Mickey Gets A Makeover!
Although Mickey Mouse has remained untouched for decades, the Walt Disney Company will unveil a rebranding of the universally known character when he appears in the video game Epic Mickey, due out next fall.
The formerly squeaky clean mouse will showcase his darker side - a cunning, yet heroic trickster!
"There’s a distinct risk of alienating your core consumer when you tweak a sacred character, but at this point it’s a risk they have to take,” said Matt Britton, managing partner at New York brand consultant firm Mr. Youth.
Many think that the re-imaging is needed to entice younger generations.
In 2004, a group of interns dreamed up Epic Mickey, which is set in a “cartoon wasteland.” It is a place where all Disney's unrecognizable and retired creatures live. For example, the main inhabitant is Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (a character that predated Mickey) along with a disemboweled, robotic Donald Duck while living in a “twisted, broken, dangerous” version of It's a Small World.
Yikes!
“I wanted him to be able to be naughty — when you’re playing as Mickey you can misbehave and even be a little selfish,” said Warren Spector, the creative director of Disney-owned game developer Junction Point. “Mickey is never going to be evil or go around killing people."
Well, he still looks pretty creepy!
Do you like the new and improved Mickey Mouse?!
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Didn't Warner Bros do this with Bugs Bunny recently?
No, this is a creepy mean looking Mickey! Mickey is supposed to be fun and happy even if he is acting mischievous. The disconnect between appearance and action is part of the fun- he looks sweet and unsuspecting no matter what he may do- even if it's naughty. They might as well make a whole different mouse. Morty Mouse or something. Mickey's cousin or clone- Mickey's 'other self' freed from Mickey's body and moving about independently.
Thumbs Down!
Plumb those depths Disney.
STUPID!
WTF!?!?!?
This is the dumbest idea ever.
NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO
Scarrryyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!! Why? Why? Why?
I am so sick of everyone rebranding everything and making things 'new'…this is fucking stupid and insane.
Mickey Mouse looks like a SOCIOPATH in that cartoonization. It will cause people to have Mickey Mouse phobias similar to clown phobias. Bad idea!!
how disappointing!
No!
nnoo..bad idea,dont mess w/perfection
Thats what happens when Marvel & Disney merge. . . X Mickey
B!TCH LQQKS angry!!!!!!!!!!
This is stupid.
Walt is doing spins in his grave.
What's next……Vampire/Zombie Mickey??
my sons can't WAIT for this game to come out…..
It's not new. It's the old Mickey. Just post-steamboat willie 1930s Mickey. That's one screen shows him making a face. Action shot. The new is the bastardized Magic Kingdom that doubles as the game's setting.
Also, the Director of the game, Warren Specter is incredible. And the mechanics of the game were inspired by Mario Galaxy and Okami. If you played either of those masterpieces and know anything about gaming or old school disney - you should be excited for this Wii exclusive.
umm NO!!! I'm getting kinda sick of all this "lets re-do the oldies" trip. So over it!
Re: shopgirl83 – Re: pareidolia –
I'm inclined to disagree with you guys. Actually, pretty much everyone here is taking this the wrong way. They're not re-doing Mickey so that he'll be all "BADAZZZ YEAH" in Disneyland, it's just a re-design that's inspired by Steamboat Willie specifically for this game.
As a video game player (and I'm gonna guess that you guys aren't even gonna touch this one ever), it's always good to see something new, fresh & exciting done with existing mechanics, so that's it's not the same-old football/shooting dudes/whatever game.
"Epic Mickey" is actually doing something fresh with the Mickey Mouse franchise. Warren Spector, the director of the game, is phenomenal in his field, and surprisingly enough, Mickey Mouse games over the years have been very good. This one looks no different.
this mickey reminds me of the southpark episode featuring the jonas brothers.. so - no.
looks too much like Sonic the Hedgehog
NO NO NO!
Mickey was my FAVORITE CARTOON as a toddler and it breaks my heart that my niece has no interest in him. This is going to make it 10 times worse.
Little kids dont care for demented looking mice and no teenager is going to become a mickey convert just because he has a darker side :-/
No no no no no! If it ain't broke, don't fix it!!! What's wrong with oldschool Mikey? I hate when they do that!
Re: vincenotvance –
you guys are completely missing the point of this. vince totally gets it listen to him
"“twisted, broken, dangerous” version of It's a Small World." AMAZING.
Actually, it seems like a pretty cool game. I'd buy it
….and it's a game on the wii that I'd actually buy. That's a total step up! ^_^
so.. they are changing mickey fucking mouse, the most recognizable childrens cartoon ever, so that children can play a video game where mickey can "misbehave and even be a little selfish"?
so
messed
up
Noooo! Seriously, it's like LiLo trying to do Marylin!….Oh wait…..ICK!
scary!
this just proves that violence is so prevalent in today's generation. it;s crazy! next thing we know we see hello kitty shooting someone with a gun
hasn't anyone in hollywood figured out the reason today's children and youth are messed up is because imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. i mean didn't we just hear about a 12 year old killing a 9 year old? all those violent games on playstation and xbox whatever they are, all the sex on music videos, all the movies that have sex and violence and yet are pg-13. kids seeing a naughty, misbehaving, and selfish mickey mouse are going to do the same. what a sad state society is going to be in no time thanks to those idiots that want to make mickey mouse bad to appeal to kids. i can imagine disneyland and disneyworld. kids throwing tantrusm because the mickey mouse there isn't mean. what fun, yeah.
it's just for the video game tho. I think it's cool. Haven't played video games for years but I want this one!! Epic Mickey kicking ass.
Until you actually read the GI review for this game, you really shouldn't judge it. Perez putting up ONE screen shot is causing you all to be instantly outraged, when in fact, you know NOTHING about the actual game itself.
And you know what, it looks like an amazing game. You can choose to play it in a few different ways. You can be good Mickey, naughty Mickey, or a combo of the two. Graphically alone it looks incredible.
And p.s. they are not redoing Mickey. This is how he originally looked as Steamboat Willie. Walt Disney himself drew Mickey that way.
i want this game
1. Please don't mess with Mickey - the original was fine. 2. CGI Mickey doesn't work.
This is a fail!! they should NOT in any way change Mickey Mouse. My son loves Mickey, he shouldn't be afraid of him. I'm all up for darker things but having Mickey as a darker character wouldn't be a good thing. Lolipops, gumdrops and sunshine and rainbows. You know. Big no!
if i was 8 years old i would care
I scrolled through all the comments and didn't see a single person mention Kingdom Hearts. Interesting. Anyway, I never really cared for that mischief Mickey in the black/white cartoons. I much prefer the King Mickey persona he's taken on the Kingdom Hearts series. & even the hopelessly in love with Minnie personality that he portrayed once his cartoons gained technicolor.
Hopefully they'll keep this rendition of Mickey just in this one game.
I am surprised they did not give me SPIKED HAIR & EARS like every other cartoon character.
yeah i like this mickey - he looks like an asshole hehe
OH MY GOD! I want the game now!!!
Graphics? Suck. Plotline? Sucks. Artwork DOUBLY SUCKS.
The mouse already has enough money-making robots (Miley cyrus, Demi Lovato)
pointless to actually try to BE the money-making robot!
MIKEY MOUSE WAS PERFECTLY FINE! UGH >:s
My husband is a programmer on this game, and it's looking amazing. I know I'll play it!
noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!