14 DAY TRIAL // Disney has finally confirmed details related to Epic Mickey, the Nintendo Wii videogame set to be released in the fall of 2010. The title, which is being worked on by Warren Spector and his Junction Point Studio, is said to be designed as a combination between a traditional Disney cartoon and a modern reinvention.
The two main characters of the videogame will be Mickey Mouse, one of the best known Disney characters that has been less used by the company during the last decade, and Oswald the Rabbit, the first cartoon star that Walt Disney created and that was largely forgotten after he lost the rights to use him in his creations.
The largely forgotten rabbit, together with a wizard named Yes Sid, created a shadow world, a space where various Disney stars that are no longer in the limelight retreat to live out a fun-starved existence. At some point, Mickey Mouse actually threatens the existence of the shadow world and needs to enter it in order to make everything right again.
Warren Spector says that the project is special because “Mickey is an adventurous and rambunctious mouse. I want to bring his personality to the forefront, place him in a daunting world and connect his spirited character with video game players worldwide. Ultimately, each player decides for him - or herself what makes Mickey cool.”
One of the main gameplay mechanics will be using the Wiimote as a painter's brush in order to add either color or paint thinner in the world and cause it to change according to the wishes of the player. Depending on how he uses the brush, Mickey might drift towards good or evil and the world will reflect the changes he makes. Players will be able to see in 2010 how Disney has managed to re-invent Mickey Mouse as a cool videogame character or not.