We spoke a little about what video games can bring to the media and I wanted to talk about something I've been enjoying lately.
What I've been playing is a little game called Epic Mickey.
I'm a sucker for Disney, especially old school animation. Epic Mickey is supposed to be a game which highlights and brings up old animation characters that have been forgotten.
At the forefront of the game is Disney's first main character, a plucky rabbit named Oswald the Luck Rabbit.
Now, for what its worth, the game isn't perfect, but it definitely accomplishes what it set out to do: reintroduce people to Oswald again.
When Disney created Oswald, he was working for Universal. He went to the heads of animation to ask for more time and a raise for his staff. They then told him that they had stolen his staff away and was going to give him a pay cut.
He left the company and took a few animators that were still loyal to him to create what would later become Disney animation. Of course, we know the rest of the story, but the sad part was that, in leaving, Disney had to leave behind his character Oswald, since Universal owned the rights to him.
Years later, the Disney company decided that, in the memory of Disney, they needed to get the rights of Oswald back under Disney. They ended up making a trade with Universal and now Oswald is back in his rightful place.
This story is sort of told in Epic Mickey, however, its told from the Cartoons point of view. Oswald growing bitter and feeling forgotten as Mickey grows ever more popular.
In a strange way, this game has been really great to play since it gave me a story as well as a new character to care about.
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