Alongside the huge number of squishy toys, Pokemon trading cards and Lego which have been sold by toy retailers so far this year, movie-related toys have flown slightly below the hype radar. But make no mistake, there have been several ranges based on family films which have moved the dial very nicely – in particular, Toy Story 5 and Spider-Man Brand New Day. Not without controversy over discounting by certain supermarkets, as has been amply highlighted in previous blogs, but nevertheless, films remain a valuable driver for toy sales.
So, the announcements over the past few weeks of numerous toyetic movies in the pipeline will have got toy companies and retailers licking their lips about what’s coming up. Disney held its annual three-day D23 event – billed as ‘the Ultimate Disney Fan Event’ – in Anaheim last weekend, where it teased a host of new films arriving in the next few years. While not necessarily a huge source of merchandise, I am really looking forward to Coco 2, as I loved the first movie. Of greater interest to licensees and retail partners are Incredibles 3, Lilo & Stitch 2 and the Tangled live action movie (while I am not a huge fan of the live action versions, I think Tangled could translate well into that format). And, of course, the big one – Frozen 3. Everyone knows it has the potential to go stratospheric again, and with a new villain teased in the trailer, anticipation is already building for the movie’s launch next December.
In addition to these Disney franchise movies, D23 also saw the unveiling of a trailer for the Bluey movie, which arrives in theatres next August. The trailer is charming, and not only will it be extremely popular with the family audience, I’m sure it will also drive strong toy sales next summer.
Plans for a Squishmallows movie have also been unveiled, with Jazwares collaborating with Amazon MGM Studios on the project. In the meantime, Squishmallows will celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2027, so there is a clear roadmap to keep momentum behind the brand for the foreseeable future.
Finally in this week’s movie round-up, there have been reports that Mattel and Warner Bros are trying to agree a deal to greenlight the sequel to the Barbie movie. Variety ran what I assume is a well-informed and very detailed article on the complex, protracted negotiations, the short version of which is that the stars of the film are apparently asking for huge sums of money to reprise their roles, and the studio is reluctant to sign it off. The upshot is that if a deal can’t be reached, the rights will return to Mattel, who would not be able to use any facet of the original movie in any future sequels, necessitating a total reboot. The tense stand-off is still going on, and with only weeks until the deadline to reach an agreement. It will be fascinating to see who blinks first.
Read the rest here.
