This had nothing to do with the game. It had much more to do with the fact that it was one of the first characters that Walt Disney had success with and they wanted its ownership back under the name of Disney. As a company Disney is pretty prideful in their catalogues and keep nearly everything to preserve the "history" of the company. This is just one more thing they wanted to secure. #epicmickey
@fozfan33: I don't disbelieve you, but do you have a source for the factual claim in your first sentence? The Times article doesn't really source it's statement that Mr. Iger solved a right problems with the game by making a deal with NBC Universal in 2006," which seems to imply that the Epic Mickey, as a part of the overall Mickey re-think, was the impetus for the deal. But it's plausible, as is your reasoning. Wikipedia mentions that Universal had started marketing Oswald merchandise in 2004 to some success, and it would also be plausible that that was the impetus for reclaiming the rights. But I haven't read any quote where the actual reasoning was explained. I'm not criticizing you, although I think the Kotaku piece is pulling too much from the Times article, and the Times article implies too much without sourcing. But I'm genuinely curious, because I think this whole thing is fascinating. So if you've been following the issue and can point me to some good background info, please do. #epicmickey
Can anyone tell me why NBC Universal had the rights to Oswald in the first place? I mean, even if Disney didn't use him in 80 years, why would they have lost the rights to him? #epicmickey
They got a veteran sportscaster who is a household name in America....so a super obscure Disney character from the 20s can appear in a Wii game.
And I whole heartedly agree with the NYT when they say that "Mickey has become more of a corporate symbol than a beloved character for recent generations of young people." At least in the states....over here..there is no easier way to get people to buy your cheap plastic crap then to slap Mickey onto it. #epicmickey
Wonder what Michaels himself thinks of the fact that he got traded out for a character nobody but the hardest of the hardcore Disney fans even remembers? #epicmickey
"Oswald is definitely worth more than a fourth-round draft choice," Michaels said, referring to what the Kansas City Chiefs gave the New York Jets as compensation for releasing coach Herm Edwards from his contract. "I'm going to be a trivia answer someday." #epicmickey
Edited by ( shake cows, win a ) Milkshake! at 11/03/09 9:45 AM
( shake cows, win a ) Milkshake! was starred
( shake cows, win a ) Milkshake! was unstarred
I thought this was Prince of Persia, not Price of Thieves...WTFs up with the British accent? People over at Aint It Cool all seem to just swoon over Donnie Darko's faux-Brit accent, but...the character is not fucking English. I don't get it...guess it worked for "Pirates" so... #princeofpersia
Still think Naveen Andrews (Sayid form Lost) would have been the better Prince by far. Gyllenhaal is just too white and uses too much of a British accent to appear Persian. #princeofpersia
Isn't it funny how no one complained the Prince looked thoroughly white had a British accent in The Sands of Time game? Seems giving someone a goatee and a British accent makes them acceptably Persian in 'game world'.
To be honest, I think it's done because a British accent sounds foreign to Americans and if they went too full on with genuine Iranian accents they'd just sound vaguely, comical like an Omid Djalili stand-up routine, and then people would complain they can't understand the dialogue.
Not saying I agree with that by the way; I'm just saying that's why I think they use British accents to denote "foreign" in America. #princeofpersia
@sazzrah: Funny you should mention that. The first thing I said when the trailer started was "I wish they'd gotten a middle-eastern actor."
The British accents strike me as weird too, but movies like 300 and Troy used British accents too. It's probably just a fad with movies set in "ancient times" using British accents, and in 20 years we'll all look back at it and think about how weird it is. #princeofpersia
While this is quite obviously a fantasy world, there have been puppet governments of the British Empire in the middle east for hundreds of years. It might not explain why British accents get used all the time (ie 300), but in some cases, especially amongst the 'Elite' (esp. in India), royalty would try to behave and speak as English as possible. #princeofpersia
Also, Americans (and the actors in American cinema) speak english, so scripts in whatever the native tongue of the movie's location happens to be are out of the question. How many people would go to see this if it was in Farsi with english subtitles?
...well I would, but they will make much more money with cheesy faux-Brit accents. #princeofpersia
@bean: I would totally go too. Apocalypto did it in Mayan with subtitles!
And yes, when many people from the middle east learn English they learn it from.. English people. England's only a few thousand miles closer. Of course it's a little different now with Americans in Iraq, but a lot of Iraqis who speak english speak with more of a british accent. #princeofpersia
@TheMightyEthan: Considering the 'American accent' wouldn't have existed back then, at least using a British accent is a teeeeny bit more historically accurate xD #princeofpersia
This is actually looking decent enough to go see at the cinema. I'll dwarf my hopes and look forward to a resident-evil-with-british-accent-qualit..., and anything better than that will be a pleasant surprise! #princeofpersia
11/05/09
I wish people in my fantasy football league would go for that. I'll take Miles Austin for the rights to my stick figure avatar, Nedly. #epicmickey
11/04/09
11/05/09
11/05/09
[corporate.disney.go.com] #epicmickey
11/05/09
11/05/09
11/04/09
11/04/09
11/05/09
11/05/09
[corporate.disney.go.com] #epicmickey
11/04/09
They got a veteran sportscaster who is a household name in America....so a super obscure Disney character from the 20s can appear in a Wii game.
And I whole heartedly agree with the NYT when they say that "Mickey has become more of a corporate symbol than a beloved character for recent generations of young people." At least in the states....over here..there is no easier way to get people to buy your cheap plastic crap then to slap Mickey onto it. #epicmickey
11/04/09
11/04/09
[sports.espn.go.com]
"Oswald is definitely worth more than a fourth-round draft choice," Michaels said, referring to what the Kansas City Chiefs gave the New York Jets as compensation for releasing coach Herm Edwards from his contract. "I'm going to be a trivia answer someday." #epicmickey
11/03/09
11/03/09
11/03/09
11/03/09
11/02/09
To be honest, I think it's done because a British accent sounds foreign to Americans and if they went too full on with genuine Iranian accents they'd just sound vaguely, comical like an Omid Djalili stand-up routine, and then people would complain they can't understand the dialogue.
Not saying I agree with that by the way; I'm just saying that's why I think they use British accents to denote "foreign" in America. #princeofpersia
11/02/09
The British accents strike me as weird too, but movies like 300 and Troy used British accents too. It's probably just a fad with movies set in "ancient times" using British accents, and in 20 years we'll all look back at it and think about how weird it is. #princeofpersia
11/02/09
While this is quite obviously a fantasy world, there have been puppet governments of the British Empire in the middle east for hundreds of years. It might not explain why British accents get used all the time (ie 300), but in some cases, especially amongst the 'Elite' (esp. in India), royalty would try to behave and speak as English as possible. #princeofpersia
11/02/09
Also, Americans (and the actors in American cinema) speak english, so scripts in whatever the native tongue of the movie's location happens to be are out of the question. How many people would go to see this if it was in Farsi with english subtitles?
...well I would, but they will make much more money with cheesy faux-Brit accents. #princeofpersia
11/03/09
And yes, when many people from the middle east learn English they learn it from.. English people. England's only a few thousand miles closer. Of course it's a little different now with Americans in Iraq, but a lot of Iraqis who speak english speak with more of a british accent. #princeofpersia
11/03/09
11/03/09
11/02/09
I really hope that changes, or that I heard it wrong. #princeofpersia
11/02/09
11/02/09
11/02/09
And everyone brought their English accents along for the ride. #princeofpersia
11/02/09
11/02/09
11/02/09
11/02/09
11/02/09
11/02/09