What a difference a couple of months makes. It seems like only yesterday that we were scrambling and scrounging for any new tidbit of information about Epic Mickey that we could find. Now, it seems like designer Warren Spector won't shut up about it.

But that's perfectly fine, really; in a case like this, more is better, and all sorts of interesting tidbits are coming out now. And one thing which should interest a lot of people is why things now look the way they do.

It's sort of ironic, really. When the first samples of production art were leaked back in July, some people reveled in it, while others were practically scared off by it. And now, with new screens and images making their way around the internet, people are suddenly wondering what happened to the things they saw in the production art.

Armed with that question, 1UP asked the man himself why there is such disparity between what got people excited, and what we see before us today:

"There are a couple aspects to that. I think I've mentioned before, that I'm a big believer in finding out where the line is by pushing past it. There are lines that are on every project; every project exists in a creative box. For most of my games, I create that box and the team has to sort of work within it. In this case, there's a creative box that I create, and there's the creative box that Disney overlays on that. I know where my lines are, but I don't know where Disney's are. I had a lot of stuff generated that was very specifically designed to be provocative and to cross that line. I know it's too far -- or is it? You tell me. So it forces a confrontation or a decision. Some of what you saw was beyond the line, and so I learned something from it. Some of it was early design ideas that are no longer relevant. Some of it is stuff that's still in the game, and I'm not saying what."

So for now, time will tell if we see any steampunk tanks adorned with the head of one of the seven dwarfs or not.

As for what will be in the game... well, don't expect MotionPlus, for one thing. "Our goal for this game is to make sure it doesn't break if you have one [meaning Wii MotionPlus] installed," he tells 1UP. "I am intrigued by it, and if we get to do more games that use this basic mechanic, I'd like to play around with it. I have some ideas about it, but not for this game."

On the other hand, how many ideas have you come up with since its June reveal for Nintendo's vitality sensor (that don't involve pharmacy jokes)? Spector apparently has something in mind:

I joked, "some people online view your cryptic 'hearts are important' comment as a hint about Vitality Sensor support." To that last comment, he somewhat changed his tune: "Well, you know, now that you mention it. [Distinct pause combined with wistful look] You never know. We have some time."

Finally, if this game does well, should we expect more? Or is it meant to stand alone? Given what he has said about expanding Epic Mickey beyond video games, it seems obvious. Nonetheless, he states:

"I don't do anything that isn't extensible. And I will certainly feel like that I have not done my job if we can't make other games in this world with these characters. In my head, I've got two more planned. In the business world of reality, those games have not approved, and who knows if we'll ever see them. I had three games planned for Deus Ex, and you see where that got me."

As for a project Spector would desperately like to make, it seems his desires tie in well with the desires of many gamers:

"A week doesn't go by where I don't pressure Graham [Ed note: He's referring to Graham Hopper, the Executive Vice President and General Manager of Disney Interactive Studios] or someone else to let me do it. But so far, we'll see what happens."

Spector also talks about Junction Point projects that have been dropped, but could still be "Disney-fied." If you're interested in what those are, be sure to check out 1UP's report. In addition, he notes that not everyone is working on Epic Mickey, as a few people are in the early concept phase of something else.