From Batman to Robin Hood to The Arrow to The Flash,
superheroes are getting increasingly popular among teens and young adults.
Mostly due to the massive success of Marvel Studios and their extremely success
Avengers franchise, which includes blockbuster films like Iron Man, Thor,
Captain America, and of course the record breaking 2012 movie, Avengers. Now,
DC is looking to cash in on this new superhero wave by launching a series of
animated shorts, stories around the superhero and their origin.
Two toy lines based on DC Comics' Justice League
characters are being brought to life through animated movies and short films. "Batman
Unlimited: Animal Instincts" will debut May 12, and it will feature Batman
and the rest of the Justice League. Warner Bros Home Entertainment will release
these films on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD. They are truly trying to make this
a form of media that is accessible by anyone who wished to view these films. With
the combination of the toy and the film, the convergence will help sell these
new films as imaginative back stories for these beloved characters. In addition
to the films and toys, DC Comics will also be laughing an app in the spring to
further allow fans to connect to the characters. This trifecta of advertising
seems like a failproof plan, and we will have to see how well the results yield
for DC Comics.
“We are excited to continue to
forge new ground with our long-time partners Mattel and Fisher-Price to build
on the success of these popular toy lines by bringing the play pattern to life
through this original content that we will be able to offer across multiple
content platforms,” said Brad Globe, president, Warner Bros. Consumer Products.
Animated series are a classic way to create a demand around toys, so in this
case, with the established name of Batman, they are in no rush to launch these
toys for the films.
“We are thrilled to be working with
our Warner Bros., Mattel and Fisher-Price colleagues to create new Batman and
DC Super Friends kids’ content,” said DC Entertainment president Diane Nelson.
“These new animated projects will offer all new Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman adventures
that seamlessly jump from toybox to screen.” We will have to wait and
see how successful this campaign is, and if it's worth the ...wait!
Graser, M. (2015, January 29). DC
Entertainment to Launch Animated Movies, Shorts Around Superhero Toy Lines
(EXCLUSIVE). Retrieved January 30, 2015, from
http://variety.com/2015/biz/news/dc-entertainment-to-launch-animated-movies-shorts-around-superhero-toy-lines-exclusive-1201418664/
This is a perfect example of media convergence that is becoming increasingly prevalent in our digits age. Also, due to the rising role of the internet as a source for media over cable television, I think it's smart that DC isn't even bothering with publishing their films on TV. Especially with the younger demographic having their phones "glued to them at all times" the app acts as an interactive element that has the possibility of being heavily utilized. I am excited to see how successful this launch is and if it sets a precedence for other Hollywood studios to use in the future.
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