and manufacturers get more involved in entertainment. The shifts are subtle, but they could be bellwethers for a future in which both industries handle the manufacture of more toys and entertainment under their respective roofs.
Mattel Inc. entered the movie business three years ago when it hired Mainframe Entertainment to create the CGI animated film "Barbie in the Nutcracker." The movie was a huge hit on DVD, spawned two more films and allowed Mattel to create new toy lines based on the film's characters. It's currently working on a series of films based on Hot Wheels.
On the other side of the fence, the Walt Disney Co. has recently shown more of an interest in making toys. As usual, the studio has a potential blockbuster animated film due out this year called "The Incredibles" and will have a full line of toys based on characters from the movie. And, as usual, it has Hasbro on board to manufacture most of the toys, but also has its Disney Consumer Products division making some of the toys in-house.
Another example is Marvel Enterprises, which merged with Toy Biz in the 1990s and now has something of an in-house toy manufacturer under its roof. And while Marvel and the studios farm out most of their toy licensing to other companies for hit films like the upcoming "Spider-Man 2," Marvel is keeping sure-fire hits like the new Triple Action Web Blaster close to home under the Toy Biz banner.
The shift has even shown up in the executive suites of some of the major players. Former 20th Century Fox licensing executive Steve Ross took one of the top spots at Mattel last year, giving the toy giant a film industry insider. The move may have simply been a product of Mattel's longstanding ties with Fox and other studios, but the timing was interesting.
Taken separately, these events are not all that significant, but collectively, they do show that studios and toy makers are becoming more interested in each other's business. And why not?
Film properties like "Star Wars," "Harry Potter" and "SpiderMan" generate millions of dollars in toy sales each year, and if keeping some of the toy manufacturing in-house means more money in studio coffers, they'll find a way to do it. By the same token, if toy makers can create their own movies based on properties like Barbie or Hot Wheels, it means sharing the profits with fewer outside parties.
The likely outcome of all this is that both parties will continue to dabble in each other's business and occasionally step on each other's toes. But don't expect studios to show up at Toy Fair next year to showcase their own in-house toys for upcoming films. |
