By Allison Watkinson
TLL Reporter
Mattel has entered into a global licensing agreement for Pixar’s Lightyear, the origin story of Toy Story’s character, Buzz Lightyear.
Through the agreement, Mattel has acquired global licensing rights to develop a line of toys for the Lightyear franchise. These toys will include action figures, playsets, vehicles, games, plush, and more.
The new licensing agreement builds on Mattel and Disney’s existing licensing relationships for Disney and Pixar’s Toy Story and Cars franchises, among others.
“At Mattel, we treat our licensors’ properties as if they were our own,” said Richard Dickson, President and Chief Operating Officer, Mattel. “For more than 15 years, Mattel has collaborated with Disney and Pixar to bring their amazing content to life with our innovative products and marketing initiatives. We are excited to further that collaboration by introducing a line of toys and play experiences for fans of all ages to enjoy, to infinity and beyond.”
Mattel is a global toy company and owner of one of the strongest catalogs of children’s and family entertainment franchises in the world.
The company has a massive portfolio of iconic brands and intellectual properties that are owned by the company or licensed in partnership with global entertainment companies.
“We’re thrilled to further our ongoing collaboration with Mattel and bring even more products and experiences to life that delight millions of fans around the world through Pixar Animation Studios’ unique brand of storytelling,” said Josh Silverman, EVP Global Third-Party Commercialization, Disney Parks, Experiences and Products.
“With ‘Lightyear,’ there is an incredible opportunity to celebrate everyone’s favorite Space Ranger – along with a new cast of characters – through new and exciting toys, play experiences and more.”
Pixar Animation Studios is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company that is known for its award-winning animated feature films. The film studio features state-of-the-art technical, creative and production capabilities in the art of CG-animation.
Pixar is the animation studio behind the Lightyear film. The upcoming sci-fi, action-adventure film is an exploration of the origin story of Buzz Lightyear, the hero who inspired the fan-favourite toy from the Toy Story film franchise.
The film reveals how a test pilot became the Space Ranger that we all know him to be today. Lightyear is directed by Angus MacLane and was released in theaters June 17, 2022.
The licensed Lightyear toy collection is expected to launch at retailers across the globe beginning June 2022.