General

“Walt & El Grupo” looks back at Disney’s Latin American adventure

JHM guest writer Leo N. Holzer talks up this new Ted Thomas film, which will be screened several times over the next few days at the San Francisco International Film Festival

Published

17 years ago

April 24, 2008

Leo N. Holzer

The loss of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and the birth of Mickey Mouse in 1928. The creation and release of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” in 1937. The development of Disneyland and its opening in 1955.

All of these were important and challenging periods for Walt Disney and his company.

But there was another time when life as Walt Disney knew it would forever change, both personally and professionally. The year was 1941, months before Pearl Harbor, when Walt and his studio were embroiled in labor unrest with an animators’ strike and challenged by the shrinking international box office returns as the war in Europe expanded.

It’s this period of Walt Disney’s life — and the “godsend” he found with a U.S.-government-sponsored working trip to Central and South America — that documentary filmmaker Ted Thomas (“Frank and Ollie”) explores in his new film, “Walt & El Grupo.”

Walt Disney and his traveling companions in the Fall of 1941.
Copyright Disney. All Rights Reserved

For 10 weeks in 1941, Walt Disney, his wife Lillian, and 16 colleagues from his studio visited several Latin American nations to gather story material for a series of short films with South American themes. Some of these films would be weaved together for “Saludos Amigos” and “The Three Caballeros.”

“Walt & El Grupo” uses the trip as a framing device to explore inter-American relations, provide a rare glimpse into the artists who were part of the magic of Disney’s “Golden Age,” and give an unprecedented look at the 39 year-old Walt Disney during one of the most challenging times of his entire life.

In a recent interview, Thomas said: “1941 is likely the pivotal year in his (Disney’s) life: The trip marked the end of the ‘small’ studio that produced Mickey Mouse, ‘Snow White,’ ‘Pinocchio’ and ‘Bambi.’ The (government) loan guarantees that allowed him to make ‘Saludos Amigos’ and ‘Three Caballeros’ made it possible to stay in business, but the place (the Disney Studios) would never be the way it was before the war and the strike.”

“Walt & El Grupo” is premiering at the San Francisco International Film Festival and will be screened at 1:15 p.m. Saturday, April 26, at 6 p.m. Monday, April 28 (with an extended Q & A) and at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 30 at the Kabuki Theater in San Francisco. Additional film festival screenings are planned in the weeks and months ahead in Seattle and other cities both stateside and abroad.

“Walt & El Grupo” director Ted Thomas

The following is my Q & A with Thomas talking a bit about “Walt & El Grupo”; his father, famed Disney animator Frank Thomas; and his memories following animator Ollie Johnston’s recent passing of making the documentary “Frank and Ollie,” a must-see for any fan of the classic Disney films.

Q: Your father, legendary Disney animator Frank Thomas, was a member of El Grupo. Were his stories the genesis of this project? If not, where did the idea of this project come from?

A: I grew up hearing funny and fascinating stories about the trip, but the actual catalyst to make the film was a phone call in 2003 from Walt’s daughter, Diane Disney Miller. She had a shoebox full of snapshots from the trip and wondered if we, as children of El Grupo, might be able to find a film in there. Five years later, here we are.

Q: What was it like to retrace your father’s footsteps and talk to people from other countries who have memories of him?

A: This could (probably should) be a another film or a book in its own right. It was discovering my father all over again, but this time as a young man (29), before he met my mother, and before the coining of the phrase “the Nine Old Men.” This sense of reconnecting generations over six decades found its way into the whole thematic approach to the story material. The ways in which we rub off on each other are at the heart of the film.

Walt Disney and Frank Thomas on tour in Latin America in 1941.
Copyright Disney. All Rights Reserved

Q: Why did Walt Disney and El Grupo’s mission in 1941 succeed when so many other trips featuring Hollywood celebrities arranged by the U.S. government’s “Good Neighbor” program fail?

A: The Disney group took the opportunity to heart from the very beginning. The studio did months of research and planning before the departure date, and they were sincere about engaging the different cultures and learning something about them. This certainly made a difference. Above all, however, was the selection of the people who went on the trip. They were all extremely talented and charming people, and their upbeat way of looking at things must of left a strong impression in what were pretty gloomy times.

Q: Were Disney’s short films and features like “Snow White” more popular with foreign audiences than productions from other Hollywood studios?

A: They were not necessarily more popular, but in addition to their quality they stood out because there was nothing else like them. Hugo Rocha, a journalist in Uruguay, told us that what impressed Latin American cinema lovers was that Disney and his crew were creators of a new art form, as opposed actors and other “pretty faces.”

Copyright Disney. All Rights Reserved

Q: Everyone older than 8 or 10 when they met Walt Disney seems to have a pretty good memory of that experience. How do the people in South America remember Walt and members of El Grupo?

A: For those in their 70s and 80s who personally met Walt or El Grupo members, their memories and stories are vivid and fresh, and in each family the drawings or sketches that were done as gifts and mementos are valued heirlooms. And quite often, these detailed stories come from an encounter of just a few hours.

Q: Tell us a bit of the premiere of “Fantasia” in Rio, the scene and audience reaction.

A: RKO, Disney’s distributor in that period, timed the opening of “Fantasia” with the Disney party’s stay in each of the respective countries they visited. As a result, Walt was going to premiere after premiere. The one in Rio was the first, and the film was very well received. It was presented as a charity benefit for the favorite charity of the first lady of Brazil, Mrs. Vargas. Unlike the tepid response the picture had gotten in the U.S. on its initial release, it was a significant hit throughout Latin America.

Copyright Disney. All Rights Reserved

Q: “Pedro,” a short in “Saludos Amigos” about this little airplane delivering mail over the Andes, includes a tribute to Jorge Delano — the name of El Grupo’s principal guide in Chile. His son, also named Jorge Delano, reportedly had formed an attachment to the artists. Were you able to interview him and what were his memories?

A: There have been three generations of Jorge Délanos. The first, Jorge “Coke” Délano (the host), was artist/editor/filmmaker, and distant cousin of FDR. The second Jorge was about 20 at the time of El Grupo’s visit, befriended Walt and El Grupo, and subsequently had a wartime Rockefeller Foundation grant to work in different Hollywood studios, including Disney’s. It is he who is singled out for the mailbag joke in “Pedro.” He remained lifelong friends with Walt, and died in 1976. It is his son, the third generation Jorge (who is an accomplished animator), who is our storyteller in the film.

Q: Walt Disney called the South American trip “a godsend” that gave him “a chance to get away from this God-awful nightmare and to bring back some extra work to the plant.” Tell us a bit about Walt’s “case of the D.D.’s — disillusionment and discouragement” and the strike that Walt left behind to take this trip.

A: The film has given us the opportunity to look at Walt Disney “the man”, and just how he dealt with adversity. 1941 is likely the pivotal year in his life: The trip marked the end of the “small” studio that produced Mickey Mouse, “Snow White,” “Pinocchio” and “Bambi.” The loan guarantees that allowed him to make “Saludos Amigos” and “Three Caballeros” made it possible to stay in business, but the place would never be the way it was before the war and the strike (competing unions wanted to organize the studio. The winning union called a strike rather than take an organizing vote by employees. Disney would not back down on his insistence on a vote, and the strike was only resolved by arbitration.) The trip is a window into Disney’s creative method, and how it was almost a necessity he have some outlet for his nonstop creative drive.

Copyright Disney. All Rights Reserved

Q: Walt and El Grupo respected cultural lore and getting details like gaucho costuming and authentic folk dances just right in creating the shorts for “Saludos Amigos” and “The Three Caballeros.” Audiences — especially those in South and Central America — didn’t see those films until they were completed several months later. Were those films successful in Latin America and has that Disney goodwill carried over to today with visits to Disneyland and “brand loyalty” to Disney films?

A: Both of the “Good Neighbor” films were highly successful when they were first released in Latin America. Since then, there have been several ups and downs in inter-American relations, and we try to acknowledge that in our film. The trip took place in the days before marketing vocabulary like “brand loyalty,” and even before Disney products were considered an American cultural export. In many ways, the Americas are still getting to know one another, and I think that gives great relevance to the story we tell.

Q: Disney historian and author J.B. Kaufman is working on a book covering much of the same material at “Walt & El Grupo.” What’s the status of the book and your involvement in that project?

A: JB’s book is a fascinating look at the entire “Good Neighbor” period at Disney, and especially the films that were produced. His in-depth research was a significant help as we got started and, subsequently, our research and contacts have helped to add to his manuscript. Both have been made possible by the Walt Disney Family Foundation. The book is being prepped for publication, and hopes are that it and our film will come out more or less at the same time.

Ted Thomas on location in Argentina

Q: As the director of “Walt & El Grupo,” what is it you hope people learn and take away from watching the documentary?

A: Art and politics are the two most powerful and long-lasting legacies of any culture. Ultimately, I think that art lasts the longest, and the energy, curiosity, optimism, and humor expressed by Walt and the artists of El Grupo continue to be an inspiration for us all.

Q: I know the film is screening at the San Francisco International Film Festival. You’re scheduled to participate in an extended Q & A following the 6 p.m. April 28 screening, moderated by a San Francisco Chronicle reporter. Will you be attending all three screenings and take questions after each? Will Diane Disney Miller be joining you at any of the screenings?

A: I and my creative partner, Kuniko Okubo, will be at all three screenings. Diane’s schedule will probably not permit her joining a Q&A.

Q: Even with Walt Disney playing a central role in this documentary, is “Walt & El Grupo” a tougher film to sell than your lovingly crafted 1995 film “Frank and Ollie”? As a documentary filmmaker who has worked on several National Geographic specials since “Frank and Ollie,” is it simply difficult to market any film with Hollywood’s push for franchise properties and tent-pole movies?

A: They’re all hard. Even with the recent popularity of some documentaries, it’s more difficult than ever to squeeze in between the pictures that have huge advertising budgets and are on multiple screens, and then stay there long enough for an audience to come and see the film. Everyone who can should try and see “Walt & El Grupo” in a theater: the scope of the story, the quality of the cinematography and images, and particularly the musical score are all what going to a theater is about.

Q: Many artists and bloggers mentioning Ollie Johnston’s recent passing talked not only about his art and the books he and your father authored, but about the friendship you chronicled in “Frank and Ollie.” What’s your favorite memory of working with them on that documentary?

A: Two “Frank and Ollie” memories: The hours and hours Frank, Ollie, Kuniko and I spent discussing what should be in the picture — it was being part of their creative process. The second is much more direct: A break during the interview shooting in August 1992 — we were standing outside Frank’s house eating ice cream bars, and Frank broke a filling trying to eat the bar before it turned into a melted mess. The fact that it turned into a moment of great laughter tells you a lot about those two amazing men.

Copyright Disney. All Rights Reserved

WALT & EL GRUPO is a presentation of the Walt Disney Family Foundation Films in association with Theodore Thomas Productions. For more information, a trailer and the latest on film festival screenings, visit http://www.waltandelgrupo.com/.

FYI: To help get the word out about the “Walt and El Grupo” screenings which will be presented at this year’s San Francisco International Film Festival, Jim Hill Media is sharing Leo Holzer’s Ted Thomas profile with Roger Colton’s “The Blue Parrot.” If you’d like to find out what Mr. Colton has been up to since he left JHM back in September 2006, be sure and check out Roger’s most excellent blog.

General

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

Published

9 years ago

June 23, 2015

Jim Hill

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

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

… the postman delivering the mail …

Photo by Jim Hill

… the hot dog vendor working at his cart …

Photo by Jim Hill

… the street musician playing for tourists …

Photo by Jim Hill

Not to mention the tourists themselves.

Photo by Jim Hill

But right alongside the bronze businessmen …

Photo by Jim Hill

… and the tired grandmother hauling her groceries home …

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

… or — for that matter — out-of-time.

Photo by Jim Hill

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

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

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

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

General

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

Published

9 years ago

June 10, 2015

Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Photo by Jim Hill

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

Your thoughts?

General

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

Published

9 years ago

June 9, 2015

Jim Hill

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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