General

Why For?

Jim Hill provides answers to your Disney-related questions. This time around, Jim talks about when Ace Ventura appeared at Disney-MGM, why that new-Disney-theme-park-in-Turkey rumor really is a turkey, why “Plectu’s Fantastic Intergalactic Revue” never landed in Disneyland’s Tomorrowland. Plus Mr. Hill apologizes to the staff of Feature Animation-Florida for an unintended slight.

Published

20 years ago

January 15, 2004

Jim Hill

Before we get started here, I just want to share a bit of good news. That brand-new snazzy version of www.savedisney.com that I talked about earlier this week over at AintItCoolNews.com? Well, it’s finally gone live. And it’s well worth a looksee.

Anyway … first up, we’ve got an e-mail from big WALL with a question about an old MGM street show:

Dear Mr. Hill,

I am a huge fan of your work. Now that we got that out of the way, I remember in the mid-90’s an advertised attraction at MGM Studios for an Ace Ventura meet and greet. I don’t think it ever happened, but do you know anything of its fate? And yes, I’m sure it was Disney. I have the brochure somewhere in here.

Thank you for your time.

Thanks,

big WALL

Dear big WALL,

Strange as it may seem, Ace Ventura actually DID make appearances at the Disney-MGM studio theme during the winter of 1995. No, not Jim Carrey himself. But — rather — a Disney cast member who looked and dressed like Carrey’s pet detective.

As far as theme park shows go, this one was pretty lame. WDW guests who gathered out on New York Street got to watch this Carrey clone climb the side of a building and then rescue an albino bat (a supposedly rare creature that played an important part in the 1995 “Ace Ventura” sequel, “When Nature Calls”). Afterwards, Ace returned to street level and happily posed for photos and signed autographs.

That was pretty much the show in a nutshell. No singing, no dancing. No live animals on display. Just some Disney cast member wearing a Hawaiian shirt as well as an Ace Ventura wig doing a G-rated impression of Carrey’s character. Given that this Disney-MGM show only ran for three month before the Mouse pulled the plug … well, I’m guessing that you can tell that Mr. Ventura didn’t prove to be all that popular with WDW visitors.

Which is why the “Ace Ventura Live” show ended up on Disney-MGM’s scrap heap. Alongside R.L. Stine’s “Goosebumps” show and the “New Let’s Make a Deal.”

Next, Tonny S. from the Netherlands checks in to ask about a persistent rumor that’s been bouncing around the Web.

Hi Jim,

Disney and Turkey?!

No, I’m not talking about those flying creatures that inhabit the earth, I’m talking about turkey as a country. Here’s something I found on the Internet:

BIGGEST EUROPEAN DISNEYLAND TO BE BUILT IN ANTALYA — Antalya is preparing to be the host of one of the biggest projects in Turkey. The meetings between Ata Holding Company and Walt Disney Corporation, which were being held secretly to build one of the biggest entertainment centre in Europe, reached the final stage. According to the news published in the ‘Para’ magazine, the Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board of Walt Disney Corporation will arrive in Turkey and start this project. A member of the Executive Board of Ata Holding Company, Erhan Kurdoglu, said, “We made an agreement in principle for the implementation of the Disneyland project, which we expect to amount to nearly 1.6 billion dollars according to the first calculations. During the meeting that we held with the officials from Walt Disney administration, they told us that they would meet half of the investment cost.”

Now I know how unreliable the Internet is. I actually heard someone mention that this “news” came from an international hotel association or other (which sounds pretty reliable). But still, I haven’t heard a
thing about this! Do you have any idea if there is any truth to this story? It seems rather farfetched to me, but who knows…

Buhbye,
Tonny S.
The Netherlands

Dear Tonny,

To be honest, this sounds a lot like that Spain-is-adding-a-new-pavilion rumor that was flying around the Web a year or so. I.E. Wishful thinking that’s masquerading as real news.

But — just in case this could actually be true — I forwarded your e-mail to a friend who works fairly high up in WDI and asked if there was any truth to this Disney-theme-park-in-Turkey rumor. Here’s his reply:

Jim –

RE: Your Disney theme park in Turkey story

Nope. There’s no such theme park in the works. Just to be sure, I called my friend over in Imagineering’s international projects department. He said that — after Hong Kong — we’re concentrating on the Shanghai park. Then possibly another park for the mainland of Japan, followed by Australia and South America. But no Turkey theme parks.

You know what was the real giveaway that the news story that you sent me was a hoax, Jim? That the Walt Disney Company would actually agree to pick half the construction costs for a $1.6 billion resort. Disney management would NEVER agree to a deal like that nowadays. They much prefer deals like the one we cut with the Hong Kong government. Where — by just putting up $314 million of its own money — the Walt Disney Company was able to claim a 43% ownership stake in this $3 billion resort project.

So this news story has the Mouse happily putting up $800 million to build a theme park in Turkey. That’s not the Disney Company that I know, Jim. So this has gotta be a hoax.

So there. Does that answer your question, Tonny?

Next, it’s Dan A. asking about one of those “Disney Decade” projects that never made it off WDI’s drawing board:

Hi Jim,

Back when Disney announced the “Disney Decade” and plans for Walt Disney World, one of the proposed additions was for “Plectu’s Fantastic Galactic Revue” to replace the Carousel of Progress. I have never seen any concept artwork for this show, but I believe I caught a glimpse of some maquettes of the figures during a behind the scenes glimpse of WDI in a Walt Disney World Special (there was a sculpted head on a shelf that looked a little like a cross between Alien Encounter’s Skippy and Imagination’s Figment).

There was also a rumor that WDW’s Sonny Eclipse was taken from Plectu’s Revue and that George Lucas was somehow involved with the performing aliens show. I know that Sonny Eclipse is actually a duplicate of Officer Zzzzyxxx from Tokyo Disneyland’s Star Tours/Pan Galactic Pizza Port complex, but was this alien originally created for Plectu’s Revue?

Also, where can I see some concept art from this show? Are there any books out there that feature artwork from this attraction?

Thanks!

Sincerely,
Dan A.

Dear Dan A.

Sadly, I don’t think that there’s a Disney book on the market that contains images of the “Plectu” project. The only place outside of WDI that I ever recall seeing any imagery of this proposed “Carousel of Progress” redo was in the “New Tomorrowland” show that the Disneyland Gallery presented three or four years again. This display featured at least one concept painting of what the exterior of the COP’s theater-go-round building would have looked like if “Plectu’s Fantastic Galactic Revue” had been installed inside. “What did it look like?” you ask. Like someone had brought the Mothership from “Close Encounters of a Third Kind” in for a three-point landing in the heart of Tomorrowland.

So what sort of exotic out-of-this-world creatures would we have found inside? Well, I remember the late David Mumford once giving a bunch of folks at an N.F.F.C. convention a brief glimpse of some characters from the “Plectu” show. These including this flying circus’ three-armed ringmaster, P.T. Quantum as well as some giant swamp creature that — as part of its performance — rose out of the muck and sang operatic arias with its multiple mouths.

But as for why this neat sounding “Tomorrowland 2055” attraction never made it off of WDI’s drawing board: AA-heavy shows like this are expensive to build and difficult to maintain, Dan. (Just look at all the problems that WDW Ops department has had lately with keeping the Magic Kingdom’s “Carousel of Progress” looking neat and tidy. My good friend, Jeffrey Lange, visited this Tomorrowland favorite last month duing his Disney World vacation. He described the condition of the Audio-Animatronic figures featured in the show as being “just awful. Eyes were malfunctioning. Their plastic skins didn’t fit right. It was really, really sad.”)

Plus Disney CEO Michael Eisner reportedly never really warmed to the whole “Plectu” idea. In meetings where the Imagineers would try and pitch him various different versions of the show, Eisner would allegedly say things like “A revolving theater full of singing aliens? How is that different from what they’ve got at Chuck E. Cheese? We need a better idea for this show.”

WDI supposedly pitched dozens of variations of the “Plectu” project to Disney’s CEO. But Michael reportedly never liked any of them. Which is why — in the end — the “Tomorrowland 2055” project was eventually scrubbed. “Plectu’s Fantastic Galactic Revue” never came in for a three point landing. Which is why we’re now stuck with (God help us) Innoventions.

To my way of thinking, Marty Sklar’s 50th anniversary Disneyland museum can’t get here fast enough. But — come 2008 — somebody in WDI HAS TO come up with a halfway decent, workable and affordable concept for this Tomorrowland facility. Please?

And — finally — Back to Burbank takes me to task for supposedly giving JHM readers the wrong impression of what happened this past Monday at Feature Animation Florida:

As an employee at WDFA-F, I have been enjoying your coverage of these events. However, I was in the multi-purpose room yesterday, and I am somewhat disappointed at the spin you put on your article. I’m talking about all of your references to booing. I only heard one boo at one point in the meeting. You may have emphasized it for dramatic effect, but it reflects poorly on the people in that room, who behaved themselves in a very professional manner (and were complimented on that fact by Andrew Millstein during his emotional remarks.) I feel you owe all of the WDFAF staff a public apology. There are other factual errors in your article, but they are minor in comparison to this.

Sincerely,
Back to Burbank

BTB —

First of all, I do appreciate you taking the time to write to me to express your concerns about JHM’s coverage of David Stainton’s meeting with the WDFAF crew this past Monday. And if that article really did offend you or any other Feature Animation Florida staffers that actually attended that meeting, then I do sincerely apologize for any offense that I may have caused you.

So why did I write that article the way I did? Well, by this past Monday evening, I had received upwards of a dozen e-mails from various WDFAF staffers who were actually there in the multi-purpose room earlier that morning to hear Stainton’s remarks. Some painted the meeting as being this relatively civilized affair with just a little grumbling and a few boos from the staff. Still others painted the event as being something like the “Kill the Beast” number from “Beauty and the Beast,” with Feature Animation Florida vets waving torches and pitchforks and calling for David’s head.

Since I wasn’t in the multi-purpose room that morning to see for myself what actually happened, I had to make a judgment call, BTB. I felt that the truth must lie somewhere in the middle. And — since most of the e-mails that I received that afternoon stressed the booing as well as the WDFAF staff’s audible reaction to Stainton’s comments — that’s the why I decided to write my article.

If it’s any consolation, BTB, you weren’t the only one to take me to task for this article. Over on the JHM discussion boards, Mortimer Mongoose said:

“David didn’t get that many ‘boos’ at all. I heard one small one when he handed the mic off to Andrew Millstein. There was some small grumbling, but all in all everyone handled themselves very professionally.”

And Laidoff chimed in with:

“Well, as mentioned above, the ‘boos’ weren’t really there. Maybe twice, there were very low rumblings, but I will say, nobody was happy, but everyone conducted themselves very professionally. No shouting or booing. Arguing, yes.”

And even David Stainton himself — in an e-mail that was just forwarded to me — supposedly had problems with that article. Particularly the part where I repeated what he reportedly said about the public not being able to tell the difference between Disney’s feature animation and its direct-to-video product. When queried about that, David said:

“I didn’t even remotely say that. That was the point that was implied by the question I was being asked–the artist was saying that the public was very confused by the direct-to-video product and our feature films, and I was making your point exactly–the audience knows and is not at all confused by the different types of movies that we make.”

So my apologies to Back to Burbank, Mortimer Mongoose, Laidoff and especially David Stainton if they were offended by Tuesday’s JHM article. It honestly wasn’t my intention to hurt anyone’s feeling at Disney Feature Animation with that piece.

Of course, in the spirit of full disclosure, I guess I should point out that I received 74 other pieces of e-mail over the past few days. Many of them from other WDFA-F staffers who were in the studio’s multi-purpose room Monday morning. These folks seemed thrilled with my coverage of that meeting, saying things like:

“You really nailed it. Particularly the part where Stainton froze like a deer in the headlights when we all started booing.”

And:

“You were actually too nice to Stainton. That speech he gave us just reeked of insincerity. It was obvious that he didn’t really care about what was happening to us. That’s why we decided to give him a hard time in return.”

So the truth … As I said earlier, I think it lies somewhere in the middle. If I did actually overstate the amount of booing in the meeting, then I do apologize. But there’s no getting around the fact that WDFAF staffers actually DID boo David Stainton. Which (to my knowledge) is the first time that the head of Disney Feature Animation was treated that derisively by his staff.

And as for getting Mr. Stainton’s quote wrong … well, if David would like to let JHM readers know what he actually said this past Monday, he’s welcome to contact me here at JimHillMedia.com. My e-mail address is stadlerhill@mindspring.com. I’d be happy to post a piece that corrects and/or clarifies the comments that I said that David made to the Feature Animation-Florida staff earlier this week.

The ball’s in your court now, Mr. Stainton. I sincerely hope to hear from you soon.

Beyond that … Man, it’s been a busy week here at JimHillMedia.com. I just did a quick count of the number of articles that I’ve churned out over the past six days. Counting the piece over at AintItCoolNews, that’s seven articles in six days. No wonder I’m bushed.

Which is why I’ve decided to take advantage of the long Martin Luther King weekend to recover. So no new stories ’til Wednesday morning, okay?

You folks have a great weekend. We’ll talk again soon, alright?

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