Game Informer's slow trickle of
Epic Mickey deets has turned into a full-on firehose today, as the site has
published a massive five-page feature on the game's environments, concept art and character animations. The feature not only talks about the developmental process for animators and designers at Junction Point Studios, but also delves into the game's world a bit, showing off screens of the cartoon objects and inert objects populating the land. The former are things the player can create and erase in the game, whereas the latter are permanent objects in the game world that the player cannot affect.
There's even some really odd stuff to look at -- like
a robotic Donald Duck and
a video of Mickey Mouse shadowboxing. Looks like we can cross one item off our list of Sentences We Never Would've Imagined Ever Having to Write.
{ Oct 20th 2009 at 6:30PM } 
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
JerJer @ Oct 20th 2009 6:35PM
hype machine please dont ruin this game :(
ekim @ Oct 20th 2009 7:15PM
the hype machine killed it the second it was a wii exclusive.
SoshiKitai @ Oct 20th 2009 7:39PM
It was a Wii exclusive even before the hype machine. Get over it.
BigD145 @ Oct 21st 2009 1:14AM
Disney, please stop ruining Disney.
Megapixel @ Oct 20th 2009 6:50PM
I hope the pictures above are concept art and not even close to what will appear in the final game. You have to give the Wii more credit than that.
Filthy Assistant @ Oct 20th 2009 7:24PM
Those look better than most Wii games.
WINterfang ( Now with the power to piss you off ) @ Oct 20th 2009 8:05PM
The animations are incredible btw top notch stuff, i'm kinda mad it doesn't look like the art at all.
time @ Oct 20th 2009 9:45PM
I know the Wii can render better than this... but this looks pretty true to the old school Mickey Mouse drawings. I like how these models look.
The Dark Wayne [Planeteer: Power of the Batusi] @ Oct 20th 2009 6:41PM
I don't see any difference besides the lighting in "The Three Mickeys" i hope those aren't supposed to be separate characters or suits or whatever
Mr Khan @ Oct 20th 2009 7:05PM
Really? I can see three distinct facial colors, at least.
bm @ Oct 20th 2009 7:12PM
It's probably gonna be much more apparent when animated, like his stance and movement and such.
CKCheeseboy @ Oct 20th 2009 7:12PM
It's probably something that would be more apparent in motion, too.
WREturns (Please buy and rate my iPhone game, Shape Tapper!) @ Oct 20th 2009 7:12PM
His shorts, facial expression and bearing is different in each one also.
BPMOmega [XBL, PSN, Steam] @ Oct 20th 2009 7:14PM
Only the "Hero" Mickey has yellow gloves, too.
WINterfang ( Now with the power to piss you off ) @ Oct 20th 2009 10:01PM
I think they also have different weapons, note the colors of the brushes, so they will have different play styles and stuff but that doesn't seem like different characters, it's more like different weapons like that 16 mickey game in which you could turn into a wizard and a firefighter.
Unit @ Oct 21st 2009 1:44AM
lol some people don't read the articles...those poses represent the different moods mickey can get in depending on how you play the game.
Modz @ Oct 20th 2009 6:43PM
This game looks pretty damn cool indeed
On a side note, if you have a list of sentances you thought you'd never have to write...then haven't already written them? oh my brain!!
Solace @ Oct 20th 2009 6:43PM
I think scrapper is the one who picks up Pluto's poo
CH3BURASHKA @ Oct 20th 2009 6:51PM
Is the middle picture indicative of a Fallout 3 Disney spin-off? If so, fuck yea.
-Vexx- @ Oct 20th 2009 6:58PM
Ugh...I was so psyched for this game but the art style doesn't look bad.
Just looks stupid
Platy @ Oct 20th 2009 6:59PM
As people said in other threads ... this game seriously need some cell shading.
And i love how the "evil" mickey has a position equal to the "frankenmickey" from that short movie about brain transfer
Mr Khan @ Oct 20th 2009 7:06PM
Looks good so far. I'm liking the semi-retro style for Mickey.
bongoes Sector 2814 @ Oct 20th 2009 8:58PM
Agreed. Retro Mickey is the best Mickey.
Captain Planet [Planeteer | Power of Captain Planet] @ Oct 20th 2009 7:08PM
After seeing the "three Mickeys", I'm less inclined to be excited about this game.
MRLN (The Comment God) @ Oct 20th 2009 8:22PM
It's kinda like a visual version of Fallout's karma system, it looks like.
If you do good things in the world, you look more like the hero.
I could be wrong, but that's what I read from the article.
"Warren Spector tells us, in regards to the shifting spectrum of play styles that change the appearance of Mickey throughout the game. 'But how you do it, and how you end up looking is up to you. What abilities you have is up to you. Who likes you is up to you. What missions you hear about or not is up to you.' "
Spike (GT: SitriStahl) @ Oct 20th 2009 7:09PM
i liked the original steampunk concept art better than this
Electro Poof [Super Nintendo IT ONLY DOES EVERYTHING - Now Only $29.99] @ Oct 20th 2009 7:14PM
IT'S A TRAP!
This is just one of many evil plans that Mickey has to make us wear that stupid purity ring.
WREturns (Please buy and rate my iPhone game, Shape Tapper!) @ Oct 20th 2009 7:16PM
I think it looks pretty good, actually. When I first saw the GI pics I was disappointed, but when I read the article and looked at them again I thought they were pretty cool. Not sure why.
manyquestions @ Oct 21st 2009 6:47PM
Same here.
JEV4 @ Oct 20th 2009 7:18PM
As with everyone else, I was totally hyped up by the concept art, but it sounds like Disney was like "ZOMFG GTFO." when they showed them the concept art. At least the kept the robot Donald's etc.
Wardo @ Oct 20th 2009 7:20PM
I'm keeping my eye on this game. Still have to see more of it first.
JEV4 @ Oct 20th 2009 7:22PM
Yeah, this definitely looks like it could be epic, or epic fail.
Robert @ Oct 20th 2009 7:26PM
The art that looked so wonderful on paper is so underwhelming in-game.
I'm sure the Wii can do better. (And I'm also sure other systems could pull it off easily, but I won't ask for that considering this game wouldn't come to PC)
Mr.ESC @ Oct 20th 2009 7:33PM
And so begins the journey for survival of the Wastelander Mickey,from outside the safety of Vault "Disney" into the unknown.
For the struggle for survival is war without end and War,war never changes.
Eccentric-Servbot @ Oct 20th 2009 8:01PM
Wow... this looks awesome! Its not quite as dark as the concept art, but as a whole this does indeed look amazing.
It's probably the coolest way possible to honor the Disney works of old, delving into material long forgotten in a way that's new and unique. I like the art style and how it aims more toward 1930's Mickey, and the way they integrate elements from the parks, cartoons, etc. together is a delight.
Better yet, I saw the GI article and read that the long ignored 'Phantom Blot' is a major antagonist - that's... well... EPIC! As a fan of Disney both old and new, I am wholeheartedly looking forward to this more then anything I've seen in quite some time!
Mr.ESC @ Oct 20th 2009 8:36PM
I really don't know why people started to speculate this was going to be like American's Mcgee Alice with all sorts of disturbing crap.
I just read the main plot not dark at all but it makes for an interesting setting although if you ask me it borrows a bit from Fallout.
-Z- @ Oct 20th 2009 8:11PM
I wonder how well Mickey's new voice actor is after Allwine died a few months ago.
Mariobrawler @ Oct 20th 2009 8:19PM
So its Mickey turn to be the "Lone Wanderer"?
Awesome, keep fighting the good fight!
CheeziePotato @ Oct 20th 2009 8:24PM
I've been scared of Mickey ever since that one South Park episode.
litrock @ Oct 20th 2009 8:27PM
The fact that these models look far more in keeping with the very earliest Mickey cartoons is what sells it for me. Modern Disney is nothing like the Disney of the olden days, when it was evocative and disturbing and abstract and sexist and racist and all sorts of wonderful things.
Yes, please.
Mr Khan @ Oct 20th 2009 9:22PM
That is the key, right there. Old Disney was rather freaky and intense, if you really looked at it. Certainly stuff you couldn't get away with in family movies these days.
manyquestions @ Oct 21st 2009 7:04PM
I don't think it's so much that old Disney was specifically freaky and intense as it was that it wasn't always wearing shackles, and was less concerned with telling a "kid's story" and more interested in just telling a story. This effectively gave it a license to be freaky when it felt like being freaky, but didn't necessarily mean that everything it did was like that. Newer Disney partially lost sight of that (contrary to popular belief Disney still has done quite a few more "grown up" things in its recent history, just not as much in the animation department).
All that said, I think Pixar is leading the way pretty well back toward stories that mostly focus on entertainment.
Cypher @ Oct 20th 2009 8:27PM
What's with his arms?
They look like noodles.
Matias @ Oct 20th 2009 8:45PM
I think this should be animated 2D to really make it retro, but that would limit exploration I guess.
Draken Stark @ Oct 20th 2009 9:09PM
It could be rendered in 2D and yet be in a 3D world similar to Paper Mario if they wanted to go that direction.
Aguiluz @ Oct 20th 2009 9:32PM
Hope this won't go become an Okami rip-off.
Xabidar @ Oct 20th 2009 11:39PM
Why? Okami is awesome!
ChuckBartowski @ Oct 20th 2009 10:37PM
This is going to be amazing. i just cant seem to interpret the enemies as anything other than heartless. They look so similiar.
Unit @ Oct 21st 2009 1:48AM
i think the biggest problem this game is gonna have, is the people that will be consistently comparing this to kingdom hearts. As if that's the only type of Disney game that could be made.
Discotheque @ Oct 21st 2009 11:06AM
I'm sick of the Kingdom Hearts fanboys. Nomura = most overrated game designer in the industry.
His philosophy for all of his games: "Lets slap some zippers on it"