Concept art for Epic Mickey.

OCT. 29, 2009 • Warren Spector’s Junction Point Studios was purchased by Disney Interactive in 2007, and the AAA gamemaker’s first title post-acquisition will be Epic Mickey for the Wii. The title is an platform adventure game that takes place is a separate animated world where long-forgotten Disney cartoon characters have been trapped, and Mickey must come to the rescue.

Impact: Kingdom Hearts proved there was plenty of demand for a more edgy take on classic Disney cartoons. It’s logical that that Disney Interactive would want to expand on that strategy with content created closer to home than Japan’s Square Enix.  Spector’s fondness for storytelling and environmental involvement over high-end graphics make his studio a good choice to expand the horizon’s of Mickey Mouse.  Whether Epic Mickey will successfully leverage the Wii’s more unique platform virtues remains to be seen.