General

Where to go & what to see over the MLK weekend if you’re a Disneyana fan

Published

14 years ago

January 14, 2011

We got any "No Ordinary Family" fans out there?

The cast of "No Ordinary Family." (L to R) Romany Malco, Kay Panabaker,
Michael Chiklis, Julie Benz, Jimmy Bennett, Autumn Reeser and Stephen
Collins. Photo by Bob D'Amico. Copyright American Broadcasting
Companies, Inc. All rights reserved

I have to admit that I first began watching this new ABC Studios show because "No Ordinary Family" is shot right on the lot in Burbank. Which – when you're a big-time Disney Dweeb like I am – adds kind of a "Where's Waldo" aspect to watching this hour-long series.

Translation: If you're paying particularly close attention to "No Ordinary Family" 's exteriors, you'll realize the beautiful outdoor garden at Daphne's high school is actually the arbor which is located right outside the entrance of the Studio Store …

Jackson Rathbone and Kay Panabaker on the Disney lot in Burbank. Photo by
Eric McCandless. Copyright American Broadcasting Companies, Inc.
All rights reserved

… or that the courtyard in front of the Frank Wells building is constantly being used as an outdoor shooting location on this sci-fi comedy / drama.

But over time, I have to admit that I stopped paying attention to this TV show's backgrounds and then began watching "No Ordinary Family" 's characters & stories. Which I have to admit – over the past 12 episodes – have kind of grown on me.

Which brings to mind a question: If you – like each of the Powells – were suddenly gifted with a super power … Well, which ability would you want? Would it be Jim's super strength and near-invulnerability? Or JJ's Einstein-like IQ? Or Daphne's ability to read minds?

Julie Benz zooms through back-of-the-house areas in Burbank. Photo by Michael
Desmond. Copyright American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. All rights reserved

Well, this coming weekend, I'm wishing that I had Stephanie's super speed. So that I could zoom back & forth across the country and then take part in all the great Disney-related events that are happening in Anaheim, Orlando and Hollywood over the Martin Luther King weekend.

What sort of events? Well, for those of us who are in the deep freeze (Me personally, I spent the better part of yesterday looking for new places to throw that 18 inches of snow which fell during Wednesday's Nor'easter), having even a hint of Spring would be extremely helpful right about now.

Which is why it would be great to get to Epcot this coming weekend. Where – in the La Signature Shoppe (which is located at the World Showcase's France Pavilion) – they're doing this special promotion now through Sunday. Where if you purchase a Guerlain fragrance (which – I'm told – smell just like Spring) between 12 noon and 8 p.m., you can then have this purchase personalized with a complimentary bottle engraving.

Not really into perfume, eh? You're more of a music / animation history buff? Not a problem. The perfect event for you is happening tomorrow morning in Hollywood. At the El Capitan Theatre, to be exact. Where – starting at 10 a.m. – award-winning organist Rob Richards will be manning that movie palace's Mighty Wurlitzer Organ as some classic silent cartoons – including Mickey Mouse's first two animated shorts, "Plane Crazy" and "The Gallopin' Gaucho" – are shown on the big screen.

This is an extremely rare opportunity to see these silent films just as movie-goers did back in the early 1920s. And given that "Disney Pipes and Pops" is a one-time-only performance … You really don't want to dawdle here. So if you'd like to attend tomorrow two-hour-long organ & animation extravaganza, you'd best swing by the El Cap's website and purchase your tickets ASAP.

And speaking of performances … Just two weeks ago, Marie Osmond and her brother Donny wrapped up the extended run of their "Donny & Marie – A Broadway Christmas" show at the Marriott Marquis Theatre. And how is Ms. Osmond celebrating her triumphant return to the Great White Way (i.e. Marie made her Broadway debut back in 1997 in a revival of "The King and I")? By going to Disneyland, of course.

Well, that's not entirely true. The real reason that Ms. Osmond will be on hand at the Disney Gallery tomorrow from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. is that two of her newest Disney-inspired dolls will be making their debut at that theme park. First up is a continuation of Marie's very successful Disneyland 55^th anniversary collectible porcelain doll line. With a Tiny Tot version of "The Fairest One of All," Snow White.

Also making her Disneyland debut tomorrow is Ms. Osmond's limited edition version of Tiana, the star of Walt Disney Animation Studios' 2009 release, "The Princess and The Frog" ."

Marie will be on hand tomorrow in this Main Street, U.S.A. shop to sign both of her new Disney-inspired dolls. Mind you, the usual restrictions (i.e. two dolls per Guest. All merchandise to be signed by Ms. Osmond must be purchased at the event venue on the event day, etc.) apply.

Mind you, if you’re a Disneyana collector and are going to be headed to the Happiest Place on Earth this Saturday … Well, you may want to linger in the area ‘til 7 p.m. Which is when – just down the street in Garden Grove – the Disneyana Fan Club will be holding a pin & button trading event at the Crowne Plaza Anaheim Resort.

And Saturday night’s shindig is just a prelude to the really big show. Which is Sunday’s All-Disneyana Show and Sale. This is where Disneyana Fan Club members – as well as members of the general public – will have the chance to purchase fabulous Disney merchandise from the past & the present. We’re talking about exclusive limited edition pins from WDI’s employees-only store, Mickey’s of Glendale. Not to mention fun items from the Disney Studio Fountain Store.

Not only that, but you’ll have the chance to meet Disney-related celebrities like Margaret “Tinker Bell” Kerry and Mark Silverman (i.e. Rod Serling’s voice for The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror attraction).

Now as to how Sunday’s All-Disneyana Show and Sale is gonna work: Disneyana Fan Club Members will be allowed to get on the show floor starting at 9 a.m. after they pay a $5 admission fee. Members of the general public will have to wait ‘til 10:30 a.m. before they’re allowed access to this Disneyana Fan Club event. Where these people will then be asked to pay a $6 admission fee.

If you’re one of those folks who enjoys the creations of George Lucas just as much as you love Disney, then you may want to consider dropping by D Street (which is located within the Disneyland Resort's Downtown Disney shopping district) from 2 to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Which is when Disney Design Group Character artist Mike Sullivan will be on hand to sign the new Star Wars Vinylmation series.

Again, the usual restrictions (i.e. each Guest can only purchase two trays of the Vinylmation figures being released at this event. More to the point, to help keep the line under control, Mr. Sullivan will only be signing three pieces per Guests, etc.) apply. And those who are looking to line up early for this sure-to-be-well-attended event should note that D Street will be opening up at 8 a.m. this Sunday morning.

After a long weekend of running around & standing on line, what better way is there to relax than curling up on the couch and catching the very last episode of "Hannah Montana" ?

Miley Stewart (Miley Cyrus) looks back on her career as Hannah Montana. Photo by Eric
McCandless. Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

Can it really be less than 5 years since this Disney Channel phenomenon first debuted as a lead-in to a rerun of "High School Musical" ? Since its March 2006 premiere, "Hannah Montana" has gone on to become a hit television series in the U.S. and 177 other countries. Not to mention making the Mouse mountains of money off of the sales of "Hannah Montana"-related merchandise.

I won't lie to you, folks. The Disney Channel originally planned on giving this still popular cable TV series (at least when it comes to HM's targeted demographic. Which is kids 6-to-14 years of age) a high profile send-off. But once that video of Cyrus smoking a bong popped up on the Web back in early December (Not to mention the news that Miley's parents – Billy Ray and Tish Cyrus – were planning on ending their 17 year marriage) … Well, Disney executives had kind of had their fill of this 18 year-old's antics.

Rachel Roberts of "Good Morning America" chats with Stewart about leaving her Hannah
Montana persona behind. Photo by Donna Svennevik. Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc.
All rights reserved

(Which means the "Hannah Montana" finale (which will cap off the four year, 101 episode run of this show) isn't receiving nearly as much publicity as you might expect. In fact, earlier this week, at the Disney-ABC Television Group's Winter Press Tour, Disney Channel execs seemed downright eager to shift the focus away from some of the more troubled tweens that are currently associated with this cable channel (i.e. Ms. Cyrus, the still-in-rehab Demi Lovato) to talk up Disney Channel's future stars.

Which – based on what was being said in Pasadena this past week – would seem to be the cast of "Lemonade Mouth." Which – following in the highly successful tradition of "High School Musical" and "Camp Rock" – is a music-driven Disney Channel Original Movie due to make its broadcast debut stateside on Friday, March 25^th.

(L to R) Hayley Kiyoko, Adam Hicks, Blake Michael, Nick Roux, Naomi Scott and
Bridgit Mendler. Photo by Colleen Hayes. Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc.
All rights reserved

As we've all come to expect by now, Walt Disney Records will release the official "Lemonade Mouth" soundtrack just a few days ahead of the premiere of this new Disney Channel Original Movie. But what's kind of unusual this time around is that one of the performers in this new TV musical (i.e. Adam Hicks of Disney XD's "Zeke and Luther" fame) actually has songwriting credit on three of the ten tracks featured on this recording.

Mind you, this is the first time that a cast member has ever written a song that's performed in a Disney Channel Original Movie. But – then again – under Gary Marsh (i.e. president of Entertainment and chief creative officer of Disney Channels Worldwide)'s direction, this family inclusive television network has really been jiggering its formula lately. Witness this division's recent decision to release "Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure" on Blu-ray & DVD on April 19th …

… ahead of this Disney Channel Original Movie's basic cable premiere in the Spring of 2011. And given that the Mouse also agreed to let Ms. Tisdale serve as the executive producer on "Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure" … Well, what with Adam's song credit & Ashley's hands-on role in the production of this new TV movie, does this mean that Mouse House executives are now easing up when it comes to controlling the Company's tween stars?

That (given what's just gone on with Ms. Cyrus & Lovato) seems kind of counter intuitive. Which is why I've now changed my mind. I no longer want to have super-speed like Stephanie Powell on ABC's "No Ordinary Family." I now want the super power that her daughter Daphne has. Which is the ability to read people's minds.

(L to R) Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Chevy Chase and Elliot Gould as Dr. McCoy,
Captain Kirk, Spock and Herb Goodman, head of programming for NBC.
Copyright NBC Universal. All rights reserved

Of course, as that classic "Saturday Night Live" skit – "The Last Voyage of the Starship Enterprise" – proves – attempting to read the mind of a TV executive can have its downside. As Mr. Spock (Chevy Chase) recalls what it was like to do a Vulcan mind meld on a NBC executive (Elliott Gould):

"It was all dark and empty in there. And there were mice in the corners. And I kept bumping my head on the ceiling and …"

Image capture from the Martin Luther King portion of the "Golden Dreams"
film montage from Epcot's American Adventure attraction. Copyright
Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

So be careful what you wish for, folks. And – in the meantime — have a safe & enjoyable Martin Luther King Day Weekend, okay?

Your thoughts?

If you're looking to do some online shopping on Amazon.com over the long Martin Luther King Day weekend, before you so, could you please click on the banner above? If you do that … Well, JimHillMedia.com then gets a teeny, tiny chunk of whatever you spend at Amazon.com

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