Disney

Meanwhile, on South Buena Vista Street in Burbank, California, at Walt Disney Headquarters, CEO Mark Wilkins was engrossed in discussions about the company's business portfolio and this year's films.

The Disney films slated for release in 1994 included "The Return of Jafar," "Rudyard and Kipling's The Jungle Book," "Angels in the Outfield," "Whitefang 2," "The Lion King," and more.

During the meeting, they delved into marketing strategies, distinguishing between films with high and low expectations. Mark Wilkins expressed, "Given Aladdin's popularity among children, there's little doubt that its sequel, The Return of Jafar, is poised for significant profitability."

The executives reached a consensus, with one stating, "For the marketing, as usual, we've chosen Mattel for toys and McDonald's and Burger King for restaurants."

Another executive interjected, "That decision has already been finalized. What about 'The Lion King'?"

Upon hearing this, Mark Wilkins remarked, "Honestly, I harbored doubts about the film's potential success. However, I anticipate the box office results won't be too shabby."

The executives nodded in agreement. While "The Lion King" was not deemed subpar, there lingered uncertainty as it was animated by their less experienced team, raising questions about how well it would resonate with the audience.

"In terms of marketing the animation film, we should seek a toys manufacturer that offers favorable terms and is cost-effective for 'The Lion King,'" suggested one executive.

Mark Wilkins and the others nodded in agreement. Another executive added, "I've heard that KiShin Merchandise, a toy manufacturing company, provides more favorable terms compared to Mattel."

However, a different executive pointed out, "While KiShin Merchandise is gaining popularity in the states, Mattel still holds a more family-friendly and influential position among families with young children."

To this, another executive responded, "True, but KiShin Merchandise is also family-friendly and influential, particularly with families having younger children, thanks to their video games, action figures, and Lego products."

Another executive chimed in, "Is 'Jurassic Park' considered family-friendly? Besides, Mattel has established its presence in the toy industry for years, unlike KiShin Merchandise, which has only been around for about a year or two."

"Well, I believe it's acceptable to collaborate with KiShin Merchandise for manufacturing 'The Lion King' toys. After all, they've proven their competence by successfully marketing 'Jurassic Park,' right?" remarked another executive.

Although the suggestion made sense to everyone, there was a sense of reluctance to partner with a competitor in the film industry, especially KiShin Pictures, even though both KiShin Merchandise and KiShin Pictures were subsidiaries of KiShin Rules.

Mark Wilkins then stated, "I suppose there's no harm in having KiShin Merchandise manufacture 'The Lion King' toys for marketing purposes."

With that, the discussions regarding the toy marketing for "The Lion King" concluded. Despite choosing KiShin Merchandise over their usual partners like Mattel and Playmates Toys, they made the decision based on reports that other companies were turning to KiShin Merchandise for toy manufacturing due to better terms. However, the uncertainty remained about whether KiShin Merchandise could replicate the marketing success of 'Jurassic Park.'

For other Disney animation films slated for release in 1994, Disney opted to partner with another toy company, Playmates Toys.

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Meanwhile, at the KiShin Merchandise branch in the USA, Reynald McArthur was genuinely surprised and astonished when contacted by Disney regarding the manufacturing of toys for their upcoming animation film.

While KiShin Merchandise had already established partnerships with various companies for toy manufacturing, including WWE and others, Disney reaching out to them was somewhat unexpected.

Typically, Walt Disney exclusively collaborated with toy companies like Mattel, Playmates Toys, and Hasbro, seemingly overlooking KiShin Merchandise. The fact that Disney approached KiShin Merchandise for a partnership in manufacturing toys for their upcoming animation film came as a surprise to Reynald McArthur, especially considering his son's admiration for Disney.

As customary, he engaged in discussions with the executives of KiShin Merchandise regarding the potential partnership.

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A few days after Disney had reached out to KiShin Merchandise.

In Minato Ward, Tokyo, Japan, Shin lay in his specially spacious and luxurious CEO suite within the KiShin Rules building. Upon learning that Disney had contacted his toy company subsidiary, KiShin Merchandise, for the manufacturing and marketing of their upcoming animation film, he was somewhat surprised.

Upon learning that Disney wanted KiShin Merchandise to manufacture and market the animation film named "The Lion King," Shin was even more astonished.

"Isn't this like the saying, 'A pie falls from the sky?'" Shin couldn't help but chuckle as he held the paper report. Reflecting on Disney, Shin recalled that Steve Jobs had also partnered Pixar with Disney.

Considering Shin's current shares in Pixar and his CGI and motion capture company's collaboration with Pixar, he couldn't help but be suddenly reminded of Disney's significant presence in the picture.

Due to his busy schedule, Shin had become increasingly absorbed in the development of the video game sector. Only now did he recall that Pixar's animated film 'Toy Story' was set to release in 1995, with Disney contributing to the project.

Shin shook his head and remarked, "Perhaps KiShin will have more interactions with Disney in the future..." He chuckled wryly, thinking about the peculiar man with the veggie smell.

Both Shin and Steve Jobs held high expectations for Pixar's 'Toy Story.' While Steve Jobs may have been focused on potential profits, Shin anticipated that the film would not only revolutionize the world of 3D digital animation but also pave the way for integration into future video games.

Currently, KiShin-Apple was immersed in developing their own phone, while Rebolt Technology remained oblivious to these developments.

While Rebolt Technology diligently worked on developing cellular phones based on KiShin's ideas, drawing inspiration from Nokia's designs in Shin's previous life, KiShin-Apple took a different path. They focused on crafting phones with a resemblance to IBM's designs. Despite Shin being aware that this approach might not be as immediately profitable, the emphasis was on advancing technology, incorporating touchscreen capabilities, and introducing other features that would lay the groundwork for future smartphones.

Moreover, this strategic direction wasn't just about phones. It was a crucial step in shaping the future for KiShin's handheld video game consoles.