General

“Two Guys Named Joe” celebrates the creative legacy of two Disney Legends

Published

14 years ago

August 4, 2010

So why exactly should you buy "Two Guys Named Joe: Master Animation Storytellers Joe Grant & Joe Ranft" (Disney Editions, August 2010)?

Because this new John Canemaker book not only does a
brilliant job of paying tribute to these animation legends, this 192-page
hardcover contains one of the funniest stories to ever come out of modern day Hollywood.

Don't believe me? Okay. Let me set the stage for this
particular anecdote. Which John Lasseter actually told at Joe Ranft's memorial
service back in August of 2005.

(L to R) John Lasseter and Joe Ranft working together on the storyboards
for "Toy Story." Copyright Disney
Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

It's early 1998. And John & Joe have just flown down to LA
to supervise the final recording sessions for "A Bug's Life." And given what a
grueling production this particular Pixar film has been … Well, both men are
already exhausted and in a bad mood when they arrive at LAX and discover that
Disney has booked them this incredibly junky rental car.

To make matters worse, Disney has arranged for Lasseter
& Ranft to stay at the Mondrian Hotel on Sunset Boulevard. Which is this
sleek, slick place staffed by thin, well-dressed men and women who clearly
judge you by what you wear and/or what you drive.

And here are Lasseter & Ranft, tired & rumpled from
their flight down from the Bay Area, knowing that their junky rental car will
be judged inferior to all the Mercedes and the Ferraris that have already been
valeted that day.

So as they roll up to the Mondarian, John turns to Joe and
says "Put in the teeth."

Now for those of you who don't know: "The teeth" that
Lasseter is referring to are these … Well, I'd better let Canemaker explain …

… a set of distorted false incisors ("Billy Bob teeth")
Lasseter bought for Ranft. His pal Joe could always make Lasseter laugh with
his zany, satirical, often black humor and spot-on impressions and imagined
characters.

(And) no character made Lasseter laugh harder than the
dim-witted hillbilly who came out whenever "the teeth" went in.

An unctuous valet approached. Ranft inserted the dilapidated
dentures and rolled the window down.

"Welcome to the Mond …" was as far as the valet got before
being confronted by a large redneck at the wheel, grinnin' wide with amazingly
bad teeth and talkin' loud!

"Is this hee-ah the Mun-dar-eee-aan Hoe-tel?"

The valet attempted to keep Ranft in the car. "I'm sorry,
sir. Do you have a reservation?"

Lasseter suppressed his laughter, wondering "How's Joe going
to get out of this?"

Ranft opened the door, his huge frame towering over the
valet. "Yeah. Muh name's Eisner. Chucky Eisner. My Uncle Michael's gonna let me
make a moooovie!"

"Chucky" flashed a sweet, gaggle-toothed smile at the
horrified and confused valet. Lasseter lost it.

Now it's important to stress here that Ranft wasn't actually
making fun of hillbillies and/or rural types in a mean-spirited way. To be
honest, Joe was just out to pop the pretense of that far-too-snooty valet at
the Mondrian Hotel. Plus – of course – make John Lasseter laugh.

To back up that claim … Well, let's contrast the Mun-dar-eee-aan story
with another one that Canemaker unearthed for "Two Guys Named Joe." Which deals
with the research trip that Joe and several other Pixar staffers made in July
2003 while they were working on "Cars." As these folks rolled along the Mother
Road …

… Ranft befriended many Route 66 denizens. But there was one
"good ol' boy" in the middle of Oklahoma who invited (Joe) to his home, took
him fishing, fed him baloney sandwiches, and gave him ice water out of a jug.
This fellow's claim to fame was his ability to turn his double-jointed leg
backwards 180 degrees. "I kick muh leg," he said, demonstrating proudly.

It was like a magic trick, and "Joe thought this was the
greatest thing he'd ever seen," (said Jonas Rivera, "Cars" production manager).
From this odd encounter, Ranft created what Lasseter calls "the single
greatest" Pixar character: Mater, a rusty tow truck / good ol' boy with a
deep-fried accent.

On the surface, Mater seems like a stereotypical hillbilly,
not far removed from Chucky Eisner. But "Joe was sensitive to not doing a
parody," Rivera said. "He didn't want to make fun of the people he met. He
wanted to celebrate them as individuals."

As the film unfolds we discover hidden facets in Mater, such
as a sly humor born of quiet intelligence, sensivity, and an honest appraisal
of people and their foibles; plus there's a joy of life exuberantly expressed
by wildly driving backward through the town (adapted from the Oklahoma fellow's
trick leg). There is Mater's endearing loyalty to friends and his childlike
willingness to find the good in people and seek their friendship openly. There
is his warmth mixed with mischievousness and forthrightness.

Joe Ranft's early concept sketches for the character of Mater.
Copyright Disney
Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

Ranft put a lot of himself into the endearing Mater, which
Lasseter appreciated: "I realize it's Joe. This is pure Joe." Mater's loyal
friendship to McQueen, whom he considers his best friend and can make laugh and
appreciate life, mirrors Ranft's longtime relationship with Lasseter.

You know what else is great about "Two Guys Named Joe" ?
Canemaker doesn't gloss anything over or pull any punches. He talks in great
detail about the many frustrations that Ranft faced over the course of his professional
career. Take – for example – "The Rescuers Down Under." Which might have been a
far different (and perhaps better) film if not for the constant interference of
then-Disney management and marketing executives.

As Brenda Chapman (who was part of Joe Ranft's story team on
"The Rescuers Down Under") told Canemaker :

" … what was difficult was a sense of wanting to be true to
Australia. We wanted to use an Aboriginal little boy [for the lead] but were
forced to go with a little blond kid. (The film might as well have been set in)
Arizona by the time it was finished."

So is it any wonder that Joe – feeling creatively burned out
and frustrated due to the constant interference from non-creative executives —
stepped away from Disney in September of 1990? Moving up to Seattle just to get
away from LA for a while. Which – as it turned out – was a very lucky move
indeed. For it then made Ranft available to work on Tim Burton's "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and then – after consulting briefly on "Beauty and the Beast"
– to begin working for Pixar.

Mind you, what's kind of ironic about this was – just as Joe
Ranft was walking away from Disney – Joe Grant (after a 40 year absence) was
returning to the Mouse House.

For those of you who don't know: Grant began his career at
Walt Disney Studios back in 1937. Where he quickly became one of the Company's
top writers and gagmen. And over the next 12 years, there wasn't a film made at
the Mouse Factory that wasn't somehow influenced by Joe.

Joe Grant and Walt Disney reviewing concept art for "Fantasia."
Copyright Disney
Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

Which – to be honest – ticked off a number of the folks at
Disney Studios. They didn't like it when Walt played favorites. Especially
given the huge influence that Grant – as the founder of the Studio's Character
Model Department – had over the shorts & features that Disney was producing
at that time.

In fact, according to Canemaker, Walt himself began to
resent the influence that Joe was having over the Studio's output. After a
"Time" magazine article about "Dumbo" (which Grant co-wrote with his longtime
creative partner Dick Huemer) heaped a bit too much praise at Joe's feet for
Walt's liking …

Well, here's the Dick Huemer quote that Canemaker unearthed:

"After Walt read the article, he met Joe Grant and myself in
the (parking lot) and indicated his displeasure. He didn't think that it was a
very good article, not particularly flattering to him. As (Walt) turned away he
said "What the hell, didn't I have anything to do with the picture?," which is what
the write-up sounds like, I admit."

"Even though Dumbo has always been regarded as one of Walt's
better pictures, he hated it," said Huemer. Using an odd analogy for a city
boy, he explained that Walt "had to 'own lamb.' Until the mother licks the lamb
clean and makes it hers, she won't nurse it."

Joe Grant's watercolor concept painting of Dumbo. Copyright Disney
Enterprises, Inc.
All rights reserved

That's what I always love about John Canemaker books. His
ability to ferret out these unique bits of animation history. To strip away
years of varnish and veneer, decades of carefully massaged Disney Company
history to then reveal what really happened at the Mouse Factory back in the day.

And because Grant returned to Disney in 1989 … Well, by
reading "Two Guys Named Joe," you can also gain insights about how many of the
films that were produced during the Second Golden Age of Disney Feature
Animation actually came together. Take – for example – this story that
Canemaker got veteran story man Burny Mattinson to share about "Pocahontas."

I'd just come onto the picture and Jeffrey (Katzenberg)
wanted to get rid of Grandmother Willow. He didn't like her because she was
ordinary, unfunny. They were having (story) problems, some of the story men
were bolting. Peter (Schneider) said I want you to get over there and work in
there." Mattinson was given a section to storyboard of Pocahontas sitting on a
tree stump, delivering straight, dull, dialogue.

Joe Grant's concept sketch of Pocahontas with
her animal friends. Copyright Disney
Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

"One day Joe came in with these cornball sayings" for
Grandmother Willow. "My bark is worse than my bite," "The roots of all
problems," "They're barking up the wrong tree" (spoke to termites), one gag
after another. He says, 'Use these.'

"Are you kidding?" Mattinson said. "I have to pitch this
(storyboard) tomorrow and you want me to use these?"

"Yeah, yeah. I think these are good. You use them."

"No, I'm not gonna do it, Joe. Forget it!" Mattinson
protested.

Grant walked out and went home. Mattinson thought about it
and decided he would put all the corny sayings in and pitch it tomorrow "just
to show Joe how bad they are."

Early the next morning, Mattinson showed Grant the board
interwoven with his corny sayings. "Yeah, that's good. These are wonderful," he
said. Mattinson remained skeptical but went to the story meeting and pitched.

"Everybody loved it!," Mattinson recalls. "All of a sudden: 'Oh, I want her
in!,' ' Let's build her part bigger!' So Joe saved Grandmother Willow. And Joe
did that constantly. He would come up with little ideas, little touches like
that.

But as more and more non-creative executives at Disney
became involved in the animation process in the late 1990s, Grant found his
efforts to help improve the Company's motion pictures were increasingly
marginalized. Which led to some real missed opportunities. As Canemaker got
Thomas Schumacher (i.e. formerly the head of Walt Disney Animation Studios, now the big Cheese at Disney Theatrical) to recall:

"(Grant's) hearing was bad, he would never go with the group
dynamic. He was never on track with anything. But, left to his own devices …"

To finish his sentence, Schumacher silently reveals a simple
line drawing by Grant. It is of Quasimodo, the squat, stout hunchbacked bell
ringer from The Hunchback of Notre Dame, staring dumbfounded at his reflection
in a large elongated bell. In his stretched likeness, he is tall and straight,
a reversal of fun-house mirror alterations. "After he polishes the bell," Grant
wrote on this tiny but emotionally powerful drawing, "the distortion makes him
whole."

"Beautiful," Schumacher says quietly. "Why didn't we use that?"

Why indeed? But on the upside … John Canemaker never ever leaves a
great animation-related story behind. He always finds a way to weave these
little insights / amazing gems into his books.

And – trust me, folks – as good as the stories that I've
excerpted for today's article may be, there are dozens more to be found in "Two
Guys named Joe: Master Animation Storytellers Joe Grant & Joe Ranft." Which
is why I urge to pick up a copy of this terrific new Disney Editions book.

The two Joes together – Joe Grant and Joe
Ranft
Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc.
All rights reserved

FYI: If you'd like to add an extra special copy of "Two Guys
Named Joe" to your animation reference library, you could get the author to
sign his latest book by attending some of the promotional events that Canemaker
will be taking part in over the next few months. On August 13 & 14, John
will be lecturing about the two Joes at the Walt Disney Family Museum. Then –
on August 1^7th – Canemaker will be signing copies at the Glendale
Americana Barnes & Noble.

And then — on August 18th — John will be at Disneyland. To be specific, John will be doing a signing at the Disney Gallery on Main Street, U.S.A. from 9 – 11 a.m.

Come next month, John will be doing a signing for "Two Guys
Named Joe" at the Animazing Gallery on September 25th. Then in October … Well,
Canemaker will start things off with a major lecture about Joe Grant & Joe
Ranft at the Museum of Modern Art which will then be followed by a book signing
in the MFA gift. John will then head over to New Jersey and do a book signing for
"Two Guys Called Joe" at Cel-ebration! on October 2^nd.

For further
information on other promotion appearances for "Two Guys Named Joe: Master Animation Storytellers Joe Grant & Joe Ranft," please check out John
Canemaker's website.

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

10 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

10 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