Since its release on the Nintendo Wii back in 2010, Epic Mickey has been begging for a re-release. Despite getting a sequel that was more widely available, it’s only now that the original game is getting a much-needed update. Announced during a Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase, Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed finally gives the game a new coat of paint. It’s exciting to see this creative Disney title come back to life, but does it live up to its potential, or does it fall short of the masterpiece it could’ve once been?

Epic Mickey: Rebrushed is a bold return to where it all began for the two-game series. It follows Mickey who after stumbling through a mirror meddles with a magical paintbrush, unleashing a monster onto a bizarre model of Disneyland. As the monsters attack Mickey, he throws ‘thinner’ at them only to warp the model in the process. In true Mickey fashion, he runs off back through the mirror before he’s busted by one Yin Sid. The monsters flee into the model thanks to the mess Mickey made. Years later, Mickey is dragged back through the mirror, tasked with fixing the chaotic Wasteland he accidentally created. This forgotten world is populated with neglected Disney characters, including Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. With the help of a quirky group of animatronics and oddball characters, Mickey must save the Wasteland and find a way back to his own world. It’s a wild adventure full of nostalgic Disney nods!

The most noticeable improvement over the original is the graphics. The visuals of Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed breathe new life into the world. The fidelity of the environments, characters, and objects makes every scene pop with more detail, enhancing the surreal atmosphere of the Wasteland. It’s clear that updating the visuals was a top priority for the developers, and the results are stunning. This makeover really does justice to the world’s bizarre, forgotten corners. Seeing the Wasteland so beautifully realised makes me hopeful that Epic Mickey 2 could get the same treatment in the future.

The controls have also had a huge upgrade. In the original, Mickey felt a bit clunky, which was a problem for a platformer. But in Rebrushed, his movements are much more responsive, and the platforming sections feel more fluid. Mickey’s new moves—like dashing, ground-pounding, and sprinting—fit right in and make navigating levels a lot more fun. It’s a solid improvement that feels fresh without losing the game’s original charm. I’ve enjoyed these updates to his kit as they feel very timely and round out Mickey’s kit nicely. Players will also like that tutorials are replayable in the menu, which is great for refreshing your knowledge as you play through the game. The videos are fun little clips but like most of the game, feature only subtitles on the screen and no voiced dialogue.

This time around the camera does feel a lot more comfortable to use. While there are still some awkward moments trying to aim the paintbrush cursor, it does for the most part feel like a strong upgrade on the original game.

While so much effort has gone into remaking the game, it does feel like certain parts we’re not so lucky to receive a fresh coat of paint. Put simply, the game objective system is still a bit complicated and hard to follow. I imagine for younger players this would make the game quite difficult to move through especially when even the game’s original objective marker doesn’t necessarily highlight where players need to go. I was hoping this would’ve seen some significant overhauling with clearer steps but the changes appear to all be surface-level in this section. While the objective does appear on the pause menu along with a player marker, its steps highlight broader elements of the quest rather than where players need to go to find something. It’s sad to see this problem returning as it really impedes progression through the game if players have forgotten where to go or missed the dialogue queue for the next objective. 

As a nostalgia hit, the game is great for players who missed out on playing the original or those who purely miss the series. The paint and thinner mechanics are just as fun as ever and seeing the world change at your whim is still unmatched. As a game series that capitalises on Disney’s forgotten edges, it’s a tender experience that deserves just a bit more attention. The game flourishes in how it serves everything from characters to animatronics to collectables from Disney’s storied history and I do like it when the game lets players explore its reaches. If Disneyland is the happiest place on earth then this has to be the most nostalgic. It’s not the elements I remember that make it so sentimental, but the heavy feeling of purpose much of the game carries for preserving its memory.

Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed is a mix of brilliance and missed opportunities. On one hand, the new visual fidelity brings the Wasteland to life in stunning detail, making it a true feast for the eyes, while the improved controls finally give Mickey the fluidity he deserved back in 2010. However, certain design flaws – especially the vague objective system, still remain. This hampers progression between sessions. The lack of voice acting in a Disney game in 2024 also feels like a glaring omission. Despite these drawbacks, the heart of Epic Mickey still beats strong.

For longtime fans or those curious about Disney’s forgotten corners, this remake provides a creative and nostalgic experience dripping with paint. While not a complete masterpiece, it shines in its preservation of a unique chapter in Disney’s gaming legacy and offers hope for a full revival of the series in the future.