This is how Disney’s ‘Cars 3’ plans to vroom in L&M industry of India

With the release of the second sequel its billion-dollar franchise Cars, Disney India is yet again soaring on the animation landscape with credits to its brand deals with as many as 40 brands across categories.

The 3-D animated movie Cars 3, that released across about 800 screens in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu, has surpassed the record of highest licensing partnerships for any animated movie in the country.

Quintessentially, the animated movies garner restrained appeal among Indian audiences, with majority from Tier I and metro cities, thereby offering no choice to international production houses other than opting for comparatively smaller screen counts for release.

In past, comedy adventure Finding Dory from the house of Disney had inked the then highest number of partnerships with 16 brands. As per experts, the brand associations for the film are set to rake a moolah of close to 110 crore INR in retail sales value. The brands on board for Cars 3 include the likes of eCommerce major Amazon, toy retailers Hamleys and Mattel; Myntra, Max, Pantaloons and Bioworld on the fashion side; footwear brands Crocs and Bata, accessories firm Titan and furnishing fabrics brand D’Décor, among others.

Commenting on the association, Sanjeet Mehta, Executive Director and Head - Consumer Products, Disney India said, "At Disney, we are always looking at offering products that fans can enjoy 365 days a year and are thrilled to be working with as many as 40 brands for Cars 3.

Each of our licensees helps us offer a piece of the Disney. Pixar Cars universe that fans can take back home.” On promotional front, toy brand Mattel has launched a series of cars and play sets inspired by the characters and plot of the movie including 45 die-cast vehicles featuring authentic styling. “Cars 3 has been highly anticipated and we’re confident that our merchandise will perform exceptionally well among kids,” said Ishmeet Singh, country manager-India, Mattel. The Cars 3 association with battery brand Duracell includes on-pack promotion with a special call-out to a contest where 500 winners stand a chance to win an RC (remote controlled) Lightning McQueen car and a co-branded television and social media campaign, on-ground activation and in-store promotions.

Eretail platform Amazon.in has brought out 300 online and offline products for the film, across multiple categories from toys to kids’ fashion and home furniture and furnishings to publishing, back-to-school goods, stationery and kids’ accessories. The brands, on the other hand, are saved the investment required for new product development as they can leverage the Disney film franchise to come up with new collections and drive sales, thus also helping to build their own brand as they are perceived as category leaders if they are associated with the studio.