Mightybalto1925 wrote:
More merchandise? As far as I'm aware, Balto had plenty of merchandise. Maybe not as much as some Disney movies, but plenty enough. And honestly, I don't see what the advantage is to having more merchandise is.
Ask George Lucas what the advantages are lol.
Balto certainly could have done better but I feel advertising was the key failure. Considering that Balto was the 3rd and final movie from Amblimation, by the time it was released the studio was already being shut down with many of the crew moving to Dreamworks. In comparison to other movies, little was spent in the way of advertising and the movie was really set up to fail. Being in the shadow of Toy Story probably didn't help as while Pixars were busy blowing everyone's mind with a brand new highly detailed style, Amblimation were offering an advanced but old fashioned format.
Likewise when looking to apeal to the general public, when compared to the vibrant, cheerful world that Disney offers so well, the feel of Balto very much reflected the harsh environment of that part of Alaska. I know that Spielberg was concerned about the picture being "too cold" in order to draw the audience in and "warm" to the characters.
Merchadise probably wouldn't have helped to make the movie a success (you'd need the fans first to buy the merchandise) with the exception from adding to existing advertising. I do feel that it is a shame that Amblin/Universal didn't release more as there clearly were plans to do so originally. The snow globe for example, which was given out to all those who worked on the movie, was actually a prototype for "official" product that of course never got made. The final one would have had a music box fitted in the base. I think it worth pointing out that the movie did have very little actual "merchandise" i.e. something you could buy in a shop rather than it coming free with another product or given away at a special event. KFC & Hardees toys, posters, cinema materials, t-shirts, balloons, colouring sheets, press kits etc, while nice to own, are what I would call promotional material. That only really leaves the VHS & laserdisc, soundtrack, plush toys, story books, sticker album, towel, bubble bath & Sericel etc as official merchandise. Although that is quite a good start, compared with the countless items that Disney will offer in their stores it is rather small.
