Ready for even more Batman centric animated shows? Want to see even more Justice League movies? DC Entertainment knows they have the direct market and television shows sewn up, so they are planning new projects around upcoming toy lines.
Batman: Unlimited: Animal Instincts will debut on May 12 as a direct-to-video animated movie based on the toy line where Batman, The Flash, Robin, Nightwing, and Green Arrow take on cyber animals created by the Penguin. In addition to the movie (and sequel already planned for later this year), Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is planning a series of free animated shorts online.
In addition to that project, we can expect to see DC Super Friends animated shorts arriving on apps, and online to support the Fisher-Price line that my kids loved when they were between 2 and 3 years old.
“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.
With Toy Fair just around the corner, this kind of toy tie-in comes as no surprise, and I expect we’ll see even more announcements from Warner Bros. in the coming months as more toys are revealed. It’s a brilliant type of advertising that skirts the old television rules preventing animated shows from being glorified commercials. By taking these shorts online, kids who are spending time on dedicated apps or YouTube can be sold to again and again and again.
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I keep hoping they will bring about a new DCAU (or revisit the old) or expand on the one from “Young Justice”, but I suppose these could be fun until or if that happens.