Epic Mickey: An over-looked, under-appreciated piece of Mickey Mouse history

Epic Mickey, released in 2010 for the Nintendo Wii, holds a special place in my heart. Developed by the now defunct Junction Point Studios, it took a much different approach to the world of Toontown, Mickey Mouse, and the introduction of Walt Disney's original mascot, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. While the game has many issues in game-play and sometimes a sense of feeling lost, it still has its memorable moments of creative expression. The story is that Mickey Mouse plays Sorcerer again and accidentally trashes his master's vibrant world, turning it into a sludge mess and sucking him in with it. He finds himself in a land of forgotten and lost Disney characters, and is forced to see how everyone lives in his shadow. One of these characters in particular is Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, created in 1927 by Walt Disney himself. This is unknowingly a major appearance, as Oswald had not been in any Disney made production since the 30s. Understandably in this game, he is angry at Mickey for stealing his fame and letting him be forgotten. To get this kind of complex relationship out of typically comedic cartoon characters is an amazing feat. There are plenty of other visuals in this game like a literal mountain made of old Mickey merchandise and a giant robot resembling It's A Small World's facade. All in all, while this may not be the most fun to go back and replay, it still made an impact on many people and it's concepts are still relevant today.