar that “Lost Ark” earned. Plus George & Steven would be entitled to part of the money that “Raiders” made off of the film’s merchandise and video sales. Plus Spielberg & Lucas would share the sequel rights with the studio) too heavily favored the two film-makers. Most importantly, that — were Walt Disney Productions to actually agree to produce “Raiders of the Lost Ark” — that the studio would be assuming all of the risk. With no guarantee — given the steep financial terms that George and Steven were insisting upon — that Disney would ever see any return on its investment.

Miller countered by saying that — given Lucas & Spielberg’s track record — that “Raiders” was almost certainly a sure thing. That this action adventure picture was virtually guaranteed to be a blockbuster. And that — even with the lopsided deal that George & Steven were putting on the table — Disney would still benefit in the long run by establishing a business relationship with two of Tinsel Town’s top hit-makers.

But Walker said “No.” And when Card said “No” … That pretty much ended all discussion at the Mouse House.

Which frustrated Ron to no end. Given how hard he’d worked at wooing George & Steven. Saying “Yes, of course!” when Spielberg asked Miller if he could use Disney’s “When You Wish Upon a Star” in his 1977 smash, “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” Then “Yes, of course!” again when Steven called Ron to see if the film-maker could use clips from “Dumbo” in his 1979 slapstick salute to the early days of World War II, “1941.”

Miller knew that — if he was going to move the Mouse Factory back into the mainstream, if he was going to make Disney a serious Hollywood player again — then he had to start doing business with people like Spielberg & Lucas. Or — at the very least — people who worked with George & Steven.

Which is why — in the Spring of 1982 — Ron Miller reached out to Michael Eisner and asked if the then-president and CEO of Paramount Pictures might be interested in running the studio side of Walt Disney Productions.

Mind you, Ron didn’t just pick Eisner’s name out of a hat. Miller and Eisner had already had some dealings back in 1980, when Paramount Pictures — when that studio was looking to cut some of the risk involved with producing two pretty iffy pictures — went over the hill to Burbank to see if Walt Disney Productions might be interested in co-financing “Popeye” and “Dragonslayer.”

Sensing that this was the studio’s chance to get back into big-time show business, Miller and Walker quickly agreed. And — by agreeing to put up half of the production costs for that Robert Altman film as well as that Matthew Robbins swords-and-sorcery fantasy — Disney won the right to release “Popeye” and “Dragonslayer” internationally. While Paramount retained the rights to release these two pictures domestically.

And — given that “Popeye” and “Dragonslayer” both made more money overseas than these two films did during their stateside run — it’s clear that Disney got the better end of the deal. At least this time around.

Anyway … Getting back to Ron’s meeting with Michael. So what exactly happened? Here, let me pull a quote from Eisner’s 1998 autobiography, “Work in Progress”:

“I want to know if you would be interested in running our studio,” [Miller] said. I explained that I was already president of a very successful studio. I listened sympathetically as he talked about movies for a broader audience beyond families with young children. I also encouraged him when he spoke about launching a second non-Disney label to produce more contemporary films aimed at an adult audience.

“If Disney really wants to be competitive in the family movie business,” I said, “you’re going to have to start attracting top outside talent and compensate them at the same level that other studios do. You’ve never replaced Walt creatively, and people like Steven Spielberg and George Lucas have become the Walt Disneys of our time. They’ve taken away your franchise.” A second non-Disney label, I told Ron, wouldn’t simply be a way to broaden the company’s business, but also to forge relationships with the best filmmakers. “They have children of their own, and once you’re in business with them, they’ll do Disney family films for you, too.”

Finally, I returned to my situation. “If you’re asking me to come and do the same job that I’ve been doing at Paramount, then reluctantly I’ll have to decline,” I said. “What does interest me is a job that includes running the studio and overseeing the theme parks.”

Obviously, this suggestion by Eisner (In essence, he was asking for Miller’s job) didn’t go over all that well with Ron. So he politely thanked Michael for coming over the hill to Burbank.

And that should have been the end of things … Except that … Well, it wasn’t.

You seem, now Disney was on Michael Eisner’s radar. And he knew that Miller was deeply unhappy with the way things were going at Walt Disney Productions. Which is why Michael now made it his business to keep close tabs on what was going on inside the Mouse House.

Which is why — in the Fall of 1982, when Card Walker suddenly announced that he would stepping down as Walt Disney Productions’ Chairman & CEO in 1983 — Eisner cold-called Miller. With Michael brazenly suggesting that he take over at Disney’s president while Ron assumed the chairmanship of the company. So that Eisner would then be in charge of Disney’s movies & television division while Miller was in charge of the theme parks.

Now wouldn’t this have been kind of an interesting little twist on Disney history? Instead of Michael Eisner replacing Ron Miller, how about the two of them working together to rebuild Walt Disney Productions in the early 1980s?

Now where this gets interesting is … Ron didn’t automatically dismiss Michael’s suggestion. In fact — again according to “Work in Progress” — Eisner, Miller and Walker actually had a meeting where Card officially offered Michael the job of president of Walt Disney Productions … Only to have Walker (Who evidently decided — after this meeting was over — that Eisner was some sort of slick Hollywood character) suddenly get cold feet and hurriedly withdrew the offer before it could be announced to the press.

In the end, Card seemed to think that what the Mouse House really needed wasn’t some Tinsel Town insider. But — rather — a good solid businessman who could then carefully groom Ron Miller for the big chair at Disney.

Of course, what Ron, Ray and Card didn’t realize was that Roy E. Disney and Stanley Gold were both deeply unhappy with the direction that Walt Disney Company was taking. Which was why — on March 9, 1984 — Roy resigned from Walt Disney Productions’ board of director and then …

(I know, I know. It’s deja vu all over again …)

Anyway … I’m pretty sure that you all remember how things worked out the first time around. Except that you may have forgotten a few behind-the-scenes twists on this tale. Like how the Bass Brothers of Fort Worth, TX — after they’d become the majority shareholders in Walt Disney Productions — allegedly approached George Lucas and asked him if he’d consider taking over as head of Disney Studios.

Lucas reportedly politely demurred, but then suggested Michael Eisner for the gig. At first, the Basses weren’t all that convinced that Eisner had what it took to run the Mouse House. But George was quick to talk up Michael’s good qualities to Richard Rainwater, Sid Bass’s top dealmaker. How — as head of Paramount Pictures — Eisner had this uncanny ability to pick hits. How “Airplane,” “Beverly Hills Cop,” “Flashdance,” “Footloose,” “Grease,” “Heaven Can Wait,” “An Officer and a Gentleman,” “Saturday Night Fever,” “Terms of Endearment” and “Trading Places” — not to mention three installments of the big screen version of “Star Trek” — had all been produced on Michael’s watch.

More importantly, Eisner was fearless. After all, wasn’t he the only executive brave enough to say “Yes” to “Raiders of the Lost Ark” after everyone else in Hollywood was saying “No”? That film went on to make $335 million worldwide, which meant that Paramount made a nice chunk of change. All because Michael was the only one to see that this project was worth the risk?

Mind you, Lucas didn’t just stop there. He called Spielberg and then had Steven phone individual members of the Disney board to say that the high grossing helmer actively supported Michael Eisner for CEO of the Walt Disney Company. More importantly, if the board did make Michael Disney’s new Big Cheese, Spielberg virtually guaranteed that he and Lucas would then come make movies for the Mouse Factory.

And Eisner … He was no slouch when it came to talking up his close ties with George and Steven. In conversations that Michael had with the Bass Brothers, he deliberately mentioned that — once Eisner got to be Disney’s new CEO — how he’d reach out to Lucas and negotiate a deal which would then bring the “Star Wars” characters to the Disney theme parks.

So — with that tempting bit of bait being dangled in front of them — is it really any wonder that the Basses and Disney’s board of directors eventually caved in and hired Michael Eisner and Frank Wells, making them ( respectively) the new CEO and the president of the Walt Disney Company?

Or that — in October of 1984, just two weeks after Michael had officially come to power at the Mouse House — Eisner made a call to Skywalker Ranch. when Disney’s new CEO personally invited the “Star Wars” creator to come tour WED Headquarters with him.

And what exactly did George see when he made that fateful trip to Glendale? Well, that I’ll tell you about tomorrow …

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