A few problems make Epic Mickey not so epic, but doesn't stop it from being fun and enjoyable.
Atmosphere is no slouch in Epic Mickey. It's a shame that it's not what the very first concept art made it seem, but it definitely is a very dark game for what it is. Backgrounds are shrouded in dark purple mist and toxic thinner pours through environments, making the NPC's have a very negative attitude towards you or the world. It's not the most fitting for Mickey, but it's all done rather well and feels rewarding to turn this wasteland back to it's intended way and help forgotten characters such as Horace Horsecollar and Clarabelle Cow, become happy again. These and other characters have a good sense of character development and have some funny dialogue to read. On the other hand, the characters that help you through the game, Gremlins, are not interesting and feel more like tacked on hand holders than anything else. Mickey's nephews, for example, would have been a far better alternative.
The game's levels are mostly throwbacks to old Disney rides and other Disney properties. Exploring the world of the Haunted Mansion ride right after diving out of Peter Pan and animatronic Captain Hook is definitely not the same as going to a theme park, but is about as fun as your mind will allow you to enjoy things like that if you're a fan of the source material. What's even more cool is the 2D levels that are based on old Mickey Mouse, and the occasional Oswald, cartoons. They're filled with very cute characters that will do interesting and very cartoony things to either help you or slow you down. Just watching it is enough to put a big smile on someone's face.
Epic Mickey is a pretty nice art house when it comes to the limitations of the Wii. It's no tech masterpiece but some very interesting art choices combined with toon town geometry and and a great palette of colors is very pleasing to the eye. The architectural structure of buildings and houses aren't exactly as detailed and complex as they might be in cartoons and can sometimes seem like they're just there to fill a spot. It's mainly the more important buildings that have that extra attention to detail. The same thing goes for some of the rides as they're no real concept of a queue path and lack the kind of scenery you'd expect to find in a Disney park. Character models are fairly well done with the black and white very fitting for the old school characters, and the impressive shininess and light reflections on the enemies. The 2D to 3D transition that these characters make is definitely not a disappointing one.
Disappointingly, the frame rate takes a hit here and there. It's not terribly common but most noticeable in the Tomorrow City section especially when there are enemies on screen. Which is odd because even then, there's still not that much going on on screen. Shadows are not a strong point in this game. While characters have the correct shadow shape, they don't appear to be in real time. In context to the atmosphere, this sort of makes sense as there seems to be no light source with the purple clouds surrounding the entire world. The world just kind of has light from nowhere for no apparent reason but it's not something you really think about while playing.
One of the absolute best parts about the games are the animations. I had so much fun watching the way everything and everyone looks as they move around. It's unrealistic, goofy, and very slick. These are especially present in the 2D sidescrolling levels. With the way the waves move, to a steamroller plowing through the environment, and then there's very funny skeletons doing ridiculous things. Just about everything that moves is worth looking at. It's not too surprising as Pixar worked on them.
One of the few things considerably epic feeling in Epic Mickey are the battles during combat sequences. The way the music turns into a fantastic upbeat orchestra during the boss battles is wonderful. It's the kind of quality you'd expect after watching Disney classics. A unique thing about most of the music is how it changes depending on you play. For example, the more mischievous you decide to play, the more darker the music will become and vice versa. If more playthroughs are in your mind, keep your ears open for these changes in music. For the sidescrolling levels, the music is based on the cartoons of their respective sources. All of which have nice style complete with a grainy sound that you would hear from really old cartoons.
Disappointingly enough,the voice acting of Epic Mickey is kept to a bare minimum. The only character that ever talks is Yen Sid in the opening sequence while everyone else just make various grunting sounds during their dialogue. The older characters have a cool little "extremely old microphone" sound but it would be much better with actual talking. Warren Spector should have spent less time talking about himself and more time making Jim Cummings, Tony Anselmo, and countless others read a script into a microphone.
The main mechanic is the ability to use paint and thinner. It's actually a very neat gameplay mechanic when it comes to creating and erasing various objects to help you platforms as well as solve some puzzles. What the game allows you to paint and erase is already set in stone, but there is so much that you might miss even after a few visits to the area. Some spots are well hidden and it feels very rewarding to find that lost object you didn't know even existed. Paint and thinner are also used as a primary attack source in combat. The way it works is that if you pour enough thinner onto an enemy they just simply die. Whereas paint will turn them friendly and they will help attack nearby enemies. Don't expect any cool real-time strategy segments though. This type of combat is something interesting the first time but becomes rather boring the more you do it. Boss fights are basic pattern based but some give you options to skip them by getting an item that the boss is defending instead of defeating him. These boss fights aren't exactly boring but not memorable, at the same time. Though the controls feels tight and the reticule is jittery but pin point accuracy is not needed, thankfully.
It may take around a dozen or so hours to beat the game but there is so much to keep the game going. There are fetch quest littered throughout every area and, if you choose to do them, will take up most of the game time. Some are mandatory and some aren't. It can get rather confusing as some fulfilling one quest can ultimately make you fail another. I sold a badge of courage to a lonesome ghost which made me fail a quest that had me give the badge to the person who it belongs to in favor of fulfilling said ghost's requests. This can be good or bad depending on how you choose to play. And how you choose to play will route through the entire game. Multiple endings for multiple play styles are in. If you choose to paint your way through, a light hearted ending will occur. Thin your way through and a darker ending is ensured. As well as everything in between. It's worth to go back and play a few more times to see how else it all pans out.
Platforming is definitely not key. There is definitely running and jumping around but it's not as complex as Mario Galaxy, for example. Adventure seems to be more of the focus but the platforming as basic as it is is a little upsetting. Even the 2D levels don't get too complex with is. Speaking of the 2D levels, these are something that you'll definitely get tired of. Exploring a new one is fine and good, but these act as transitional stages throughout each area and you will be going back and forth through some of them quite often and there is no option to skip. It is annoying and unnecessary. At least they're pretty short.
The biggest problem is how annoying the camera is. Very often will walls and architecture get in it's way and it can get extremely tough just shoot anything behind you. It doesn't happen in dangerous situations but it's a real pain. Sometimes the camera refuses to turn at all even when there's nothing in the way. You'll be staring in the direction of a wall or out beyond a level and a consequence might be not seeing where you're about to jump. It gets so frustrating that first person view is practically mandatory at some points but sometimes it doesn't even let you go in first person if it means having the sheer nerve to want to look at what you need to. It definitely is not an unplayable game, but the camera is riddled with annoyances.
If you're not a Disney fan, the gameplay might not be enough to keep you interested. But for Disney fans, the annoying camera and lack of voice acting make Epic Mickey not so epic, but doesn't stop it from being fun and enjoyable.