Let's get this started with the obvious:
- Mickey Mouse - An obvious choice, an obligatory choice! I don't see this guy not appearing in a disney platform fighter unless there's a weird demand from higher up, which I don't think would be the case. Obviously he'd need to be the everyman jack-of-all-trades beginner character. Being gimmicky has never been Micheal's thing. There is occasional concern I've seen that plain ol' Mick is too... plain to work in a fighting game, I've seen insistence to pass him over in exchange for Sorcerer or King Mickey, which I feel would be a mistake. In my opinion Mickey in a Disney Platform Fighter should blend his cheerful everyman persona with his classic troublemaker persona, create a character that causes a lot of trouble but sincerely means well. I'm not saying you can't reference the more action focused interpretations. But I'd be subtle with it. Maybe he pulls out his keyblade in a super rare idle animation?
- Donald Duck - Another obvious choice, and one I won't dwell on long. Mickey might be the mascot, but Donald is most definitely the fan favorite of the mickey cast. I feel like Donald definitely leans well into a speedy bruiser style of fighter. I can definitely imagine a move where he scoops you up into a fight cloud. Maybe he has a Rage mechanic?
- Goofy - Goofy is a character I'd only consider leaving out of a Roster if I was REALLY low on slots. He'd be a lot of fun. This is a character where 90% of his moves should be accidents, even the ones where he's trying to throw a punch should kick you instead. By all accounts he's this game's Drunken Boxer archetype. I'd make much of his specials sports related as reference to his most famous material. And if there's Star KO's you already know what he's gonna say.
Next up, the slightly less obvious picks.
- Minnie Mouse - Oddly, I rarely see Minnie in these rosters. When I do, half the time she's a skin for Mickey! Which doesn't sit right with me. She deserves her own slot, even if I do think she'd share some moves with Mick. Yeah, I think a semi-clone to Mickey works for her. But obviously she should be changed enough to reflect her interests. I'm picturing a move where she throws a Bow, and it entangles anyone it hits with ribbons. Could be fun!
- Pete - The Big Bad Bully of the Mickey Canon, and the oldest disney character still in use today! He'd be our first heavyweight and act as a beginner character for the weight class in a similar way to mickey. Pete's not a complicated cat, his moveset should follow suit. Sadly I don't think him spitting out chewing tabacco could be a move.
And finally: the slightly surprising.
- Scrooge McDuck - Scrooge McDuck represents a lot of things. The disney comics, tv cartoons new and old, an iconic game, etc, etc. Let me start this by saying if a disney platform fighter only had 10 slots, Scrooge would be one of them. I do think he's that important, and I do think disney knows he is. Scrooge is a surprisingly spry old man, this would reflect in gameplay. He'd use his cane as a pogo stick and his wealth to his advantage. And while I'm not the biggest fan of summoning random characters for attacks if it feels unwarranted. I do think it'd be completely fair to have his grandnephews show up in his Smash attacks.
- Oswald the Lucky Rabbit - Look, either you add Oswald or you deal with fans begging for you to add Oswald for years and years. Luckily, I like Oswald. So he's being added to the thought dump roster. While basing him off his epic mickey appearances is tempting, I'd rather have him act as a tribute to his original toons. A Mr. Game and Watch for his shorts, complete with a black and white filter on his base look. I'd still reference Epic Mickey subtlely when I can, namely I'd cast Frank Welker to reprise his role instead of whoever they got for disney speedstorm.
So there you have it! Not anything too surprising, but I like what I've presented. In terms of missing characters, Daisy is obviously the biggest name not here. Sorry for that. Considered making her a semi-clone of Donald, but I just can't visualize it in my head. I would've loved to include Clarabelle Cow, Mad Doctor, or Phantom Blot, but either I can't visualize them well enough or they conflict with a character I'd prefer to add over them.