Epic Mickey

Disney Epic Mickey (Disney Epic Mickey: Mickey Mouse and the Magic Brush in Japan) is a Wii game, designed by Deus Ex creator, Warren Spector, released on November 25, 2010 in Europe, November 30, 2010 in North America, and August 4, 2011 in Japan.

Plot
Many years ago, Yen Sid created a world for the forgotten, retired and rejected aspects of Disney's history called the Cartoon Wasteland, led by Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Things were good until Mickey Mouse once visited Yen Sid's home and came across the map portal to the Cartoon Wasteland and, in playing around with magical paint and ink, created the monstrous Shadow Blot. Mickey runs away before he's caught, leaving the Blot to ravage the land over the decades. Years later, Mickey is pulled into the Wasteland by the Blot and now must find a way to escape, gain the help of Oswald who hates him for the fame he's gained over the years, and defeat the Blot and heal the land. Along the way, he is guided by Gremlin Gus and has continuous run-ins with the Mad Doctor who wants to extract his heart and escape the Wasteland with his allies.

Production
The initial plans were developed in a think-tank session in 2006 about how best to renew Mickey Mouse in the eyes of the public. The Wasteland concept and Oswald and the Phantom Blot as antagonists were part of this initial pitch and the project became a factor in Disney getting Oswald back from Universal that year. They signed Warren Spector, who was skeptical that Disney would just continue watering down Mickey as they had for many years, but was convinced when told he would be allowed to help renew the character. Given full-access to the archives for inspiration on the Wasteland's setting, Warren Spector developed the game further into a hybrid platformer/roleplaying game with player's choices being a huge influence in how the story would turn out.

Concept art leaked in the Summer of 2009 showed a large aquatic transport: a gigantic narwhal with the Earful Tower, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, and a decaying Spaceship Earth on its back. Another rendering shows a beach under attack by large mechanical versions of the Seven Dwarfs, with tea cups and giant arms on their backs. One rendering shows a machine, zombie-like, one-armed Goofy, with another depicting a scorpion-like robot with the damaged head and torn-open face of an Audio-Animatronic Country Bear Jamboree character. In one rendering, a Tomorrowland amidst a dystopian cityscape is seen, with the TWA Moonliner (adorned with the face of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit), the World Clock, Space Mountain, and Astro Orbitor. The wraparound cover art for the November 2009 issue of GameInformer features artwork from Epic Mickey, showing Mickey from behind, armed with a paint brush, about to take on the Phantom Blot. Disneyland's Haunted Mansion and "it's a small world" can be seen in the background. And if one looks closely, he can see Oswald hiding behind a rock.

Gameplay
Mickey's primary ability with interacting with the world is a paintbrush that allows him to paint things in or erase parts of the world. How he uses these abilities and how he interacts with characters determines the path of the journey and what kind of hero you become, be it someone that's always helpful, constantly causing mischief or somewhere in between, initially illustrated with a Hero/Wastelander/Scrapper model system until some negative test response to Scrapper caused an emphasis on characters called "Guardians" that will allow you to use Paint or Thinner more effectively. The World is divided into three types of maps: Quest Zones, Transition Zones and Action Zones. Quest Zones act as hubs of activity where you meet characters, go on quests and disembark into the main Action Zones where you fight enemies and go on larger missions. The Transition Zones are 2D Side-scrolling levels based on animated shorts that serve as a means of getting around the Wasteland, sometimes giving an idea of where you'll turn up.

Quest Zones

 * Ventureland (Based on Adventureland and featuring Pirates of the Caribbean, The Enchanted Tiki Room and Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse elements)
 * Mean Street (Based on Main Street, U.S.A.)
 * OsTown (Based on Mickey's Toontown)
 * Bog Easy (Based on New Orleans Square)

Action Zones

 * Gremlin Village (Based on It's a Small World and featuring the Mad Tea Party and Dumbo the Flying Elephant)
 * Pirates of the Wasteland (Based on Pirates of the Caribbean and Peter Pan)
 * Lonesome Manor (Based on multiple incarnations of The Haunted Mansion)
 * Dark Beauty Castle (Opening and Closing level. Based on Sleeping Beauty Castle.)
 * Mickeyjunk Mountain (Based on Matterhorn Bobsleds and Mickey merchandise)
 * Tomorrow City (Based on Tomorrowland)

Cartoons Featured as Transition Levels

 * Oh What A Knight
 * Steamboat Willie
 * Shanghaied
 * Jungle Rhythm
 * Clock Cleaners
 * Plutopia
 * Alpine Climbers
 * Lonesome Ghosts
 * Great Guns
 * The Mad Doctor
 * Mickey and the Beanstalk
 * The Castaway
 * Haunted House
 * Mickey's Mechanical Man
 * The Whalers
 * Sleeping Beauty
 * Thru the Mirror
 * Fantasia (The Sorcerer's Apprentice)
 * Trolley Troubles
 * Ye Olden Days
 * Mickey's Steamroller

Spinoff Material
Besides the game, Disney is developing several tie-in books as well as comics written by Peter David including an adaptation of the game and a Tales of the Wasteland miniseries that will show events taking place before the game. Tales of the Wasteland is to be Digitally Distributed only for iPad apps and PSP. A print version of the comics is set for release in September 2011 along with The Art of Epic Mickey

On August 27, 2011, it was leaked that a sequel was in the works when Disney marketing polls revealed four potential covers and some working titles. Information suggests the game to be a multi-console affair and incorporate co-op play between Mickey and Oswald. On December 29, 2011, it was confirmed that the game will be released around Fall 2012.