Licensing costs scale so steeply that only a few studios can afford brand-saturated films

Evidence

Like Roger Rabbit, the film is both a love letter to the history of American animation and a circus of branding and licensing agreements. Unlike Roger Rabbit, which included references to seventy or so other films and cartoons, Chip ‘n Dale references over 260 films, TV shows, cartoons, and games in a constant barrage of meta-jokes, Easter eggs, sight gags, and brand mentions. The cost of this licensing buffet is, of course, left unsaid—a tab picked up by the Disney corporation at a price, whether paid in social capital or actual capital, that few other entertainment companies could afford. — Andrew deWaard, Derivative Media, 413

Categorization

• SEED: The 260-references-vs-70 comparison is a concrete quantified escalation — good countable example for an article on how ownership concentration (Disney) drives aesthetic density in films.