A brand back from the dead

In 1995, Toy Story was the most successful computer animated film.  In 1999, Toy Story 2 outperformed its predecessor.  Eleven years later, Toy Story 3 will be released.  But, have audiences moved on?  Can the Toy Story brand be re-awakened?

Enter social media, once again.  DisneyPixar is using Twitter to tease its followers, and Facebook to connect in an even more participative way.  (And because DisneyPixar has over 1,000,000 fans on Facebook, they're preparing pretty well.)

Now, I believe that Toy Story 3 will be wildly successful.  I mean, I'll go see it, and I'm 22.  But social media is certainly helping to prepare America for a re-vamp of the franchise.

Facebook is going to be a useful tool as they begin to showcase the new characters and increase buzz about the Toys that they're actually manufacturing for the movie.

The network is going to be a great way for fans to express their excitement over the movie.  So, with a summer release date and positive buzz, this movie should make about $350 million.