Disney’s Epic Mickey was a game released in 2010 with incredibly high expectations. Although the game is seen by Disney today as just another of their past projects, loyal fans of the franchise know a different story. The game we have today is vastly different from the original vision. An original concept pitch from 2007 recently emerged on the internet leaving curious gamers intrigued. What it reveals is something unlike anything in the finished product.
An Epic Discovery
On July 26th, 2024, the Epic Mickey Wiki shared a fascinating new find on Twitter (X). Although the video was shared back in January by Thomas Heimann on Deviantart, it wouldn’t find its way to the majority of the public until the wiki’s post. An old pitch trailer from 2007 had emerged, showcasing a starkly different character design for Mickey as well as a darker opening. Thomas Heimann, the original poster, directed the animation and personally animated at least half of the pitch trailer himself.
In this video, the mouse we know and love takes on a skinnier, more stylized appearance. It also features a different narrator than the wizard we have now in the finished game. The overall feeling of the video seems more dystopian than the finished opening for sure.
We see Mickey strapped to a table with a device attached to his head, removing the color from his body. The narrator explains that the “forgotten cartoon characters” need his ink far more than he does. The video is similar to the finished opening, showing Mickey being dragged into the Wasteland by the game’s main enemy, the Blot.
It’s clear that the main idea for the game was set when this trailer was pitched, but it seems that numerous changes were made in the final version. The pitch trailer features some unique abilities, including surfing through ink, bouncing off of it like a trampoline, and flying through the air using ink bat wings.
We also see Mickey spawn a raygun out of ink to use against enemies. The most notable difference between this trailer and the finished game, however, is that Mickey uses the ink from his body to perform abilities instead of a magic paintbrush.
Lost to the Wasteland: Cut Content and What Comes Next
Although the finished game turned out to be relatively well received by critics, much of the planned additional content for the franchise was outright canceled. Epic Mickey‘s story has become a cult classic, but it was originally supposed to go much further than just the two games released in 2010 and 2012 respectively.
Disney originally planned to develop spin-offs in the Epic Mickey universe, including a racing game featuring other Disney characters within the Wasteland and even an Epic Donald Duck game. A post-credits scene from Epic Mickey 2 insinuates the existence of an Epic Mickey 3, but that game was canceled as well.
Sadly, the downfall of the franchise didn’t seem to be due to it being unpopular amongst fans, but Disney’s decision to change the direction of its gaming division altogether. Taking note of the rising popularity of mobile games in the mid-2010s, Disney set its sights on new ventures, leaving the Epic Mickey franchise to the past.
In the end, however, there is hope for more of our favorite dark Disney tales. Despite the release of the first Epic Mickey game being all the way back in 2010, a remastered version is on the horizon. Epic Mickey: Rebrushed sees the return of the original Wii game updated with modern graphics and more finely tuned controls. The remaster is available for pre-order now and releases on September 24th, 2024. Who knows, maybe one day we’ll even get that Epic Donald DLC.
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