In Part 1 of Epic Mickey B-Mask shows the impact Disney has had on our generation in particular.
Episode information
Epic Mickey is a big deal to many Disney fans out there- but people don't seem to understand their point of view. As far as they're concerned it's another Disney cash in, and sadly graphical and platform choices have solidified this. But when you consider that it features characters such as Horace Horsecollar, The mad doctor, and most importantly, Oswald the Lukcy rabbit, and that it seems to be trying to add depth to one of the biggest worldwide icons, Mickey Mouse, clearly there is more than meets the eye here.
So, in this first episode of the documentary series from Beyond Pictures, your Host B-mask takes you into an in depth journey as to why this game is a big deal, and why Disney has reached this stage with their creative properties. It wasn't all perfect!
Walt Disney was a household name at the time of his death, and with good reason. Here we see the last few years he spent at the studio, before his premature passing, and the final film he was truly and utterly involved with- the Jungle Book.
Near the end of Disney's personal tenure at...well, Disney, his focus on outsourcing ideas honed in on two british properties- 101 Dalmations and Mary Poppins. Here, we look at exactly how he dealt with adapting the tales, how he was perceived by his peers in his final days, and how the company finally found lasting success in the live action industry.
Disneyland made a huge step into the public eye at this point, with television having spread its audience further and with colour having become a huge part of television advertising. Here, we look at how the movie Sleeping Beauty came into being, and how even though it divided fans and critics, it genuinely innovated the way Disney approached making a truly classical fairy tale.
In this episode we cover several aspects- how the park came to be in 1955, how the wasteland differs from it in Epic Mickey, how the feeling of being in Disneyland differs from what you may have heard of Disneyland, and ultimately how it all comes together.
In this episode we cover several aspects- how the park came to be in 1955, how the wasteland differs from it in Epic Mickey, how the feeling of being in Disneyland differs from what you may have heard of Disneyland, and ultimately how it all comes together.
In the 1950s the Disney corporation hit its stride with Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, and a slew of popular television shows like Treasure Island. In this part, we look at how Walt Disney used these to get over the scandals of the previous years, how he cleaned up his act as 'Uncle Walt', and how animation changed in the eyes of the American public at large, leading to the culmination of Walt's deepest desire- Disneyland.
The war years are the initial focus of this episode- looking at how Walt created productions out of the turbulent strikes and the flow of the package movies, and which worked out better than others. Our secondary focus is on Walt Disney's controversial contributions to the McCarthy era and the communist blacklisting.
The conflict between Walt and the employees escalates, and we compare Bambi to Dumbo and see how Walt's film differs from a film largely self directed by animators.
Walt's next feature length, Pinocchio, and his personal music project, Fantasia, are both discussed here. We see how Pinocchio is the first Disney product to truly push the boundaries of animated storytelling and tone, and how Fantasia manages to bring Mickey Mouse back into the fold with a brand new appearance as the sorcerers apprentice.
We see how Walt Disney's first feature length animated film, Snow White, completely changed the animation movie industry, and touch upon the risky subject of Walt's possible prejudices.
Mickey Mouse may have succeeded where Oswald failed in securing the Companies future, but it didn't make him invulnerable - not even to his own cast...
We look at the history of Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks animation careers, and the development of Mickey Mouse and Oswald - from Oswalds rise, to Oswalds fall, to Mickeys rise.
In Part 1 of Epic Mickey B-Mask shows the impact Disney has had on our generation in particular. Hopefully this will both inform and intrigue people about Disneys past and Epic Mickeys role in reviving the creative side of the Disney franchises.
B-Mask Presents: Epic Mickey
Epic Mickey is a big deal to many Disney fans out there- but people don't seem to understand their point of view. As far as they're concerned it's another Disney cash in, and sadly graphical and platform choices have solidified this. But when you consider that it features characters such as Horace Horsecollar, The mad doctor, and most importantly, Oswald the Lukcy rabbit, and that it seems to be trying to add depth to one of the biggest worldwide icons, Mickey Mouse, clearly there is more than meets the eye here.
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