Disney screened the first 30 minutes of its new Pixar movie “Lightyear” at CinemaCon in Las Vegas on Wednesday, but the biggest buzz among attendees wasn’t about the main character at the center of “Toy Story’s” origin story.
That distinction went to a little robotic cat named Sox.
The ginger and white mechanical feline is a personal companion presented as a gift to Buzz Lightyear after a mission goes wrong. Sox, a kind of therapy device, is designed to do anything Buzz requires, including monitoring his mental health and providing sleep sounds at night.
General audiences poked fun at the Sox in the first trailers for “Lightyear,” which hits theaters June 17. But the extended exposure CinemaCon attendees had to the little robotic cat solidified the consensus that it’s destined to be the next popular toy.
Like many of Disney and Pixar’s animal and robotic sidekicks, Sox has a distinct personality and adds moments of levity in times of peril. During the preview at CinemaCon, his reactions drew the most raucous laughs from the crowd.
“Sox the cat is going to steal the whole movie,” Fandango managing editor Erik Davis wrote on Twitter after the preview. “Disney is going to sell so many Sox cat toys.”
Sox, who is voiced by Pixar veteran Peter Sohn, has a dry sense of humor and a forceful voice reminiscent of K-2SO from “Rogue One” and an innocence and caring nature like Baymax from “Big Hero 6.” He also has a data probe on the tail to R2-D2 which comes in handy when Buzz is in a bind.
Audiences could be heard streaming out of the Colosseum at Caesar’s Palace after Disney’s performance excited about the new character. In meetings later in the week, exhibitors and box office analysts told CNBC that Sox clearly stood out in the highly anticipated animated film, with many imitating the cat or reciting his lines seen in footage.
“No spoilers. I just know that everyone will want a [Sox] toy as soon as this movie is released,” tweeted John Rocha, film critic for The Outlaw Nation, a medium that offers diverse perspectives on the world of entertainment. “So start shopping right now or as soon as they’re available.”
Disney has had significant success turning its cronies into major toy sellers. In recent years, Grogu from “The Mandalorian” and Olaf from “Frozen” have dominated toy shelves, clothing lines, and home goods. Legacy characters like R2-D2 from “Star Wars” and Mushu from “Mulan” continue to sell out.
“I went through a list of the top 50 movie characters and 17 of them were animals, 24 were human or human-like, and nine were a variety of monsters and robots,” said Richard Gottlieb, CEO of Global Toy Experts. “It interested me that being cute and furry alone doesn’t guarantee success. The character, whether it’s an animal or a monster, has to be identifiable as a human.”
Mattelwho owns the master toy license for the Toy Story franchise, has created several versions of Sox plush dolls and action figures, but his main item for the toy line is an $80 animatronic interactive version of the character.
“Sox has been the biggest thing from the first moment we saw the movie ‘Lightyear,'” said PJ Lewis, chief executive officer of Mattel’s plush and action figure division. “We knew he was much more than a sidekick and offered multiple ways to drive product innovation for the ‘Lightyear’ line. Plus, we have some cat lovers on the team who swooned.”
In addition to the Mattel product, Sox can be found in the toy aisle as a Funko Pop and Lego figure, as well as in the candy aisle as a Pez dispenser.
Studios and toy companies are well aware of how quickly consumers of all ages can embrace characters from movies and television. When these characters are successful in the toy and apparel market, they are often made into household items such as dish towels, spatulas, and plates, as well as other products such as jewelry, bandages, greeting cards, and pet toys. .
It is a lucrative business. Global sales revenue generated by licensed merchandise reached nearly $300 billion in 2019, based on data from the Licensing International Annual Industry Summary, conducted by Brandar Consulting. The entertainment and character sector accounts for $128.4 billion, or about 44% of global sales.
And Sox is well positioned to become Disney’s next big money-making toy, said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore.
“A star was born at CinemaCon this week,” he said.
Disclosure: Comcast is the parent company of NBCUniversal and CNBC. NBCUniversal owns Fandango.