General

Why For?

Jim Hill’s back with even more answers to your Disney related questions. This time around, Hill gives you an update on what’s going on with Mickey and the Muppets, reveals why “The Search for Mickey” is off (at least for now), talks about the various versions of the “Gaston” song, then asks for your help in tracking down Part 4 of his “California Misadventure” series.

Published

22 years ago

December 19, 2002

Jim Hill

StinkyCat writes to say:

Jim:
Congratulations! You actually got one right! Judging by the story that CBSMarketwatch just did as well as that report that Reuters just ran, it looks like the Walt Disney Company really is making one more run at the Jim Henson Company.
So – Oh great Swami Jim – since you were so on the money about Mickey renewing his pursuit of the Muppets, is there any chance that you could gaze into your crystal ball and find out what this weekend’s winning Powerball number might be.

Thanks for the kind words, StinkyCat. Sadly, I don’t actually have a crystal ball. Just a lot of friends who work in the industry who regularly toss interesting tidbits my way.

Speaking of which, here’s the latest on Disney’s bid to acquire the Jim Henson Company:

The Walt Disney Company reportedly officially made its intentions known at virtually the very last minute. (I’m told that the deadline for bidding on the Jim Henson Company is close of business tomorrow.)
Though this is far from a done deal, Disney’s PR machine is already reportedly gearing up for the big announcement. There’s supposedly been much discussion about where the best place would be to reveal this news: The Burbank lot (which would make it much easier for both Disney’s CEO Michael Eisner as well as Henson’s CEO Charlie Rivkin to take part in the announcement) or the Disney Studios Paris theme park (which make it much easier for EM.TV and Kirch reps to take part, in addition to giving Disney the chance to announce that several new Muppet-related rides and attractions are already in the works for that troubled theme park).
Sadly, there’s been no word as to whether — once the Mouse actually does acquire the Muppets — if Disney will be retaining Henson CEO Charlie Rivkin. Which — given that it was Charlie who personally masterminded this year’s amazing Muppet comeback campaign (bringing a dormant franchise roaring back to life. Showing the world just how viable & valuable these classic Henson characters really are) — would just seems to be a no brainer to me.

Of course, no one ever accused the Mouse of having brains. After all, it was 12 years ago this month that Disney originally let the Henson Company slip through its fingers.

Okay. That’s enough editorializing on my part. If I hear anything more about Disney acquiring Henson (or suddenly have an inkling about what that winning Power Ball number might be), I’ll be sure to let you know, StinkyCat.

Next, Heather writes to ask:

Do you know anything about the upcoming movie, “The Search for Mickey Mouse?” All I’ve been able to find out about is on IMDB. Have all of the voice actors listed actually been signed on? And will it be traditional animation or CG?

Sad as this is to say, Heather, (Particularly given that I was one of the very first people to actually write about this project ‘way back in June of 2000 over at Aint It Cool News — back when I was still using my Moo Cow handle whenever I posted pieces at Harry’s site), it appears that “The Search of Mickey” is off. At least for the foreseeable future.

What’s the problem with this project? Well, I’m told that the folks at Walt Disney Television Animation division just loved the concept behind this project. (I.E. Mickey gets kidnapped. So Minnie hired the world’s greatest detective, Basil of Baker Street, to help her track down the missing mouse. Minnie, Basil, Donald, and Goofy then travel the globe in their search for Mickey. And in the process, encounter every animated cartoon character that has ever appeared in a Disney film). Unfortunately, they were just never able to come up with a workable script for the film.

What was the problem? Logistics, really. By that I mean: The writers had to come up a semi-plausible storyline which emotionally engaged audience members that still allow a different set of classic Disney characters to come strolling on screen every two or three minutes. That sort of gimmick is cute for a while. But imagine a 90 minute long film that does nothing but that? Sounds kind of annoying, doesn’t it? More of a stunt than a story.

Anyway … given that “The Search for Mickey” was supposed to be the project that the Walt Disney Company would be using as the centerpiece of its year long celebration of Mickey’s 75th birthday (which officially kicks off in January 2003), this proposed film’s continuing script problems finally forced Disney to table the project. At least for now. In its place, Disney will be releasing a similar but simpler film: An all-new animated version of “The Three Musketeers” starring Mickey, Donald, and Goofy in the title roles, Minnie as the Princess and Black Pete as the villainous Captain of the Guard.

From what I hear, “The Three Musketeers” will be a perfectly fine film for the Walt Disney Company to release in recognition of Mickey’s 75th birthday. Folks who have been working on the project that report that the movie looks great and that it’s loaded with charm and heart. (As well as some very odd gags. My personal favorite comes late in thepicture, where Mickey finds himself locked up in the dungeon. The valiant mousekateer … er … musketeer has been chained to the wall. And water is pouring into the chamber. So it looks like Mickey is doomed for sure. This is when the Mouse glances over toward the opposite wall of the cell that he’s chained up in and notices a white dotted line. Next to the line is a sign that reads: “You must be at least this tall in order to survive this torture.” Which I think is an admittedly weird but still funny little riff on all that Disneyland “You must be at least this tall in order to ride the …” signage.)

So what’s going to happen now with “Search for Mickey” (which — in spite of all the information that’s currently on file over at IMDB about which performer recorded what voices for this file — I still can’t get official confirmation from anyone over at Disney as to whether any vocal tracks were ever recorded for this proposed picture)? The project will unfortunately remain on hold ’til some lucky writer figures out how to break the back of the film’s story problems.

Of course, this isn’t to say that we won’t be seeing a movie someday very soon that will feature dozens of classic Disney characters taking part in an epic adventure. Over the past couple of months, I’ve been hearing a lot of talk about Disney’s consumer products division has been actively pushing the folks over at the studio to put a “Kingdom Hearts” movie into development. A live action / CG feature that would supposedly feature many of the worlds and characters seen in the best selling Disney Interactive / SquareSoft game.

The thinking behind a film like this is that a “Kingdom Hearts” movie could be used to introduce new characters and worlds which could be featured in the second or third versions of a “Kingdom Hearts” game. Which (if properly promoted) could give Disney its very own Pokemon like franchise. Which could generate tons of cash for the Mouse as well as SquareSoft.

Of course, what helps Disney’s consumer products division is that the studio has already made a “Country Bears” movie (which — by the way — just come out on home video and DVD this past Tuesday) as well as having a “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “Haunted Mansion” movie in production. “If we can make movies based on theme park attractions, why can’t we make a film based on our best selling Playstation 2 game?”

Of course, the problem that’s facing Disney now is how to come with a script for a 90 minute long movie that does justice to all the colorful characters and settings one sees while playing “Kingdom Hearts.” Which in a way, brings us back to the problems that stalled out production of “The Search for Mickey.”

As in: If you don’t have a strong story that emotionally involves & engages your audience, you don’t really have a movie. So, if Disney’s writers can just break the back of all of the story problems involved in making movies out of the “The Search for Mickey” core concept as well as the “Kingdom Hearts” Playstation 2 game, I’m sure that we’ll eventually see movies based on both of these properties.

If not, these proposed Disney films will eventually be abandoned. Taking their place on the shelf next to all the other great story ideas that didn’t successfully make the transition to the big screen. Projects like “Kingdom of the Sun,” “Song of the Sea” and “Silly Hillbillies from Mars.” The list goes on and on …

Next, Eric G. from CA. writes to ask:

Jim:
I’ve loved your articles ever since I started to read them about a year ago. I look for everything you’ve done. More marathon things, I love those.
Anyway, my question goes to “Beauty and the Beast.” During the “Gaston” song scene, I really remember a part where Lafou tries to spell Gaston’s name but fails. I thought this part might be in the DVD, but nothing! Can you tell me if I thought of it?

No, Eric, you’re not imagining that you heard a version of “Gaston” that ended that way. That’s actually how the song ends on the “Beauty and the Beast” soundtrack. The folks over at Walt Disney Records chose this version of the song for the film’s soundtrack — rather than the song actually plays out in the movie — because it had a neater, tidier, funnier end. Which obviously made it a better choice as a stand-alone track for the soundtrack.

Mind you, “B & B”‘s late lyrist Howard Ashman wrote a couple of dozen different verses for this particular comic song. The movie’s directors — Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale — chose the ones that they thought were funniest AND the most kid friendly to go into their film.

However once the Broadway bound production of “Beauty and the Beast” was mounted in the fall of 1993, the film’s composer Alan Menken was able to unearth some of the other lyrics that Howard had written for “Gaston” and finally get them folded into the song. Gems like:

Who has brains like Gaston? Entertains like Gaston? Who can make these endless refrains like Gaston?

If you haven’t yet picked up a copy of the original cast album of “Beauty and the Beast: The Broadway Musical,” Eric, you might want to consider doing so now. By comparing this recording to the film’s soundtracks, you’ll notice all of these intriguing little differences between how Ashman and Menken’s great songs were performed for the screen and how they were performed on stage. Not to mention that cool expanded version of “Gaston.”

Anyway … finally, Peter Postamus writes to asks:

Jim,
Don’t get me wrong. I love all the new stories and all. But where’s Part Four of “California Misadventure”? I’ve been waiting for over a week now for that installment. Don’t leave me hanging, bud. When’s the next chapter going to run?

That’s an excellent question, Peter. I just wish I had an answer for you.

What’s the problem? Neither Michelle nor I can find a copy of Part Four of my “California Misadventure” series. You see, the computer that I stored the original version of the text on had its hard drive wiped clean by a virus a few months back. And Michelle — while she was using the Wayback Machine to snag copies of all of my old MousePlanet stories — wasn’t able to find Part Four of my “California Misadventure” series anywhere on the Web.

Why was Michelle using the Wayback Machine instead of going straight to MP to request copies of all my old articles? Because MousePlanet evidently had some data storage problems a year or so back (I remember Al telling me something about a bad disc writer, or something like that). Which unfortunately means that their entire archive of “View from a Hill” columns was lost during a data transfer.

Which is why I’m now appealing to you folks. I mean, I keep hearing from JHM readers who say things like “I’ve downloaded every single story that you’ve ever written, Jim” and/or “I’ve made copies of every piece that you’ve posted on the Web, Jim.” Well, if that’s really the case, then someone somewhere out there has to have a copy of Part Four of that “California Misadventure” series.

If one of you folks could dig that article up, I — along with a number of other JHM readers — would be eternally grateful.

So whaddaya say, folks? Would one of you like to perform a Christmas miracle and resurrect a copy of this old MousePlanet story?

Here’s hoping you can. In the meantime, you folks have a great weekend, 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

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