Love it or hate it, the Walt Disney Corporation is everywhere. It has created fond memories from most people’s childhoods, and has gobbled up nearly every property in sight, like a cross between Wilson Fisk and Jabba the Hutt, both from companies owned by Disney. The monolith continues its grip on nostalgia withDisney Dreamlight Valley, a cozyStardew Valley/Animal Crossinghybrid joined by Disney’s most well known characters, including Goofy, Wall-E, and many other well known Disney characters.
As good as it is to interact with some all-time greats,Disney Dreamlight Valleyshould not just be a showcase for Disney’s most popular franchises. Many works from the company have been overshadowed and forgotten, denying many of them the praise they deserve. Including content based on these titles will introduce them to a whole new generation. Here aresome diamondsin the rough worthy of the spotlight.
Director:
Andrew Stanton
John Carteris based on the John Carter of Mars novels written by Edgar Rice Burroughs. The film follows the chronicles of former Confederate officer John Carter, as he is teleported to Mars, and ends up in the crossroads of a political power struggle involving the Princess Dejah Thoris. He also encounters a tribe of violence-loving aliens called Tharks, one of which is voiced by Willem Dafoe.
Unfortunately,John Carterwasa commercial failure, butDisney Dreamlight Valleycould reintroduce the characters. It could also be a chance to explore other aspects of the Mars books that were never adapted to the big screen. Maybe players can pet Woola, the goodest space dog.
Ralph Zondag
Disney took a shot at a live-action/animation hybrid in the form ofDinosaur, released in the year 2000. For the time, the technology was fairly impressive. It followed an Iguanodon and his adoptive lemur family in their fight for survival, as a meteor shower destroys their home, and forces them to seek out a new one.
Dinosaurcould be integrated intoDreamlight Valleyfairly easily and unobtrusively. TheAnimal Crossinggamesoffer a template for this through collectible fossils that can be donated to the museum. These fossils could be used to introduceDreamlight Valleyresidents to these characters.
John Lasseter
After the success ofToy Story, Pixar Studios followed it up with the entertaining and quotableA Bug’s Life.Pixar’s sophomore outing chronicles the struggle of misfit ant Flik and his colony against the exploitative grasshoppers lead by Hopper.
Disney Dreamlight Valleyis already fantastical on its own. Being able to see things from an insect’s perspective would introduce a whole new cast of characters right under the protagonist’s feet. Maybe residents can also witness a circus performance from the so-called “warriors” that Flik ends up recruiting. It certainly wouldn’t be out of the ordinarysince Buzz Lightyearand Woody are so small compared to the player.
Directors:
Robert Walker, Aaron Blaise
Brother Bearfollows Kenai, an Inuit youth in Alaska who seeks revenge on the bear that caused the death of his oldest brother. When Kenai kills the bear, he is transformed into one himself, and must rely on a bear cub named Koda to find where the Northern Lights touch the Earth and become human again.
Palling around with some talking bears would fit neatly with the fantastical setting ofDisneyDreamlight Valley. IntroducingBrother Bearinto the game would also help remind players of an important message. When everyone is accusing everyone else of being the enemy,Brother Bearreminds one to try to see the world through the eyes of another, whether that other be a personor a bear.
Chris Williams
Disney’sBoltis charming, and it has an interesting premise. A dog who stars alongside his human owner, Penny (voiced by Miley Cyrus) in a TV show, thinks that he really is the super-powered character he plays. When he gets separated from his owner, the dog breaks out of the studio and ventures into the real world to find her. It brings Bolt to an existential crossroads where he learns what it really means to be a hero.
Disney Dreamlight Valleycould go a couple ways with this. The game can introduce the characters outside their television roles, or they could be the characters that they play in their in-universe show. If that were the case, then it could have some fun with Bolt’s superpowers. The most important thing the game would have to do is to allow playersto pet the dog.
Gary Trousdale
Disney’sThe Hunchback of Notre Dame, based on the novel by Victor Hugo, is probably Disney’s darkest hand-drawn film. The tale of Quasimodo, a physically abnormal man longing to be accepted by the outside world, is known for tackling the heavy subject of religious hypocrisy. A couple musical numbers were, however, thrown in for good measure, including the chilling villain song “Hellfire.”
The film has some beautiful artwork, particularly of the city of Paris itself. It would be nice to see some motifs of that appear in the game’s main town. Although the film’s leading lady, Esmeralda, is not an official Disney Princess, she deserves her time in the spotlight for her compassion and willingness to stand up to corruption. SinceThe Hunchback of Notre Dameworked so wellinKingodm Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, there is no reason why it wouldn’t fit to have Quasimodo or Esmeralda roaming around Dreamlight Valley.
Ron Clements, John Musker
One of Disney’s largest financial flops isone of their most ambitious, visually imaginative, and adventurous animated films ever made. Loosely based on the novel Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, the film follows Jim Hawkins, a rebellious teenager who goes on a space-faring adventure in search of “the loot of a thousand worlds.” Along the way, he meets John Silver, a cyborg who has ulterior motives, and ends up becoming the father figure Jim always wanted.
Disney Dreamlight Valleyalready has a couple treasure hunting quests, so it would make sense to add some more treasure hunting adventures with the crew of the RLS Legacy. Soaring in the Etherium would present an opportunity for new kinds of treasures to collect.
