This video comes with interesting timing for me, as I only fired up Epic Mickey last night. Even though I’d already once played through the beginning (at PAX 2010), I still had to take a moment and marvel at the mash up of the different art styles incorporated throughout. In the footage above, you’ll hear Warren Spector discuss where the inspiration to do so, and how they brought together 80 years worth of Disney art to create their thematic imagery.

In other Epic Mickey news, Disney has announced that the official soundtrack will be released for download. You can pick up the 20 track compilation from iTunes and other digital outlets starting December 21.

Epic Mickey is out for the Wii in stores now! Be sure to keep an eye out for the upcoming Tanooki review.

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Well this will make an entire generation of now-grown 80s kids excited. In a recent interview with Game Informer, Epic Mickey producer Warren Spector mentioned that he would “really like” do a Duck Tales game, saying:

“I love the Duck Tales TV show, but even more people who love them need to go back and rediscover Carl Barks, who is the greatest comic book writer and artist of all time, ever, anywhere in the world. Carl Barks is number one and about half of the Duck Tales stories were based on Carl Barks’ comic books. I want to do a Duck Tales game real bad. I don’t know if Disney will let me do it. And the Gremlins, too.”

Given Spector’s fantastic work on Epic Mickey, it would be surprising at this point if Disney didn’t let him revive the Duck Tales series, though that may depend on how well Epic Mickey does in sales. Guess we’ll see what happens when it debuts on the Wii on November 30.

GameInformer
via GoNintendo

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Disney’s Epic Mickey thus far has stunned us with their masterful inclusion of a world of Disney characters new and old. Now that we’ve heard from the team on the selection and writing process for these beloved cartoon figures, we can focus on the setting for the game, which makes amazing use of vivid color and imagery to maximize the Wii’s graphic capabilities. In the video above, you’ll hear Warren Spector talk about some of the influences into the aesthetic, including the Disney theme park itself, and what he imagines Walt Disney himself might have envisioned for a magical world filled with forgotten characters. Check it all out in the footage above.

Epic Mickey debuts at the end of this month, November 30 exclusively on the Wii.

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This new video explores the world of Disney’s misfits and long forgottens, central to the story behind Epic Mickey. Familiarize yourself with these characters, and learn the reasons behind Warren Spector’s casting decisions, when you watch the footage above. Hearing him discuss the concept of a cartoon’s “heart” (that only those who have an audience who loves them will have the stir of a beating heart, leaving those in the Wasteland without one) might just break your heart, so prepare to fight off the desire to fire up some old Disney movies by the end. On a side note, isn’t it refreshing to see someone not only so well versed in their subject material going into a game, but also a passion? The love for Disney that Spector has cannot be denied!

Epic Mickey comes out November 30, 2010 in North America, November 25 in Europe, exclusively on the Nintendo Wii.

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As the release of the upcoming Wii adventure Disney Epic Mickey grows near, we’re granted another behind-the-scenes developer video. This new feature titled “The Anatomy of Animation,” gives us a look at Mickey’s previous animated adventures, which served as inspiration for the new game.

Several of the game’s designers at Junction Point, including Warren Spector, gather to talk all things Mickey. One bit of interesting insight?  Much of the inspiration for the detailed movements and animations of each in-game character came directly from the original cartoons. The crew studied each and every nuance to accurately bring to life a video game version of Disney’s most beloved — and forgotten — characters.

It’s not only incredible to see a brand new Mickey title coming to consoles in a few short weeks, but I’m impressed to know how hard the animators worked to make this game feel like a familiar Disney creation.

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Possibly one of the most enchanting features of the game, the tale told in Epic Mickey is one that Disney has emphasized heavily; the E3 and PAX trailers focused mostly on the set-up for Mickey’s descent into cartoon chaos while revealing little of the gameplay. In this video, you’ll hear Warren Spector discuss some of the creative collaboration with Disney and how they inventively brought together Disney’s past and present while deftly incorporating the themes of art and animation. You’ll also see one dapper embroided button up jean shirt, which let’s face it, is worth the price of admission.

Epic Mickey debuts November 30, only on the Wii.

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When Epic Mickey was first revealed as part of an exclusive Game Informer feature (in the November 2009 issue), gamers were shown many of the game’s characters, environments and features. The paintbrush and paint thinner mechanics were details, the Wasteland of fan favorite rides and forgotten characters was mentioned, and the three Mickeys were introduced. “Scrapper Mickey” is an oddly hued, darker character, “Wastelander Mickey” is a middle of the road adventurer, and “Hero Mickey” is there to save the day. The creation of these Mickeys was, as creative director Warren Spector “demanded” (as the article put it) to have a character that alters based on the player’s action.

After E3, fans noted that Scrapper Mickey was not in the playable demo on the show floor. Spector responded that the Scrapper idea was nixed due to focus testing where complaints were made that Mickey Mouse should visually always stay the same recognizable character. Now, Spector is backing off those comments as a reason for Scrapper’s omission.

1UP spoke to Spector at Gamescom, where he made some noteworthy statements about the development of Epic Mickey’s lead character. “About three years ago when we first started thinking about this, we did over a thousand versions of Mickey, I’m assuming this is where this started,” said Spector. “So we did a focus test because I had a thousand different looks for the character and people just said ‘don’t mess with Mickey.’”

“People must have just put two and two together; ‘focus tested in 2007 and a statement I made personally and creatively in November of last year, and they put two and two together,” Spector continued. “The idea of Scrapper Mickey went away because I didn’t like it. There was no focus test.”

As we noted however, the November Game Informer issue was released in mid October of 2009, which featured the introduction of the Scrapper Mickey character. So in less than one month’s time, it’s surely possible Spector changed his mind about having different Mickeys. Or, Disney nixed the idea of players controlling a menacing purple and green Mickey Mouse. But if anything, we can be sure that a focus group was not the reason for the deletion of Scrapper Mickey. “…I have never and I will never, make a design chance as a result of a focus test,” said Spector. “I will quit if that happens.”

1UP
GameInformer

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Warren Spector has his plate full, currently putting the finishing touches on this fall’s Disney Epic Mickey for Wii. But that doesn’t stop the mastermind from planning future projects. Aside from ideas for two additional titles in the Epic Mickey series (depending on sales, of course) Spector has his sights set on another Disney property; DuckTales — “woo, hoo.”

Here’s an exerpt from a recent interview between IndustryGamers.com and Spector about his love for all things Duck.

A day does not go by where I don’t tell somebody at Disney: “Gimme the ducks. Gimme the ducks! Uncle Scrooge, come on! Donald! Huey, Dewey, and Louie! Come on, let me do a duck game!” So yeah, I would love to do a duck game. Uncle Scrooge is the coolest character, you know? He was Indiana Jones before Steven Spielberg was a gleam in his mother’s eye, you know? I mean, come on. He’s a great character. Those Ducktales cartoons were based on comic books and about half of them were based on comic books by a guy named Carl Barks who… I mean I love the Ducktales TV show; the comic books were even better. Carl Barks was the best comic books artist and storyteller ever, and I would love to bring some of his work to life in games.

Considering the Duck clan hasn’t bathed in the lime light, in their own adventure, since Capcom’s DuckTales 2 in 1993, I’d say it’s about freakin’ time. And based on how incredible Epic Mickey has turned out, I’d say Spector is the man for the job.

IG

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There are a couple aspects to that. I think I’ve mentioned before, that I’m a big believer in finding out where the line is by pushing past it. There are lines that are on every project; every project exists in a creative box. For most of my games, I create that box and the team has to sort of work within it. In this case, there’s a creative box that I create, and there’s the creative box that Disney overlays on that. I know where my lines are, but I don’t know where Disney’s are. I had a lot of stuff generated that was very specifically designed to be provocative and to cross that line. I know it’s too far — or is it? You tell me. So it forces a confrontation or a decision. Some of what you saw was beyond the line, and so I learned something from it. Some of it was early design ideas that are no longer relevant. Some of it is stuff that’s still in the game, and I’m not saying what.

I think I’m in the camp that thinks his concept designs were nothing short of jaw-droppingly gorgeous.  I know much of the detailed in the concept art simply isn’t possible on Wii, but some of the screenshots we’ve seen seemed to be overly cartoonish.  I’m hoping the game finds a common link between the two.

1UP

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So the word is out, Warren Spector is making Epic Mickey. Old news. What you should really excited about is that he’s badly wanting to make a new DuckTales game. In a recent interview, Spector explains that when he first met with Disney, he was hoping he’d get to work with Huey, Dewey, Louie.

They asked if I would be interested in doing a licensed project. And I said, “Yeah, I’ve been wanting to do one.” I gave the design keynote at GDC in 2003 or 2004, about licenses and sequels, and how you can do creative stuff in that context. And so I was like, “Yeah! Give me Uncle Scrooge! Give me Duck Tales! Come on!”

…I want to do a Duck Tales game. Convince the world that a Duck Tales game needs to be made. I can’t convince anybody at Disney to let me do a Duck Tales game. How can that be?

I definitely remember and loved watching the cartoons as a kid, though I think I was a tad young to experience the height of its popularity (I was more of the Darkwing Duck generation). Still, I wouldn’t mind a new game. Who agrees?

GameInformer
via Joystiq

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With the upcoming release of Game Informer’s November issue, which is promised to be chocked full of Epic Mickey details, gamers are craving more information about the Warren Spector title.  A Junction Point sketch artist created the artwork above, showing Mickey face to face with an enemy Beetleworx. Mickey appears to look like his previous iterations than his more recent look.  He also looks badass.

To watch a three-minute time lapse video of the creation, you can visit Game Informer’s website.

GameInformer via Kotaku

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More plot details about Warren Spector’s upcoming Wii title Epic Mickey have been announced.  This game has a compelling, dark story that rivals that of any Disney film.  The adventure dives into a world where “forgotten” Disney characters (and rides) reside.  The leader of this world is none other than Oswald the Rabbit.  For those who aren’t familiar with Disney history, Oswald was Walt Disney’s first creation, ultimately replaced for a lovable mouse.

Oswald’s jealousy towards Mickey has turned into revenge, where he unleashes The Phantom Blot to destroy the carefree Disney universe.  More specifically, the Blot covers Mickey’s world with a black ink that destroys the colorful world we all know and love.

As we reported previously, Mickey is seen holding a paintbrush on the cover of November’s Game Informer magazine.  It’s confirmed that Mickey will use a slew of artistic tools like erasers, pencils and brushes to save his world from Oswald’s damage.

Aside from the story sounding spectacular, the game may be a reason to bring Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride (the best Disney ride ever) back into existence, even if it’s just to briefly show its demise.

Eurogamer

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The above image is a piece of concept art for Warren Spector’s Disney Wii project, named “Epic Mickey.” Yes, this is not only a Disney game, but a Mickey Mouse game. Judging from the pieces of concept art found on artist Fred Gambino’s website, it appears to be a pretty disturbing steampunk take on the classic Mickey Mouse characters. Images include a terrifying robotic monstrosity wearing Mickey Mouse ears, an elephant elevator/Bioshock splicer, a robotic zombie Goofy, and the most un-Phantom Blot-like Phantom Blot ever conceived. One particular feature common in a lot of the landscape pieces is a castle sitting on a plateau high above the rest of the world.

Now, keep in mind that none of these images were officially released, only leaked. They’re just concept art, so the end result may not look quite so disturbing. In fact, what exactly are the odds that Disney is ok with mutilating Goofy and putting him in a game that’s likely to disturb small children for life?

I’m looking forward to seeing how this turns out.

Joystiq

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Warren Spector’s development studio, Junction Point, happens to be owned by Disney. In addition, Spector has also recently stated that he and his team “have been working hard on our own and (get ready for the cool factor to go way up) in collaboration with folks from Disney Feature Animation and Pixar.” What’s going on??

Well apparently, it’s something codenamed “Epic Mickey,” and it may actually exist. Gamasutra has seen concept art, and describes it as such:

Another sketch included a surreal seashore invasion scene, in which machines wearing the faces of the Seven Dwarfs deposit old-fashioned renditions of Disney characters onto the beach with mechanical hands… Though the kooky environmental concepts, with visible large cogs, gears, and even a large fork that serves as a building’s awning, are somewhat reminiscent of Disney’s Toontown Online MMO, the images — particularly the cloud-stained seaside painting — have a distinctly shadowed, steampunk vibe.

Interestingly enough, there’s a whole bunch of evidence that seems to line up and point to this game being a reality, be they from EGM articles or from Spectors’ own comments. Head on over for more, and prepare for some mind boggling!

Gamasutra

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