TOY FAIR: Disney Sneak Peek: ‘Monsters University,’ ‘Planes,’ ‘Sofia the First’ and More
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Just ahead of the 110th annual American International Toy Fair kick-off this Sunday, Disney Consumer Products has shared a sneak peek at just some of the toys coming later this year, representing some of its iconic properties. From Monsters University, Oz the Great and Powerful and Planes to ‘Sofia the First’ and ‘Jake and the Never Land Pirates’ to proven franchises such as Minnie Mouse, Disney Fairies and — of course — the princesses, these toys represent some a new take on classic play, often integrating cutting edge technology to enhance the experience.
On Monday, Disney will give an invited audience an exclusive look at some of the upcoming merchandising from Disney/Pixar’s Monsters University. To celebrate the announcement (which may or may not include a look at the new trailer), the film’s stars John Goodman and Billy Crystal will join director Dan Scanlon in providing a sneak peek and some insight into the highly anticipated prequel.
While we can expect plenty more from Monsters University such as action figures, vehicles, playsets, plush figures, preschool, remote control items and more to help kids recreate key moments from the film through innovative and fun features, Disney is providing a first look into a couple of the coolest items from Spin Master, who recently released several products for Monsters Inc.
[SinglePic not found]Children will be able to recreate the fun, action and adventure of the film during playtime with products such as Scare Off Sulley from Spin Master, a feature plush that utilizes life-like animatronics and sound and light detection technology to change play modes and sense the environment. Kids can start their Scare Training as Sulley teaches them everything he knows. But once he feels they’re ready, prepare for a Scare Off! Scream loud enough and Sulley will fall backwards in fear! Scare Off Sulley is the most interactive Monsters University toy delivering Scare Training, Speed Scare, Scare ‘O Meter, Room Guard and the Scare Off Challenge! Ages
The Monsters University Sulley Monster Mask transforms kids into real monsters! It’s 100% kid powered. As your jaw opens, closes or moves side to side, the Sulley Monster Mask’s eyebrows and lips move too – creating fun, scary and memorable faces.
[SinglePic not found]From Disney Toon Studios — and inspired by Disney/Pixar’s Cars — Planes tells the story of Dusty Crophopper in the pursuit of his dream. Toys set to be released in support of the film include an all-new collection of die cast vehicles, play sets and the ‘Planes Tilt and Fly’ and ‘Planes Air Race Trackset’ from Mattel, anchoring the Planes toy line. Planes fans can also recreate their favorite moments from the film with the deluxe remote control U-Command Dusty from Thinkway, complete with an infrared remote control feature allowing kids to program this Dusty with over 1,000 action combo sequences. Mattel will also offer the innovative Planes Pilot Pal Dusty Remote Control Plane which allows children to control Dusty by attaching the wing-shaped controllers to their own arms.
Disney Junior’s newest sensation, ‘Sofia the First,’ will no doubt be topping the must-have lists of every aspiring princess in the upcoming year. While Disney Store has already launched a limited line of products that are near impossible to keep in stock, look for other companies like CDI and Mattel to up the ante. Featured here are CDI’s Talking Magical Amulet which not only allows the child to wear Sofia’s Amulet of Avalor, but will teach valuable lessons as well. Mattel will introduce the Magical Talking Castle which interacts by playing actual phrases from the television series.
Also representing the Disney Junior fans will be brand new DUPLO sets from LEGO including Jake and the Never Land Pirates’ Bucky set. Fisher-Price will also be introducing Cheering Minnie who speaks 13 different phrases as well as dances and cheers to the classic rock anthem ‘Hey Mickey.’
Mattel will also be updating its Disney Princess Ultimate Dream Castle. This time around, instead of a flying carpet, it’s Rapunzel who lends a hand hair to serve as the 3-story castle’s elevator. Not only does the castle come with 30 accessories, but Mattel is also introducing the Disney Magic Mirror app for Apple iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad that will help create several augmented reality experiences.
This year will also be the year of The Little Mermaid, Ariel. In support of The Little Mermaid: Diamond Edition
Below is a gallery of the items mentioned above as well as several more that are coming soon to a toy store near you. Be sure to follow us on Twitter as we will bring highlights of other Disney toys at the American International Toy Fair in New York City beginning Saturday at the Hasbro preview event, followed by the LEGO event, the Monsters University event and much, much more!
Categories: Merchandise, Movies, Pixar Tags: Animation, Ariel, James Franco, LEGO, Michelle Williams, Mila Kunis, Monsters Inc, Monsters University, Movies, Oz, Oz the Great and Powerful, Pixar, Planes, Rachel Weisz, Sofia the First, The Little Mermaid, Toy Fair, Wizard of Oz
‘Cars Take Flight’ at Chicagoland Speedway’s Kids Zone This Weekend
Today Disney/Pixar (NYSE: DIS) Cars fans teamed up with NASCAR driver Casey Mears to wave the green flag and kick off the Cars ‘Take Flight’ experience during Chase weekend at Chicagoland Speedway, Sept. 14-16. In celebration of the world television premieres of the Cars Toons short films ‘Air Mater’ and ‘Moon Mater’ this fall on Disney Channel and the launch of a new Cars ‘Take Flight’ product collection, Disney has created a fun and immersive family experience for race fans to enjoy the world of Cars.
Through Cars-themed ‘pit stops’ at Chicagoland Speedway Kids Zone in Champions Park, the world of Cars is brought to life. Fans can snap photos of the life-size LEGO® replica of Lightning McQueen made of 250,000 bricks, create Cars scenes at the puzzle building station, enjoy story time, race against friends on the Cars video game, see the new collectible die-cast cars and play with the products in the new “Take Flight” collection. The new Cars ‘Take Flight’ product line features die-cast, race tracks, games, books and more and is available now at retailers nationwide.
‘The Cars Toons shorts have done a great job extending the storytelling and fun that happens in the world of Cars,’ said Mary Renner Beech, senior vice president of licensing, Disney/Pixar animation, Disney Consumer Products. ‘Likewise, Disney/Pixar product designers take the story where only a child’s imagination can go through new toys and products. And what better place for us to celebrate the new “Take Flight” collection than right here at the Chicagoland Speedway during an actual NASCAR race weekend.’
‘A weekend at Chicagoland Speedway is about more than just the excitement on the track,’ said Scott Paddock, Chicagoland Speedway president. ‘We want the entire family to enjoy memorable experiences throughout their trip, whether it’s in the Kids Zone taking pictures with the life-size Lightning McQueen, in Champions Park with free entertainment or in our new infield fan experience. Our goal is to deliver additional value to our fans and give the start of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup the platform it deserves.’
Chicagoland Speedway is the first race of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup this September — the first of ten ‘playoff’ style NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races in pursuit of the 2012 championship. The Dollar General 300 powered by Coca-Cola NASCAR Nationwide Series will kick off the weekend on Saturday, Sept. 15 with the GEICO 400 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup concluding the weekend on Sunday, Sept. 16.
For tickets to the GEICO® 400, the start of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, or the Dollar General® 300 powered by Coca-Cola®, visit www.ChicagolandSpeedway.com or call 1-888-629-RACE (7223).
Photo courtesy Disney Consumer Products
Categories: Merchandise Tags: Cars, Casey Mears, GEICO, LEGO, NASCAR, Pixar
Sneak Peek: LEGO Debuts Marvel Avengers Hulk Statue at Toy Fair
Since he was first introduced to the world some fifty years ago, he’s been called a lot of things, but statuesque is probably not one of them. In honor of their new Marvel license and the 109th American International Toy Fair New York City, LEGO has assembled this slightly less than life-size sculpture of The Hulk, which is indeed Incredible. Based on the film version from Marvel’s The Avengers, Hulk will be greeting industry professionals at the Toy Fair when it kicks off tomorrow morning.
At Toy Fair last year, LEGO unveiled a full scale film-accurate replica of Lightning McQueen from Disney/Pixar’s Cars 2 as well as a Captain Jack Sparrow (unveiled at a private event) in honor of their new Pirates of the Caribbean line. Sculptures of Woody and Buzz Lightyear were the first of the Disney LEGO honorees, when LEGO first received the license. Since then, LEGO has gone to create spectacular Disney-themed statues for their stores at the Downtown Disney Districts at the Walt Disney World and (soon) Disneyland Resorts.
No additional information on just how hulking big this particular sculpture is, but hopefully we’ll get some more information soon. Until then, be sure to watch this space and follow us on Twitter as we spend the next couple of days combing through the some hundred thousand toys on display, starting with an early morning preview with LEGO.
Below are some additional photos of the Hulk sculpture. Click on any of the thumbnails to expand and the resize arrow to view it at the original (scaled-down) resolution. This same gallery will be used for all the LEGO photos we’ll be bringing to you from the Toy Fair. Hulk says enjoy. Don’t make him angry.
Categories: Marvel, Merchandise Tags: LEGO, Marvel, Merchandise, The Avengers
LEGO Expands Disney Licensing Deal with Marvel ‘LEGO Super Heroes’ in 2012
Two of the world’s most iconic brands are joining forces as The LEGO Group, world leader in high quality construction toys, and Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a global character -based entertainment company, announced a wide ranging strategic licensing deal. Through the multi-year agreement starting as of January 1st, 2012, Marvel has granted LEGO Group the rights to develop a distinct Marvel branded construction toy collection — LEGO SUPER HEROES — which will bring the characters, vehicles and action of Marvel’s renowned universe to the world of LEGO® build-and-play adventure. The LEGO SUPER HEROES Marvel collection’s initial construction sets, minifigures and buildable characters are scheduled to launch in May of 2012.
The LEGO SUPER HEROES Marvel collection will spotlight three Marvel franchises – Marvel’s The Avengers movie, and X-Men and Spider-Man classic characters. The LEGO Marvel’s The Avengers movie line brings such ever popular Marvel characters as Iron Man, The Hulk, Captain America, Thor, Hawkeye, Loki and Black Widow to LEGO minifigure form. The LEGO X-Men collection includes minifigure comic versions of Wolverine, Magneto, Nick Fury and Deadpool, while the LEGO Spider-Man sets offer minifigure comic versions of Spider-Man, and Doctor Octopus. The first buildable characters in the LEGO SUPER HEROES collection are highlighted by Captain America, The Hulk and Iron Man. Select figures will be unveiled in the LEGO booth (#2829) during Comic-Con International at the San Diego Convention Center July 21-24.
“Our partnership with Marvel helps us continue to deliver some of the best and most constructible Super Hero stories of all time,” said Jill Wilfert, vice president, licensing and entertainment for The LEGO Group. “We’re thrilled to partner with Marvel to create creative, constructive play sets for builders, fans and collectors alike.”
Joann Mclaughlin, Executive Vice President Toys & Hardlines, Marvel Entertainment, commented, “The partnership with LEGO Group furthers Marvel’s strategy to align our brand with the best in class leaders across various industries who have the global marketing expertise and distribution clout to stand out in the retail environment. This deal solidifies the already robust presence of our characters and the overall Marvel brand in the ever important toy category.”
The retail debut of the Marvel-inspired LEGO SUPER HEROES collection is timed to coincide with the highly anticipated Summer 2012 blockbuster movie release of Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Pictures feature film Marvel’s The Avengers.
Categories: Merchandise Tags: LEGO, Merchandise, television, Toys
Captain Jack Sparrow Invades New York City (in LEGO Form)
We first introduced you to the life-size Captain Jack Sparrow LEGO sculpture at its reveal with actor Ian McShane (Blackbeard) at a Disney Consumer Products event earlier this year. Since then, we had a brief encounter with Jack once more at the New York International Toy Fair, but we were still nonetheless surprised encountering Jack at one of his first public installations — the world famous FAO Schwarz on Fifth Avenue.
Just a day or two ago, FAO had replaced all of its LEGO sculptures with new ones including a life-size Indiana Jones and a monumentally-sized Statue of Liberty.
Introduced to the public in celebration of the release of the Pirates of the Caribbean line by LEGO, Jack Sparrow did not blow into town alone as over in Times Square, one can find yet another Jack Sparrow LEGO sculpture over at Toys ‘R’ Us, which has replaced the Buzz Lightyear sculpture. Apparently Buzz didn’t go without a fight however, as Jack’s sword was missing when we saw him (for the record, it was glued in securely at FAO Schwarz — not that we tried of course).
Watch this space as we’ll be getting a hands on look at a couple of the new Pirates of the Caribbean LEGO sets later this week.
Categories: Merchandise Tags: Captain Jack Sparrow, CJS, LEGO, Merchandise, Pirates of the Caribbean, POTC, Toys
LEGO Unveils Lifesize Lightning McQueen Statue; Announces Additional ‘Cars 2′ Sets
Although it seems like just two weeks ago that LEGO master builder Erik Varszegi unveiled his impressively detailed salute to Captain Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean films, yesterday morning saw a reveal that left jaws at the New York International Toy Fair on the floor: a lifesize replica of Lightning McQueen from Disney/Pixar’s Cars 2, just in time for the launch of its new line of LEGO sets honoring the franchise. Requiring more than 2,000 man hours to complete, the LEGO Lightning McQueen is made up of more than 325,000 LEGO bricks, measures 12.5 feet long, 6.5 feet wide and 4.5 feet high and weighs about three tons.
LEGO also held its annual collectors party prior to show opening which gave the invited attendees the opportunity to explore the LEGO Toy Fair booth for two hours and check out all of the newest offerings from the company, which for Disney means not just some of the Cars 2 sets, but Pirates of the Caribbean LEGO and Winnie the Pooh DUPLO sets too.
Attendees also received a gift bag which included a LEGO Ninjago figure, a pop-up promo for the LEGO Star Wars III video game and an exclusive, limited edition (and numbered) set of LEGO Star Wars ‘Minilander’ replicas: Chewbacca, Han Solo and Boba Fett (who came separately as a build). Opening March 31, 2011 at Legoland in California, Star Wars Miniland consists of 2,000 LEGO models depicting iconic scenes from the Star Wars anthology, all created to 1:20 scale by master builders from LEGOLAND Germany.
LEGO Sets announced for Disney/Pixar’s Cars 2 include:
8200 Radiator Springs Lightning McQueen (35 pieces) – $6.99 (May 2011)
8201 Classic Mater (52 pieces) – $6.99 (May 2011)
8206 Tokyo Pit Stop (147 pieces) – $14.99 (May 2011)
8424 Mater’s Spy Zone (114 pieces) – $14.99 (May 2011)
8426 Escape at Sea (159 pieces) – $19.99 (May 2011)
8484 Ultimate Build Lightning McQueen (242 pieces) – $29.99 (May 2011)
8486 Mack’s Team Truck (374 pieces) – $39.99 (May 2011)
8638 Spy Jet Escape (339 pieces) – $49.99 (August 2011)
8487 Flo’s V8 Cafe (517 pieces) – $59.99 (May 2011)
8639 Big Bentley Playset (743 pieces) – $69.99 (August 2011)
LEGO Sets announced for Disney‘s Pirates of the Caribbean include:
4181 Isla de Muerta (152 pieces) – $19.99 (May 2011)
4182 The Cannibal Escape (279 pieces) – $29.99 (May 2011)
4183 The Mill (365 pieces) – $39.99 (May 2011)
4184 Black Pearl (804 pieces) – $99.99 (November)
4193 The London Escape (463 pieces) – $49.99 (May 2011)
4194 Whitecap Bay (746 pieces) – $79.99 (May 2011)
4195 Queen Anne’s Revenge (1,097 pieces) – $119.99 (May 2011)
4191 The Captain’s Cabin (95 pieces) – $11.99 (May 2011)
4192 Aqua de Vida / Fountain of Youth (128 pieces) – $19.99 (May 2011)
DUPLO Sets announced for Disney/Pixar’s Cars 2 include:
5817 Agent Mater (11 pieces) – $14.99 (May 2011)
5818 Luigi’s Italian Place (22 pieces) – $19.99 (May 2011)
5828 Big Bentley (67 pieces) – $39.99 (May 2011)
5829 The Pit Stop (52 pieces) – $49.99 (May 2011)
DUPLO Sets announced for Winnie the Pooh include:
5945 Winnie’s Picnic (13 pieces) – $9.99 (March 2011)
5947 Winnie’s House (40 pieces) – $29.99 (March 2011)
Categories: Merchandise Tags: Cars, CARS2, LEGO, Merchandise, Toys
Ian McShane Joins Disney in Reveal of LEGO Captain Jack Sparrow Life-Size Statue
Earlier this evening, Disney Consumer Products debuted new lines of toys from LEGO and JAKKS Pacific for this summer’s blockbuster, Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides. Highlights of the event included appearances by production designer John Myhre and Ian McShane who takes on the role of Blackbeard, the pirate all pirates fear.
As part of the event, Disney and LEGO unveiled a six foot tall ‘life-size’ statue of Captain Jack Sparrow, the first of its kind. The highly detailed statue, which includes a removable sword, consists of approximately 150,000 LEGO bricks and took more than 200 man hours to design and build. Approximately 70 of those hours alone were used in the creation of Jack’s head which was all done without the assistance of computers.
Also taking place during the event, Ian McShane was presented with his very own one-off custom Blackbeard transforming pirate which reveals the pirate’s curse when placed under blacklight. Production designer John Myhre, who talked at length about the fiery and skeletal details of the Queen Anne’s Revenge and Blackbeard himself, received a limited edition print of the ship from Acme Archives.
Attendees also got a preview of the LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean video game after viewing the trailer for the film.
Below is our preliminary gallery of photos from the event. As always, click on any of the thumbnails to see a larger version.
We’ll be providing more details soon, but look for most of the products in Mid May. The JAKKS Pacific line of toys will come as early as March, exclusively at Toys R Us and Wal-mart.
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides will debut in theaters nationwide on May 20.
Categories: Merchandise, Movies Tags: Ian McShane, JAKKS Pacific, LEGO, Merchandise, On Stranger Tides, Pirates of the Caribbean, POTC, POTC4, Toys
LEGO, LEGO, A Pirate’s Life for New Line of Playsets Based on ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ Film
LEGO announced today that come spring 2011, they will be launching an initial collection of rightbuilding sets based on Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. This marks the fourth Disney film/franchise that LEGO will be producing products for since Disney terminated the licensing agreements with competitor MEGA Brands in early 2009. Since LEGO signed on, they have produced playsets for Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story, Jerry Bruckheimer’s Prince of Persia as well as DUPLO playsets for Cars with LEGO brand playsets for Cars due out in 2011. Prior to the licensing change, MEGA Brands did produce playsets based on the Pirates of the Caribbean series through the third film.
Building on its rather substantial video game business, LEGO will also be producing a LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean video game for spring 2011 as well.
Categories: Merchandise, Movies, Video Games Tags: LEGO, Merchandise, Pirates of the Caribbean, POTC, POTC4, Toys
Disney XD to Premiere LEGO ‘Prince of Persia’ Mini-Film on May 7
Find out what happens when a video game begats a blockbuster action movie which begats a mini-adaptation featuring LEGO bricks and figures in this CG mini-film premiering on Disney XD May 7 at 8:09 pm ET/PT.
Check out the mini-film mini-trailer below:
Categories: Movies, Television Tags: Disney XD, LEGO, POP, Prince of Persia
What’s This? LEGO Fan Re-creates Iconic Image from ‘Nightmare Before Christmas’
Inspired by the image on the theatrical poster, LEGO enthusiast Stefan set out to re-create this iconic Jack Skellington scene from Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas as an entry for an online musical-themed contest.
Needless to say, his amazing piece took top prize and we’re thrilled he was willing to share it with us (the image that is, not the prize — not quite as happy about that part).
To check out some of Stefan’s other LEGO work and photos, be sure to visit his Flickr page.
[via Eurobricks]
Categories: Uncategorized Tags: LEGO, NBC, Nightmare Before Christmas, Tim Burton
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