First 'Transformers,' now Erector sets. When will the toy films stop?

By Sarah Sluis

Erector Sets: The 3D Movie may be coming to a theatre near you, but I certainly hope not. Toy manufacturer Hasbro has long been on the gravy train of toy-to-movie adaptations, with other manufacturers like Mattel and Milton Bradley coming in to create movie adaptations of popular dolls and board games. As the more popular and plottable properties have been snapped up, bizarre and one-note toys have started to be acquired. In a way, it's a wonder that toy-based adaptations haven't happened earlier. Toy companies and movies have a long history of contact with each other (hello, Star Wars merchandising), but until recently their original creations never received a spotlight of their own.

While there have been successful adaptations of plotless properties (I'm counting Pirates of the Caribbean as one I can really stand behind, even though it was a theme park ride and not a toy), making a movie out of Erector sets sounds like a real creative stretch--or worse, totally foreseeable. What is it going to be, a young boy who makes an erector set model that magically comes to life? Haven't we seen enough movies about toys coming to life? With an audience full of young children, however, it's unlikely that a seven-year-old will realize they're being presented with an age-old movie setup.

I wonder if any of these toy-to-movie adaptations were sparked by the success of Toy Story, Pixar's seminal CG film about toys coming to life. At the time, the movie was noticed more for its CG animation than its toys-come-to-life plot, but it was very rewarding to see familiar toys like Mr. Potato Head incorporated into the plotline of the story. Toy Story 3, releasing this summer, includes Ken alongside some fictional toys like a hedgehog called Mr. Pricklepants (although I bet you can buy Mr. Pricklepants as soon as the movie releases). But an adaptation of a property like Erector set seems unnatural and forced. I see the Erector set working much better as a tool in a movie like Toy Story than as the star of its own show, but that won't stop the production company Helix films from creating a "fantasy/adventure franchise."