General

The Story Behind the Toonville Murders: Part One

Jim Korkis gives JHM readers a peek at another fun what-might-have-been project. This time around, it’s a trip through the seedier side of Hollywood’s cartoon underworld.

Published

20 years ago

July 21, 2003

Jim Korkis

I was once described as a living cartoon partly because of my enthusiasm and partly because of a very expressive face highlighted by two heavy black eyebrows that are constantly in motion as if they were two caterpillars in heat. However, I have appeared as a literal cartoon character. My friend Mark Evanier without my knowledge put me in DYNOMUTT #2 (Marvel Comics January 1977) in a story drawn by Dan Spiegle called “Identity Crisis” where a talk show hostess is trying to unmask the true identity of the Blue Falcon. I am one of the suspects (along with three other friends Gary Brown, Jeff Wasserman and Alan Hutchinson who along with me were all members of the same comic book apa at the time) as well as Radley Crown who was the real Blue Falcon. Interestingly, the caricature in the comic book looks pretty close to what I looked like at the time: more hair and less poundage than today’s version. Evanier also took me by surprise again when he included me in GROO THE WANDERER #7 (Pacific Comics, February 1984) where my name was used as the name of a village that was being sacked, looted and pillaged. Then in THE PHANTOM #6 (DC Comics, August 1989) my friend Mark Verheiden (who now writes for SMALLVILLE) cast me as steersman for a boat transporting toxic waste to be dumped in Africa. And that is only the tip of the iceberg.

I’ve even written a few comic books including some Tiny Toons stories for Warner Brothers International that I am particularly proud of and am very thankful to editor Katie Main for her guidance and support which she supplied at the time. Some of you may know that I also wrote over fifty historical introductions to different comic book collections published by Malibu Graphics as well as several dozen more that were never published. One of my greatest regrets is a comic book series that I pitched to Malibu that was animation related than never got published. I think all writers have projects that they loved and think are the greatest projects of all time but none of them have been given an outlet at jimhillmedia to share them.

In 1991, Malibu was going to publish CARTOON CONFIDENTAL, the book about animation written by John Cawley and myself. I was extremely happy with my relationship with Dave Olbrich, Tom Mason and Scott Rosenberg who were running Malibu at the time. Not only were they true professionals but they had a passionate love for what they were doing that more than overcame their budget restrictions.

At the San Diego Comic Book Convention that year, I pitched several ideas to Tom that John Cawley and I had developed as well as some I had developed on my own. Since Malibu only published in black and white, I tried to create projects that would take advantage of that format. One pitch was for a three issue series entitled YOUNG WALT which would have told some inspiration Horatio Alger like stories of the early life of Walt Disney. Since it would deal in the early years before the famous trademarked Disney characters, I felt we could steer clear of possible lawsuits but still cover some of the things that inspired later Disney triumphs as well as achieving an old time movie documentary feel because it was in black and white. I pitched almost a dozen different ideas but there was one that Tom especially liked that was called THE TOONVILLE MURDERS.

Obviously we avoided using the word “Toontown” since it was so closely connected to Disney and Roger Rabbit and besides we had a different idea of how a world where cartoons and humans mixed together would be handled. The story concentrated on the old public domain black and white cartoon characters which I felt would fit in pretty well with the black and white comic book.

Two of the major human players in the story would be John Cawley and myself which I also thought was a neat idea because we were real people and not actors playing a part so it added a sense of greater reality. I also felt that this would help expand the recognition of John and I as animation historians and that the publicity might help us sell some other projects we had under development.

We would use the three issue series to pay homage to some of the great but forgotten cartoon stars of the past, parody animation art dealers/collectors, deal with questions of tolerance, provide commentary on the threat of computer animation and parallel the careers of some of the great live action silent film stars who faded when new technology took over.

A month after the San Diego convention, John and I submitted an outline and Tom wrote a detailed two page single-spaced critique of where he wanted it to go. Following all of his suggestions, we sat down and worked out the outline for a three issue limited series. John is a fox collector so we included two new fox characters (which could be merchandised of course) and I included a cute sexy young female toon because if the series had continued I would have explored what a romantic relationship between a human and a toon might actually be like along the lines of the direction being taken in television’s ALIEN NATION series.

We drove out to the Malibu offices for lunch after we had finished the final outline and got treated to a free lunch and free comics. At lunch, Tom, Dave and Scott were especially interested in the merchandising potential. We had suggested that each cover of the mini series be done with a printed painted plastic cover of a character in black and white with the actual cover being a painted background so when the two were put together it would look like a cel. In each issue would be a coupon and if the reader collected all three coupons , it could be turned in for yet another limited edition fake cel and dealers who ordered so many copies would get as a gift yet another different fake black and white cel. With all the furor of the time over animation cels and dealers marking up the price of the fake cels in the MICKEY IS SIXTY and the BUGS BUNNY birthday magazine, we thought this would catch people’s excitement to buy the comic and hopefully once they did would enjoy it. We talked about trading cards with the characters on the front and animation trivia or animation history on the back.

They suggested PVC figures and wanted to make sure that the characters we finally picked would be suitable for that type of project. We also talked about producing a video with some public domain cartoons of some of the characters that would appear in the series along with commentary by John and myself. John and I guaranteed that we could get some publicity in the animation related publications and that we would make ourselves available so we could talk about animation to radio and television shows publicizing the books since we had both had extensive media training.

We went away and started to work. Then things fell apart. Tom liked the story but worried about finding a suitable artist. John and I talked about approaching friends we knew like Scott Shaw or Dave Bennett or some other animation artist to do the work and then cut them in on the ownership. Tom started to question why Cawley and Korkis were appearing in the book since we weren’t as famous as Leonard Maltin outside the animation community. No matter how much we cut back on the Cawley and Korkis involvement in the story, we kept getting requests to feature Paul Terry, Walt Disney and Winsor McCay as the heroes. We discussed why this might result in some lawsuits and emphasized the publicity advantage and the sense of reality of having Cawley and Korkis in the book and available for appearances.

It became apparent that we were pretty low priority in the overall scheme of things as Malibu was developing other outlets including video games and possible media tie-ins, so by mutual agreement, the project was abandoned. There were no hard feelings. They had obviously worked with other creators who wanted to take projects in different directions than Malibu wanted to go. John and I had other projects including other books where we could devote our energies. Malibu in fact published another animation book by John and I about animation art collecting and I continued to write stuff for Malibu including a three issue comic book history of Sixties Rock and Roll (which was this close to publication until Marvel bought the company and decided not to publish some of the Malibu projects that had been developed).

But, by golly, I liked the TOONVILLE MURDERS and in the hopes you might like it as well. Here is one of the outlines of that comic book series that never was that featured Korkis and Cawley:

THE TOONVILLE MURDERS: BOOK ONE

Inside a dingy tenement apartment, silent toon star Dinky Doodle sits reading the obit of his toon dog who committed suicide in his water dish as the Phil Donahue show on television blares away in front of him with Gertie the Dinosaur discussing “Bisexual Toons”. The scene is intercut with film noir images of a large faucet filling up a dirty bathtub.

Debby Doodle, a twenty-something toon girl who is sexy in a wholesome way, is the niece of Dinky and is dragging a human reporter up to the apartment to interview her uncle. Entering the apartment, she screams as she sees an inky sludge floating on top of the bathtub water and spilling onto the floor.

The police arrive and squeegee up the mess and list the cause of death as “washout.” The police officer in charge who resembles Jack Webb explains to a rookie how too much real water will simply “wash” away old black and white toons. In fact, there is an underground business called “cel washing” where they assist old toons with suicide. A distraught Debby is taken off to a Silly Sidney the Elephant cartoon marathon to cheer her up.

The next day at the Toon Placement Center, human and toon employees try to find work for older toons. It is also a social center where old toons gather to play checkers, blow each other up with dynamite, argue about colorization and computerization and reminisce about the old days. All these activities are seen by two humans who look like Dave Olbrich and Tom Mason. They try to comfort Debby who works at the Center. They tell her that the market isn’t right for a comic book about her uncle and that no one would be interested in reading about him.

Foxette, a female toon who also works at the Center, brings in Korkis and Cawley to interview some of the old toons for their next book. The toons are disappointed that it is not Leonard Maltin and even though they have never heard of Korkis and Cawley, they each try to compete for the attention of the writers by recreating some of their classic routines with disastrous results since they lack the timing and flexibility they had when they were younger.

These misadventures end with the entrance of Gertie the Dinosaur and her nephew, Guenther, a sullen, black jacketed bi-ped dinosaur about the size of a small elephant. She is excited that she has an upcoming audition for a commercial about dinosaur shaped cereal and has brought samples. An angry Debby attacks Gertie, claiming the dinosaur ignored her uncle’s repeated calls to her. She is slapped across the room by Guenther and runs outside, followed by Korkis and Cawley. She tells them that if they want a real story to come with her to her uncle’s apartment.

In the alley behind them is a strangely shaped shadow and there is crackling laughter which the trio do not hear. In the apartment, human collectors are ransacking the place, taking model sheets, cels, etc. while landlord Molly Moo Cow, a toon, explains that she let them in because they paid Dinky’s back rent. Korkis and Cawley have to physically restrain Debby from tying the cow’s udder to her cowbell and they yell at everyone to get out.

They sit Debby in front of the television to watch Dan Rather on the news and calm down as they straighten up the apartment. Korkis finds a magazine shoved behind a desk with a reference to computer animation circled. Debby is puzzled because her uncle hated computer animation.

Suddenly, Rather announces the suicide of Gertie the Dinosaur, switching to a toon reporter standing in Gertie’s backyard. There is a large grey sludge floating on top of a swimming pool. An upset gardener who looks like Rodney Dangerfield tells police that he doesn’t know how real water rather than toon water got in the pool.

“It wasn’t suicide,” states Cawley to a stunned Korkis and Debby, “It was murder and I can prove it. The killer made one mistake.”

Through the open door to the apartment are seen gloved hands holding a water bucket with water dripping down the sides. Join us next time for “Water You Doing?” or “Wetting for Godot.”

General

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

Published

8 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

8 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

8 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