Monday, October 21, 2013

A few Disney doll reviews!

I just bought some new Disney dolls, and I thought- well here is a good idea for a blog entry: doll review!  I took several pictures for your enjoyment.

First up is my French It's a Small World doll from the Disney Animator's series.  I saw these dolls during the D23 Expo when they were only available to pre-order the entire set, and I really loved them.  I promised myself the French girl once she was available, and this past week, I found her!

These dolls are a really sweet set!  Each one is 14 inches tall and sings "It's a Small World" both in her native language as well as English.  What I love about these dolls is they are the first I've seen that really resemble the figures on the theme park ride itself- which was my favorite Disneyland attraction as a little girl.  Look at these big eyes with the realistic lashes!  She has such a sweet smile.
French girl has light pink bloomers with black lace, black fishnet stockings, and Mary Jane shoes.  Her dress has an attached frilly petticoat underneath.  The top layer of her dress actually has elastic to go around her wrists so that she can lift her skirt up for a can-can dance.  What a shame her legs don't actually kick outward! Her hair is rooted, thick, and soft- no weird bald spots.
Her speaker and voice button are on her chest and tummy respectively, and the button is VERY sensitive!  I think I triggered the song about 4 times trying to get her out of the box.  Thankfully, she has an on-off switch on her side in case you don't feel like listening to "It's a Small World" over and over.
These dolls sell for $30 at the Disney Store.  I don't plan on letting myself get the whole set, but I'm really happy with the one I bought!

Next, we have the Disney Store versions of Anna and Elsa from the new yet-to-be-released Disney film, Frozen.


Here's Elsa on the left and Anna on the right.  These are beautiful dolls!  They were available as a set at the D23 Expo, but I bought these at the Disney Store.  Now some people are claiming that the D23 set is different, but I've seen both in person, and they look very much identical to me.  My friend who bought the set can't figure out any differences either, so if you missed out, just go to the Disney Store and pick up these girls. 

As all Disney Barbie-type dolls seem to be now, Anna and Elsa are fully articulated including ankles and wrists!  They feel so nice and sturdy in your hands.  It used to be that the Disney Store brand dolls didn't look that great, but in recent years, they have really improved.  In fact, they've improved so much that for Tiana, Rapunzel, Merida, and now Anna and Elsa, I have opted for the Disney Store version over the Mattel dolls!  They just seem to do a much better job at capturing the faces of the characters.

For my birthday, I got the Mattel version of the Anna doll.  She wears the green coronation day dress with a design that magically appears on the front of her dress when you get it wet. 
Here are the before and after pics. 

Here are the two Anna dolls side by side.  As you can see, there is a lot more character in the face of the Disney Store doll on the right.  Their hair colors are slightly different shades of strawberry blonde. The Mattel version has longer braids. Both dolls have bangs and a mysterious streak of white hair than I think will be explained in the film.
Here is a comparison pic of their bodies.  The Mattel doll is slightly shorter and does not have moveable joint. The Disney store doll has painted on panties while the Mattel doll has molded panties. Also, the Mattel doll has the standard pointed feel, and her shoes do not like to stay on.

Finally, here's my last new Disney doll treasure.  I stayed up until midnight so I could order these when they first posted on the website:
This is the Belle and Beast doll set from the Disney Designer Fairytale series, and they are gorgeous.  I did open the box- I am a chronic doll de-boxer.  I just cannot fully enjoy them if they are untouchable.  It took quite a bit of work to get them out.  I finally had to recruit my husband who figured out how to bend the tabs at the bottom in order to pull of the acrylic box without damaging it.

There is one bizarre thing about the Beast doll.  The bulk of his body is the cotton sewn into his jacket...so he looks really weird if you pull down his collar!

But on the whole, these dolls are some of the loveliest in my collection.  And yes- like the Anna and Elsa dolls from the Disney Store- this Belle is fully articulated.  She also, oddly enough, wears painted on panties...you'd think with a doll this expensive they would have given her real underclothes!