My two greatest passions in life–gaming and the art of animation–are having a child, and its name is Epic Mickey.

Destructoid has a good analysis of the upcoming game, and its got me all excited inside. Until now all we’ve had were a few wonderfully dark and steampunk-y pieces of concept art. Revealed recently were a few small bits of plot and gameplay information on Epic Mickey. What we know isn’t much, but I do believe this to be the Disney game that brings balance to the force.

Scan of the Game Informer cover featuring epic mickey.

The dark story of the game is focused primarily on older, lesser-known characters from the Disney universe. These characters have grown bitter in their seclusion from fandom, and have been kept away in a dark, creepy world. Leading this pack of salty old characters is Disney’s original big name, Oswald the Rabbit. Disney connoisseurs should be happy to hear Oswald is making a return, but his arrival will be anything but joyous. Oswald is pissed at his misfortune and the fame Mickey has acquired, and he’s out for a little payback, backed by an army of Disney has-beens.

Oswald will use something called the Phantom Blot, which is essentially a monster that assaults the wonderful world of Disney and deconstructs its colorful world with black ink, causing all colors to run together, essentially ruining the art of this world that was made famous by it. Mickey will return fire with a slew of different ‘art weapons’, such as paint thinner, pencils, erasers, and brushes (all of which will be manipulated by the Wiimote.) This art-centric approach to the game could find no better host than Disney, I assure you.

Epic Mickey early concept art. UNFF--

I cannot wait for Epic Mickey. Anyone who appreciates the historic works of Disney will certainly find plenty of nostalgia in this game. It appears that the game brims over with Disney culture. Its unique approach to using art as a weapon sounds incredibly refreshing, and the Nintendo Wii should provide an excellent platform for it. As an artist and animation nut, the idea of a Disney game where Art is the weapon against classic, forgotten characters in a dark and creepy world excites me beyond words. This is certainly a game we’ll be keeping our eyes on.