Disney Consumer Products today unveiled exclusive details about the new global toy lines celebrating Disney Pixar’s Inside Out and The Good Dinosaur, debuting theatrically in the US on 19 June and 25 November 2015 respectively. Both movies will have robust toy lines from best-in-class licensee and Japanese toymaker Tomy as its global master toy partner for both properties.
Tomy, whose innovative approach, strength in international markets and ability to reflect Pixar’s unique storytelling in its product lines made them the ideal choice for Pixar Animation Studios’ most exciting year yet.
“We put our hearts into these films, so it’s incredibly important to us that our toy-making partners care about and do justice to these characters we know so well. When I visited Tomy’s headquarters in Japan, I was impressed by their commitment to quality and craftsmanship. The toys they’ve created for Inside Out and The Good Dinosaur are fantastic—they’ve truly brought our characters to life,” said Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios chief creative officer John Lasseter.
Riley, a young girl from the Midwest US who is uprooted to San Francisco when her father lands a new job, stars in Inside Out. Her emotions, joy (Amy Poehler), fear (Bill Hader), anger (Lewis Black), disgust (Mindy Kaling) and sadness (Phyllis Smith) live in an HQ inside her mind and help guide her through everyday life.
In the world of The Good Dinosaur, the giant creatures never became extinct. Arlo, an active Apatosaurus with a big heart, sets out on an extraordinary journey and teams up with an unlikely companion, a young boy, along the way.
Tomy’s toy line for Inside Out is inspired by the humor, visual style and whimsical elements within the film. The pose-able character figures have light up features and all of the toys allow for self-expression and re-creation of key movie moments.
The broad toy range for The Good Dinosaur appeals to kids of all ages, for both action figure play and more sophisticated remote control walking and talking. The unique characteristics of the film’s dinosaurs, such as how they move and run, are reflected in the toy line, and several working models were built and shared with filmmakers to get the movements just right. Additionally, RFID technology allows the characters to interact as they do in the film, bringing their unique personalities and stories to life.
“With the debut of Cars in 2006, we introduced personality and humor to toy vehicles adding a new dimension of storytelling to an established play pattern, and lifting the entire category at retail. Dinosaurs have always fascinated kids and we believe Pixar’s unique take on our prehistoric friends will have a similar impact on the way they play with them in the future,” said Disney Consumer Products executive vice president global licensing Josh Silverman.
Pixar films have a strong track record of success at the box office and at retail. 20 years after the theatrical release of Toy Story in 1995, a film that transformed the animation industry and jumpstarted a billion dollar toy franchise, Pixar stories and characters hold a unique place in the audiences’ hearts and kids’ toy boxes. Toy Story 3 holds the title of the second biggest animated film of all time reaching more than $1 billion in global box office sales. The iconic 12 inch Buzz Lightyear action figures have sold in excess of 10 million units globally over the past decade.
This summer Disney Consumer Products will roll out a special toy line to celebrate Toy Story’s 20th anniversary that will include a broad assortment of characters in a collectible figure range, favorite characters in action figure form and true-to-film talking versions of Buzz, Woody and Jessie.