Disney announces Epic Mickey 2

Today Disney announced that it will be pushing forward with the Epic Mickey franchise, with Epic Mickey 2:  The Power of Two.  The game will feature quite a few tweaks to the original Epic Mickey formula, which include drop-in drop-out cooperative play, voice acting for the characters, and even musical numbers.

“I’m such a geek about musicals,” franchise creator Warren Spector said at GDC.  “I love the co-op and next-gen stuff, but for me, when a character breaks into song, which they do on a regular basis in this game, it’s magic.” AP

With cooperative play, Oswald will play a bigger role in Epic Mickey 2.  The rabbit will have powers completely different from Mickey’s magical brush and paint thinner.  He’ll be armed with a remote control that can command electricity.

“It’s drop-in, drop-out co-op,” said Spector. “You can sit down at any time with a friend who is playing as Mickey, and you can take control of Oswald. If you’re playing as a single player, Oswald will be there every second of the game. He’s not just a multiplayer character. He’s a helper, whether you’re playing alone or with a friend or family member.”

The original Epic Mickey launched on the Nintendo Wii to luke-warm critics.  This rendition of the title is said to be coming to all current gen consoles, and likely the Wii U but that hasn’t been announced yet.