Popularity and obscurity make up this week's ideas.
Kim Possible (Good Idea) – by Kimberly Keller
Stopping villains, saving the world, and finishing homework all before curfew, is there anything Kim Possible can’t do? This series, the second longest running Disney Channel animated show, was so popular that fans successfully rallied and convinced Disney to pay for another season after it had officially concluded.
Basically, this is the greatest show ever. Sure, Breaking Bad might have gripping plotlines, complex characters, and a Guinness World Record, but does it have a rapping naked mole rat, a blue super villain with a funky fresh flying car, or even coco moo?? I think not.
Even though it needs no explanation, let’s humor the non-believers and check out why this show should make the cut for the big ol’ Disney Infinity. Kim Possible is THE action hero of Disney Channel with almost super human skills and determination. Ron Stoppable’s dad, an actuary, once calculated that her extraordinary abilities made her daily hero duties no more dangerous than “the average student skateboarding to school”. Even Ron Stoppable, however clumsy, also possesses “The Ron Factor”, a certain chaos theory-esque je ne sais pas that allows him to achieve unlikely feats that rival even Kim’s skills. Also, don’t even get started on the Mystical Monkey Powers (do I smell a power disc?).
Welcome to Star Command Lieutenant Possible.
The series has utilized various gadgets throughout the years, most notably the Kimmunicator and the simplistic, yet ever-useful, grappling hook. I’ll admit I’m hard pressed to find a use for the Kimmunicator in the Toy Box, sorry Wade, but the grappling hook definitely deserves a place of honor. In addition to its use as a means of transportation, the grappling hook was used to stop insanely large objects from crushing allies and for capturing groups of enemies all at once. Both of these uses can be easily translated into the game.
Even Shego’s green power… laser hand… things would be an awesome addition to the Power Disc ability set. The green/black surges of energy not only destroy everything a character touches, but can be thrown at enemies and objects as well. Customization discs can bring the stylized theme of Middleton or Drakken’s evil lair to the game as well.
Kim Possible is ripe with possibilities for the Disney Infinity world. It’s quirky sense of humor and smart writing make for a hilariously fun and action packed play set that would only get better when unleashed upon the Toy Box. Can I get a Booyah?
The Black Cauldron (Bad Idea) – By Becky Hollada
Being that The Black Cauldron is a Disney film only known for being pretty unknown, it’s definitely not the best choice for a Disney Infinity playset. Released in 1985, the film wasn’t well-received overall despite having great visuals. It was originally a much darker story than most Disney films, at least before management changed and new studio chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg personally cut several minutes from the film to lighten the tone. Unfortunately, while the dark tone may have redeemed it somewhat, a bland film makes for a blander playset.
As always, with bad playsets, the Toy Box is one of the biggest areas where this idea breaks down. The Black Cauldron is set in a medieval type fantasy world that just clashes outright with most of the existing playsets in Disney Infinity. There’s not quite enough whimsy to this film’s style and characters that can compensate for the period look, versus something like Tangled with horses that wag their tails like dogs and chameleons with attitude. The most whimsy we get is a really obnoxious dog-looking thing and evil sorcery. The difference would be clear if you put any of these characters alongside those such as Lightning McQueen or The Incredibles. They would look seriously out of place even in a world that combines toys and pirates.
Another important thing Disney has to consider with these playsets is money. It’s the root of all evil, I know, but trying to sell figurines for a movie few people have actually seen, let alone liked? And there aren’t even any iconic characters in this franchise to bank on. At a practical level it likely just wouldn’t sell because it wouldn’t be recognizable.
Pretty much how I feel about Gurgi all the time.
Boring characters are rampant in this movie and it’s one of the things the film was negatively reviewed for back when it released. Disney is known for having some of the most fun, vibrant, and interesting characters out there, and none of them in The Black Cauldron fit that bill. Taran is a hopeless hero, Eilonwy is an attempt at making a spirited, adventurous princess who just ends up being annoying and kind of a nag, and Gurgi… I don’t think I was the only one who was almost sad to see him okay. They weren’t enjoyable in the movie and I don’t think they would be much better in a video game where personality is half the fun.
For many obvious reasons, The Black Cauldron is probably not on Disney’s shortlist for Disney Infinity, and we can all be glad for that. However, if they ever decided to do some digging in the vault for old ideas to refresh and re-market, this movie is hopefully one they will skip right over.
