Coming off the success of recent hits Nintendo Quest, Kittie: Origins/Evolutions and Power of Grayskull: The Definitive History of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, Rob McCallum is back along with his friends Justin Schoenrock and Jay Bartlett with another awesome cinematic adventure, Action Figures: The Most Powerful Toy in the Universe, that's being developed as both a series and a documentary feature. Below is the official synopsis of what's coming up with and answers to questions that have already come up for the project that Director Rob McCallum was eager to speak out on the project.
Official Synopsis:
“Action Figures: The Most Powerful Toy in the Universe!”
Explore the past, present and future of action figures in this new docuseries from the six-time Emmy award-winning team of producer, Justin Schoenrock and writer/director, Rob McCallum who’s credits include “Power of Grayskull,” “Nintendo Quest,” and more. See the impact, explore the evolution, and meet key creatives behind the most powerful toy in the universe with packed segments that spotlight process, design, fun stories, collectibles and collections, how we play, as well as sharing the importance of action figures with the entire world. This series isn’t a history lesson, it’s a life lesson forged in plastic with unending points of articulation.
Tying these potent segments together is #ActionFigureAdventure, a reoccurring segment featuring Jay Bartlett who will journey around the country in search of rare, unique and iconic action figures for a massive auction that sees all proceeds going to charity.
We are currently in production and eyeing a late 2020 release.
Tell us more about the new project
Well, once again I’m returning to the realm of pop culture but this time looking at action figures, which predates my love of video games by several years. Making “Power of Grayskull” was a step in that direction and very fulfilling but there’s more to action figures than the history of one toy-line too. I feel there’s a lot of ground that should be covered with collectors, fans, and the on going impact of these toys that’s often ignored or dismissed.
How is this different than “Power of Grayskull” and “Toys that made us?”
Both that film and series focus on the rich history of specific toy brands. “Who, what and when” are the big drivers. For “Action Figures: The Most Powerful Toy in the Universe!” we still include the key creatives but have more of a “How and Why” approach and not to just one brand, but several. With our reoccurring segment that will get spun off into a stand-alone feature “Action Figure Adventure,” it focuses on a very human story, and shows what’s happening now in the action figure community. So the short answer, it will be more about the people and human condition.
What toys and figures are you focusing on?
Hard to say at this point since we are getting started. There is of course the big four meaning, Tmnt, He-man, transformers and Gi Joe plus Star Wars which is a massive beast on its own. But we also want to include stuff like Sectaurs, Mego, Silverhawks, Captain Power, Visonaries, COPS, and of course MASK. Anything is up for discussion as we could come across anything great while on the adventure, be it a bin of LJN Wrestlers or Battle Beasts.
Tell us about the episodic structure. Will the episodes be themed according to toy or toyline?
No. This is another differentiator from “Toys that Made Us.” Since we are focusing on unsung heroes, fans, collectors and qualitative aspects of action figures not usually tethered in historical discussions, we don’t want to promote any one specific brand per 22 minute episode. It will be a mix, much like our toy collections growing up.
How is this different than Nintendo Quest?
With Nintendo Quest, there was a very specific goal for Jay to hit. A specific number of games and precise items. This is more open-ended and requires a bit more strategy in order to find success. There is also a lot more time for this adventure which is both good and bad, for his mission. Also the charity aspect is what makes this worthwhile. Collecting is great, and rooting for someone against the odds is fun, but when your work can impact the lives of people it’s more important. It’s worthy of time, attention and viewership.
From a technical level this will be a major jump up. I learned a lot on “Power of Grayskull,” my most recent series, “Video Game Box Art,” and look to bring that level of production values to the table. That’s one of the great things that partnering with Justin Schoenrock provides. He’s got an uncanny eye for detail and has demanding levels for production values.
Nintendo Quest ended up showing a very personal side of Jay, what will happen this go-around?
There are several chapters in all our lives, and Jay is in the midst of something I think is very special. I can say that now that I’ve filmed his main interview without tipping my hat to him too much. No one is a single note and for those that saw “Nintendo Quest” I think you’ll find it interesting to see Jay now and the new challenges that lay ahead for him.
What are the specifics for Jay’s “Action Figure Adventure?”
Jays got a budget of about $5K, give or take currency exchange, to collect and eventually put into an auction that will be organize. People, companies and stores are already offering toy donations too, which will help the final tally. Whatever funds above and beyond what Jay spends is what will end up with Children’s Health Foundation who is our non-profit partner on this project. So if he raises 100k from the auction, he recoups his 5k investment and the remaining 95k goes to help Children’s health.
And before it gets asked, hahaha, yes we will be showing his budget and progress because success is directly measured by money earned from the buying and selling aspect of this endeavor. He hopes to raise $15k which means he needs a solid return on investment.
What are your goals with this project?
Like always, it’s a business so we need to sell it and make money. A side from that, I want to showcase some stories and people who otherwise have been ignored or undiscovered. Seeing rare pieces, prototypes and concept materials is always thrilling so hopefully our series can share that stuff with the world as well.
This is your second pop culture driven quest movie, it’s likely too early, but what’s the third quest to complete the trilogy?
Ha! Well, our development board has a lot of ideas. First we did video games, now Action Figures.... comic books? That would be the obvious or natural route I think but it doesn’t feel right. Who knows? You tell me!
For more information on Action Figures: The Most Powerful Toy in the Universe! and other Rob McCallum/Pyre Productions projects like Box Art-The Docuseries and more, check out the latest information on Facebook at Rob McCallum Films or right here on episode #106 of the PCC Multiverse!
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