Toy Stories by Jim Tuckwell, a graphic designer and illustrator based in Perth, Australia, is a set of three classic movie posters that have been re-cast with characters from the animated film, 'Toy Story.' Buzz Lightyear is featured in a black and white poster for '2001: A Toy Odyssey,' Woody and Mr. Potato Head star in a pink-accented 'Reservoir Dolls' poster and, last but not least, the troop of green army men are cast in 'Playtoon.'
A fun project, Toy Stories by Jim Tuckwell was inspired by a desire to dabble in movie posters. Graham Roberts, a fellow designer, writes, "The Playtoon one really captures the desperation of war fare, yet you know these are just green toy soldiers. You know that Light Buzz year is just a plastic toy yet you really can feel that sense of deep space, awe and fear in Buzz’s face."
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Animated Re-casting
- Combining animated characters with classic movie posters to create a unique, eye-catching and potentially viral result.
- Playful Branding
- Brands can leverage nostalgic characters to create brand awareness and resonate with their audience.
- Meme Marketing
- Multimedia and humor create shareable and viral content for brands, encouraging free marketing.
Where This Applies
- Entertainment
- Entertainment companies can create licensed merchandise and posters with crossover characters that appeal to adult nostalgia.
- Advertising/marketing
- Advertisement companies can make use of nostalgic characters and their designs to create fun and unique branding projects for clients.
- Digital Social
- Social media allows brands to create eye-catching memes and shareable content that promote their products to potential customers.
