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entertaining u newspaper: your weekly guide to entertainment
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by kellie abrahamson
kabrahamson1@aol.com
I honestly don’t remember a time when seeing a movie was just seeing a movie and that was enough. And that’s kind of depressing if you think about it. For as long as I can remember, kids have been clamoring for character lunchboxes, action figures, stuffed animals and T-shirts. Walk through any Wal-Mart toy aisle makes it clear that this is one thing that will not change any time soon. This seemingly harmless phenomenon is affecting the industry in ways many people fail to realize.
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Movie merchandising pretty much started with the current king of movie merch, Disney. Back in the late 20s, the brothers Disney were offered some extra cash to put Mickey on writing tablets and the idea grew from there. After that, licensed Disney characters could be found on everything from household products to big-ticket items like jewelry. The rest of Hollywood caught on to the idea in the late 70s and early 80s (everyone remembers Star Wars toys, right?). Today, nearly every major motion picture has some sort of merchandise available and the studios are making a fortune pimping out their characters to companies that will slap their faces on everything from cereal boxes to curtains.
It’s not just movie characters who are being exploited. Existing toys and products are being made into movies to get the most bang for your buck. Transformers were originally a line of toys from Japan. Less than a year after their release in the US, there was a TV show based on the characters. Then came an animated movie. July 4th brings us yet another Transformers movie which means, you guessed it, more toys on store shelves. Later this year we’ll see something completely different: a movie based on popular advertising icons. Set for release in the fall, Foodfight! stars Mr. Clean, Charlie the Tuna, the Energizer Bunny and more as themselves, fighting the evil Brand X when the supermarket closes for the night. Beyond the products these characters are already touting, what else can we expect to see them peddling once the movie is released? Mr. Clean Diapers? Charlie the Tuna bedding?
Typically, 40% of merchandise is sold before a film is released, meaning it doesn’t matter anymore how good or bad a movie is. My kids were bored to death by Shrek the Third and yet they both beg for Shrek plushies when we wander down the toy aisle. Mind you, these are the same toys that were on sale weeks ago and gave away plot elements that were better left a surprise (another downside to merch that’s sold before a film’s theatrical release). We’re getting to a point where the movie, the thing that made the toys exist in the first place, is secondary to the stuff. Do we really want toy sales dictating what films make it and what films get shelved?
The commercialization of cinema is getting out of hand. After over three decades of buying into the hype (both literally and figuratively), it’s time to tell Hollywood enough is enough. My kids will not be getting Shrek babies for the next gift-giving holiday and my husband is not getting a set of Spider-Man 3 action figures. I will not be purchasing the Pirates of the Caribbean 3 video game or the Jack Sparrow ring replica. From now on, I’m going to let my money speak for me at the box office, not the check-out line.
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EU Critic’s Choice Awards
