A paywall stops people coming in, but does it stop stuff going out? Quick Posterous test....
Animation giant is attempting to interest females in science fiction through the two timeless attractions of shoes and jewellery
Walt Disney is trying to persuade more women to enter the macho world of science fiction by wooing them with two timeless attractions: shoes and jewellery.
Almost 30 years on from the original Tron film, the world’s biggest media company is tapping into the growing female market for “geek chic” with a range of high-end Tron-themed accessories ahead of the release of the sequel.
With Tron: Legacy opening in US cinemas on December 17, the studio has launched an unusual marketing drive to target adults who remember the original film. Among the merchandise unveiled by Disney yesterday was a “Tron icon” pendant necklace made by Rotenier and priced at $2,600 (£1,266).
Meanwhile, a pair of spiked chrome platform sandals inspired by the film and designed by Jerome C Rousseau is expected to retail at $795.
“The demographic we got to speak to for this film was a young adult and the adult consumer who happened to be around for the original. We knew we had to be creative,” said Pamela Lifford, an executive vice-president at Disney.
Sean Bailey, the president of production at the company, added: “Our thinking is to play a lot broader. We have the digital whiz-bang wizardry that gets the men in.” The clothing and accessories range is part of Disney’s strategy to make films that can be exploited across its franchise, with television, games and theme park spinoffs.
The company is also releasing a video game, entitled Tron: Evolution, while a graphic novel and animated television series are believed to be in the pipeline. Tron: Legacy cost an estimated $177 million to make and could fetch as much as $255 million in its opening weekend.
So the Times were kind enough to send me an access code to the website that they have safely locked away from prying eyes. And I'm wondering if i can still use all the normal ways of reading, storing and interacting with it. So here goes....
