Coming off the announcement of the company’s acquisition of Tapulous––a Palo Alto-based leading developer of music games for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch––Disney announces that the Toy Story 3 app for the iPhone and iPod touch has surpassed 1.7 million downloads in less than one month after launching on June 15, timed with the movie’s opening weekend.

A franchise portal on the iPhone, the Toy Story 3 app lets fans play, personalize, and stay connected to their favorite Toy Story characters, stories, and happenings through both free and premium content. For more information about this app, visit www.itunes.com/waltdisney.

The NPD Group has reported that Toy Story has become the UK’s fifth-largest toy license, and the best selling movie-based license this year to date. Research from the group shows that licensed Toy Story 3 toys have sold an estimated £11m at retail in the UK during the first six months of 2010. Toy Story 2 toy sales in the UK totaled £7m over the comparable 25-week time period in 2000.

By category, Toy Story action figures topped the list of sales, representing almost one-third of all Toy Story toys sold in the UK. Other top categories included building sets, outdoors and sports toys, youth electronics, and games/puzzles.

Toy Story 3 released in the UK on Monday, July 19 (today).

Despicable Me, a cartoon film featuring the voice of Steve Carell, topped the weekend box office in North America. The film doubled its pre-opening forecasts with sales of $60.1 million across the U.S. and Canada. The film was produced for approximately $69 million by Illumination Entertainment through an exclusive financing and distribution deal with Universal.

Predators, starring Adrien Brody, opened at No. 3 with $25.3 million, up from a pre-opening estimate in the low $20 million range. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse fell to No. 2 with $33.4 million, Toy Story 3 slipped to No. 4 with $22 million, and The Last Airbender fell to No. 5 with $17.2 million.

Toy Story 3’s opening weekend earned worldwide box office sales of $153.8 million, according to estimates issued by The Walt Disney Company.

Box office sales in the United States and Canada accounted for $109 million, a Disney-Pixar Animation opening record . The record was previously held by The Incredibles, which sold $70.5 million in May 2004. Only two other animated films, Shrek 2 and Shrek the Third, have opened to sales of more than $100 million.

Toy Story 3 sales received a boost from 3-D screenings, which has a higher ticket price. It’s estimated that 60 percent of ticket sales were from 3-D screenings.

Timed with the release of Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story 3, Disney Consumer Products has released John Lasseter Talks Toys Vol. 7: Mr. Potato Head on its YouTube channel, Disney Living. The video is the latest in a series of profiles on the Toy Story characters. The series was launched last fall, prior to the release of Toy Story and Toy Story 2 in 3-D.

Disney Interactive Studios, a division of Disney Interactive Media Group, announced a potpourri of new video games at this year’s E3 Expo in Los Angeles, Calif.

Titles at Disney’s E3 booth include TRON: Evolution, Disney Epic Mickey, Pirates of the Caribbean: Armada of the Damned, and Disney Guilty Party, among others. New video games based off of the Kingdom Hearts, Club Penguin, Toy Story 3, Pixar’s Cars, Disney Fairies, Disney Channel, and Disney Sing It! franchises will also make appearances.

For a full list of announced games, along with descriptions, click here.

In celebration of the anticipated theatrical release of Toy Story 3, Toys “R” Us is debuting dedicated Toy Story 3 boutiques, in all of its nearly 1,300 toy stores in 34 countries around the world.

The boutiques, which are open across the U.S., are filled with an assortment of Toy Story-inspired toys, including action figures, construction sets, role play accessories, musical instruments, and electronic devices. Similar sections will open in Toys “R” Us stores around the world, coinciding with the movie’s release in each respective country.

During a presentation on Thursday by Walt Disney Studios chairman Rich Ross, Disney unveiled its upcoming slate of movies.

Pixar will release a sequel to Monsters, Inc. in November 2012. Monsters, Inc. debuted in theaters in 2001, and has grossed over $525 million worldwide. Ross also announced that Pixar’s Brave has been scheduled for June 15, 2012.

Other upcoming movies include Pirates of the Caribbean 4 and The Muppets in 2011, and Prom in 2012.

This year, Disney will release Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Toy Story 3, Tron: Legacy, and Secretariat.

Lutz Muller, CEO of Klosters Trading Corp., sits down with Canada’s Business News Network to talk about Iron Man 2, Avatar, Toy Story 3, and Spin Master’s deal with Walmart for How to Train Your Dragon.

To view, click here.