Cashing in on "Toy Story"

We're less than a week away from one of the most anticipated films of the summer, PIXAR's "Toy Story 3," to date only the second sequel the studio has ever made after "Toy Story 2." The first two films hold such an unassailable place in the pop culture pantheon of the past two decades, of course the third would be viewed as a seminal event. PIXAR's reputation is as stellar as ever, and there's no taint of any money-grubbing, or over-milking of the franchise, as other franchises have fallen victim to. It's a bit of a shock to realize, for instance, that all four of the "Shrek" films and all three of the "Ice Age" films have been released in the years between the second and third "Toy Story" films. PIXAR has built up such an image of artistic integrity, potential audiences surely will feel that the new film must be special, because otherwise John Lasseter and his crew wouldn't have made it. Especially after all this time has passed.

I'm a little skeptical on that front. While I'm sure that the PIXAR crew have made a wonderful film, I remain pragmatic about the decision to move ahead with the project. The sequel bug has bit the studio hard recently. Just over the horizon are "Cars 2," which is due out next summer, and "Monsters Inc 2," which will be in theaters for the holiday season of 2012. And of course, there's the merchandising issue. PIXAR films are known for winning accolades, but the real money from children's films is usually in toys, games, tie-ins, and other merchandise. PIXAR's last few blockbusters have made gazillions at the box office, but they haven't exactly been merchandising bonanzas. Disney execs and Wall Street investors were very concerned about the prospects of "Up" last year, which had a very modest rollout of toys and games. And before that "WALL-E" and "Ratatouille" were similarly difficult for Disney to capitalize on.

So I doubt it's an accident that the next two PIXAR films are going to be from franchises that have been very good to retailers in the past: "Toy Story" and "Cars." Parents may still remember the mad rush for Buzz Lightyear dolls when the first film came out. And though "Cars" is probably the least loved of the PIXAR movies, it spawned an empire of popular merchandise, especially those collectible toy cars. And I'm not the least bit surprised that I'm seeing new "Toy Story" toys everywhere already, and the characters popping up on Sara Lee and Kellogg's products at the supermarket. PIXAR's marketing department has also gotten bolder with cross-promotional tie-ins. In fact, I'm a little worried that they may have gone too far in this department. There are three separate television ad campaigns currently in full swing that incorporate the "Toy Story" characters – Visa, the United State Postal Service, and the Aflac insurance company. Along with the actual television commercials for the film, we're getting bombarded around the clock.

On the one hand I'm worried that the overexposure might harm the characters in the long term, but on the other hand, there's the distinct possibility that this is the end of the road anyway. It's taken PIXAR eleven years to release the third "Toy Story" film, and there's such an air of finality to it from every trailer and promo I've seen, I can't imagine that it would ever be resurrected for a fourth installment. So if this is the last chance for the marketers and merchandisers to cash in on the goodwill toward the "Toy Story" brand, it's hard to begrudge them. It's a necessary evil, and a small price to pay to get the third film so many of the fans have been dreaming of. At least there's been no indication that any of the promoted products are being incorporated into the film itself, the way "Iron Man 2" shamelessly did earlier this summer. And so far PIXAR's done a fairly good job of choosing their promotions, though I have to wonder who approved the one for Aflac – that irritating duck mascot does not make a good addition to the "Toy Story" universe, even with a CGI beak-lift.

I mean seriously. What would toys know about supplemental insurance policies anyway?