I don't think Mickey Mouse ever died. Like many a world leader he simply faded away with time. His influence stands, but he is too busy trying to exist to really care.

But Mickey and Bugs Bunny, and anyone of the many "classic" animated greats are in place where death would be a relief. Board rooms and execs control the fate of these characters now. And we all know how efficient machines businesses are, most can barely restock supplies let alone take a chance on a creative or entertaining story. So it is with a heavy heart that I see Mickey and fellow Disney pals being re-branded to be "hipper". The re-branding is under the name of VAULT 28, an excuse for Disney to unleash designer clothes under the pretense of nostalgia.

I need to start off by saying that I'm not against change in the slightest. I want these characters to live again, and they would need some clear format and content adjustments to work better. Change is essential here.

What I object to are changes of a character's values. When you change a character's dreams, desires, and motivations, you don't have an "improved" character - you have a new character.

For example, let's say I'm trying a modern retelling of Huck Finn. In place of the mighty Mississippi I pull from Jack Kerouac. Huck loves the open road. Instead of meeting two swindlers trying to steal from a grieving family, he meets a police officer who thinks his word is law. The point here is that plot can change very drastically and not alter the direction. Huck is an adventurous free-spirit, those around him are mostly authoritarian types trying to settle the kid down.

These same changes could be made for format, pacing, length, or a million other factors that can adjust a property for an audience. But changing Huck to a hard-nosed 2nd grade teacher and watch the entire story collapse.

This character's motivation was freedom, but how can it be now? Huck is the giver of authority. He is law. New motivations need to be given, and when you have different motivations something unique is born. Not good or bad but foreign from the original. Haven't you ever looked back at your life and wondered "who is that person"? Strange what motivations can do to you, huh? With time, and a few new motivations, we all experience the world from many varied viewpoints.

Need proof? Loonatics Unleashed sounds like an exec's dream on paper. Add previously popular Looney Tunes characters, with an edgy Anime look, throw in a superhero theme that is all the rage, and a final dash of Gen-x attitude. (Gen-x attitude previously known as 80's Partyboy, previously known as 70's hippie, previously known as teenager.) The result is a bland action hero show that is creepy similar to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Good times for all, but new characters completely. It would've been better to drop them completely and run with a hero show that was willing to take a chance!

I don't know enough about the Looney Tunes changes yet, or the Disney re-brands, to judge. If history is any indication, it doesn't look good for the tired classic characters. Let's hope they give the characters a good part to live up to and not simply reanimate their husks to live trendier cartoon lives.


-Josh

Vault 28 info via Cartoon Brew. Thanks!