General

Why For?

In a slight inversion of the usual formula, Jim uses today’s column to provide a lengthy answer to a single question. As in: How you can see a rather lengthy scene that was cut from “Monsters, Inc.” Also where you can go this weekend to meet a veteran Disney artist.

Published

21 years ago

July 10, 2003

Jim Hill

Hey, gang!

Jim Hill again. Just finishing up a pretty busy week here at the site. As you might have noticed, I’ve been hammering out brand new stories for JHM every day this week. And — to be honest — I’m kind of wiped right now.

So — rather than go with the usual format for “Why For” — which (as you know) means lots of answers to lots of your questions, how about this: One rather lengthy answer to a single question.

I used a recent e-mail from ProdigalSun as my leaping-off point. It read:

Dear Jim:

Thanks for posting that story this week about your trip to the Disney lot to see “Raising Helen.” Man, I wish that I could get to do some of the cool stuff that you do, Jim. Touring motion picture studios. Seeing advance test screenings of movies. Finding out about all those scenes that get cut out of Disney animated movies …

ProdigalSun:

Alright, admittedly some of the stuff that I get to do as part of my work here at the site is pretty cool. But hey … it’s not like I’m the only person who ever gets to see any this ultra-secret behind-the-scenes stuff.

Take — for example — those scenes that get cut of Disney’s animated features. Honestly, ProdigalSun, anyone can get to see stuff like this. The tough part is … knowing where and when to look.

Take — for example — “Monsters, Inc.” Would you like to see and read a full-blown sequence from this Pixar animated feature that got cut out the film very late in the game? Something that didn’t even turn up on the “Monsters, Inc.” 2-disc DVD? Then go pick up a copy of “Boo on the Loose” (January 2002, Random House).

I’m not kidding, people. This $3.99 softcover children’s book — from Random House’s “Step into Reading” series — is actually based on a sequence that was originally supposed to have been in “Monsters, Inc.” This sequence was reportedly fully developed, ready to go into animation. But it was eventually cut from the film because … well … to be honest, the scene really doesn’t portray Mike and Sully in a very sympathetic manner.

To explain: this sequence would have supposedly come in the film right after Boo falls asleep in Mike’s bed. Now — as you’ll remember — the two monsters are absolutely desperate to get the little girl out of their apartment. For fear that — should the Child Detection Agency ever find out that they’ve been harboring a toxic human child — they’ll be banished forever to the human world.

Which is why Mike formulates eventually this simple if somewhat cruel plan: the next morning, he and Sully will lure Boo down into Mike’s car. They’ll then drive out into the countryside, leave Boo there and … voila! Problem solved.

Well, the next morning, things (of course) don’t go quite as smoothly as Mike had planned. By that I mean, he and Sully do get Boo (who’s now disguised as a baby monster, so as not to arouse suspicion among the neighbors) downstairs and into the car all right. They do also manage to drive out to the country, to a remote park on the outermost edge of Monstropolis, without things going awry. It’s only when Mike and Sully try to get the toddler out of the car that their carefully crafted plan immediately falls apart.

What goes wrong? Well — for starters — the moment that Sully and Mike exit the car, Boo leans on the “Auto Lock” button in the back seat. Which instantly locks the two monsters out of the car. Looking in through the windows, Mike and Sully plead with the little girl to hit the “Auto Lock” button again and re-open the car’s doors. Boo just smiles and waves out at the two monsters.

So Mike and Sully quickly confer. They then decide that the only way that they’ll be able to lure the little girl out of the car is by pretending to have fun. So much fun that Boo will have no choice but to open the door to come outside and join them. So — using a few items that they scavenge out of the trunk — the two monsters put on an awesome display of pretend fun by:

Having Sully jam Mike inside of a spare tire and then rolling him down a hill.
Sully seats Mike on top of the car’s jack, and then — using the jack handle — pumps the one eyed little green monster up-and-down, up-and-down … as if Mike’s on some ride at the carnival.
Then — running out of props — Sully just grabs Mike by the arms and spins him repeatedly in a circle, saying “Wheee! Doesn’t this look like fun? Don’t you want to play, Boo?”

But Boo doesn’t budge. She just sits happily in the back seat, playing with Little Mikey (Mike’s teddy bear).

Things look pretty bleak for Mike and Sully. Until a monster butterfly flutters by the car window. Instantly intrigued by the colorful insect, Boo quickly opens the car door and chases after the butterfly as it flutters across the park. Soon both Boo and the butterfly disappear into the brush at the edge of the park.

“Now’s our chance!” says Mike. The little green monster leaps the car and urges his large friend to join him. Unfortunately for Mike, Sully’s clearly having second thoughts. The blue big monster’s really reluctant to get in the car and just drive off, abandoning Boo. Much as he’d hate to admit it, Monsters, Inc. ‘s top scarer has developed some feelings for the little girl.

Still — at Mike’s urging — Sully does eventually get in the car. And the two monsters do actually try to drive off and leave Boo. But they can’t.

“Why can’t they leave?” you ask. Not because Mike and Sully have a change of heart. But rather, because Mike’s car is now out of gas.

The two monsters sit there for a moment, wondering what they should do. Then Sully gets an idea! If he goes out into the woods and find Boo, then brings the little girl back to the car and gets to her to scream … well, Boo’s scream would hopefully be enough to fill up Mike’s fuel tank. Which would then allow the two monsters to make their escape.

So — grabbing Mike’s teddy bear out of the backseat — Sully heads off for the woods at the edge of the park. He then calls and calls for the little girl, eventually growing worried that Boo may have become lost or injured or attacked by some animal when …

WHAM! Boo comes scrambling out of the underbrush. Clearly delighted to see “Kitty” again, she rushes right up to the big blue monster and hugs him around the leg. Sully is relieved to see that the little girl’s okay … then obviously puzzled as to why he’s not having any sort of toxic reaction from being in this close a contact with a human child.

Meanwhile, Mike’s waiting nervously inside the car. He looks through the windshield and sees … Sully walking out of the woods, holding Boo’s hand. “You’re holding its hand,” the green monster says with horror. “I know,” replies Sullivan. “I feel okay, though.”

Sully puts Boo back in the back seat of the car. Mike now urges the big blue monster to make the cute little toddler scream (so that she can fill up the car’s gas tank). So Sully turns around and sees this trusting little girl smiling up at him … and just can’t bring himself to frighten Boo.

“Come on! Just scare it! Now!” says Mike. But James P. Sullivan won’t. Which is why — in frustration — Mike Wyznowski slams his head down on the car’s steering column. Which causes the car horn to honk. Which somehow startles Mike in a very comical way. Mike’s reaction causes Boo to laugh …

Which causes the car’s engine to suddenly roar to life. Mike and Sully exchanged startled looks, as if to say “How the hell did that happen?”

Mike looks back at Boo, then over at Sully. “Okay,” Wyznowksi says. “She can stay … for now.”

But — as the two monsters drive back toward Monstropolis and the little girl snuggles down into the back seat, hugging Little Mikey as she falls asleep — the little green monster mutters “But just remember … that’s my bear.”

That’s a great scene, isn’t it? Loaded with heart and humor. So why did the guys at Pixar eventually cut it?

Well — as I mentioned at the start of this “Why For” answer — this proposed sequence didn’t exactly put Mike and Sully in a very good light. I mean, here were the two leading monsters in the movie, getting ready to abandon a cute little girl in the wilderness. Leaving poor Boo to fend for herself. Doing something like was an awful easy way to make the audience really dislike Mike and Sully.

Finally recognizing the risks involved with inserting this scene in the movie, the “Monsters, Inc.” story team — after literally spending months developing this particular sequence — opted to drop it. Deciding that it might be smarter in the long run to go another way. Create some other sort of scene that would cover the same ground, story-wise, but not make Mike and Sully seem so unsympathetic to movie-goers. Not make these two guys seem like such heartless … well … monsters.

So the storyboards for the “Boo in the Park” sequence all got pulled down and filed away. Seemingly gone for good. Until the folks at Disney came sniffing around. They explained that the Mouse had just signed this deal with the folks at Random House to create a series of easy-to-read books. Books that would use exciting stories with colorful illustrations to help youngsters from kindergarten age right up through fourth grade master the fundamentals of reading.

So these Disney reps were asking the people at Pixar if they had any ideas relating to “Monsters, Inc.” that they could into books for this Random House “Step into Reading” series. At first, the Pixar crew said “No” … until someone suddenly remembered that “Boo in the Park” scene that had been cut out the picture. So they dug out those storyboards and handed them over to Disney.

Disney in turn handed these raw materials over to some very talented people. Mainly author Gail Herman and illustrators Scott Tilley, Floyd Norman and Brooks Campbell. Who reworked those Pixar storyboards until they became a stand alone book: “Boo on the Loose,” which hit store shelves back in January 2002.

So — if you want your very own copy of a scene that got cut from “Monsters, Inc.” — go pick up a copy of “Boo on the Loose” at your local book store. Or you can order a copy from Amazon.com and help support JimHillMedia.

Speaking of Floyd Norman, this much beloved animator and veteran story artist will be appearing this Sunday, July 13th at the Disneyana Pin Show. A day-long event featuring the very finest in Disney pins and collectibles, this Pin Show is going to be held at the beautiful Coast Anaheim Hotel at 1855 South Harbor Boulevard in Anaheim, CA. (You really can’t miss this hotel. It’s just one block south of Disneyland.)

Presented by Disneyana Fun Fair, the Disneyana Pin Show will be held this Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is only $3.00. As an extra added bonus, with each paid admission, each guest will receive one of Norman’s limited edition “Walt’s World” collector pins (Which each feature of Floyd’s caustic cartoons about Disney Studios).

Though — if you want a real collectible — you might want to bring along a copy of “Boo on the Loose” and get that signed by the artist. I know that’s what I’m going to go the next time I see Floyd Norman.

Anywho … I hope you folks enjoyed this epic length answer to a single “Why For” question. Next week, we’ll try to get things back to normal around here. With lots of answers to your Disney-related questions.

Beyond that … it’s good to be back. And there are lots of great Disney-related stories yet to come. So be sure to drop in again next week.

Til then, you folks take care, okay?

jrh

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