Disney Once Developed 'Smash Bros.' Style Fighter Using Toy Story Conceit
A former concept artist reveals a scrapped crossover project that used action figures to bypass corporate brand restrictions.
Disney once attempted to build its own answer to the Super Smash Bros. formula, according to a former concept artist. The project, which reached the prototype stage, sought to merge the company's vast library of characters into a single competitive fighting game.
Ken Christiansen, a former concept artist at Disney Interactive, revealed that the project was tentatively titled "Disney's Action Figure Face Off." To justify the crossover of disparate characters, the game employed a conceit similar to Toy Story, framing the combatants as action figures rather than the characters themselves. Despite the development of a prototype, Disney ultimately scrapped the project to prioritize games tied directly to its movie and television releases.
The Battle for Brand Consistency
The project's origins were rooted in a long-standing internal conflict at Disney regarding brand management. Historically, Disney executives were reluctant to allow iconic properties to cross over, fearing it would dilute the individual identity of their franchises. This corporate hesitation was so significant that it initially made the approval process for Kingdom Hearts difficult.
Once Kingdom Hearts proved that crossovers were commercially viable and brand-safe, producers saw an opening for a fighting game. Christiansen noted that because Kingdom Hearts had "broken that mold," producers proposed the action figure framing as a strategic way to bypass remaining corporate concerns about how different characters should interact.
Implications for Gaming History
The existence of "Action Figure Face Off" highlights the early tension between Disney's rigid brand consistency and its creative potential in the gaming space. Had the project moved beyond the prototype stage, it would have leveraged one of the most valuable intellectual property libraries in the world to compete directly with the crossover fighter genre.
What Remains Unconfirmed
While the core details of the project's development and cancellation are now public, the full extent of the prototype's roster and gameplay mechanics remains unknown. It is also unclear if any assets from the project were repurposed for later Disney Interactive titles, as the company shifted its focus toward more traditional tie-in products.