Notwithstanding their militaristic values, the product lines for G.I. Joe and Battleship at least have stories that can be told — the narrative is built into their design. But The Lego Movie surprised everyone over its opening weekend, bringing in $69.1 million despite having nothing but building instructions to offer as a narrative guideline.
Remarkably, the film didn’t merely succeed financially, but critically; adults and children alike thrilled at its imagination, echoing its official theme song “Everything Is Awesome” as they walked elated out of theaters. Meanwhile, Hollywood is undoubtedly wasting no time finding the next great toy or game to turn into Tinseltown gold.
Before the button-pushers and check-signers announce their next moulded-plastic masterpiece, TV Mix has assembled a prospective list of toy properties that might do well if transformed into film adventures. Check out our suggestions below.
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1. Hungry Hungry Hippos – Mad scientists kidnap a group of hippos from their jungle habitat after they discover that the mammals possess a unique genetic ability to eat their way through any substance! After being subjected to experimentation in order to create an Ultra SuperHippo intended to help their creators conquer the world, the Hippos rebel against their masters in a deliciously destructive battle across an urban jungle. All of which paves the way for a sequel: Hungry Hungry Hippos 2: Back For Seconds.
2. Speak & Spell – An ordinary cubicle dweller finds a Speak & Spell in his office one day and takes it home as a gift for his daughter, but soon realizes that what he thought was simply an educational toy is the key to a conspiracy by his bosses to take over the internet. Now it’s up to him and his spelling-bee-champion daughter to decode his bosses’ plans and save the world from a future full of typos and misspellings! A possible spinoff could be Speak & Math: The Day Everything Added Up
3. Pocket Rocker – A beautiful young girl aspires to become a pop star, but can only find an audience of two — her working-class parents, who pass on their childhood toys because they can’t afford to buy her new ones. When they hand her a Pocket Rocker to pass the time while they work extra shifts to make ends meet, she disappears into a world of fantasy where she sings just like Tiffany, and has the late ’80s fan base to match. Entering herself in a reality competition believing she is the singer, she prevails over her competition, but is forced to face reality when her parents show up and remind her who she really is.
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4. Slinky – Set in the far-off future, human muscles have atrophied and people have lost mobility due to laziness, and our high-tech addictions. But when a girl discovers a straightened-out Slinky, she sets herself on curing it back up again, not only unleashing her imagination, but strengthening her will — and her muscles — to start a new wave of physical activity that could redeem the human race.
5. Silly Putty – When a group of nerdy teens discover that their entire school is full of robot clones, they hole up in an art classroom and search desperately for something to use to defend themselves. But when they discover a confiscated case of Silly Putty, they decide to make clones of themselves in order to deceive their android adversaries and escape to freedom.
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SOURCE: TVMix.com
