How Did This Toy Reviewing YouTuber End Up with a Movie?
By Movieguide® Contributor
Toy unboxing YouTuber Ryan’s World conquered kid’s content on YouTube before he turned 10, and now he’s looking to further expand his brand through a theatrical release.
When the Ryan’s World YouTube channel launched nine years ago — when Ryan was only four — nobody could have ever imagined the success it would produce. By simply opening and playing with toys, Ryan’s World has amassed 37.5 million subscribers while accruing 58 billion lifetime views.
Despite this incredible success, Ryan’s parents, Loann and Shion, have worked to keep the pressure of success off of their son’s shoulders and allowed YouTube to remain a hobby that is purely done for fun. They have achieved this by setting a three-phase plan for the channel that would allow Ryan to move on without ending the business.
Phase one was the creation of Ryan’s World, where Ryan was the sole face of the company, churning out the reviews. Phase two — the current phase — saw the addition of Ryan’s sisters, Emma and Kate. Along with extra review help, Ryan’s parents have also turned the channel into a company that creates kid-focused content that doesn’t solely rely on Ryan. This included the creation of RYAN’S MYSTERY PLAYDATE, a semi-educational TV show that ran on Nickelodeon for four seasons.
Perhaps the most ambitious growth of the brand is the newly released, theatrical movie, RYAN’S WORLD THE MOVIE: TITAN UNIVERSE ADVENTURE, which sees Ryan entering into a comic book world to save his sisters.
“It brings the titular character and his family into a comic book world filled with new adventures. Fans will get to see Ryan become Red Titan, his anime superhero alter ego, as he rescues his younger sisters who get trapped in a magical comic book,” a synopsis reads.
While the family does not know if this venture will be profitable, when the opportunity to create to movie presented itself, they felt it was too good to pass up. The family also believes its creation will inspire others who have a desire to follow their dreams.
“You can start out as just a YouTuber reviewing toys with a $20-a-week budget and then years later you can be a movie star,” Shion told The Hollywood Reporter. “Plus, it just feels really cool that people are going to go to the movie theater to see something that I helped create.”
Finally, phase three will see Ryan moving on from the channel while a new reviewer will step in to fill his place. Ryan’s parents never wanted him to feel trapped, and they know that his time as the face of the channel is coming to a close as he grows older. In the meantime, Ryan’s parents are helping him soak in every opportunity that they can.
“We want the whole world to be their playground,” Shion said. “We try to make sure that we use this opportunity, that just started on YouTube, to the kids’ every advantage. We want it all to come back to them.”
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