Key things
- Cartoon Wasteland's design is eerie and nostalgic, influenced by real Disney parks.
- OsTown, Ventureland and Dark Beauty Castle are unique areas with different attractions and challenges.
- Mickeyjunk Mountain is a terrifying area created from disintegrating Mickey merchandise that echoes the game's original gritty concepts.
One of the biggest strengths of Epic Mickey: Rebrushed is its world design. Cartoon Wasteland is a grim, grim place that's equal parts scary and nostalgic. You get a tangible sense of how pleasant this replacement Disneyland used to be before a certain Mr. Mouse ruined it all with his bullying.
Each area of Wasteland directly corresponds to an actual Disney park; Whether it's the rides of Small World, the jungles of Ventureland, or the neon skyscrapers of Tomorrow City, gamers who have shelled out (big) dollars for a Disney vacation will be right at home… if not a little nervous. But which of these sites is the best?
The following article contains spoilers for each area of Epic Mickey: Rebrushed, as well as details on the bosses found in those locations. Even Thinner won't erase them!
8 OsTown
It's a town with Toons, but it's not Toontown
OsTown is a fantastic example of Oswald's pure pettiness. Not content with imitating Disneyland's Toontown, he crudely redid the 'O' and 'N' in his sign into a makeshift 'O' and 'S'. Voila, OsTown – a monument to the vision Oswald had in mind for his subjects, but in terms of gameplay, a sleepy little village with little to offer besides a few NPCs.
There's Clarabelle Cow's house, which you'll want to enter during Damien Salt's flower quest for some botanical help. There's also the mansion of Oswald's long-lost lover, Ortensia, not to mention a cheap replica of Mickey's block, built in the hope that it will one day end up forgotten. Other attractions include an animatronic Donald Tugboat and the Gag Factory, which dangles a dangerous ten-ton safe. Better watch where you spray that thinner…
7 Ventureland
The jungle worlds were done
Home to the robotic Captain Hook and his crew (including Mr. Smee; oh yes, that “forgotten character” remembered by anyone who's ever seen Peter Pan), Ventureland focuses on a tropical aesthetic on the high seas. It's all very admirably executed, and it works in a load of Enchanted Tiki Room and Pirates of the Caribbean references – but it's hard to shake the 'been there, done that' feeling.
Every platformer under the sun features a jungle or pirate-themed world, and Ventureland does little to replicate this concept. Skull Island is a standout section where you dig through dark caves and damp rock pools where machines can sabotage themselves; and going down against Hook with 'Pete Pan' in tow is a Disnerd's dream. Besides, it's not a pirate's life for us.
6 Castle of Dark Beauty
Fireworks are just as high
The first area that Mickey finds himself in upon arriving in the Wasteland, Dark Beauty Castle is a damaged mirror of the iconic Sleeping Beauty Castle and looks spectacular. The walls are decorated with warped stained glass windows depicting various Disney villains, giant chandeliers swing over bottomless chasms, and ancient catapults wait to be triggered by a greedy mouse to release their Gremlin captives into the kingdom.
You actually revisit the castle during the game's finale when the Blot takes down the Moonliner rocket and forces an emergency landing. This time, you'll be able to explore Oswald's old inner sanctum, including a gallery exhibiting works from the Wasteland's history – a reminder of happier times. And that's without even mentioning the all-star battle against the Blot himself, which sees you launch fireworks right at the inky abomination. Oooh! Aaah!
5 City tomorrow
It's a big big beautiful tomorrow
Wasteland's answer to Tomorrowland, Tomorrow City is trapped in a 1950s vision of the future. Submarines and cable cars are as advanced as this area thinks technology will get; but it all makes sense when you consider that up until a major overhaul in 1998, the real Tomorrowland was often criticized for being in a constant state of obsolescence. Of course, tomorrow always comes – but Oswald only had the old version to model his country with.
You'll dock in Tomorrow City via the “Notilus” submarine, a nod to the canned ride 20,000 miles under the sea. From there it's on to the Carousel of Progress where you'll face the ravenous Slobber and to Space Mountain where a Petetronic lurks with an important rocket part. The Spatters all dress up for the occasion (their Tron helmets are adorable) and the over-the-top neon lighting makes this not-quite-accurate future stand out.
4 World of Gremlins
You can feed these after midnight
Shortly after leaving Dark Beauty Castle, you will be redirected to the Gremlins world on your way to Mean Street, and this is where most of the tutorial takes place. Led by his new friend Gus, Mickey is tasked with repairing all the attractions in and around Gremlin Village, including its center: a complete rendition of It's A Small World, which you'll need to conquer all continents.
Anyone who has been to Small World knows that there has always been something a little sinister about it: armies of cherubs with unyielding smiles, singing the cult anthem of global conformity on an endless loop. This uniquely repulsive quality is put to alarmingly good use for World of Gremlins, culminating in a (literal) showdown with Small World's clock tower, fueled by endless music. Sure, it's a learning chapter, but it's one you won't soon forget.
3 Bog Easy & Lonesome Manor
Grinning ghosts come out to give you tasks
It wouldn't be a sensational Disneyland without a knock-down Haunted Mansion. As one of the oldest and most popular Disney attractions, as well as one that easily blends into the spooky vibes of the Wasteland, it was an absolute lock for Epic Mickey if handled correctly. Fortunately, Lonesome Manor does this venerable classic justice.
To even get to the mansion, you have to walk through the Bog Easy, a dilapidated clone of the New Orleans square. 'Bog Easy', of course, a play on 'The Big Easy', a nickname for New Orleans proper; we see what you did there Disney. The bog seems to be infested with ghosts that can't leave because Madame Leota, the baroness of the estate, is in a bit of trouble. Naturally, Mickey and Gus put her library back together while battling stretching paintings, Doom Buggies, and a climactic fight with the Mad Doctor. You'll want to hurry baaaack…
2 Bad street
Walking Right Through the Middle
There isn't a Disney fan alive who can't map Main Street USA in their head. Casey's Hot Dog, the Emporium, the train station, Mr. Lincoln's Theater, and of course the Partners statue, are all irreplaceable staples of the parks. So Wasteland's Mean Street takes a general floor plan and tilts it at just the right angle to make it unsettling.
The cinema (“Steamboat Oswald” proudly adorns the marquee) is your main point of interest, as in Rebrushed it allows you to replay 2D projector levels and search for missing collectibles. Also worth noting are Horace Horsecollar's detective agency and Pete's Town Hall – both of which you'll want to calm down as much as possible if you're after a good ending. All in all, Mean Street is a surreal rummage trip, kind of like coming home to find someone has rearranged all your furniture. It looks familiar enough, but it's not quite right.
1 Mickeyjunk Mountain
Who is the leader of the garbage that was created for you and me?
The very first glimpse of Epic Mickey that every gamer had at the time was his stunning concept. An incredibly gritty and graphic depiction of a dystopian nightmare populated by Disney favorites that have gone through the Hot Topic wringer—we're talking a knife-sticking Pooh and a Goofy who looks significantly more robotic than you might remember. his being. Ultimately, the final product softened those edges once the execs had their say; but the only area that fully carries this original concept is Mickeyjunk Mountain.
Seriously, this place is scary. Oswald, who is made of disintegrating Mickey merchandise that crashed into the Wasteland, has it compacted into a mountain that serves as a constant trigger for his bitterness and envy. Headless, weird Mickey dolls are your bridges across the Thinner, while Mickey's 1920s radios briefly sputter into garbled life only to short out again. The interior of the mountain is no joke either, with the Beetleworx manufacturing facility in full swing, ready to mow down any unsuspecting cartoon rodents. Creepy and instantly memorable, Mickeyjunk is the crowning jewel of the game.
