Original Toy Story Soundtrack For A Song

Readers, get ready for the Toy Story 3 onslaught.

Although the new Shrek movie beat out some stiff competition at the box office during the holiday weekend, it’s evident folks were growing a little tired of the ol’ green ogre and his band of fairy tale misfits. On the flipside, be it general public interest or the marketing muscle of Disney, Toy Story 3 is something to get excited about.

And we’re just talking about the parents. The kids are going to go crazy over it, so be prepared.

So, we at MDIAG! have prepared a little checklist for your long car rips to the beach. Did you pack your 12″ super action Buzz Lightyear? Good. Do you have your Toy Story and Toy Story 2 DVDs? Check. Did you get the movie music on your iPhone, iPod or MP3 player of choice? No? Well, Amazon.com has you covered.

Through June, as part of Amazon.com’s generally excellent monthly list of “100 albums for $5 each” deals, the original Toy Story soundtrack is being offered for download on glorious DRM-free MP3 for only $5. That’s a small price to pay to get some satisfied children on a long car ride in return.

MDIAG! is a big proponent of Amazon.com’s MP3 Downloads store, since the format allows near-universal compatibility with media playback devices, computers and other electronics, such as some GPS devices. And because they are MP3, they are DRM-free, so you only have to buy once and you can install it on whatever you like, as many times as you want.

So here’s our checklist. No ruined CDs? Check. Happy kids? Double check.

Original Toy Story Sountrack on MP3 [Amazon.com]

Toys ‘R’ Us Celebrates Toy Story 3, Offers Free Tix

Looking back at the first half of 2010, it is difficult to say it has been a disappointing year for family movies, with Alice and Wonderland, How To Train Your Dragon and Shrek Forever After showing box office dominance. But coming off a year where we had one quality family movie after another, anything would look pale in comparison

At first glance of the Summer movie schedule, it might appear to be light, but don’t let the perception of a lack of tentpole family films fool you – there really is something to see every week through July, and with the right marketing and word of mouth there’s bound to be a few new franchises born.

If there is one sure thing, however, it’s Toy Story 3. The franchise that not only built Pixar but saved Disney in the process is getting it’s long-awaited follow-up, which was once in development by a new CGI company created by Disney before the Pixar acquisition. And if there is a match made in marketing heaven, it’s Toy Story 3 and Toys ‘R’ Us.

Actually, it’s probably Toy Story 3 and The Disney Store, but we digress…

This summer, walk into your local Toys ‘R’ Us or Babies ‘R’ Us store and you’ll be immediately greeted by Buzz, Woody and the gang with signage and promotion to last throughout the Summer. Both Toys ‘R’ Us and Babies ‘R’ Us will create specialty boutiques with exclusive toys, room decor and other merchandise to celebrate the return of the Toys. Here’s an MDIAG! important note: Babies ‘R’ Us will be the place to find the Toy Story 3 Imaginext line, for Mommy and Daddy Geek who want to share the excitement of the new film with their toddlers but are just too young to bring to the theaters.

The best part of this promotion? Leading up to the theatrical release of Toy Story 3 on June 18, Toys ‘R’ Us will be offering a free ticket to the movie with a $25 purchase of Toy Story merchandise. So be sure to get your Toy Story toys ahead of the movie – your kids will thank you later in life.

Click here to read the full press release.