It's been quite a while since I last posted a piece about the various domain names The Walt Disney Company has recently registered. ?Which sometimes offers up a clue or two about the Mouse has in the works for the weeks, months & years ahead.
Mind you, a lot of the news that I've uncovered this time around won't be all that startling. I mean, given that production just began last week in Iceland on "The Fifth State," (i.e. a movie about the controversial website WikiLeaks, this DreamWorks Studios production will be released to theaters on November 15th through Disney's Touchstone label), does it really surprise you to learn that -- on January 27th -- the Mouse's legal department snagged the following domain names?
- fifthestatefilm.com
- fifthestatemovie.com
- thefifthestatemovie.com
Benedict Cumberbatch as
Julian Assange and Daniel Br?hl as Daniel Domscheit-Berg
in "The Fifth
Estate." Copyright DreamWorks / Disney. All rights reserved
Likewise given that DreamWorks Studios acquired the film rights to Electronic Arts' "Need for Speed" video games last June and given that this Scott Waugh movie (which will supposedly pay tribute to " ... the great car-culture films of the '70s) is slated to begin shooting late next month in Atlanta ... Well, it's probably not going to shock you to learn that Disney (which will -- once again -- be releasing this DreamWorks production through its Touchstone label) snapped up all sorts of "Need for Speed" film -related domain names back in September 28th ...
- needforspeedfilm.com
- theneedforspeed-movie.com
- theneedforspeedfilm.com
- theneedforspeedmovie.com
... and September 29th of last year.
- needforspeedfilm.com
- theneedforspeed-movie.com
- theneedforspeedfilm.com
- theneedforspeedmovie.com
Copyright Electronic Arts
Inc. All rights reserved
... so that the Studio's PR department will then have all sorts of options available when it comes time to decide how exactly Disney is going to promote "Need for Speed" online out ahead of its February 7, 2014 release date.
That was a fairly common occurrence this time around as I went back through the past six months or so of domain names that The Walt Disney Company had recently registered. Coming upon instance after instance where the Studio's PR department had grabbed up names that it might possibly use as part of the online promotion of an upcoming motion picture. Take -- for example -- what happens on December 14th ...
- stark-industries.biz
- stark-international.org
?... and December 22nd of last year ...
- be-stark.com
- becomeironman.com
Copyright 2012 Marvel &
Subs. All rights reserved
... when Company officials snagged the above domain names to possible use out ahead of the May 3rd release of "Iron Man 3."
Mind you, some of the upcoming online promotions that the Mouse has in the works do sound genuinely intriguing. Take -- for example ...
- unboltdisneygoat.com
- unboltthegoat.com
... which Disney officials snagged back on December 22nd
supposedly to help support / promote the June 21st release of that
"Monsters, Inc.
"So what does a goat have to do with this upcoming Pixar Animation Studios production?," you ask. Well, if you'll check out these promotional images from that Dan Scanlon film which were released to various entertainment news sites during the month of December ...
Copyright Pixar. All rights
reserved
... you'll see that a small orange goat-like creature does factor into "Monsters University" 's plotline. As I understand it, Mike and Sulley wind up joining Oozma Kappa, a college fraternity over the course of this movie. And since rivalries between different fraternities is kind of a college tradition? ... The guys who are producing "Monsters University" have evidently decided to have the frat brothers of Oozma Kappa prank another fraternity on campus by having Mike & Sulley mastermind the theft of that frat's mascot. Which is this weird little orange goat-like thing.
"So what does this 'Unbolt the Goat' domain name have to do with 'Monsters University' ?," you query. Well, as I understand, Disney & Pixar are looking to use various social media platforms (i.e. Facebook, Twitter and the like) as the way to stage an online goat where "Monster University" fans out in cyberspace will perform some sort of virtual task that will then help Mike & Sulley steal this rival fraternity's mascot.
Copyright Pixar. All rights
reserved
Here. If you want to get a sense of what sort of online interaction I'm talking about, check out this Twitter-based campaign that DDB Spain put together for the Volkswagen Polo.
And speaking of interactive online stuff ... I wish that I'd actually been paying attention when Disney had the website associated with these domain names ...
- disneyqbotics.com
- disneyqbotic.com
- disneyqboticgame.com
- disneyqboticsgame.com
- disneyqboticsthegame.com
- disneyqboticthegame.com
- q-botic.com
- q-botics.com
- qboticsgame.com
- qboticsthegame.com
- cuboticsgame.com
- cuboticsthegame.com
- disneycubotics.com
- disneycuboticsgame.com
- disneycuboticsthegame.com
Copyright Disney
Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved
... up and running.
As I understand it, back in October of last year, the Mouse was recruiting kids online to take part in the Beta test of Disney Qbotics. Which was this " ... place where your child can design, build, and drive unique vehicles, contraptions, and machines they've created with their imaginations."
Given that -- during the big unveiling of "Disney Infinity" earlier this month at Hollywood's El Capitan Theatre -- the folks at Disney Interactive heavily hyped this video game's Toy Box mode (which will -- in essence -- allow users to build their own unique worlds and then send Disney & Pixar characters off on adventures that are only limited by that user's imagination) -- I have to admit that I was kind of intrigued by this description of Disney Qbotics that I came across online. Which described this proposed virtual community as being a place where ...
... In Disney Qbotics, your child can use their skills in collaboration, creativity, budgeting, and mechanics to create structures and machines, to complete challenges, and compete against their fellow builder friends, or build without limitations in Free Build Mode.
Copyright Disney
Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved
Which makes me wonder if Disney Qbotics was in fact part of the final phase in testing for Disney Infinity. Or whether Disney Interactive had both of these projects with their Toy Box / Free Build Modes in development at the exact same time and -- in the end -- opted to table Disney Qbotics in favor of Disney Infinity?
More to the point, did any of you parents out there have kids that were recruited to take part in the Disney Qbotics beta test last Fall? And if so, what was your impression of this proposed online virtual community?
And speaking of your children ... I just want to give you parents out there a heads up that Disney Consumer Products may soon be launching a new product line that your children just will not be able to resist. One that will possibly pair the Disney Princesses with cute little puppies and kittens.
Copyright Disney
Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved
Don't believe me? Then check out this series of domain names that The Walt Disney Company registered back on January 16th ...
- disneyprincesspalacepets.com
... and January 19th ...
- disneypalacepets.com
- disneyprincesspets.com
When Nancy and I are down in New York City next month covering the 2012 edition of the American International Toy Fair, I'd do some poking around and see if anyone's heard anything about Princess Pets or Palace Pets possibly being in the Disney Consumer Products pipeline.
But what about you folks? Would you really be interested in
a new line of plush toys with direct ties to the Disney Princesses if it
featured cute little kittens and puppies? I mean, you have to admit that this
proposed product line would put a whole new spin on that classic "Snow
White
Copyright Pixar. All
rights reserved
Here, Prince! Here, boy! Good dog!
Your thoughts?
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