As you probably know, 2011 is shaping up to be a big action movie year—and that means lots of toys.
We got a special sneak peak at the new Pirates of the Caribbean on Stranger Tides earlier this week. Now it’s too early to tell how well the film will do, but based on the expanded trailer, it looks like Disney has captured the swashbuckling magic that made the first movie such a hit.
That’s great news for Jakks Pacific and LEGO, who showed off parts of their outstanding lines at the Bryant Park Hotel. Now even though I wasn’t as big a fan of the second and third movie as the first one, I’m not going to argue with the popularity of the franchise, which has sold $1.6 billion (Yes, that’s with a big “B”.) in merchandise. And that does not include DVD sales.
So what do kids have to look forward to? LEGO has done a really remarkable job of capturing the action and adventure of the movie. Plus, Jakks Pacific has pulled out all the stops with some very cool action figures, and a boat that I’m going to want, which has a black light transformation feature.
Oh, and I got to talk with John Myrhe, production designer, and he told me that the set boat had to be a real boat. It was an amazing feat to get that thing built for filming—and sailing. Very cool.