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Associate Producer Simon Ebejer Talks with GameZone.com About Extreme Skating Disney-Style
By Michael Lafferty

Game Blends the Joy of Disney Animation Stars with the High Energy of a Tony Hawk Skateboarding Title

Take some of the most recent animated stars to emerge from Disney’s feature films, then mix in a dash of extreme skateboarding elements and you have the beginning of the type of product that will appeal to a variety of gaming fans for a variety of reasons.

Disney’s Extreme Skate Adventure is a blend of fun and action, the kind of skateboarding thrill ride that will have young and old smiling. How could you not like seeing Woody’s erratic dance and apparent lack of total balance atop a high flying skateboard?

The game features 12 characters, some are the younger versions of their on-screen personalities, each ripping, grinding and launching aerial acrobatics that one would usually find in a Tony Hawk title. Tony Hawk? How did that legendary name and game series work it’s way into this? The answer to that is simple, actually. The game uses the physical dynamics of a Tony Hawk game to create stunning gameplay.

Set for release this summer, the game is scheduled to be ported to the Game Boy Advance, GameCube, PlayStation2 and Xbox.

Simon Ebejer, Associate Producer for Disney’s Extreme Skate Adventure, talked with GameZone.com about the upcoming title.

Question: There have been a lot of games that have touched on the skating aspect of gaming. What elements do you think, aside from the obvious inclusion of Disney characters, will set this game apart from the others? Is this an arcade style game, or is there an actual evolving storyline?

Simon: “One of the most compelling aspects of this game that sets it apart from previous skating games is that it breaks away from the ‘normal’ skateboarding-style game by having characters perform tricks and moves that are completely separate from what can be accomplished in real life. Combine that with the fact that each character has his/her own set of unique moves and we have quadruped skaters like Simba and Tantor and a skating duo in Pumbaa & Timon. We then take them into the vibrant Disney and Disney/Pixar levels and the game is simply fun to play and beautiful to look at. Additionally, this game combines the arcade style action of quick moves and big air that takes the player through all of the different Disney and Disney/Pixar levels in the game by interacting with non-playable characters and by completing goals.”

Q: Let's talk about the Disney characters used in the game. What characters will players see and be able to control? When one thinks of Disney characters, there are certain personality traits that pop into mind. How have the distinctive personalities been incorporated into the game?

Simon: “The playable Disney and Disney/Pixar characters are Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Jessie, Zurg, Young Tarzan, Young Terk, Young Tantor, Young Jane, Simba, Nala, Rafiki, and Pumbaa & Timon - who skate together. With each character having his or her own moves their personalities can be seen in their skating moves. Woody for example is rubbery and wobbly like the toy that he is, where as Young Jane is graceful, and Pumbaa & Timon are all about having fun.”

Q: Who is the development team behind this title, and how much input did Disney have over the use of their characters? Is there a bible that must be strictly adhered to when using these characters?

Simon: “Toys For Bob developed the console versions of the game and Vicarious Visions developed the Game Boy Advance version of the game. Both Disney and Pixar are both very involved in how their characters are used and rightly so. Both parties want to make sure their respective licenses and properties are portrayed in the proper fashion.”

Q: The Tony Hawk series is perhaps the definitive skating title, and the one that sets the standards for so many others. Is there any correlation between Disney Extreme Skating and the Tony Hawk series? How were the skating dynamics, or physics, derived for the Disney title?

Simon: “Disney’s Extreme Skate Adventure uses the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4 gameplay engine technology. To that end, we are using the best skateboarding engine in the world, which gives us a great platform to start from, then add to that the vibrant Disney and Disney/Pixar worlds and characters. The game’s skating dynamics and physics are similar to Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4, since we are using the same technology, but we have done things to make the balance a little more liberal and to make the physics a little less ‘real world-like.’ “

Q: Tell us a bit about the graphics engine used in this title. What did it enable you to do to bring life into this game? Are the graphics all computer generated or a combination of computer animation laid over motion-capture sequences? What visual elements do you think will really impress game players?

Simon: “There was no mo-cap used in this game. The artists, animators and level designers at Toys For Bob are some of the best in the business and they are responsible for bringing these characters to life and giving them all of the incredible animations and environments. The levels and environments are so alive and colorful, they make you feel as though you are actually skating in an animated feature. The characters themselves are probably the best part of the game and their animations and skating moves are great.”

Q: Tell us about the soundtrack of the game. Who composed the music for this title? Are voices of the Disney characters used, and if so, are the feature animation voice actors used? What is unique or different about this aspect of the game?

Simon: “There are a number of different artists on the soundtrack. We tried to put together a roster that was kid friendly but still full of energy with a rockin’ edge to fit into a skateboarding game. We’ve got bands like Smash Mouth, Lil’ Romeo, Basement Jaxx and more. For a game geared mostly for kids 6-12 the soundtrack doesn’t feel like one you’d find in a traditional kids game.

“All of the Disney and Disney/Pixar characters had their voiceovers conducted by many of the actors from the actual feature films. The fact that we were able to use several of these actors makes the game feel more like a branch from the various movies.”

Q: When one thinks of Disney, there is a certain joyfulness or lightness associated with the name. Conversely, skating can be hard-core action requiring intense concentration and finite control. How were you able to strike a balance between the two?

Simon: “We took the technology of an incredible skateboarding videogame engine and made it fit with some of the most popular family-friendly characters out there. The result is a game that will appeal to people of all ages who love skateboarding and who love the Disney and Disney/Pixar characters in the game.”

Q: Does this game have multiplayer capabilities and if so, what type of game play?

Simon: “There is a 2-player mode that has three games: 1) H-O-R-S-E, where each player tries to best the other’s combo score with the loser getting a letter and the first one to accumulate H-O-R-S-E loses the game; King of The Hill, where the player who holds the crown for a decided amount of time wins, and a Score Challenge, where players compete to be the first one to reach a predetermined amount of points.”

Q: What is the target age for this game and if broad, what elements do you think will draw in the younger crowd while entertaining older players as well?

Simon: “The target age is 6-12 but this game also has appeal to adults once they see how much fun it is and how great it looks. Younger kids will be drawn to the fun characters and the exciting environments while older kids will be drawn to the same things but with the challenge of completing goals and missions to unlock other levels and skaters.”

Q: What elements have been the biggest challenge to date and what has brought the biggest smiles to the development team's faces when they were rendered?

Simon: “The biggest challenge has probably been figuring out how we were going to combine three entirely different Disney and Disney/Pixar universes into one game while still keeping them unique. That challenge was overcome by the creation of the Create-A-Skater and the “Extreme Skate Crew” (10 real kids cast to be in the game) who are the only characters in the game who can travel to all of the levels which helps to give the game cohesion.

“One of the things that brings a smile to our faces is watching someone play the game and seeing how excited they get by the characters and the way the game looks. It is really gratifying to hear an 8-year-old say this is the best looking game he’s ever seen while at the same time watching a 25-year-old skater say how much fun it is to play a skateboarding game with all of the different characters and non-traditional skateboarding levels that have been incorporated.”