Major Disney releases set for Nov. 30

Disney fans, listen up!

November 30 will be a pretty big day for you.

Why, you may ask?

Three highly anticipated titles will be released on Nov. 30: Fantasia/Fantasia 2000 on Blu-Ray/DVD combo, Sorcerer's Apprentice Blu-Ray/DVD combo AND Epic Mickey, the videogame.
Epic Mickey is a long-anticipated game for the Wii featuring Mickey Mouse as the hero who must make his way through the world of Wasteland, a place where Disney things have long been forgotten.

“I believe that video games tell stories as deep and as sophisticated as movies, books or any other medium. In Disney Epic Mickey, Mickey Mouse is faced with challenges worthy of a hero, while the players’ actions and their decisions throughout the game alter the gameworld,” said Warren Spector, general manager and creative director, Disney Interactive Studios’ Junction Point in Austin in a news release. “We are honored and humbled by the anticipation for Disney Epic Mickey, and we could not be more excited to get the game in people’s hands so that they can experience the thrill of becoming a hero and controlling their own destiny.”

What makes Epic Mickey so unique is the ability to remove or restore parts of the gameplay world through the use of ink or thinner. As the player makes their way through the game, their actions alter the game's world.

You can pre-order Epic Mickey at many video game retailers, at Amazon.com or Disneystore.com

But wait, there's more.

On the same day, Disney will release the highly-anticipated Blu-Ray version of Fantasia and Fantasia 2000 in a special four-disc pack. Also being released is a two-disc DVD set.

Among special features on the Blu-Ray version is the highly requested Academy Award® nominated short Destino. Available for the first time ever on Blu-ray, the seven minute film is the result of a unique collaboration between Walt Disney and Salvador Dali begun in 1946, but put on hold due to studio financial concerns. In 2003, Roy E. Disney worked with a team of modern day animators to complete the film as a tribute to Walt's pioneering artistic vision. Accompanying the highly anticipated short is an all-new feature length documentary entitled "Dali & Disney: A Date With Destino," which explores the origins of the relationship between Disney and Dali, their collaboration on Destino, and ultimately how the film came to fruition so many years after its inception.

Pre-order for the Fantasia set and Sorcerer's Apprentice are available at Amazon.com. I'm sure it also will be available wherever Blu-Ray movies are sold.

Partial introduction to Epic Mickey released

Disney recently released a partial introduction to the upcoming highly anticipated release of Epic Mickey for the Wii. The vidoe above gives a great deal of information as to how Mickey is thrown into the wasteland and (presumably) what he has to do to make things right.

Check it out!

Mickey to see a radical makeover in upcoming game -- could this just be the beginning?

The New York Times has a story in today's paper about a quiet new effort by Disney to re-invent the character at the core of it all: Mickey Mouse.

I know it seems hard to believe - messing with the mouse himself? This is one of the most recognizable figures in the world.

The beginning for Mickey's possible transformation will likely come with the release of Epic Mickey, a bold, daring video game set for release next Fall. In Epic Mickey, the Mouse is more daring, more mischievous and even cunning -- a significant departure from the clean do-no-wrong image Mickey Mouse evolved into after 80 years of existence. One thing that won't change, says the game's designer, Mickey won't be evil.

The funny thing is that the Mickey portrayed in Epic Mickey is more like the Mickey Mouse of Walt Disney's imagination -- one who is mischievous, boisterous and even a little amorous with female characters (Minnie).

Epic Mickey also will feature another famous Disney creation -- Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. In the game, Oswald's a bit bitter about being left high and dry. In reality this happened because of rights problems with Universal. In fact, Disney had to trade to get Oswald back. What did they trade? Al Michaels, of all things. Turns out, Disney CEO let NBC have Al Michaels in return for rights to Oswald.

Of even greater importance -- the article indicates that Epic Mickey may just be the first wave in a transformation of Mickey Mouse. Apparently, Disney is very quietly looking at ways to freshen up the mouse for today's kids. Whether this effort will go any further than Epic Mickey is anyone guess at this point.

As for Epic Mickey (by the way, it's only for the Wii), this is one game I most certainly will be getting next year. It looks fantastic - especially some of the screen shots of the wasteland theme park.