Here's something you might be interested in.
Disney animation chief John Lasseter: "We started with Cars, because Hot Wheels. Then we moved on to Planes, because Top Gun. But there was no way we weren't going to finish the job. Happily, there was a media property with outstanding brand recognition and established merchandising potential already out there. We just sprinkled it with a little Disney pixie dust and about a billion dollars, and voila!"
http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/may/17/45759/
Disney animation chief John Lasseter: "We started with Cars, because Hot Wheels. Then we moved on to Planes, because Top Gun. But there was no way we weren't going to finish the job. Happily, there was a media property with outstanding brand recognition and established merchandising potential already out there. We just sprinkled it with a little Disney pixie dust and about a billion dollars, and voila!"
http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/may/17/45759/