Epic Mickey was one of the most underrated gems on the Nintendo Wii. Not only was it an impressive platformer with a colorful morality mechanic, but it also showed a darker side of Disney we haven’t seen since The Black Cauldron. But like all games, not all ideas make it to the final product, but that doesn’t stop people from sharing concepts of what might have been.
Submitted for your viewing pleasure, we have ten incredible pieces of Epic Mickey concept art. Unless indicated, most of this artwork is found as unlockable content in the respected games. Some of these pieces are definitely gruesome and grim, so we might need to slap on a warning for some sensitive Mouseketeers.
10 It’s a Sick, Sick World
It’s a world of screams and a world of tears, it’s a world of pain and a world of fears… The Small World clocktower is one of the first bosses in the game, and though he bears the same smiling face as his Disneyland counterpart, this guy is by no means a happy camper.
Like so many theme park guests who brave the Happiest Cruise Around the World, the clocktower has been driven mad thanks to the Blot playing the infamous theme song on repeat. This piece of unused art is certainly less colorful than the final design, but the message of earworm madness is still there.
9 It’s Electric
We had to include this inferno version of the Blotworks Dragon in Epic Mickey: The Power of Two, mainly because we love a good boss fight sequence. It might be the lighting and color choice, but this image features the Dragon resembling a version much closer to his Electrical Parade Counterpart, Eliot.
Pete’s Dragon isn’t exactly something we’d consider terrifying boss monster material, but the good folks at the house of mouse said otherwise, and Eliot’s a long way from Main Street USA, that’s for sure. Using the parade float as inspiration, we’re given this beastly battle between toon and Blotworks.
8 You’ll Float Too, Mickey
It’s no surprise that Bog Easy takes a lot of inspiration from Disneyland’s New Orleans Square, but thanks to the Blot corrupting the Wastelands, the place has simply gone up a certain creek without a rowing instrument. Take a look at this wreck on the bayou and tell us it doesn’t just ooze southern gothic.
Though it’s technically the Wasteland’s version of the Mark Twain Riverboat, it takes a certain element of inspiration from Madame Medusa’s hideout in The Rescuers, but either way, it makes for an eerie piece of art.
7 Not So Happy Haunts
Speaking of eerie artwork, have a look at this unused piece of art. This is an early mockup of Bog Easy’s Lonesome Manor, an obvious tribute to Disney’s Haunted Mansion. Though it’ a strange hybrid of both the Californian and Floridian versions of the attraction, it’s a version we would have loved to see in the game.
Though the mansion in the game is a proper tribute to the famous Disneyland attraction, this version features Disney World’s conservatory, towers, and even a Doom Buggy track! Think of how much bigger the level could have been if they went this route.
6 No Screams to Hold Me Down
And you thought Ultron was the one to make that song seem scary. This was one of the settings scrapped from an unused Pinocchio level and we can obviously see why it was sent to the woodchipper and not featured in the main series. Just look at those freaky faces!
We don’t know exactly what this level would have brought with it, anything from predatory puppets and creepy clock parts a la Salvador Dali is possible. But this looks more like a horror movie parody of a Disney cartoon than something that was meant for kids. Speaking of which, get ready for our next entry.
5 What Were They Thinking?
We believe the word you are searching for is “AHHHHHHHHHHH!” Who in the name of Walter Elias Disney honestly thought these things were a good idea? They look like something out of Clive Barker movie or a Stephen King novel than anything Disney would ever release in a million years.
Found in the Art of Epic Mickey, we can’t believe that these things were almost put in a colorful platform game with an E rating. These Lovecraftian abominations and affronts to the Disney name were seriously considered before being tossed into the scrap pile.
4 Blotish Boss Encounter
Ok, we can’t be the only ones getting serious Resident Evil 2 vibes here, can we? Seeing this blobish Blot amalgamation trudging towards Mickey definitely throws some hard horror elements into the game, as if the game wasn’t dark enough for you already. Seeing this thing lumbering down the hallway would give us a huge case of the willies.
The only thing we can get out of this picture is that it takes place in Lonesome Manor and could have possibly been a final boss of the level for Mickey to go up against. Either way, it’s still a pretty intimidating creature.
3 Tragic Kingdom
They don’t call it Mean Street for nothing, ya know? In this early version of the game’s Main Street USA equivalent, we see the effects the Blot’s corruption has had on the rest of the Wasteland, and it’s definitely a great deal more bleak than the version we got in the final game.
This version feels more like a post-apocalyptic Magic Kingdom than a hub area for all the forgotten toons, but that’s what happens when you unleash an evil ink monster onto a magical world. It’s not like Mickey could have done everlasting damage, right? Wrong.
2 Maniac Mouse
At one point, Warren Spector, the game’s designer wanted a heavier morality system put into the game. Though this piece of artwork was never confirmed in the game, it does bear the game’s seal. It might have only existed in concept alone, but it’s worth talking about.
If guests used too much thinner, there would be a confrontation with a monstrous version of Mickey, dubbed “Thinner Mickey.” This would have been an evil doppelganger who spewed thinner out his fingers. Definitely not the best depiction of the mouse
1 Epic Racers
And at last we come to an entry that isn’t dark, gloomy, or depressing, not just a scrapped concept, but a scrapped game! What would have been Disney’s Epic Racers was a Mario Kart inspired racing game which featured the likes of Mickey, Minnie, Oswald, Ortensia, and even the Mad Doctor behind the wheel of colorful cartoon cars.
Though there are a ton of Mario Kart clones around, a Disney version wouldn’t have been an unwelcome addition. Especially if you take into account all the various cartoon-inspired weapons Oswald and Mickey have at their disposal. Maybe there would have been room for a Cuphead DLC? We may never know.
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