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July 2011

Phineas & Ferb meet the NHL in Merchandise Agreement

“Aren’t you a little young for an NHL spokesperson?”
“Why yes. Yes we are.”

That’s not a line of dialog from the popular Phineas & Ferb animated show on Disney Channel, but it might as well be. The brothers and their friends have been opted into a co-branded plan between Disney Consumer Products and the National Hockey League (NHL) to make exclusive 20111 NHL licensed products.

The Disney and the NHL collection will include apparel, headwear, house and home products and collectibles featuring characters from Phineas and Ferb wearing NHL and team-branded merchandise. NHL and Disney licensees will deliver the new products to retail stores throughout North America in fall 2011, just in time for the new school year and the 2011-12 NHL season.

“The Phineas and Ferb brand evokes creativity, youthfulness and high energy, not unlike the NHL brand,” said Jim Haskins, Group Vice President, Consumer Product Licensing. “The NHL is thrilled to be working with such a premier Disney property as nearly one third of NHL fans are between the ages of six and 17, and 65 percent of those fans watch the Disney Channel.”

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Muppets Marketing: It’s Time to Light the Lights

Editor: Please help me welcome back our latest guest author Amanda Correia.

Ladies, Gentlemen, and Muppet-kind,

In less than four short months, one of the most highly anticipated and best-marketed films of the year will finally hit theaters. That’s right, folks, we’re talking The Muppets, the brilliance and magic of Jim Henson’s vision reborn with the help of some very creative minds. The film has an impressive list of celebrities who will make an appearance, including co-stars Jason Segel and Amy Adams, Jack Black, Emily Blunt, Neil Patrick Harris, Kathy Griffin, Ben Stiller, Mila Kunis, Lady Gaga, and the list goes on. These celebs are faced with the challenge of bringing the classic Muppets, some of the most distinct characters of the century, to life in a way that is true to their original identities but also relevant in today’s society. Basically, they have to bring “it”. And solely based on the marketing that has been released thus far, I personally see no indication of anything less than the best.

It all started with a poster and a “Kermit Cam”, strategically placed on the Internet in early May, officially launching their 6-month campaign. This teaser poster can only be described in one word: epic. Only a few days prior, Kermit the Frog showed up at the Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides premiere (for what would Disney be without some good ol’ cross-promotions?), and played black carpet correspondent for the night. This video is hilarious and brilliant. You must watch it for yourself.

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Robot Vinylmation Invades the Disney Store

The robots are coming! The robots are coming! Today, Disney Store announced the launch of its exclusive Vinylmation Robots series invading Disney Store locations nationwide and DisneyStore.com on Friday July 22nd. Disney Store artists who designed this series found their inspiration in the vintage wind-up… Read More »Robot Vinylmation Invades the Disney Store

Captain America, Wait is this a Disney Film?

It’s still taking a little getting used to for me to accept that these Marvel superhero films are now Disney films as well. Yes, technically Paramount is still distributing Captain America, but Marvel is 100% Disney now. There’s no denying that Disney has a new… Read More »Captain America, Wait is this a Disney Film?

Movement on Disney Gargoyles Film, but not Good News for All

Variety reports that Disney has finally hired writers to work on the long rumored Gargoyles movie. Unfortunately fans of the Disney Afternoon Animated TV show of the same name will be disappointed. This project will have only a passing similarity to the cartoon series. David… Read More »Movement on Disney Gargoyles Film, but not Good News for All

More Videos of Pixar “Up House” in Utah

A couple more videos of the Pixar Up House have surfaced. They include more great interior shots and incredulous news anchors. Loads of fun: There’s also this short ad for the Parade of Homes event that they showed in local movie theaters. Have to say… Read More »More Videos of Pixar “Up House” in Utah

Follow the cast of Modern Family on Twitter

If you’re finding yourself having Modern Family withdrawals, you’re not alone. The summer can be rough when all you have is old episodes to watch. The fact that Modern Family received 17 Emmy nominations might hold you over a little, but what else? If you… Read More »Follow the cast of Modern Family on Twitter

From “Chicken Little” to “Lion King”: A 3-D Marketing Roller Coaster

Editor: Please help me welcome our latest guest author Amanda Correia.

Since the release of its first film in 2005, Chicken Little, Disney Digital 3-D has been quite busy. In fact, every year since, it has released at least one original or adapted 2-D animated film, including The Nightmare Before Christmas, Toy Story 1,2 & 3, Up, Cars 2, and in September 2011, The Lion King.

It may not make much sense today to think that Chicken Little was one of the most significant and controversial decisions that the Walt Disney Company has ever made. However, given the state of affairs around the time of its release, it is clear why this film and its marketing were immensely influential. It was a time of war, an open-fire battle between all of the major animation studios and, the newcomer, Pixar. After the recent successes of Pixar’s The Incredibles and Finding Nemo, and DreamWorks Animation’s Shrek 1 & 2, it was clear that Disney, the supposed category king, was lacking: Where was their CG animation?

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