Have you ever wondered who Oswald's the Lucky Rabbit's girlfriend is? Her name is Ortensia, and in case you didn't know. . . she's a cat! Fans of
Disney Epic Mickey and Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two are very familiar with her. We shared with you about
Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse - The Power of Two and our day with Warren Spector and other Video Game royalty.....
Now let us introduce Courtney from Northern California. We had the pleasure of meeting her at Mickey's Halloween Party on the same night we were at the the Epic Mickey 2 Media Event. A chance meeting that brought two very special Disney fans together, at a very magical place. We loved seeing it unfold right before our eyes. It made our night that much more special. That's the power of Disney. It brings people together who may never have met otherwise, and bonds them together forever with a love for something bigger than themselves. Something that was all started by a mouse.
When things like it happen, we like to call it DISNEY MAGIC! Here's her story:
What made you choose Ortensia for your Halloween costume?
I
had looked at doing Ortensia for a little while, but it wasn't really a serious
idea until I finally went onto Facebook and asked friends and family what I
should do for Halloween. Option after option came up, but nothing really came
across saying, "You can do this, and it'll be amazing!" Ortensia kept
coming back to me and in the end, I was extremely passionate about making her
come to life!
Tell us about your magical meeting on that special night.
When my family and I got to Disneyland for Mickey's Halloween Party, I knew
that the people who would recognize Ortensia would be few and far between. I
carried around a small Oswald plush in hopes of some recognition. I even had a
few people at the park gate ask me if I was Dot from the Animaniacs or Betty
Boop. So when a gentleman came up to our group outside the Main
Street Mad Hatter shop and asked if I was Ortensia, I was absolutely ecstatic!
Someone had recognized me! And so quickly too! He said, "I saw you across
the street and I had to come over. Now, don't freak out, but the creator of
Epic Mickey is here in the park tonight and I'd like to introduce you to
him". I'm pretty sure my jaw dropped. I said, "Warren Spector?
Warren Spector is at Disneyland tonight?" He grins and replies, "Oh,
you know of him. Well, that's good". What an understatement. I love
following the YouTube videos for both Epic Mickey games and I watch them
regularly. I love getting to see the passion that goes into games like this. So
Warren Spector's a celebrity to me.
The liaison brings my family and I over to the entrance of the Mad Hatter shop, and
out comes Warren Spector with a small touring group and a camera crew.
What a once in a lifetime opportunity! He was so taken aback, but I'm fairly
sure he was just as excited about seeing me as I was seeing him. I can
imagine it's extremely exciting to see one of your creations come to life,
especially one you might have thought was overlooked. Oswald himself is only
just beginning to come back into the limelight, with little or no mention of
Ortensia (or at least until she starts playing a larger role in Epic Mickey 2,
which I'm hoping she will).
We
shook hands, were introduced, and he asked about my interest in the Epic Mickey
franchise, why Ortensia, what do I like about the characters, am I looking
forward to the new Epic Mickey 2 game, etc
He wanted some pictures together
(so did I!), and almost laughingly asked if someone could take a few
pictures with his own cell phone, too. After a few pictures, I also
had the opportunity to meet Paul Weaver, another creative mind from Junction Point! What an honor to meet two such great men!
Can you share about
the special gift Warren gave you?
After his questions, Warren Spector looked down to his left lapel and took of a
pin off of his own shirt. It was a pin with both the faces of Mickey and Oswald
together, looking very determined. He wished for me to have it as a token of
our meeting and as a thank you to dressing up as one of the characters from his
game. It was amazing enough to just meet the man, but to get a gift as well! I
honestly didn't know what to say. I found out later, from a very helpful lady,
that this pin was not something that I could find around Disneyland in one of
the pin shops. This was Warren Spector's personal pin and was one of a kind! I
really know my jaw dropped then! I was, and still am, blown away by his
generosity and kind nature.
I
had the opportunity to be at Disneyland for the next week following and I wore
that pin on my collar proudly. And I'm glad to say that when people ask about
it, it gives me the opportunity to tell them about Oswald and the Epic Mickey
games and encourage a few more gamers to become just as passionate about the
games and the characters as I am.
Once
I go back home, I intend to treat it like the treasure it is. I'm going to get
a display frame with a picture of Warren Spector and myself and display the pin
in a place of respect. This experience was too amazing to just have the
memories stored on a hard drive and a jewelry box.
How has the magic of Disney touched your life?
Disney
has played a tremendous role in my life. The movie nights at home, late night
trips to the double feature at the drive-in theaters on my Little
Mermaid sleeping bag, the hours of sing-a-longs and dress ups, those
few trips to Disneyland and the great memories with it. Disney's inspired a lot
of my personal costuming and the ideas keep coming. Not to
mention sharing my passion for Disney with my husband and in-laws. I even
had the chance to bring a little bit of home-made Disney into my wedding. My
husband gave me a crystal rose and dome from Beauty and the Beast as a
wedding gift. Beauty and the Beast has been a kind of theme throughout our
entire relationship.
But you break everything down and Disney is just one word:
Family. The memories, the good times, the love, the passion - it's all
connected with family. And I intend to share the Disney Connection with my
future children. I hope they can truly believe that they are Princes and
Princesses, making a wish upon a star means dreams really do come true,
Disneyland runs on magic and laughter, and that there's nothing wrong with
suddenly bursting out into song and dance and grinning all the while.
Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two comes out in stores November 18th, 2012.
Disclosure: We were invited to the Epic Mickey 2 Media Preview Event. All opinions are 100% magical and 100% those of the Disney Sisters only.
