Toy Story 5, Lorcana Mania, and Disney’s Summer of Smart Merch (Ep. 105)
This week on I Want That Too, Jim Hill and Lauren Hersey look at how Toy Story 5 is already reshaping the summer box office, the Disney collector market, and the fast-food promotional landscape. Lauren digs into Lorcana’s sudden surge, Disney Springs’ new merch-drop rules, and the growing trading-card gold rush around Disney, Pixar, Marvel, and Magic: The Gathering. Then Jim and Lauren unpack Disney Store’s AI shopping experiment, the new Hakuna Matata Lion King Broadway collection, Cinderella Castle snow globe nostalgia, and why Disney picked Papa John’s, Wendy’s, Subway, and McDonald’s for this summer’s movie tie-ins.
NEWS
• Toy Story 5 opens huge at the box office, with Woody, Buzz, Jessie, and Smarty Pants helping Disney dominate the summer conversation.
• Disney Lorcana enters a new collector frenzy as older cards become harder to find and Pixar characters arrive in the Wild’s Unknown set.
• Disney Springs introduces new merch-drop procedures, including later garage openings, wristbands, and designated waiting areas.
• Topps Chrome Disney and Marvel’s Magic: The Gathering collaboration show how Disney is leaning deeper into trading cards and tabletop fandom.
• Disney Store begins testing a generative AI shopping assistant designed to recommend gifts and products through natural-language prompts.
FEATURE
• Jim explains why Disney chose Papa John’s for Toy Story 5, turning Pizza Planet into a real-world promotional hook.
• Wendy’s answers with a Minions and Monsters drive-thru activation that reportedly drew massive crowds in California.
• Subway gets in early with a live-action Moana meal, collectible cups, and a Fandango ticket-code incentive.
• McDonald’s remains in Disney’s promotional orbit, with Hexed positioned for a Thanksgiving push tied to Happy Meal visibility.
HOSTS
• Jim Hill - X/Twitter: @JimHillMedia, Instagram: @JimHillMedia, Website: jimhillmedia.com
• Lauren Hersey - X/Twitter: @laurenhersey2, Instagram: @lauren_hersey_
FOLLOW
• Facebook: @JimHillMediaNews
• YouTube: @jimhillmedia
• TikTok: @jimhillmedia
• Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/jimhillmedia/
SUPPORT
Support the show and access bonus episodes and additional content at https://www.patreon.com/jimhillmedia.
PRODUCTION CREDITS
Edited by Dave Grey
Produced by Eric Hersey - https://strongmindedagency.com
SPONSOR
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