- #Disney castle of illusion starring mickey mouse license
- #Disney castle of illusion starring mickey mouse series
#Disney castle of illusion starring mickey mouse license
With the license safely guarded, the task of bringing Disney magic to Sega’s console was placed in the capable hands of Director Emiko Yamamoto, who was credited as “Emirin” due the common publisher policy of era that prevented staff from using their real names (it was thought that pseudonyms would protect them from poaching by other developers). Here, the game was simply called Mickey Mouse. A deal was reached, and Sega soon began promoting the game in its advertising, with an early image appearing in a 1990 pack-in poster. Over the course of several meetings with Disney representatives, Katz and marketing head Al Nilsen hashed out its plan to add the cartoon icon to Sega’s lineup of licensed stars, which included LA Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda, boxing champ James “Buster” Douglas, and Dick Tracy. It also had to show that the Genesis was viable enough for a license. So impactful was Disney’s lobbying that the changes in copyright law since 1976 are often referred to as the “Mickey Mouse Curve.”įor this reason, Sega had to give the utmost assurance that Disney’s mascot would not be mistreated. In 1998, the company pushed for another increase, and the famous rodent was secured until 2023. The 1976 expansion increased corporate rights to 76 years, ensuring Mickey Mouse would be a Disney property until 2003. Disney’s rights to Mickey Mouse were originally protected for a maximum of 56 years under legislation passed in 1909. In 1976, the cartoon giant lobbied Congress heavily to overhaul existing copyright laws. Companies such as Disney are quite protective of their intellectual properties.
With a cartoon character, things were a bit more complicated. In that case, talks could be held directly with the Gloved One, and he either agreed or he didn’t. As odd as it may sound, getting the rights to Mickey Mouse wasn’t as easy as negotiating with someone like Michael Jackson.
Along with names like Michael Jackson and Joe Montana, Disney’s mascot was at the forefront of Sega’s licensing barrage, bringing first-rate names to its games in North America. Indeed, securing the license was major feather in the cap of Sega of America President Michael Katz. Given Sega’s minuscule console presence in the U.S., convincing Disney to come aboard was something of a coup. Few names are bigger than Mickey Mouse, and bringing a faithful rendition of such a well-known character to a console that was facing a seemingly insurmountable battle against Nintendo was a daunting task. Of course, more bits don’t necessarily equate to better games, particularly those that have the burden of doing justice to such a highly regarded brand.
The plot was right out of a Disney cartoon, and the union of Mickey Mouse and the new 16-bit hardware sounded like a perfect match. Mickey pursues the witch to her castle, where he must brave multiple stages of danger to collect the magic gems he needs to create a rainbow bridge to Minnie’s tower prison. It shares the tale of an evil witch named Mizrabel, who kidnaps (mousenaps?) Minnie Mouse out of jealousy of her beauty and popularity. A Classic Game Takes FormĬastle of Illusion arrived early into the Genesis’ lifespan, when Sega was still trying to carve out an identity for the fledgling machine. Today’s powerful home machines make this an easy feat, but at the turn of the ‘90s, when the Genesis was still in its infancy and most consoles paled in horsepower to arcade boards and home computers, it was a much harder vision to realize. That devotion is the key element and the secret to its enduring favor among Sega fans. What makes Castle of Illusion so memorable is how faithfully it recreated the personality of its source material.
There’s a certain element to Disney productions that makes them timeless, even when technology has advanced and consumer tastes have shifted. The first game in the beloved Illusion series, Castle of Illusion, is widely hailed as a Genesis classic, and fans still regard its unique blend of Disney charm, simple gameplay, and beautiful presentation as one of the prime examples of platforming excellence of the era.Īs polished as the fluid and tight gameplay, excellent visuals, and enjoyable music of Castle of Illusion were, its charm extends beyond that. Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse and Quackshot Starring Donald Duck, were the high point of pre- Sonic 16-bit platforming, and they were followed up by the co-op dazzler World of Illusion. Long before furry mascots flooded Sega’s 16-bit console, there was a mouse and a duck, and they starred in two of the most wonderful platformer’s in the system’s library.
#Disney castle of illusion starring mickey mouse series
For many gamers who grew up with the Genesis, some of their fondest memories with the console came from the series of early Disney games published by Sega.
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