Epic Mickey Concept art

Epic Mickey is a WIP videogame being developed by Warren Spector of Walt disney studios. The obljective in the development of this game is to restore the Mickey mouse franchise to the modern days.

The first concept art helps identify the genre and the style of the game. The development team have planned to return some old and forgotten parts of disney (ie Small world and the haunted masion) and add to it a dark distorted surrealism.
The large liquid creature in the Backdrop is the Phantom Blot, a vilain taken from the old Mickey mouse comics. Mickey also has a design change, his arms and legs are longer then the stubby style of the 90s and the 'noughties'.

You can tell by looking at the authenticity of the atmosphere that this concept gives the feeling that this level is based in the inside. There is also a hint of glamor with the red-pink glowing in the gates and buildings, which on the subject seem influenced by that of oriental and asian architect. With that in mind, this could either be influenced by the Small world ride, or based on rejected material from the movie Mulan

This concept art would assumaby ressemble a level which represents Agrabah, the most used set from Disney's Aladdin. Hints for this theory are the peach-shaped rooftop buildings, more than likely influenced by arabian architect and the magic carpet which can be seen from a distance. The blue glow coming from the centre gives this art a sense of luminosity and can be refered to the Cave of Wonders scene from Aladdin.

Partof the gameplay of Epic Mickey is the weaponry Mickey mouse uses, such as a magic brush that can either repair or remove infected buildings and objects. This artwork, then, is a preview of the 'disney' magic that is shun whithin the game. The thickness of the paint from the more colourful side can be seen remarkly with the small, unnotiable shadows.

This is somewhat similar to the towers from Disney's Sleeping Beauty and Beauty and the Beast. The shattered columns are vital to the design objective to the game genre. the green light coming from the crack of the ground indicate toxic waste or anything nucular or scientific is near.

Much like the previous art, this too has parts form Sleeping Beauty and Beauty and the Beast. However, the perspective, layout and shadows indicate this is more planned for an evil lair type level.

I love how Warren Spector managed to compare his concept work to that of the classic disney films. Here, he's looked up parts of the tower from Disney's Sleeping Beauty, and import the design contextual to the concept seen above. The run down and near destroyed look makes it more the suspicious to actualy be the tower in which the captured moments in Sleeping Beauty took place.