The trend of action cartoons over the last decade or so have always been revolving around the true power of the Schwartz. Merchandising.
Shows offer up fantasy battles with an assortment of collectible cards or creatures that inevitably feed into a child’s craving to gnaw at their parents purse strings to make you buy these individual wonders so that they too can play pretend and take part in these fantasy conflicts.
One of the most popular of this breed of 20 minute commercials interrupted by commercial breaks is Bakugan. Now it looks like it might get a feature film treatment.
A “Bakugan” series airs six days a week on the Cartoon Network, where it is one of the cable channel’s top shows. It is also a strategic game that uses metal cards and magnetic, spring-loaded miniature figures that transform from marble-like balls into toy monsters.
The show’s story line revolves around creatures called Bakugan and the young human battle brawlers who wield them. The creatures have such names as Pyrus Drago, Haos Tigrerra, Ventus Skyress, Subterra Gorem and Darkus Hydranoid that inform their character and power; they are involved in a battle in a parallel dimension called Vestroia that spills into ours.
I am assuming that in this early stage where barely a word is written and very few have their name attached to the project, that we are looking at an animated feature that will likely just support more of the popular cartoon.
My kids have been tainted with this “collect em all” bug that existed in me only for baseball cards. But the imagination toys of my youth like action figures and play sets didn’t make me crave for that complete set, but just the pieces and characters that I liked most. And that was enough.
Now its never enough. Buy me more mommy.
