Disney rides on nostalgia around The Lion King to bolster merchandise sales

As the movie notches up record collections at the Box Office, the American entertainment giant invokes the might of its merchandise machinery to expand its influence

Within a week of its release, Disney’s The Lion King has climbed up the collections chart with rapid intensity. And the Disney campaign, having successfully leveraged the strong nostalgia around the movie’s animated version and Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan’s voiceover, is pushing its way through to the merchandise market where the movie is visible on everything—from badges and T-shirts to bags and special accessories. 

  

Jiggy George, founder and CEO, Dream Theatre, a licensing firm, says that a lot of the popular genres for merchandising are the ones that are seeing a revival on the big screen. “Nostalgia plays a big