The Best Movies Based On Toys
For many blockbuster movie franchises, selling tickets is just a part of turning a profit - the real money is in selling toys and other products based on the film. Tie-ins with toys have proven so lucrative in Hollywood that studios have begun to reverse-engineer this formula, taking toy lines that are already popular and producing movies based on them. From the Transformers series to The Lego Movie, the film industry has found that turning a profit on audiences' nostalgia for the toys of their youth is child's play.
Plenty of movies tell stories about fictional toys, like Woody and Buzz from Toy Story, the eponymous board game from Jumanji, or Turbo Man from Jingle All the Way. The movies on this list are based on preexisting toys, bringing the plastic playthings from our childhoods to life on the big screen. That includes not just dolls and action figures like Masters of the Universe and G.I. Joe, but also board games like Clue, Battleship, and Dungeons and Dragons.
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Starring: Eileen Brennan, Tim Curry, Madeline Kahn, Christopher Lloyd, Michael McKean, Martin Mull, Lesley Ann Warren
Released: 1985
Toy it's based on: Board game currently published by Hasbro
Cluedo, or Clue in North America, is a murder mystery game for three to six players, devised by Anthony E. Pratt from Birmingham, England and currently published by the United States game and toy ...more Starring: Hailee Steinfeld, John Cena, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., John Ortiz, Jason Drucker, Pamela Adlon
Released: 2018
Toy it's based on: Hasbro action figures
Bumblebee is a 2018 American science fiction action film directed by Travis Knight, based on the Transformers' character. In 1987, Bumblebee takes refuge in a small California beach town junkyard ...moreStarring: Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Ferrell, Will Arnett, Zach Galafianakis
Released: 2014
Toy it's based on: Lego construction blocks
Emmet (Chris Pratt), an ordinary LEGO figurine who always follows the rules, is mistakenly identified as the Special -- an extraordinary being and the key to saving the world. He finds himself ...moreStarring: Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Pam Grier, Annette Bening, Pierce Brosnan, Danny DeVito, Martin Short, Sarah Jessica Parker, Michael J. Fox, Jack Black
Released: 1996
Toy it's based on: Topps trading card series
A fleet of Martian spacecraft surrounds the world's major cities and all of humanity waits to see if the extraterrestrial visitors have, as they claim, "come in peace." U.S. President James Dale ...moreStarring: Shia LaBeouf, Tyrese Gibson, Josh Duhamel, Anthony Anderson, Megan Fox, Rachael Taylor, John Turturro, Jon Voight
Released: 2007
Toy it's based on: Hasbro action figures
The fate of humanity is at stake when two races of robots, the good Autobots and the villainous Decepticons, bring their war to Earth. The robots have the ability to change into different mechanical ...moreStarring: Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Tiffany Haddish, Stephanie Beatriz, Alison Brie, Nick Offerman, Charlie Day, Maya Rudolph
Released: 2019
Toy it's based on: Lego construction blocks
The citizens of Bricksburg face a dangerous new threat when LEGO DUPLO invaders from outer space start to wreck everything in their path. The battle to defeat the enemy and restore harmony to the ...moreStarring: Shia LaBeouf, Tyrese Gibson, Josh Duhamel, John Turturro, John Malkovich, Patrick Dempsey, Frances McDormand
Released: 2011
Toy it's based on: Hasbro action figures
Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) and his new girlfriend, Carly (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley), join the fray when the evil Decepticons renew their longstanding war against the Autobots. Optimus Prime (Peter ...moreStarring: Mark Wahlberg, Laura Haddock, Josh Duhamel, Stanley Tucci, Anthony Hopkins
Released: 2017
Toy it's based on: Hasbro action figures
Humans are at war with the Transformers, and Optimus Prime is gone. The key to saving the future lies buried in the secrets of the past and the hidden history of Transformers on Earth. Now, it's up ...moreStarring: Channing Tatum, Marlon Wayans, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Dennis Quaid, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Released: 2009
Toy it's based on: Hasbro toy franchise
Armed with the latest in military and spy technology, the team of elite soldiers known as G.I. Joe travel around the globe to wherever their services are needed. In their latest assignment Gen. Hawk ...moreStarring: Dolph Lundgren, Frank Langella, Courteney Cox, James Tolkan, Christina Pickles, Meg Foster
Released: 1987
Toy it's based on: Mattel action figures
When the evil Skeletor (Frank Langella) finds a mysterious power called the Cosmic Key, he becomes nearly invincible. However, courageous warrior He-Man (Dolph Lundgren) locates inventor Gwildor ...moreStarring: Taylor Kitsch, Alexander Skarsgård, Brooklyn Decker, Rihanna, Tadanobu Asano, Liam Neeson
Released: 2012
Toy it's based on: Hasbro board game
Lt. Alex Hopper (Taylor Kitsch) is a weapons officer aboard the destroyer USS John Paul Jones, while his older brother, Stone (Alexander Skarsgård), is the commanding officer of the USS Sampson. ...more- 12
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Zooey Deschanel, James Corden, Russell Brand, Gwen Stefani
Released: 2016
Toy it's based on: Troll dolls
After the Bergens invade Troll Village, Poppy (Anna Kendrick), the happiest Troll ever born, and the overly-cautious, curmudgeonly Branch (Justin Timberlake) set off on a journey to rescue her ...more Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Tyrese Gibson, Josh Duhamel, Megan Fox, John Turturro, Rainn Wilson
Released: 2009
Toy it's based on: Hasbro action figures
Two years after he and his Autobot friends saved the Earth from the Decepticons, Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) faces a new battle: college. Meanwhile, Optimus Prime and the Autobots are working with a ...moreStarring: Dwayne Johnson, Bruce Willis, Channing Tatum, D. J. Cotrona, Byung-hun Lee, Adrianne Palicki, Ray Park
Released: 2013
Toy it's based on: Hasbro toy franchise
In the continuing adventures of the G.I. Joe team, Duke (Channing Tatum), second-in-command Roadblock (Dwayne Johnson), and the rest of the Joes (D.J. Cotrona, Lee Byung-hun) face a two-fold threat. ...moreStarring: Justin Whalin, Marlon Wayans, Thora Birch, Zoe McLellan, Jeremy Irons
Released: 2000
Toy it's based on: Table-top role-playing game
In the Kingdom of Izmer, wizards use their magic to rule the land. The young Empress Savina (Thora Birch) desires to use magic for good, but the evil Profion (Jeremy Irons) plans to utilize his ...moreStarring: Anthony Newley, Mackenzie Astin, Katie Barberi
Released: 1987
Toy it's based on: Topps sticker trading cards
The Garbage Pail Kids Movie is a 1987 American live action film adaptation of the then-popular series of children's trading cards produced, directed, and co-written by Rod Amateau. It is the last ...moreStarring: Mark Wahlberg, Stanley Tucci, Kelsey Grammer, Nicola Peltz, Sophia Myles, Bingbing Li, Titus Welliver, T. J. Miller
Released: 2014
Toy it's based on: Hasbro action figures
After an epic battle, a great city lies in ruins, but the Earth itself is saved. As humanity begins to pick up the pieces, a shadowy group emerges to try to take control of history. Meanwhile, an ...moreStarring: Aubrey Peeples, Stefanie Scott, Hayley Kiyoko, Aurora Perrineau, Ryan Guzman, Molly Ringwald, Juliette Lewis
Released: 2015
Toy it's based on: Hasbro toy line
Jem and the Holograms is a 2015 American musical fantasy comedy-drama film produced and directed by Jon M. Chu, based on the 1980s animated television series Jem by Christy Marx.Starring: Henry Golding, Andrew Koji, Úrsula Corberó, Samara Weaving
Released: 2021
Toy it's based on: Hasbro toy franchise
Snake Eyes (aka Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe: Origins) is a 2021 American action adventure film directed by Robert Schwentke, and the third film in the G.I. Joe franchise. A mysterious lone fighter, known ...moreStarring: Elizabeth Reaser, Lulu Wilson, Annalise Basso, Henry Thomas
Released: 2016
Toy it's based on: Parlor game by Hasbro
In 1967 Los Angeles, widowed mother Alice Zander (Elizabeth Reaser) unwittingly invites authentic evil into her home by adding a new stunt to bolster her séance scam business. When the merciless ...moreStarring: Lara Jill Miller, Joshua Seth
Released: 2000
Toy it's based on: Digital Monster toys from Bandai
Digimon: The Movie is a 2000 American film adaptation of the first three Japanese Digimon films distributed by 20th Century Fox. The film used footage from the films Digimon Adventure, Digimon ...moreStarring: Kelly Clarkson, Nick Jonas, Janelle Monáe, Blake Shelton, Pitbull, Wanda Sykes, Gabriel Iglesias, Emma Roberts, Bebe Rexha, Charli XCX, Lizzo
Released: 2019
Toy it's based on: Plush doll line
In the adorably different town of Uglyville, weirdness is celebrated, strangeness is special and beauty is embraced as more than meets the eye. After traveling to the other side of a mountain, Moxy ...more- 23
Starring: Olivia Cooke, Shelley Hennig, Daren Kagasoff, Douglas Smith, Bianca Santos
Released: 2014
Toy it's based on: Parlor game by Hasbro
Following the sudden death of her best friend, Debbie, Laine finds an antique Ouija board in Debbie's room and tries to use it to say goodbye. Instead, she makes contact with a spirit that calls ...more Starring: Tara Strong, Ashleigh Ball, Andrea Libman, Emily Blunt, Liev Schreiber, Michael Peña, Sia, Taye Diggs,, Zoe Saldana
Released: 2017
Toy it's based on: Hasbro figurines
Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Rarity embark on an epic journey to save Ponyville from a dark force. Along the way, the Mane 6 meet new friends and face ...moreStarring: Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Rachel Bloom, James Corden, Ron Funches, Kelly Clarkson, Anderson .Paak, Sam Rockwell, George Clinton, Mary J. Blige
Released: 2020
Toy it's based on: Troll dolls
Poppy and Branch discover that there are six different troll tribes scattered over six different lands. Each tribe is also devoted to six different kinds of music -- funk, country, techno, classical, ...more
