Humanising vehicles equals commercial galore, especially with the surge of the attention that the Car’s film franchise has captured. On face value creating a toy that originates from a film presents itself as a ploy to boost both global promotion and sales but personifying cars with characters also lifts the screen between the audience and a producer’s imagination. Accomplishing this is far from straight forward. Creating a design that is efficient in design and makes reference to the initial creators visionary appears to be a challenging task especially with the added pressure of public acclaim that these animations already acquire. The now familiar notion of toys coming to life in films is reversed in this concept. A combination of curiosity fuels these campaigns, as an audience we build preconceptions as to how they will be designed during the transfer from screen to a prospective toy. The overall execution is depends on the movies genre. With success these trinkets are elevated into something much more, eventually being immortalised into somewhat of an innovative paean.
Anticipation for the latest instalment of Star Wars “The Force Awakens” has been conjuring a while prior to its release date and Hotwheels designer Byran Benedict made his expressive contribution. Actively focusing on one character in particular, he didn’t only just create designs for a toy car but the real deal too. Red nuances that parallel the touch upon the infamous lightsaber combined with Mechanisms that seamlessly frame Darth Vader’s reworked mask allow it to be showcased in all its glory. Notably containing some of the most sought after film memorabilia in existence, Star Wars products seemingly surpass the toy status and therefore the buzz surrounding this design was to be expected. Toy sales are often seen to exceed those of the film itself; it’s no wonder why companies already have lines ready and waiting to be unleashed onto the market. Cinemas expectedly draw crowds but as do the toy launches, each distinctive piece holding value to collectors, constructing their own legacies. Other big names within the film industry preparing to redouble their efforts in attempts to preserve profits as the surge of this intergalactic bandwagon only intensifies.
Commercial giants suffered losses during 2014. Hot Wheels however, has enticed the likes of Marvel and thus Disney, collaborating with big names in the entertainment industry contribute towards their success. Which superhero (or villain) would you like to next see becoming road worthy? More importantly which would you drive in? Could you picture yourself ripping up the motorways driving Wolverine or cruise in a small yet powerful Yoda inspired ride?
