Epic Mickey Pop-Up Gallery at Westfield Stratford

Any Mickey Mouse fans in the house?

It’s not too late to check out the Disney Pop-Up Exhibition ‘Epic Tales of Mickey Mouse and Oswald The Lucky Rabbit’, showing at Getty Images Gallery in Westfield Stratford (as featured in our Weekend Scoop)!

Showcasing stunning archival illustrations from the earliest days of Walt Disney studios, including early sketches of Mickey’s little-known predecessor Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, this pop-up show is part of the launch of video game Epic Mickey 2: The Power of 2.

I took the boys along on Friday and while Ezra was instantly sucked into the amazing 3D graphics of the video game, Jed popped on his Oswald ears (afterwards people kept asking how come Mickey’s ears got so long)!

I loved seeing the priceless artefacts such as the drawing and note given to Universal’s Carl Laemmle from Walt Disney, dated October 1, 1935, apparently representing a rare instance prior to Disney Epic Mickey where Mickey Mouse and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit appeared together.

The original artwork for the Disneyland park in LA simply blew my mind and it called up so many memories from childhood, including our trips to both Disneyland and Disneyworld.

Also as the Big Apple Hot Dogs family, it was thrilling to see an image from Mickey’s first appearance in a talking animation showing him selling at a hot dog cart! I did snap a photo for my records but sadly I can’t publish it here without infringing on copyright.

But the best part of the event for me was sitting in front of former Disney animator Fabrizzio who was doing on-site illustrations of Mickey and friends for members of the public. I asked if he could draw one for my soccer mad boys and here’s what he produced:

It was mesmerising to watch him at work and I’m delighted with this memento.

Ezra left with his own copy of Epic Mickey 2 and needless to say has played it every day since. The visuals in the game are truly sensational, drawn from classic Disney films and real experiences from Disney theme parks.

I don’t need to be a sorceror’s apprentice to predict yet another Christmas hit for Disney!

Check out ‘Epic Tales of Mickey Mouse and Oswald The Lucky Rabbit’ pop-up exhibition until 6pm TODAY (Nov 25) at Getty Images Gallery, The Street at Westfield, Stratford City, Unit SU1119, Number 2, Stratford Place, Stratford, E20 1EJ

Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two is available on Nintendo Wii, Xbox360, PlayStation3 from Nov 23, 2012 and for Wii U from Nov 30, 2012. Disney Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion for Nintendo 3DS will be available from 23rd November. The games are available to pre-order now from all major retailers.