The free Disney Infinity: Toy Box iPad app creates and edits worlds for the console game (video)

The Walt Disney Co. has been loudly trumpeting loudly its Disney Infinity toy-game hybrid products, which debut on the game consoles Aug. 18. But in a surprise move, Infinity will have a presence on the iPad, too. Disney revealed today that it has created two mobile apps, including Disney Infinity: Toy Box, as extensions to the console toy-game hybrid experience.

Part of a big strategic move, the Disney Infinity collection of toys and video games (dubbed Play Sets) represent Disney’s big attempt at creating cross-media entertainment in both the physical retail and digital-distribution markets. The toys that come to life inside games are its unique twist on the toy-game hybrid market, and, if successful, could create a big hole in Activision’s $1 billion Skylanders toy-game business. With a mobile app, Disney could have a differentiator, since Activision hasn’t announced any mobile apps (or cross-platform mobile-console apps in particular) since it launched its first Skylanders games on iOS last year.