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Concept art for Warren Spector's 'Epic Disney' project
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Mid-2007, Disney Interactive Studios announced that they had purchased Junction Point Studios, which was run at the time by Warren Spector, of Deus Ex and Thief fame. No mention of any special projects were made at the time. In December of 2008, news of a project called 'Epic Mickey' reached the media, with artwork released to press only revealing disturbing reimaginings of several Disney favorites and locations, eerily rendering them in a gothic industrial vibe.
This week, thanks to superannuation, a blog focused on data-mining, some of this concept art made it's way to the internet. Within hours, more and more art found it's way out to the gaming media and spread like wildfire, consuming bloggers and mainstream press alike. The art depicts a terrifying vision of Disneyland and it's many properties. One picture embodies the 'feel' of the concept art, depicting a steam-powered dreadnaught constructed out of Monstro (who appears to be very dead), the Epcot Center, and a gigantic riverboat engine. Gary Glover, an artist responsible for much of the art for The Ant Bully, rendered a few pictures of his own, including a beach scene featuring a mechanized spider wearing a mask of Happy's (of the Seven Dwarfs) face and a very large jug of paint thinner featuring Mickey's face.
Collected and reviewed, the art itself seems to follow a theme of the forgotten Disney creations. Indeed, speculation about the nature of the game runs along these lines, further suggesting that Walt's 'abandoned' creations are quite jealous of Mickey, and are acting upon that jealousy. Given that neither side appears to be clearly good or evil and Disney's history of characters free of moral ambiguity, this sounds improbable. However, Warren Spector is involved in this project personally, and has said that he is finally working on his 'dream project.' The intent may be to market to older Disney fans or older 'gamers' as well. With the success of Kingdom Hearts in mind, perhaps Disney Interactive can be swayed to breathe life into this creepy, ominous vision of the Magic Kingdom..
An anonymous source spoke to CVG confirming the 'old-and-forgotten' theme the game seems to carry, as well as indicating that the game will be a Wii exclusive, carrying gameplay similar to Okami, with the player being required to paint in, etch, or erase levels, in whole or in part. Being that the source is anonymous, this may very well be just an idea. If Junction Point can pull off what it promises, 'Epic Mickey' (or Steampunk Willie as many denziens of the internet have dubbed the project) will likely take Game of the Year whenever it releases.
At the time of this article's writing, neither Junction Point or Disney Interactive could be reached for comment. More info will be posted as it becomes available.
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