Clothes by Open Ceremony and Marc Jacobs inspired by Disney character Mickey Mouse showcased in Los Angeles. Véronique Dupont / AFP
Clothes by Open Ceremony and Marc Jacobs inspired by Disney character Mickey Mouse showcased in Los Angeles. Véronique Dupont / AFP

Disney designs new products to keep in touch with fans



Designer clothing, interactive high-tech toys and new TV programming for children: the Disney juggernaut is churning out a slew of new products, including some targeted at the key holiday season.

The global entertainment giant did not disclose exactly how much of its annual US$48.8billion (Dh179.24bn) revenue its product lines bring in, but one top executive said they are vital to staying in touch with the company’s legion of fans.

“Our consumer products continue to tell the Disney stories after the movies,” said Josh Silverman, Disney’s executive vice president for global licensing in the consumer products division.

“They’re key to keeping the link with the consumers.”

One of the company’s Christmas-season must-haves will be Playmation, a new system of wearable devices linked to a storytelling app that encourages children to be active.

The first Playmation series, due to hit stores in October, is a tie-in to Disney-owned Marvel's blockbuster Avengers superhero franchise, with a gadget that slips over a child's hand and forearm and lets him or her pretend to be Iron Man.

The US$119 (Dh437) device makes noises, vibrates, shines lights and gives children instructions to hide, fire, shoot and more.

Disney is hoping that the new-generation play set, made in partnership with toy company Hasbro, will stimulate more active play time, a step beyond sedentary videogames. In addition to Marvel, Disney also owns the Star Wars franchise, and with the long-awaited sequel – Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, which was partly filmed in Abu Dhabi – due for release in December, the stars of the space saga, past and present, will be on toy shelves next year.

"We don't only do princesses," says Sean Cocchia, executive vice president and general manager of Disney Channels Worldwide. Of course, the Disney princesses – especially Elsa and Anna, the wildly popular stars of the animated Frozen franchise – are not disappearing anytime soon, with the next round of toys based on the characters due in 2017 ahead of the release of the film's sequel.

The original 2013 movie was one of the top-earning films in box-office history, earning about $1.3 billion.

Disney is not only about toys, however. The company is also delving into the world of high fashion, joining forces with trendy retailers such as Vans, speciality shops Opening Ceremony, and star labels Comme des Garçons and Marc Jacobs.

After a first collaboration based on a simple Mickey Mouse sweater, Jacobs’ autumn-winter 2015 collection included a series of items inspired by Snow White, with price tags ranging from $2,000 to $5,000.

To mark this year's live-action remake of the animated classic Cinderella, Disney worked with shoe designers Jimmy Choo and Stuart Weitzman to reinvent the iconic glass slipper.

Catering to a more mainstream audience with a smaller pocketbook, Japanese label D Style is launching a line of Disney clothing targeting young women, featuring images of classic characters such as Mickey, Minnie and Donald Duck. The line is due to arrive in the United States in October. Disney will also continue its partnership with Japanese company Uniqlo that began in April. The store will roll out, over the next 18 months, a line of T-shirts featuring Mickey’s silhouette in unusual prints, including patchwork denim.

Following the success of Star Wars: Rebels, a cartoon series targeting young boys, Disney is also adapting its wacky Marvel superhero movie Guardians of the Galaxy, one of the biggest box-office successes of last year, into an animated television show.

Tangled, based on the 2010 film inspired by the fairy tale of Rapunzel, is also being adapted for the small screen.

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SPECS

Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
Price: From Dh599,000
On sale: Now

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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Sucker%20Punch%20Productions%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Sony%20Computer%20Entertainment%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsole%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20PlayStation%202%20to%205%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%205%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Switching%20sides
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Leading all-time NBA scorers

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 38,387
Karl Malone 36,928
Kobe Bryant 33,643
Michael Jordan 32,292
LeBron James 31,425
Wilt Chamberlain 31,419

The%20specs
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Thank You for Banking with Us

Director: Laila Abbas

Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum

Rating: 4/5

THE BIO

Favourite car: Koenigsegg Agera RS or Renault Trezor concept car.

Favourite book: I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes or Red Notice by Bill Browder.

Biggest inspiration: My husband Nik. He really got me through a lot with his positivity.

Favourite holiday destination: Being at home in Australia, as I travel all over the world for work. It’s great to just hang out with my husband and family.

 

 

Moon Music

Artist: Coldplay

Label: Parlophone/Atlantic

Number of tracks: 10

Rating: 3/5

LA LIGA FIXTURES

Friday Celta Vigo v Villarreal (midnight kick-off UAE)

Saturday Sevilla v Real Sociedad (4pm), Atletico Madrid v Athletic Bilbao (7.15pm), Granada v Barcelona (9.30pm), Osasuna v Real Madrid (midnight)

Sunday Levante v Eibar (4pm), Cadiz v Alaves (7.15pm), Elche v Getafe (9.30pm), Real Valladolid v Valencia (midnight)

Monday Huesca v Real Betis (midnight)

La Mer lowdown

La Mer beach is open from 10am until midnight, daily, and is located in Jumeirah 1, well after Kite Beach. Some restaurants, like Cupagahwa, are open from 8am for breakfast; most others start at noon. At the time of writing, we noticed that signs for Vicolo, an Italian eatery, and Kaftan, a Turkish restaurant, indicated that these two restaurants will be open soon, most likely this month. Parking is available, as well as a Dh100 all-day valet option or a Dh50 valet service if you’re just stopping by for a few hours.
 

The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo

Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 6-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km

Price: Dh133,900

On sale: now 

Jigra
Director: Vasan Bala
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Rated: 3.5/5
Why it pays to compare

A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.

Route 1: bank transfer

The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.

Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount

Total received: €4,670.30 

Route 2: online platform

The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.

Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction

Total received: €4,756

The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.

The specs

  Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now

Company profile

Name: Fruitful Day

Founders: Marie-Christine Luijckx, Lyla Dalal AlRawi, Lindsey Fournie

Based: Dubai, UAE

Founded: 2015

Number of employees: 30

Sector: F&B

Funding so far: Dh3 million

Future funding plans: None at present

Future markets: Saudi Arabia, potentially Kuwait and other GCC countries

 

 

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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding

Premier Futsal 2017 Finals

Al Wasl Football Club; six teams, five-a-side

Delhi Dragons: Ronaldinho
Bengaluru Royals: Paul Scholes
Mumbai Warriors: Ryan Giggs
Chennai Ginghams: Hernan Crespo
Telugu Tigers: Deco
Kerala Cobras: Michel Salgado