Mainstream media blatantly misrepresents ‘cantankerous’ Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse is getting a makeover.
Maybe.
Disney is granting interactive auteur Warren Spector and his Junction Point Studios (purchased by the House of Mouse in 2007) the license to work with the mouse in the upcoming Wii-exclusive Epic Mickey, to be released in the Fall of 2010.
But if you were reading the New York Times last week you might have come away with the feeling that Mickey’s new game will see the squeaky-clean mouse re-imagined as a “cantankerous and cunning” miscreant.
The woefully antiquated team at the Times went so far as to compare the move to the New Coke fiasco of the 1980’s. For this borderline melodramatic analogy to fit however, Mickey would have to be somehow different and – regardless of what sensationalist media would like people to believe – he’s not.
The truth is that Disney has not recklessly put their oldest icon (and reputation) in the hands of some bloodthirsty, maverick, Halo-generation designer. Instead he’s been placed under the supervision of Warren Spector, an interactive industry veteran with over 25 years experience, known for such cult classics as Deus Ex and Thief. And Spector, a self-proclaimed “animation-freak” who received Disney stock as a college graduation present, is taking the value of his treasured new actor quite seriously indeed:
Just in terms of animation, [Mickey] represents a push for quality and for characterization and for story over gags – that was entirely new to cartoons. No one had ever really done that before… He showed that sound film could be an art form in the same way that silent films were. Huge, hugely important.”
- Warren Spector, An Interview With Warren Spector – Game Informer
Spector’s previous games have typically examined themes of free will and morality, giving players flex to choose how they would act within the context of the story.
In Deus Ex, players are given an array of choices that determine whether character J.C. Denton becomes more passive or aggressive as the game goes on. One can choose to engage in minimal conflict, (i.e. picking locks in lieu of blowing them off) or instead have J.C. be as combative as they please. These moral decisions have a direct impact on the game’s progression – offering multiple, divergent paths depending on how the player chooses to act.
Spector’s Epic Mickey looks to follow a similar route. Although details are still light, its understood that players in charge of the mouse will be able to act either noble or naughty, with each choice further fomenting Mickey’s lawful alignment and physical appearance.
So you see, Mickey isn’t getting a makeover per se; his look and bitchin’ new ‘tude only exist insofar as the player wills them to be. Some will undoubtedly follow the path of righteousness – causing Mickey to look the part of the heroic mouse more familiar to millions of kids (and young adults) today. And then there will be those who choose to act a bit more rascally – resulting in a Mickey who will fittingly resemble his older incarnation, back when he was genuinely a bit more mischievous himself.
And ultimately, it’s giving people a chance to see a bit more of themselves in Mickey Mouse that Spector hopes will win over players and reconnect fans with this one-time larger-than-life American icon.
All Images Courtesy of Game Informer
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I just want regular, friendly Mickey Mouse back. Some things don’t need to be reinvented.
Megan,
It looks like you’re in luck! The ‘news’ is that Mickey is starring in a new video game. The NYT and other mainstream outlets have instead turned this into a story of Mickey being the victim of some kind of ridiculous makeover.
If you’d like to know more, please see above.
In response to another comment. See in context »Oh, sorry, Joseph.
I just meant his new slick computer image. I liked the old cartoon. Should have been more clear!
In response to another comment. See in context »My mistake! After sifting through so many ‘concerned’ comments over at the Times I thought you were making the same assumption!
I think we can all agree that old Mickey cartoons are, without question, awesome.
In response to another comment. See in context »More than anything this is an homage of sorts to Mickey Mouse’s roots. Steamboat Mickey. The Mickey Mouse portrayed in Epic Mickey isn’t a bastardized cutesy CGI shadow of his former self like the one that’s been dancing around the Disney Channel singing the Hot Dog Song. This is Mickey the Hero. The one our grandparents and parents watched when they were kids. The one that was so popular it lauched the brand. The one who swatted down 7 flies at once and ended up being sent off to fight a giant. The Mickey Mouse who saved Clarabell the Cow from a Burning Building.
Thank god Mickey is back.
That struck me as the strangest part of all that noise coming from the NYT and this MSN article last week: don’t they understand Mickey was a bit of a rascal to begin with?
Commenters were reacting as if Spector and Disney were out to steal their childhoods. They barely drag him out of the vault any more as it is – so how can we really say he’s “changing?”
Either way, I agree – this back-to-basics approach to Mickey deserves a warm welcome.
In response to another comment. See in context »[...] game project. The NYT article is blatantly under-researched and a poor excuse for journalism (Mainstream media blatantly misrepresents cantankerous mickey mouse), and definitely shouldn’t be used as a basis for this piece on Mickey’s [...]