This fall, Mickey Mouse returns to Wasteland and makes nice with his cartoon rival Oswald when the video game adventure Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two makes its debut. It promises to be an improvement on its predecessor.
Epic Mickey was a popular title for Disney Interactive Studios and game developer Junction Point when it was released in 2010, but it was criticized for issues with its POV camera that made it difficult to navigate Mickey through the twisted alternate reality of forgotten Disney characters and theme park attractions. Gamers were also disappointed that Mickey (along with all the other characters) didn't speak except for uttering squeaky gibberish.
Both these issues are expected to be remedied in Epic Mickey 2. Game play will be more fluid and not only will the characters talk, they'll also break into song. The Power of Two isn't just going to be an epic adventure. It's going to be a musical.
OK, I'm in.
I'm a fan of the original Epic Mickey and found the criticisms leveled at it to be mostly nitpicking. The game play to me was almost secondary to the detailed Disney-on-crack levels that designer Warren Spector and his team put together: a forbidding "Mean Street" in place of Main Street, U.S.A., a violent and psychotic "It's a Small World" clock, a jealous and vindictive Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. And, despite the perverse look the game took at its subject matter, it still managed to pay loving homage to over 80 years of Disney movie and theme park magic.
In Epic Mickey 2, Wasteland will once again be fraught with troubles that the intrepid mouse will have to resolve with the use of paint to repair and thinner to dissolve. There will be tandem play that will bring Oswald to Mickey's side with a handy remote control that channels electricity. There will be original songs inspired by classic Disney music and plenty of new and different levels to explore in Wasteland.
Yes, we have screen shots to share:
Unlike the original Epic Mickey, Epic Mickey 2 will be available not only on Nintendo Wii, but also on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
Last night, I watched The Muppets on Blu-ray with the audio commentary on. When it was over, I did something I don't think I've ever done before with a video. I left the commentary on and watched it again.
I wanted to make sure I didn't miss anything.
There are a number of reasons to pick up The Muppets on home video starting Tuesday this week, the most obvious being the movie itself, which captures all the giddy anarchy that made TV's original Muppet Show a cultural phenomenon. Another reason is that the bonus features on the Blu-ray edition are just about as entertaining, particularly the commentary by director James Bobin, co-writer Nick Stoller and co-writer/star Jason Segel.
It's not that the trio offers a huge amount of revealing "making of" tidbits. On the contrary, they spend as much time not talking about film as they do talking about it. What's great is they're having such a hilarious time, you immediately understand why everything is so right about The Muppets. It's the same loose, anything goes mentality permeating the film that spills right over into the commentary.
Jason Segel and the Muppets.
Segal, Stoller and Bobin riff about their favorite movies, their favorite cars and their favorite clothes. Segel makes sure to name as many of his costar's film credits as possible ("Amy Adams from Cruel Intention 2," "Jack Black from High Fidelity") and throws out every plug he can for the holdings of the Muppets' parent company (Downtown Disney, the Times Square Disney Store, Enchanted on DVD and Blu-ray). We do get some superficial Muppets insight, like how Chris Cooper ("Academy Award winner Chris Cooper," stresses Segal) was cast as wicked oil man Tex Richman and how Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory) stumbled into the funniest cameo of the film. If you're looking for any in-depth analysis, however, you're not going to find it here. It's all good, though. What is discussed is a hoot.
If you can, make sure to get a Blu-ray version of The Muppets. The "Wocka Wocka Value Pack" is the best choice with all the Blu-ray features (the commentary, a "making-of" featurette and deleted scenes), an extra DVD and digital copy of the movie, and a code to download The Muppets soundtrack (with the Academy Award-winning song "Man or Muppet"). The DVD-only version has scant extras: only a surprisingly flat blooper reel.
The Mouse Castle is giving away a free copy of The Muppets. Click here to learn how you can win.
It was a strange and fitting coincidence that when I first heard about Robert Sherman's death two weeks ago, I was listening to songs he had written with his younger brother Richard. That the songs were on a vinyl record I hadn't played in years--a souvenir from a family trip to Disneyland in 1967--only added to the surreal nature of the moment.
The album was The Music of Walt Disney, a collection of classic Disney tunes released shortly after Walt's death in December 1966. Etched into its grooves were "Heigh Ho," "When You Wish Upon a Star," "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes" and 16 other memorable songs. Five of them were Sherman Brothers tunes: "On the Front Porch," "Castaway," "Chim Chim Cheree," "Winnie the Pooh" and "It's a Small World."
I wouldn't have even been listening to that record had it not been for a random photo Disney historian Paul Anderson had posted on his Disney History Institute page on Facebook. It's a 1967 pic of a Wonderland Music Shop display window at Disneyland containing an assortment of The Music of Walt Disney albums. Immediately recognizing the familiar face of Walt on the cover, I dug out my copy of the album (surprisingly easy to find) and posted a picture to share on DHI.
The Music of Walt Disney . . . and the Sherman Brothers
Circumstances dictated, of course, that I play the record. Say what you will about the convenience of modern digital music, there is still something very special about the tactile action of placing needle to vinyl and listening to rich, analog music. Forty-five years later, the album still sounds wonderful.
As the strains of "It's a Small World" were fading out (a charming choral version), Jeff Kurtti, another noted Disney historian--and a former Imagineer--posted a photo of Robert Sherman on Facebook with a simple tribute. "Rest well, my friend, and thank you for the gifts you gave." This was how I first found out the legendary Disney songwriter had passed away. After a period of declining health, Sherman died in London at the age of 86. The news was sad not just because of the passing of a talented artist, but because we lost one more person who knew and worked with Walt Disney. There are fewer and fewer people around anymore with that direct connection to Walt. It's disheartening each time another one passes.
I have never met Jeff Kurtti in person, but he is among a generous group of Disney insiders who connect with fellow Disney enthusiasts through social networking. I'm very pleased to include the likes of archivist Dave Smith, historian Paula Sigman Lowery, animator Floyd Norman and producer Don Hahn in my group of Facebook friends. There are others, but these people stand out to me for their accessibility and support. I've chatted with Jeff and Paula online about Disney history. Dave has answered questions for me about Walt. Floyd let me use one of his cartoons in a story I wrote about John Lasseter. Don gave me some encouraging words on a piece I wrote about The Lion King. To an amateur Disney blogger, these things matter. It's very easy to take for granted our present age of electronic interaction, but for those of us who are old enough to remember a world before the Internet, it really is something to marvel at.
As a kid in the early 1970s, I sent a letter to the quarterly magazine Disney News. I asked them exactly what it was Jolly Roger said on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride just before you took the first waterfall plunge ("Dead men tell no tales"). It took three months, but the response finally came in a Disneyland envelope that contained a partial copy of the working script for Pirates from the loading at Lafitte's Landing to the complete words uttered by Jolly Roger. I was giddy with excitement receiving an actual response from Disneyland--AND IT ONLY TOOK THREE MONTHS!
Last year, I sent a Facebook message to Dave Smith regarding a trip Walt Disney made to Las Vegas (my hometown) in the mid-1950s. About an hour later, Dave responded with the information I needed (Thank you, Dave). Ahh, progress.
In August, I reached out to Robert Sherman's son, Robbie, about a campaign he was championing to have the Sherman Brothers recognized by the Kennedy Center Honors. By e-mail, Robbie answered a list of questions for me about the campaign, but most importantly offered some very personal insight about his father. Robbie didn't share much about Bob Sherman the songwriter, but plenty about Bob Sherman the painter, model plane-builder and problem-solver. It was a pleasant reminder that to we Disney fans who perceive our heroes in terms of their professional output, there's a personal side we seldom consider because we rarely get to see it up close. Robert Sherman may have delighted the world with "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious," but to his children, he was Dad.
Robbie Sherman and his father in 2003.
Robbie moderates a Sherman Brothers group page on Facebook, and over the months he's used it to promote the Kennedy Center Honors campagn, share recollections of his dad and post the occasional Sherman Brothers "Song of the Day." When his father died, the page became a virtual memorial with dozens of messages posted by fans and well-wishers offering condolences over the family's loss. There were links to numerous tributes paid by others ranging from the BBC to CBS's Diane Sawyer. Robbie's brother Jeff, who co-produced and directed the heartfelt documentary The Boys: The Sherman Brothers' Story, offered his thoughts as well:
He wanted to bring happiness to the world and, unquestionably, he succeeded. His love and his prayers, his philosophy and his poetry will live on forever. Forever his songs and his genius will bring hope, joy and love to this small, small world.
Family photos of Robert over the years were shared. One fan posted a lovely picture of St Paul's Cathedral in London, forever associated with the Brothers' poignant "Feed the Birds" from Mary Poppins. Robbie posted this touching video of his father's acceptance speech played at the unveiling of the Sherman Brothers' window on Disneyland's Main Street:
All of these stories and videos were shared in real time, spontaneous and sincere. We've come to expect this as the norm of today's technology, bringing people together at times of joy and times of tragedy to share their thoughts and fears, their hopes and dreams. And yes, we often do take it for granted. But, it's important to pause every now and then to appreciate how remarkable the online community is. I'm grateful for the continually growing circle of Disney artists and professionals, fans and friends I've come to know--in-person and virtually--over the years. The Shermans were right. It truly is a small world, after all.
I never met you, Bob, but through this amazing group of people who've loved and admired you, I've gotten to know you just a little bit better. I will miss you. Rest in peace.
