#cranium command

context

to provide context for both properties as they're relatively obscure: "cranium command" is an extinct attraction from epcot's "wonders of life" pavillion, opening in 1989, and officially closing in 2007. it was an animatronic theatre show that brought guests into the human mind, where "cranium commando" troops would pilot the brain and make rational decisions in the face of stress.

"psychonauts" is a 3d platformer videogame produced by DoubleFine in 2005. the story follows a young psychic as he enters and navigates the mental worlds of various characters, honing his skills until he can become a "psychonaut"- a psychic secret agent.

aside from the obvious concept parallels of "a look inside the brain", these two stories have a lot more in common than you might think!

comparisons

(ill talk about it in a second, but as far as i know, these are all just crazy coincidences!)

first of all: the protagonists, buzzy (cc) and raz (pn) have a lot in common! and i'm not just talking about their green shirt/ brown jacket combos, or the circular eyewear. both are young, inexperienced, but capable recruits for an organization they are passionate about and yearn to participate in. (while his age isn't explicitly stated, buzzy pilots and shares a voice actor with a 12-year-old boy, whereas raz is 10.) both express a desire to work hard to prove themselves to their superiors/mentors they look up to.

next is the funniest comparison, in my opinion. the left brain is another character in cranium command's story. he is a stoic, logical, and organized man who's home is within a black and white cube. sasha nein, in psychonauts' story, is a stoic, logical, and organized man who's home is within a black and white cube.

(this one is very difficult to demonstrate due to the low quality of cranium command's archived footage, but i did my best.) this comparison is a bit weaker, but i can't mention the left brain without including the right brain, and i can't mention sasha nein without including milla vodello, sasha's partner and fellow agent. the right brain was portrayed in cranium command as a creative, funloving, groovy and imaginative fellow in a colorful carousel of many shapes and colors. milla shares most of these traits, but has a distinct disco-pinball aesthetic. the right brain is often seen floating in clouds, while milla is a master of levitation.

perhaps the most obvious comparison is that of general knowledge (cc) and coach morceau oleander, who are both strict and boisterous military personnel in charge of training recruits.

i mean, come on. both stories start with nearly identical opening speeches in front of a photo of a brain...

...which is interrupted by the main character showing up fashionably late to join an audience of their peers. in both stories!

conclusions

like i said earlier, cranium command opened in 1989 and ran until 2007. psychonauts started development in 2001, and was released in 2005, though the original concept dates back as early as 1993. this makes it entirely plausible for Tim Schafer to have viewed and been influenced by cranium command's story at some point during (or even before) development. the wonders of life pavilion was far from an unforgettable location in the disney parks, but it was still a location in the disney parks, and cranium command was seen as a hidden gem in an otherwise "skippable" area. it's not out of the question that someone at doublefine was inspired by it.

but is that what really happened? almost definitely not. Tim Schafer has shared several influences that inspired the creation of the game, but cranium command was never mentioned, as far as i'm aware. most of the parallels can be chalked down to popular depictions of the left and right brain, a general military aesthetic, and common tropes in the writing. none of these are exclusive to either property, it's just funny to look at both of them and go "heh thats similar"