General

Were Disney’s lawyers at odds with “The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz”?

The early word on this new TV movie isn’t all that hot. But Jim Hill wonders: Would “The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz” have been that much better if Disney’s attorneys hadn’t insisted on its script being rewritten just days before the start of filming? Plus a story of how the “Oz” scene in Disney-MGM’s “Great Movie Ride” also got loused up by lawyers.

Published

20 years ago

May 16, 2005

Jim Hill

Well, we’re just days away from “The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz” premiering on ABC. And though Disney continues to aggressively promote the TV movie (With Miss Piggy appearing on “Live with Regis & Kelly” on Thursday, followed by Ashanti on Friday), the early word on “Oz” isn’t all that great.

Not bad, mind you. But not good either. Early reviews of this TV movie have suggested that it’s a rather middling affair.

Which has got to be absolutely maddening to the “Muppets’ Wizard of Oz” production team. Why For? Because — just prior to the start of shooting — they actually had a teleplay that everyone loved. One that was full of heart, humor & magic. A script that really had the makings of a really great “Muppets’ Wizard of Oz” movie.

“So why didn’t they just shoot the original version of that teleplay?,” you ask. Because — literally less than 10 days prior to the start of production — Disney’s lawyers allegedly announced that they had some serious reservations with this TV movie’s script.

“What was their problem?,” you query. Well — to be honest — these attorneys were reportedly concerned about the number of references that “The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz” made to the 1939 movie version of the story. You know, MGM’s “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”? That much beloved classic that stars Judy Garland, Bert Lahr, Ray Bolger, Margaret Hamilton & Jack Haley?

What supposedly worried Disney’s lawyers was that the current owner of that film — eccentric billionaire broadcaster Ted Turner — was notorious for being very protective of his property. And given that Mickey had already gone head-to-head with Ted over “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” and lost (We’ll get to that story in a minute), the Mouse’s attorneys were understandably reluctant to incur Mr. Turner’s wrath again.

Which is why they forced the “Muppets’ Wizard of Oz” creative team to radically rework their script. Cutting jokes here, entire scenes there. All in an effort to produce an “Oz” movie that wouldn’t have anything in it that could possibly provoke Ted Turner.

So out went the ruby slippers (Which were — obviously — a direct lift from the 1939 film), only to be replaced by the silver ones that appeared in L. Frank Baum’s original novel. Likewise any gags, lines or lyrics that riffed on and/or made fun of the MGM movie.

I’m told that — at one point — Disney’s attorneys were actually insisting that “The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz” production team change the color of the outfit that Miss Piggy was supposed to wear when she was playing the Wicked Witch of the West.

“Margaret Hamilton wore black in the 1939 movie,” said the lawyers. “Which is why you can’t use the same color for Miss Piggy’s Wicked Witch costume.”

“But she’s supposed to a bad-ass biker chick,” the film’s creative team sputtered. “How’s Miss Piggy supposed to come across as a bad-ass biker chick unless she’s wearing black leather?”

In the end, Disney’s attorneys eventually gave in on that one point and allowed “The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz” production team to leave Piggy’s Wicked Witch outfit just as it was. But — truth be told — that was probably one of the only concessions that the Mouse’s legal staff were willing to make.

As a result, “The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz” production team was left with a teleplay with a hell of a lot of holes in it. So — in the few days left before the start of filming — they frantically rewrote the thing. And — even as “Oz” was being shot — they still tried to buff & polish the script.

But the end result … Well … You’ll get to see for yourself this Friday night at 8 p.m.

Don’t get me wrong, folks. “The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz” isn’t a disaster by any stretch of the imagination. By that I mean: This TV movie has got a lot of charm & some great production values. And it’s certainly a step-up from the last production that Miss Piggy & pals appeared in. Which was that lackluster “It’s a Very Muppet Christmas Movie,” which originally aired on NBC back in November of 2002.

But — as for how the folks at Disney actually expect this new Muppet TV movie to do — I think that it’s significant that the people inside the Muppets Holding Company LLC (I.E. The branch of the Walt Disney Company that actually controls Kermit & Co.) are no longer saying things like “Management won’t be making any decisions about what we should do next with the Muppets until they see how well ‘Oz’ does in the ratings.”

Nowadays, the revised Muppets Holding Company LLC mantra goes a little something like this: “Just wait ’til August 9th. That’s when the DVD version of ‘The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz’ finally goes on sale. Once management sees how many units of that title Buena Vista Home Entertainment is able to move, then we’ll see how big a budget we get for our next project.”

Which — to my way of thinking, anyway — doesn’t sound like the folks in the Muppet Holding Company office expect “The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz” to do all that well in the ratings. Which is why I think it’s important (particularly all you folks who keep Nielsen diaries) to watch ABC this Friday night.

I mean, don’t let the Muppets’ potential bright future at the Mouse House be ruined all because a few of Disney’s attorneys are frightened of Ted Turner.

“Speaking of which, Jim,” you interject. “Earlier in this article, you said that you’d talk about the first time that Disney bumped heads with Ted Turner.”

Oh, yeah. That was over the “Great Movie Ride” for Disney-MGM Studio Theme Park. You see, back in 1986, Turner purchased MGM. Only to quickly sell off the historic Culver City studio to Lorimar Pictures, while still retaining the more-than-3650 titles in the MGM film library.

So, when the Imagineers wanted to use MGM’s “The Wizard of Oz” as the basis for the finale of “The Great Movie Ride,” it was Ted’s lawyers that Disney had to deal with. And — in the end — Turner’s attorneys agreed to award WDI the rights to use 3 minutes worth of material (As in: Characters, sets, costumes, music, etc.) from the 1939 classic in this Disney/MGM attraction for an annual fee of $350,000.

Now the key phrase to remember here is “3 minutes worth of material.” Because that’s what eventually came back and bit Disney in the ass.

Anyway … The Imagineers were obviously thrilled to land the rights to “The Wizard of Oz.” To be able to use pieces of this genuine Hollywood classic as the inspiration for the finale of “The Great Movie Ride.” So the guys from WDI initially went all out to make the most of the three minutes that Ted Turner’s people had allotted them.

So — as the Disney-MGM attraction was originally designed — your “Wizard of Oz” experience was supposed to begin right after you saw those Audio Animatronic versions of Rick & Ilsa recreating their memorable goodbye scene from “Casablanca.”

Now, I know. What you see next nowadays in “The Great Movie Ride” is that “Sorcerer’s Apprentice” sequence from “Fantasia.” You know, where Sorcerer Mickey uses the magical hat that he “borrowed” from the wizard Yensid to control the cosmos.

But what the Imagineers had originally planned to do in this area of the attraction was recreate that moment in MGM’s version of “The Wizard of Oz” where the tornado is bearing down on Dorothy’s farmhouse. (That’s actually why there are still fans in this section of “The Great Movie Ride” that blow. Those were initially installed there to give you a wind-in-your-face feeling as a huge black-and-white projection of that funnel cloud came closer & closer to your theater car.)

FYI: It’s also important to understand that the guys from WDI originally put an awful lot of thought into what moments went where in “The Great Movie Ride.” That’s why it’s not a co-incidence that that scene in “Casablanca” comes right before where the tornado sequence from “The Wizard of Oz” was supposed to go.

To explain: “Casablanca” was in black-and-white. As was the tornado sequence from “The Wizard of Oz.” And in “Casablanca,” Ilsa is about to board that plane to fly to fly to freedom. Just as that tornado is about to fly Dorothy’s farmhouse to Oz. So obviously there’s an attempt here to connect the color, theme and style of these two scenes in the attraction.

Anywho … Our theater car is supposedly blown to Oz. We roll into a technicolor recreation of Munchkinland and interact with the Wicked Witch of the West. From there, we roll past Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodsman & the Cowardly Lion (and Toto too!) as they stand gazing in wonder at the Emerald City in the distance.

And — from there … Well, I’m sure that you all know the ending of “The Great Movie Ride” as it exists today. Where your theater car rolls into a big empty soundstage. And — once the second theater car gets into position — you see a film montage that quickly pays tribute to dozens of movie stars & classic films.

But — if the Walt Disney Company hadn’t had to battle with Ted Turner’s lawyers — the original ending of “The Great Movie Ride” … Well, it would have been something really special. You see, your theater car was actually supposed to roll into a recreation of the throne room of the Great Oz himself. Where — with a combination of in-theater effects as well as projections — that huge head would have loomed up out of the colored smoke & fire and said:

“The Great and Powerful Oz knows why you have come. Behold! The history of Hollywood!”

And then the film montage would have gotten underway. Which — you have to admit — would have been a much more fun, far more theatrical way for “The Great Movie Ride” to come to a close.

But — as I said at the very start of this story — the only problem was that the Walt Disney Company had a contract with Turner Entertainment that specifically said the the Imagineers were only allowed to use a total of three minutes worth of material from “The Wizard of Oz” for the finale for “The Great Movie Ride.” Which would have been fine … If WDI had stuck with its original plan to only send one theater car at a time through each scene in this Disney-MGM attraction.

But then — as people within WDW management became to grow concerned about the studio theme park’s capacity — a decision was made very late in the game that two theater cars full of guests would go through “The Great Movie Ride” at the same time. Which totally threw off the timing that the Imagineers had originally built this Disney-MGM attraction around.

Which eventually meant that — instead of it taking three minutes for WDW guests to move through all the “Wizard of Oz” -related scenes in “The Great Movie Ride” ‘s finale — it was now actually taking those two theater cars upwards of 4 minutes to move through this section of the attraction. But surely Mr. Turner wouldn’t begrudge the Walt Disney Company an extra minute’s worth of “Wizard of Oz” -related material.

As it turns out, Ted really did mind. As a result of that extra minute’s worth of material, Turner reportedly made all sorts of demands. I’ve been told that he wanted to double that annual fee that WDI was paying Turner Entertainment for the rights to use “The Wizard of Oz.” When Disney balked at that suggestion, Ted’s attorneys allegedly threatened to file a lawsuit, supposedly insisting that there had been a breach of contract.

In the end, the word came down from Burbank to Glendale to make this problem go away. That the Imagineers were now under orders to get the “Wizard of Oz” sequence in “The Great Movie Ride” back down to the previously agreed upon three minutes. Which is why first the whole “Throne Room of the Wizard of Oz” scene got cut. And then — when this sequence was still found to be running long — the introductory tornado sequence got cut as well.

The end result … Well, while that recreation of Munchkinland is still very impressive and the Wicked Witch AA figure never ceases to amaze … It still makes me sad to think what the finale of “The Great Movie Ride” could have been like. That our theater cars could have got caught up in a faux tornado and then been blown to Oz. And that we could then have capped off our “Wizard of Oz” experience by having an audience with the Great & Powerful Oz himself.

But now — all because Disney’s lawyers didn’t like dealing with Ted Turner’s attorneys — two potentially great versions of “The Wizard of Oz” have been screwed up: The finale of Disney-MGM’s “Great Movie Ride” as well as “The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz” TV movie.

You know, it’s at times like this that I wish that there really were flying monkeys. So that — whenever a Disney attorney dropped by and says “We need to talk” — you could just have your winged ape carry off that empty suit and have them dropped in the middle of the Deadly Desert.

Anywho … That’s the story of how the Mouse’s lawyers loused up two great “Oz” projects. Your thoughts?

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