Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Toy Fair 2016: Ghostbusters Movie Plot Taking Shape

I'M BACK!! After 2 days of attempting to get some coverage online WHILE at toy Fair 2016 (a novel idea), and 4 days of heavy, HEAVY toy coverage averaging 2k pics a day among 4 photographers, I have returned...with words...to go with the pretty pictures we will be rolling out with the grace of a massive dump truck letting loose with the shift of a lever. It'll be toymageddon. Down and dirty in the mud, yo.

Let's kick things off with GHOSTBUSTERS!! The new film is looming and the licensees were out in full force on their various stages at Toy Fair 2016 in New York City. This environment has reporters who may be hunting for new movie news peeking into each booth for the "no ghosts" symbol which alerts us a clue might be nearby! It's the kind of fun little scavenger hunt that keeps you sane while trying your best to get 2 thousand toys a day shot in focus. Our hunt began at a 7am LEGO breakfast/press scrum where the new "Girls in Grey" were being shown along with a little demon guy...







It continued at a Mattel Collector Preview where that little demon had grown some! It seemed obvious that the licensor (SONY) wanted that sinister looking demon to be front and center, but it was more curious that another spectral character that looks much like the "no ghosts" logo had two figures on hand while our menacing demon friend had only one. The plot thickens...












That following morning at the Mattel Blogger preview, our Ghostbusters movie friends were on hand once again. This time the menacing demon was in package, labeled "MAYHEM". On the back was a production image of the Mayhem action figure flanked by the four new Ghostbusters in mini figure form, which could be suggesting Mayhem is MASSIVE..or just be a fun toy shot! I asked a rep on hand if the Proton Pack nearby had any bells and whistles and was shown the little compartment where you stick the translucent mini figure ghosts, which are then projected on a wall by the wand. I inquired about Mayhem's place in the movie and was told emphatically "I was told the bad guy is the logo looking Ghost"...which lead to a semi-comical back and forth.
That guy?
Yes.
The dude that looks like the "We now return to the Real Ghostbusters" ghost?
~laughs~ Yes. His name is Rowan.
Really??!!
Yes, that's what I'm told.
Huh. Amazing.
With Mayhem on the back of the package and looking very much like a major villain (though a completely obvious one), it could be a potentially amazing bait and switch (if we didn't live in the future where we just learned who the main villain actually is.) There would be more info to squeeze from the show floor at Javits...






 


Images from the back of packaging at Mattel...





and some art of future product from Huckleberry's Yubi's Fingerines Ghostbusters movie line...




...show a pleasant little white ghost that looks like he could be bunk mates with Casper. He's downright 1950's cartoon show host worthy. After running the floor and assembling little bits of info here and there, we have gathered that the little ghost is, indeed, Rowan, who starts out seemingly benign and as the story progresses, grows into a real threat...or is perhaps revealed to be the actual evil pulling the strings on the film's fiendish events? Whatever the case, the wordage used was "he starts out small and gets bigger...like Stay Puft big". We also see Rowan looking both happy and trapped, and Slimer, who, if it wasn't confirmed officially before, we now know is absolutely in the movie and even has a female counterpart! We don't have a picture of Lady Slimer yet, but we'll be on the lookout.

SO...take from this what you will. Does Rowan disguise himself as a little innocent spirit, becoming the inspiration for the "no ghosts" logo (as this is an Origin story, not a sequel) and then morphs into a colossal threat as the film progresses? Or perhaps his innocent image is a fake out, deflecting attention toward a menace that outwardly seems like a threat while Rowan gathers power and is revealed when he is at full strength? The former thought is interesting. The latter could be a lot of fun...sort of like the Scrappy Doo reveal in the Scooby Doo movie! Only time will tell what the actual story will show...and for now...we have toys to save up for!

Note to websites looking for news: Please credit us. If you are grabbing pictures and info, please only grab half at the most of what we are showing and link back for the rest. We appreciate your interest and thank you for your cooperation!


Entertainment Earth


4 comments :

  1. Did you happen to stop by Tomy's booth when you were at Toy Fair? I'm very interested in what they have to offer for their Sonic line.

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    Replies
    1. We did. I'll put that into the Flicker albums next.

      Delete
  2. This is what nightmares are made from, simply amazing. Ghostbusters collections are so cute. Great choice of base. Good job!

    ReplyDelete
  3. This is what nightmares are made from, simply amazing. Ghostbusters collections are so cute. Great choice of base. Good job!

    ReplyDelete