General

Why For?

Jim Hill’s back with even more answers to your Disney-related questions. This time around, Jim talks about what was almost done with Disneyland’s Grand Canyon & Primeval World dioramas, brings us an update on the “Cars” premiere event in North Carolina as well as sharing some info about what Disney Theatrical has been up to lately

Published

19 years ago

March 23, 2006

Jim Hill

First up, Ted H. asks:

Why hasn’t Disneyland done anything with the Train dioramas? I mean the dinosaur one isn’t too bad. But the Grand Canyon thing is lame.
Plus is Disneyland the only place (that) these exist?

Thanks for your great knowledge on all things Disney!

To answer your second question first, Ted: Actually, the Primeval World sequence from the Disneyland Railroad was faithfully recreated for Tokyo Disneyland. You can see this cloned sequence by climbing aboard the Western River Railroad. Which — oddily enough — can’t be boarded in that theme park’s Westernland section. You’ll find TDL’s one-and-only train station over in Adventureland.

As for Disneyland – Paris, a somewhat modified version of the Grand Canyon diorama actually serves as a transition point between Main Street U.S.A. to Frontierland. But — just as with the Anaheim original — you’ll only be able to see this scene if you’re seated on the steam train.

Now — as to why the Imagineers have never made any attempt to update and/or change out these somewhat tired scenes at Disneyland … Actually, they have, Ted.

For over 30 years now, the guys at WDI have suggested numerous ways that Disneyland’s dinosaurs could be repurposed. Among the ideas that have been trotted out over the past three decades are:

When the Imagineers were toying with building Discovery Bay back in the 1970s, one of the ideas that was floated as a possible attraction for this expansion area was a boat ride that would take Disneyland guests into the distant past as well as the far-off future. For this proposed ride’s “distant past” sequence, what the guys from WDI wanted to do was pull all the dinosaur AA figures out of Primeval World and then place these robotic reptiles (Which had originally been built for the 1964 New York World’s Fair) along the river bank of the time travel attraction.

During the 1980s, when the Imagineers were looking for a way to add a little oomph to Disneyland’s dated & tired “Jungle Cruise,” one of the concepts that was considered was moving the dinosaurs over into this Adventureland attraction. Where — as part of the new finale for this boat ride — guests would find themselves venturing into a previously unexplored portion of the jungle. Where creatures that were once thought extinct were shown to be very much alive.

Perhaps the most intriguing ideas dates back to in the late 1990s, when the Imagineers still thought that Disney’s Animal Kingdom‘s “Countdown to Extinction” attraction (AKA “Dinosaur“) might be a franchisable attraction. Given that 1998 redo of Disneyland’s Tomorrowland had been deemed a total bust, the guys at WDI were desperate to come up with some sort of future-themed attraction that they could then drop into this part of the Anaheim theme park. Something daring & dramatic that might then possibly change the public’s perception about the New New Tomorrowland.
Among the ideas that were proposed was cloning DAK’s “Countdown to Extinction” ride. This would have involved shutting down and then gutting the “Honey, I Shrunk the Audience” theater to make room for the Dino Institute portion of that attraction (I.E. The queue, load/unload as well as the gift shop area).

As where the actual ride track for the Disneyland version of the CTX ride would have gone … Well, this was where the Imagineers were planning on being extremely crafty. What they were basically looking to do here was pull down the Anaheim theme park’s old Administration building as well as leveling the Grand Canyon diorama and placing the “Countdown to Extinction” show building there.

Mind you, the Primeval World was to have remained pretty much where it is today. The only difference was that — in addition to those dinosaurs from the ’64 World’s Fair — guests on the train would then have been able to see Time Rovers rolling through this setting. Carloads of happy Disneyland visitors narrowly avoiding being eaten by allosauruses and carnotaurs.

Speaking of which … Yes, you would have still be able to see the Primeval World sequence from the train. Only — in this version of the Disneyland Railroad story — your steam train would have just passed the Dino Institute. And clearly some of the Institute’s time-traveling equipment must be malfunctioning. For a “temporal rift” has formed outside of the building. And — for a few brief moments, anyway — Disneyland Railroad passengers would have been able to peer into the distant past.

Of course, what the Imagineers were hoping was that — once those Disneyland Railroad passengers got a glimpse of what was going on inside the Dino Institute — they’d then race on over Tomorrowland and immediately get on line at “Countdown to Extinction.” That was the plan, anyway.

Unfortunately, given how poorly the 1998 redo of Tomorrowland was received, the then-management team at the Disneyland Resort wasn’t all that eager to throw good money after bad. They preferred to save the company’s cash for the then-still-under-construction Disney’s California Adventure theme park. So the Disneyland version of CTX never really got past the talking phase.

As for what might have been done with the Grand Canyon dioramas: Over the past 10 years or so, I’ve heard a number of suggestions from Disney Company employees. Among the ideas that have reportedly been pitched was incorporating all of those stuffed animals as well as that spectacular backdrop of the Grand Canyon into the queue area of a brand-new version of “Western River Expedition” (I.E. That Disney theme park ride that Marc Davis always dreamed of building). But I bet you can guess how far those plans got, Ted.

Anyway … That’s a little background of what was almost done with Disneyland’s Grand Canyon and Primeval World dioramas. I hope that that answers your question, Ted.

Next up, Charlie B. drops by with a quick note of congratulations:

Jim —

Congrats on breaking that “Cars” premiere story earlier this week. Just today, Disney officially admitted that they would indeed be holding the premiere of this new Pixar Animation Studios’ film at the Lowe’s Motor Speedway. It must feel great to be able to scoop all of the other Disneyana sites like that.

It’s articles like that that keep me coming back every day to JHM. So please keep them up!

Charlie B.

Dear Charlie B.

Well, to be honest, I’d feel a whole lot better about breaking that story if A) I’d actually gotten the date of the “Cars” premiere right (In my original article, I said that this screening would be held after the Coca Cola 600 was run. In truth, this Pixar Animation film will actually debut before that NASCAR race is run. The official date of the “Cars” premiere is May 26th, while the Coca Cola 600 doesn’t get underway ’til May 28th) and B) if I’d gotten the number of tickets that will be sold to the public right (I counted on Disney trying to fill the stands at the Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Which have a seating capacity of 167,000. In truth, the Mouse is only looking to fill about a fifth of those seats. Seeing as current plans call for only 30,000 seats to be sold to the public for this once-in-a-lifetime event.)

But — beyond that, Charlie … Yeah, I guess you could say that I did okay.

FYI: Here’s a copy of the official Walt Disney Pictures press release for the premiere:

Cars World Premiere at Lowe’s Motor Speedway on May 26th

First-Ever Multi-Screen Digital Cinema Premiere; Vocal Cast From Film Along
with Racing Legends and 30,000 Guests to Attend Benefit Event Sponsored by Kodak

Disney?Pixar’s exciting new computer-animated feature “CARS” will stage its World Premiere on May 26th at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte, North Carolina in one of the most unique and elaborate movie events of all-time, it was announced today by *** Cook, chairman of The Walt Disney Studios. Paul Newman, Owen Wilson, Bonnie Hunt, Larry the Cable Guy, NASCAR legends Richard Petty and Darrell Waltrip, and others from the voice cast of the film will be joined by a host of stars from the racing world and 30,000 guests that are expected to attend the “CARS” World Premiere, taking place at the same location as that weekend’s famous Coca Cola 600 NASCAR race.

The screening of the film represents the first multi-screen digital cinema premiere ever, with Texas Instruments and its DLP Cinema® technology serving as Disney’s event technology partner in providing the digital cinema projectors. A series of four giant custom-built outdoor movie screens (115-feet wide and 50-feet tall) will be constructed at Lowe’s Motor Speedway at Turn #2 of the track. Each screen will have three DLP Cinema 2K digital projectors dedicated to it. A state-of-the-art sound system is also being created and installed for the event. Academy Award®-winning filmmaker John Lasseter (“Toy Story,” “A Bug’s Life,” “Toy Story 2“), who directed “CARS” will also be attending along with producer Darla K. Anderson (“A Bug’s Life,” “Monsters, Inc.“), and other key players from Pixar Animation Studios and The Walt Disney Studios.

Tickets for the premiere will be made available for purchase by the general public starting today. Proceeds will benefit Speedway Children’s Charities, and Association of Hole in the Wall Gang Camps. For tickets, call 1- 800-455-FANS, visit the Lowe’s Motor Speedway box office, or order online here.

To cap off the weekend, the #96 DLP HDTV car will be wrapped as the film’s lead character “Lightning McQueen” for the NEXTEL Cup series race in Charlotte the same weekend. Commenting on the announcement, Lasseter said, “We’re thrilled to bring the premiere of ‘CARS’ to Lowe’s Motor Speedway and excited to share this film with such a great community of race fans. Humpy Wheeler, the president and general manager of Lowe’s Motor Speedway, has become a great friend and helped all of us at Pixar when we were developing the story and characters for the film. In fact, Humpy provides the voice of Tex, a 1975 Cadillac Coupe de Ville. I have loved automobiles and the world of racing for a long time and ‘CARS’ is a very personal story to me. This premiere event is the perfect way to debut our film to racing and movie enthusiasts.”

Cook added, “Pixar has captured the feel and excitement of the racing world in their latest film, ‘CARS,’ and we felt that it would be great fun to stage the premiere in a setting that would do justice to the film. John Lasseter has done an amazing job bringing the world of cars and racing to the big screen, and combining it with that magic Pixar story sensibility that appeals to absolutely everyone. With the proceeds of this benefit going to two fantastic children’s charities, we hope to launch the film in grand style and help some worthy institutions at the same time.”

Humpy Wheeler said, “It’s a great honor to be working with Disney, John Lasseter, and his colleagues at Pixar in hosting the World Premiere of ‘CARS.’ This is a fantastic film that celebrates everything that we love about cars, and it also gives us a unique view of the world of competitive racing. All of us at Lowe’s are looking forward to the big event on May 26th, and are delighted that we have been chosen to participate.”

And — finally — Matt U. has some questions about what Disney’s doing on Broadway:

Hi Mr. Hill,

I was wondering if you could fill us in on the goings-on of Disney’s upcoming Broadway productions. I haven’t heard much of anything for a while now. So I was wondering if you could fill me in on how “Tarzan” is coming along, as well as what the future might hold for other projects.

Thanks!

-Matt U.

Dear Matt U.

Well, based on the large number of domain names that Disney Theatrical has been registering over the past few weeks, it’s clear that this arm of the Walt Disney Company has been busy trying to get its Internet house in order:

DISNEYSTAGE.COM
DISNEYSTAGEPLAYS.COM
DISNEYSTAGEPRODUCTION.COM
DISNEYTHEATRICALINTERNATIONAL.COM
DISNEYTHEATRICALTOURS.COM
HYPERIONTHEATRICAL.COM
BUENAVISTATHEATRICALGROUP.COM

Plus it’s pretty obvious that Disney Junior (I.E. That branch of Disney Theatrical that puts together stage versions of famous Disney films like “Aladdin,” “Cinderella,” “The Jungle Book” and “101 Dalmatians” that can then be presented at the junior high & elementary school level) is becoming more & more important to this part of the Walt Disney Company.

DISNEYJUNIOR.COM
DISNEYJUNIORCOLLECTION.COM
DISNEYJUNIORSHOWS.COM
DISNEYKIDSCOLLECTION.COM
DISNEYKIDSHOWS.COM

But if I had to hazard a guess as to what was going to play a huge part in the future of Disney’s shows on Broadway, I’d have to say that it was group sales. Given the huge number of group sales-related domain names that Disney Theatrical has recently registered. These have included:

DISNEYGROUPSALES.COM
BEAUTYBEASTGROUP.COM
BEAUTYBEASTGROUPS.COM
LIONKINGGROUPS.COM
TARZANGROUP.COM
TARZANGROUPS.COM
MARYGROUPS.COM
MARYPOPPINSGROUP.COM
MARYPOPPINSGROUPS.COM
LITTLEMERMAIDGROUP.COM
LITTLEMERMAIDGROUPS.COM
MERMAIDGROUPS.COM

Mind you, group sales for “Mary Poppins” tickets (Which doesn’t even begin performances ’til October 14th) are already underway. While single seats for this new Disney show won’t actually be going on sale ’til June 11th.

But as for “Tarzan” … That new Disney Theatrical production actually begins previews tonight at the Richard Rogers Theater. And if you really want to know what that show is like … well, then you might want to drop by JHM on Monday morning.

Anyway … That’s pretty much it for this week, folks. Have a great weekend, okay?

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