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Tune Thursday: Chatting with Chad Beguelin about “Disney’s Aladdin: The New Stage Musical”

Published

14 years ago

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Chad Beguelin remembers exactly when he decided to become a writer. It was when this Tony-nominated bookwriter & lyricist was 14. And Chad and his Dad had gone to NYC to see a show. And the show that they caught was Howard Ashman & Alan Menken's brilliant musicalization of Roger Corman's schlocky horror comedy, "The Little Shop of Horrors."


Ellen Greene & Audrey II in the original off-Broadway production of "Little
Shop of Horrors"

Now jump ahead a few decades. Thanks to the smart story work that he had done on the stage

adaptations of Adam Sandler's "The Wedding Singer" and Will Ferrell's "Elf," Beguelin had become Broadway's go-to guy whenever there was a movie that needed to be turned into a musical. Which is why Disney Theatrical reached out to Chad and asked : "Would you be interested in adapting Disney's animated feature, 'Aladdin' for the stage?"

To be honest, reaching out to Beguelin was something of a no-brainer. Given that — back in 2002 — Chad wrote the book for "Disney's Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular" (i.e. that 45-minute-long version of this Academy Award-winning film which is performed several times daily at Disney California Adventure theme park). So obviously he was already familiar with the material.

But this time around, Disney Theatrical had a very different "Aladdin" in mind. They weren't looking for another 45-minute-long theme park show. But — rather — a traditional two-act Broadway-style musical which could then be licensed out to regional theaters, for international production, etc. A show that adults could actually perform & appear in, rather than "Aladdin Kids," that for-children's-theater-only version which Music Theatre International licenses.

But for Beguelin … Given that he credits "Little Shop" with being the reason that Chad wound up in show business, being given the chance to once again adapt one of Ashman & Menken's animated features to the stage was like a dream come true. So Beguelin immediately said "Yes" to this assignment.


Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

But wait. This story gets better. As Chad recounted on the phone yesterday when we chatted about "Disney's Aladdin: The New Stage Musical" — the two-act stage musical adaptation of this Academy Award-winning animated feature, which will have its world-premiere at Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre this July …

"So I met with Alan Menken. And he basically gave me his blessing for adapting 'Aladdin' to  the stage," Beguelin recalled. "But then he said 'Wouldn't it be great if – as part of this stage version — you could then incorporate some of the songs that Howard and I originally wrote for this film that wound up getting cut?"

And from that moment, the development of a stage adaptation of Disney's "Aladdin" took a very interesting turn. As Menken went back into his files and then out pulled all of Ashman's hand-written lyrics & notes for this project.


Howard Ashman actually played the character of Aladdin in a Children's Theatre
Association Production of this story back in 1965. He's the one in the arms of
the chorus in the picture above

"As Alan handed this material to me, he joked that it came with authentic 80's smell," Chad continued. "And as I looked through the pile, there was this wealth of material. Bridges & additional verses for 'Arabian Nights.' An extended opening for 'Prince Ali.' Alternate lyrics for 'Friend Like Me' from back when the Genie was more of a Cab Calloway / Fats Waller kind of character, rather than Robin Williams. Plus entire songs that the public had never heard before"

Which got Beguelin wondering. Given that – when you're turning a movie into a musical — you never want to plop an exact copy of that film up there on stage. You always want to enhance your original source material. Give the audience something new to see & experience.

And given that Alan had just offered up this wealth of material that he & Howard had originally written for "Aladdin" that hadn't been heard outside of Disney Studios  … Well, what better way was there to enhance & expand the stage version of this animated feature than by folding in all of these cut songs and story ideas?


(L to R) Alan Menken and Howard Ashman during the days that they worked together for
Walt Disney Animation Studios. Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

Of course, there were some drawbacks with Chad's plan. In order to properly accommodate this material, that meant bumping out the borders of this project quite a bit. Deliberately stepping away from the storyline of this much beloved movie and then doing things like giving Aladdin a trio of street-smart friends — Omar, Babkak and Kassim – to hang out with. Would audiences in Seattle be accepting of a stage version of Disney's "Aladdin" that differed so significantly from the animated feature?

"And then there was the question of how far we should actually go back with all of this cut material?," Beguelin asked. "I mean, do we go all the way back to that version of 'Aladdin' which Howard & Alan created where Jasmine was a spoiled brat and Aladdin's real love interest for that movie turns out to be Abby, that good-hearted common girl from the marketplace? How far was too far?"

So striking just the right balance between the old material (i.e. all five songs from the 1992 animated feature) and the new material (i.e. the musical numbers and story ideas that were discarded while "Aladdin" made its way through Walt Disney Animation Studio's development process) was going to be a real challenge for Chad. Especially since Beguelin wanted to fold in some of that Bob Hope / Bing Crosby "Road" picture
flavor that Ashman had originally hoped would be a key ingredient of the animated version of "Aladdin."


Copyright Paramount Pictures. All rights reserved

"We even talked about using a story concept that Howard had explored in the early, early days of this production. In that version of 'Aladdin,' there were actually two genies: the genie of the ring and the genie of the lamp," Chad said. "But in the end, we thought that story idea was straying a bit too far away from the animated version of 'Aladdin.' Which is why we ultimately dropped it."

But all along the way, the folks of Disney Theatrical were incredibly supportive of Beguelin's vision for a stage version of "Aladdin." They were very enthusiastic about a production that somehow mix the familiar songs of the film with these seldom-heard numbers from Ashman & Menken's trunk.

"Of course, the best part was – whenever Casey (Nicholaw, the director of "Disney's Aladdin: The New Stage Musical." Who's probably best known for his choreography on "Spamalot" and his direction of "The Drowsy Chaperone") and I got stuck, we could always turn to Alan. Who was in the room with Howard when a lot of this material was originally written," Chad continued. "So he could then tell us about what Howard's original intent for this material was, where a cut song was supposed to have fit in 'Aladdin' 's storyline, how a certain story arc  for a particular character was supposed to have paid off. Alan's been a terrific and supportive collaborator throughout all of this."


Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

So which songs are actually going to wind up in the stage version of "Aladdin"? Take – for example — "To Be Free." Will that song — which Alan Menken wrote for "Disney's Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular" — be included as part of this new stage show? Beguelin was pretty cagey when it came to that question.

"To be honest, we're still in the middle of casting. We won't actually be beginning rehearsals 'til May. So until we get the show up on its feet, I can't really tell you which songs will or will not be in the stage version of 'Aladdin.' " Chad stated. "It's a pretty fluid situation right now."

But that said, Beguelin was very enthusiastic about what he heard and saw at "Aladdin" 's most-recent staged reading, which held back in October.


Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

"It's one thing to hear Howard Ashman's demos for all of these cut songs and think about how wonderful these numbers might be on the stage. But to then hear 20 people sing this beautiful Michael Kosarin arrangements of these same songs with all of their harmonies, that's when you realize that you've got something special here," Chad said.

But as exciting as all of this new material may be, as the guy who's actually adapting "Aladdin" to the stage, Beguelin always has to act as the audience's advocate. Making sure that this two-act stage musical doesn't play too fast & loose with the characters, story, songs and settings that people haved come to know & love through Disney's animated feature.

"That's why we're playing the romance of Aladdin & Jasmine straight and sincere," Chad explained. "That's an aspect of the movie that people really love. So we're not messing with that. Likewise that moment when Aladdin gives up his one chance at happiness to win the Genie's freedom. That's a scene that audiences are really looking forward to seeing being played out on stage. So we're preserving all of the heart and the emotion of that moment from the movie."


Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

But don't go into the stage version of "Aladdin" and then expect to see some name performer doing their Robin Williams impression in the role of the Genie.

"We're casting the best possible performers for this show. Really talented people. Which is why we won't then be asking them to do impressions of characters from an animated film," Beguelin said. "The Genie in the stage version of 'Aladdin' is actually a return to Howard Ashman's original concept for this character. Which means that he's more of a Cab Calloway / Fats Waller kind of performer. Rather than what Robin Williams did with this character."

As to how the story of this much-beloved Disney animated feature will actually play out on stage … Well, again Chad didn't want to give too much away.


Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

"Here's one spoiler, though. The first act ends with Aladdin's transformation into Prince Ali. Which means that the second act begins with 'Prince Ali.' And Casey 's got some terrific ideas about how he's going to bring that musical number to life on stage," Beguelin concluded.

And if you'd like to see if Chad and friends actually succeed in their quest to mix the old and the new. Taking what people already loved about the animated version of "Aladdin" and then enhancing that, creating this whole new world … er … stage show by incorporating all of these cut songs and story ideas from Alan Menken's files … Well, then you might want to make plans now to catch "Disney's Aladdin: The New Stage Musical." Which will have its world-premiere in Seattle this Summer and then run at the 5th Avenue Theatre July 7 – 31st.

Your thoughts?

The article was updated / corrected on March 21, 2011 to fold in additional information

Related Topics:

Jim Hill is an entertainment writer who has specialized in covering The Walt Disney Company for nearly 40 years now. Over that time, he has interviewed hundreds of animators, actors, and Imagineers -- many of whom have shared behind-the-scenes stories with Mr. Hill about how the Mouse House really works. In addition to the 4000+ articles Jim has written for the Web, he also co-hosts a trio of popular podcasts: “Disney Dish with Len Testa,” “Fine Tooning with Drew Taylor” and “Marvel US Disney with Aaron Adams.” Mr. Hill makes his home in Southern New Hampshire with his lovely wife Nancy and two obnoxious cats, Ginger & Betty.

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General

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

Published

10 years ago

on

June 23, 2015

By

Greetings from NYC. Nancy and I drove down from New
Hampshire yesterday because we'll be checking out
Disney Consumer Products' annual Holiday Showcase later today.

Anyway … After checking into our hotel (i.e., The Paul.
Which is located down in NYC's NoMad district), we decided to grab some dinner.
Which is how we wound up at the Melt Shop.


Photo by Jim Hill

Which is this restaurant that only sells grilled cheese sandwiches.
This comfort food was delicious, but kind of on the heavy side.


Photo by Jim Hill

Which is why — given that it was a beautiful summer night
— we'd then try and walk off our meals. We started our stroll down by the Empire
State Building
…


Photo by Jim Hill

… and eventually wound up just below Times
Square (right behind where the Waterford Crystal Times Square New
Year's Eve Ball is kept).


Photo by Jim Hill

But you know what we discovered en route? Right in the heart
of Manhattan's Garment District
along Broadway between 36th and 41st? This incredibly cool series of life-like
and life-sized sculptures that Seward
Johnson has created.


Photo by Jim Hill

And — yes — that is Abraham Lincoln (who seems to have
slipped out of WDW's Hall of Presidents when no one was looking and is now
leading tourists around Times Square). These 18 painted
bronze pieces (which were just installed late this past Sunday night / early
Monday morning) range from the surreal to the all-too-real.


Photo by Jim Hill

Some of these pieces look like typical New Yorkers. Like the
business woman planning out her day …


Photo by Jim Hill

… the postman delivering the mail …


Photo by Jim Hill

… the hot dog vendor working at his cart …


Photo by Jim Hill


Photo by Jim Hill

… the street musician playing for tourists …


Photo by Jim Hill

Not to mention the tourists themselves.


Photo by Jim Hill

But right alongside the bronze businessmen …


Photo by Jim Hill

… and the tired grandmother hauling her groceries home …


Photo by Jim Hill

… there were also statues representing people who were
from out-of-town …


Photo by Jim Hill

… or — for that matter — out-of-time.


Photo by Jim Hill

These were the Seward Johnson pieces that genuinely beguiled. Famous impressionist paintings brought to life in three dimensions.


Note the out-of-period water bottle that some tourist left
behind. Photo by Jim Hill 

Some of them so lifelike that you actually had to pause for
a moment (especially as day gave way to night in the city) and say to yourself
"Is that one of the bronzes? Or just someone pretending to be one of these
bronzes?"

Mind you, for those of you who aren't big fans of the
impressionists …


Photo by Jim Hill

… there's also an array of American icons. Among them
Marilyn Monroe …


Photo by Jim Hill

… and that farmer couple from Grant Wood's "American
Gothic."


Photo by Jim Hill

But for those of you who know your NYC history, it's hard to
beat that piece which recreates Alfred Eisenstaedt's famous photograph of V-J Day in Times Square.


Photo by Jim Hill

By the way, a 25-foot-tall version of this particular Seward
Johnson piece ( which — FYI — is entitled "Embracing Peace") will actually
be placed in Times Square for a few days on or around  August 14th to commemorate the 70th
anniversary of Victory Over Japan Day (V-J Day).


Photo by Jim Hill

By the way, if you'd like to check these Seward Johnson bronzes in
person (which — it should be noted — are part of the part of the Garment
District Alliance's new public art offering) — you'd best schedule a trip to
the City sometime over the next three months. For these pieces will only be on
display now through September 15th. 

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Wondering what you should “Boldly Go” see at the movies next year? The 2015 Licensing Expo offers you some clues

Published

10 years ago

on

June 10, 2015

By

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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


Photo by Jim Hill

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

Your thoughts?

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General

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

Published

10 years ago

on

June 9, 2015

By

You know what Mickey Mouse looks like, right? Little guy,
big ears?

Truth be told, Disney's corporate symbol has a lot of
different looks. If Mickey's interacting with Guests at Disneyland
Park (especially this summer, when
the Happiest Place on Earth
is celebrating its 60th anniversary), he looks & dresses like this.


Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc.
All rights reserved

Or when he's appearing in one of those Emmy Award-winning shorts that Disney
Television Animation has produced (EX: "Bronco Busted," which debuts
on the Disney Channel tonight at 8 p.m. ET / PT), Mickey is drawn in a such a
way that he looks hip, cool, edgy & retro all at the same time.


Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights
reserved

Looking ahead to 2017 now, when Disney Junior rolls out "Mickey and the
Roadster Racers," this brand-new animated series will feature a sportier version
of Disney's corporate symbol. One that Mouse House managers hope will persuade
preschool boys to more fully embrace this now 86 year-old character.


Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc. All rights reserved

That's what most people don't realize about the Mouse. The
Walt Disney Company deliberately tailors Mickey's look, even his style of
movement, depending on what sort of project / production he's appearing in.

Take — for example — Disney
California Adventure
Park's "World of Color:
Celebrate!" Because Disney's main mouse would be co-hosting this new
nighttime lagoon show with ace emcee Neil Patrick Harris, Eric Goldberg really had
to step up Mickey's game. Which is why this master Disney animator created
several minutes of all-new Mouse animation which then showed that Mickey was
just as skilled a showman as Neil was.


Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc.
All rights reserved

Better yet, let's take a look at what the folks at Avalanche Studios just went
through as they attempted to create a Classic version of Mickey & Minnie.
One that would then allow this popular pair to become part of Disney Infinity
3.0.

"I won't lie to you. We were under a lot of pressure to
get the look of this particular version of Mickey — he's called Red Pants
Mickey around here — just right," said Jeff Bunker, the VP of Art
Development at Avalanche Studios, during a recent phone interview. "When
we brought Sorcerer Mickey into Disney Infinity 1.0 back in January of 2014,
that one was relatively easy because … Well, everyone knows what Mickey Mouse
looked like when he appeared in 'Fantasia.' "


Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc. All rights reserved

"But this time around, we were being asked to design
THE Mickey & Minnie," Bunker continued. "And given that these Classic
Disney characters have been around in various different forms for the better
part of the last century … Well, which look was the right look?"

Which is why Jeff and his team at Avalanche Studios began watching hours &
hours of Mickey Mouse shorts. As they tried to get a handle on which look would
work best for these characters in Disney Infinity 3.0.


Copyright Disney
Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

"And we went all the way back to the very start of Mickey's career. We began
with 'Steamboat Willie' and then watched all of those black & white Mickey shorts
that Walt made back in the late 1920s & early 1930s. From there, we
transitioned to his Technicolor shorts. Which is when Mickey went from being
this pie-eyed, really feisty character to more of a well-behaved leading
man," Bunker recalled. "We then finished out our Mouse marathon by
watching all of those new Mickey shorts that Paul Rudish & his team have
been creating for Disney Television Animation. Those cartoons really recapture
a lot of the spirit and wild slapstick fun that Mickey's early, black &
white shorts had."

But given that the specific assignment that Avalanche Studios had been handed
was to create the most appealing looking, likeable version of Mickey Mouse
possible … In the end, Jeff and his team wound up borrowing bits & pieces
from a lot of different versions of the world's most famous mouse. So that
Classic Mickey would then look & move in a way that best fit the sort of
gameplay which people would soon be able to experience with Disney Infinity
3.0.


Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc. All rights reserved

"That — in a lot of ways — was actually the toughest
part of the Classic Mickey design project. You have to remember that one of the
key creative conceits of  Disney Infinity
is that all the characters which appear in this game are toys," Bunker
stated. "Okay. So they're beautifully detailed, highly stylized toy
versions of beloved Disney, Pixar, Marvel & Lucasfilm characters. But
they're still supposed to be toys. So our Classic versions of Mickey &
Minnie have the same sort of thickness & sturdiness to them that toys have.
So that they'll then be able to fit right in with all of the rest of the
characters that Avalanche Studios had previously designed for Disney Infinity."

And then there was the matter of coming up with just the
right pose for Classic Mickey & Minnie. Which — to hear Jeff tell the
story — involved input from a lot of Disney upper management.


Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc. All rights reserved

"Everyone within the Company seemed to have an opinion
about how Mickey & Minnie should be posed. More to the point, if you Google
Mickey, you then discover that there are literally thousands of poses out there
for these two. Though — truth be told — a lot of those kind of play off the
way Mickey poses when he's being Disney's corporate symbol," Bunker said.
"But what I was most concerned about was that Mickey's pose had to work
with Minnie's pose. Because we were bringing the Classic versions of these
characters up into Disney Infinity 3.0 at the exact same time. And we wanted to
make sure — especially for those fans who like to put their Disney Infinity
figures on display — that Mickey's pose would then complement Minnie.

Which is why Jeff & the crew at Avalanche Studios
decided — when it came to Classic Mickey & Minnie's pose — that they
should go all the way back to the beginning. Which is why these two Disney icons
are sculpted in such a way that it almost seems as though you're witnessing the
very first time Mickey set eyes on Minnie.


Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc. All rights reserved

"And what was really great about that was — as soon as
we began showing people within the Company this pose — everyone at Disney
quickly got on board with the idea. I mean, the Classic Mickey that we sculpted
for Disney Infinity 3.0 is clearly a very playful, spunky character. But at the
same time, he's obviously got eyes for Minnie," Bunker concluded. "So
in the end, we were able to come up with Classic versions of these characters
that will work well within the creative confines of Disney Infinity 3.0 but at
the same time please those Disney fans who just collect these figures because
they like the way the Disney Infinity characters look."

So now that this particular design project is over, does
Jeff regret that Mouse House upper management was so hands-on when it came to
making sure that the Classic versions of Mickey & Minnie were specifically
tailored to fit the look & style of gameplay found in Disney Infinity 3.0?


Copyright Lucasfilm / Disney
Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

"To be blunt, we go through this every time we add a new character to the
game. The folks at Lucasfilm were just as hands-on when we were designing the
versions of Darth Vader and Yoda that will also soon be appearing in Disney
Infinity 3.0," Bunker laughed. "So in the end, if the character's
creators AND the fans are happy, then I'm happy."

This article was originally posted on the Huffington Post's Entertainment page on Tuesday, June 9, 2015

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