Epic Mickey is the strong, silent type (of cartoon mouse)
by JC Fletcher 
{ Nov 4th 2009 at 5:20PM } 
"I made the creative decision that characters wouldn't talk in the Cartoon Wasteland," Warren Spector explained to The Cut Scene. "It was entirely a creative decision because [he begins speaking in a high-pitched Mickey voice] As soon as I start doing this, I've lost most of my potential audience. [resumes natural voice] If I'm trying to re-introduce this character to an audience, there are certain connotations with that voice that I'm going to have a hard time overcoming." When he does speak in a future game, he'll probably be an affable Everyman voiced by Nolan North (our guess).
Oswald, Spector said, won't need much consideration, due not only to his relative unfamiliarity to modern audiences, but also due to the properties of the character itself. "If you watch the existing cartoons," Spector said, "he's such a special character. In many ways, he's a funnier, more cartoon-y, more modern guy than Mickey is."
Gallery: Disney Epic Mickey
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
CheeziePotato @ Nov 4th 2009 5:26PM
But Mickey Mouse had the best voice ever
charlie b. @ Nov 4th 2009 5:35PM
Mickey's voice is at least considered widely recognizable.
i'm a little saddened that there will be no "HA HA! OH BOY!" to be heard in this game.
BigD145 @ Nov 4th 2009 6:41PM
Why can't he just whistle all the way through the game?
TRON.dll @ Nov 4th 2009 8:01PM
Take notice that Mickey in this game is designed to look like 1920's/1930's Mickey Mouse, who only whistled. To have him talk wouldn't sound right. In the 20's/30's cartoons, he only whistled (because they were silent films), which is why I think BigD145's idea is pretty good.
I think that, during an opening scene, we should see regular Mickey Mouse, and we should hear him talk, but when he gets sucked into the "Cartoon Wasteland", he is transformed into this 1920's-era Mickey and only speaks in text bubbles.
Saltypoison @ Nov 5th 2009 10:21AM
I want Christian Bale to do the voice overs in his Batman voice.
No Kill Tayler @ Nov 4th 2009 5:27PM
I'm trying so hard to like this...
I'll base my opinion when i see gameplay.
Thomas Alan @ Nov 4th 2009 8:51PM
TRON:
Mickey was a silent film character for exactly one short. After that came Steamboat Willie, the well-done sound cartoon which made the character a household name overnight.
Granted, Mickey didn't speak in that short, but his first words ("Hot Dogs") came only 6 months later and by the end of the 20s, and Walt Disney's falsetto was forever linked to the character shortly afterwards.
tmacairjordan87 @ Nov 4th 2009 5:30PM
They've got a big hill to climb after that horrible first impression, which a man who's supposedly a genius is supposed to know just how important those are.
Filthy Assistant @ Nov 5th 2009 2:16AM
The first level of Deus Ex is horrible.
dark_inchworm (stronger than never, ever before) @ Nov 4th 2009 5:31PM
"In many ways, he's a funnier, more cartoon-y, more modern guy than Mickey is."
FIRED
Balloonfighter99 @ Nov 4th 2009 5:35PM
I think Mickeys voice is timeless. I'll give the benefit of the doubt though after seeing how well Mickeys movements have been applied.
Enosoma @ Nov 4th 2009 5:40PM
Hugh Laurie is... Mickey.
SpyderTaco (PSN: Ar4chNova89) @ Nov 4th 2009 5:48PM
There is a giant ad for 'House' on the right side of my screen as we speak..
uncle jesse @ Nov 4th 2009 5:50PM
I just read your comment and looked to the right side of my screen and there's a giant picture of Hugh Laurie staring at me with a pill on his tongue...
Now I picture Hugh taking that pill and transforming into Mickey Mouse and the world changing into cartoon all around him. It's all very Matrix-like. Thank you.
CheeziePotato @ Nov 4th 2009 6:12PM
Hugh Laurie is actually Gordon Freeman.
uncle jesse @ Nov 4th 2009 6:20PM
Now LL Cool J is staring at me over Chris O'Donnell's shoulder.
Yes, yes, good, I see you.
Okay, that's enough.
Please, stop looking at me like that.
I said knock it off!
WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!
bongoes Sector 2814 @ Nov 4th 2009 8:53PM
Should someone help Uncle Jesse?
Chuck @ Nov 4th 2009 5:47PM
I think its a great decision. I was always a fan of the Mickey Mouse Floyd Gottfredson comic stories of 1930's and always felt that he was a smart different character then, doing investigations and working with the secret service in his stories. This feels like a move in that direction.
Lucky @ Nov 4th 2009 5:59PM
Gottfredson's stories were awesome, but I'm personally also fairly partial to those detective style Mickey comics from... 60s and maybe 70s?
Anyhow, to stay on topic. Anyone who has played Mickey Mania knows that the quieter that rodent stays the better.
THE HEAVY @ Nov 4th 2009 5:56PM
That "Epic Mickey" title has to go.
Chrono @ Nov 4th 2009 6:37PM
I'm pretty sure I heard somewhere that Epic Mickey is just the project codename. It will probably be changed later.
Giroro @ Nov 4th 2009 6:41PM
How about we rename it "Disney Epic Mickey".
I feel the bad grammar makes it a much stronger and more emotionally compelling title.
Eh @ Nov 4th 2009 7:19PM
"Disney's That's so Mickey"
-Z- @ Nov 4th 2009 5:57PM
Well Mickey's voice actor died a few months ago, and the replacement hasn't even done anything as far as I heard, so I'd actually say that's why Mickey doesn't have a voice in this game.
Mickey's voice didn't ruin him any in Kingdom Hearts.
J @ Nov 4th 2009 6:08PM
Epic Rental
uncle jesse @ Nov 4th 2009 6:21PM
David Keith
IS
Mickey Mouse
GroundControl2MT @ Nov 4th 2009 6:32PM
The game doesn't seem as EPIC as that concept art did.......I blame the wii
Eh @ Nov 4th 2009 7:21PM
ICO
Shadow of the Colossus
brian @ Nov 4th 2009 6:33PM
no offense, but seeing news about this game lost all it's appeal when they threw out the concept art.
i'm not saying that you need to have amazing graphics, but this isn't about that.
there is no reason that a game can't have fantastic art and not be a system hog at the same time.
GroundControl2MT @ Nov 4th 2009 6:39PM
Its not that the wii cant do it, the game just seem more of a darker less cartoon like game. the game still looks like it could be fun, it seems like they droped that (dare I say) kingdom hearts kinda mickey
Giroro @ Nov 4th 2009 6:47PM
So the graphics are last gen, but the sound design is on par with games 2 (3?) gens old? Cool creative decision bro, you should write a book about it.
Lurkero @ Nov 4th 2009 6:57PM
They just keep making this game sound worse and worse.
I personally would have preferred a Marcus Fenix sounding Mickey
Mr Khan @ Nov 4th 2009 7:17PM
Cool. Always preferred the silent protagonist. Main characters that talk just tend to get in the way of my enjoyment.
Dialogue can be interesting, but i prefer the protagonists' to be kept to a minimum.
Espiownage @ Nov 4th 2009 7:21PM
Did they really need an explaination for a silent Mickey when his most recent voice actor (for over 30 years) Wayne Allwine passed away earlier this year?
I mean, yea, it's artistic for everyone to speak with a voice except the main character, but there's another reason there if you really think about it.
Mayne @ Nov 4th 2009 9:13PM
But he already has a replacement voice. Rather, he *has already had* a replacement voice. Don't recall the new guy's name, but he was in reserve for a few years before Allwine's unfortunate passing.
So Mickey "missing a voice actor" is not even a factor...
Enosoma @ Nov 4th 2009 7:53PM
Surprisingly, I didn't see that particular ad when I wrote that.
Atr-Slzr-Ctr @ Nov 4th 2009 8:03PM
OH BOY!
alinos @ Nov 4th 2009 8:11PM
so stupid
oh the game were centering around our main charchter has wat some say is an annoying voice lets just get rid of it
be like the modern mario going around and not saying its me mario 100x more annoying but its part of the game
my view is that its maily because the guy who voiced micky since 1977 Wayne Allwine died in may of this year
samfish [wants to know: do midgets have night vision?] @ Nov 5th 2009 12:29AM
Good. I prefer text bubbles anyway in a game like this. I don't mind talking through major cut scenes, but when everybody always talks, it's annoying to have to sit there and listen to their same crappy line of two of dialog over and over again.
Plus, having Zelda/Okami-like text bubbles during cut scenes actually keeps you involved in the game by making you constantly press 'A'. It's a fairly passive way of keeping you engaged, but it's far more passive than sitting there and watching a cut scene play out in it's entirety.
Dv8thwonder @ Nov 5th 2009 2:04AM
Your comment just unraveled what little logic the graphic whores had left. I thank you kind sir.
Apollo @ Nov 5th 2009 3:45PM
cool
Yaanu @ Nov 5th 2009 11:53PM
I think the problem here is that some people don't realize that they've only shown us one level from the whole game.