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Disney Dolls Appreciation Discussion

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Disney Dolls Appreciation Discussion
And... to round up the Classic Disney Princes, here's my favorite Prince Phillip doll:

Prince Phillip - (circa 2000s)

First off, I want to say that I have yet to find a really good Prince Phillip doll in the way that I have found good dolls for Snow White's Prince and Cinderella's Prince Charming. For some reason, all of the ones I have seen fall short of being really good. There are actually some good fashion Ken dolls from Mattel (with rooted hair) that would probably make better Prince Phillip dolls, though they would look a bit out of place next to the Disney dolls. That said, this is the Prince Phillip doll that I consider to be the best one thus far.

This Prince Phillip doll was made by Disney as part of a Disney Prince series some time in the 2000s (I cannot find an actual release date for them). This series consisted of: Prince Charming (Cinderella), Prince Phillip, Prince Eric, Beast, and Aladdin. Snow White's Prince was absent. The dolls have a more cartoony look to them. They stand 13" tall, which is taller than the typical male doll. Their proportions are a bit off, however, and most of the dolls in this series look like pinheads on lanky bodies. Again, clothes make the man, and I think Prince Phillip is the only one who actually looks decent out of the five. You can definitely find better dolls for the other four princes out there.

So, why do I think this particular Prince Phillip is better than the other Prince Phillip dolls? It really came down to his profile, believe it or not (see second picture below). That profile with that hair, and I can believe he could be Prince Phillip. Straight nose, pleasant brow, pointed chin, and defined jawline--it all looks right to me. From the front, the likeness is not quite so compelling. His face is painted on simply, with dark eyes and a rather cheesy toothy grin. One thing that many of the characters from Sleeping Beauty had were very angular shapes, and this doll does have that.

They dressed him (as usual) in his formal attire made out of costume satin: blue tunic with red poofy sleeves, a light blue collared shirt underneath the tunic, light blue pants (which should be hosen), dark brown boots, and a black belt. I bought this doll second-hand, and the seller did not have the original cloak anymore, so I took another red Prince Phillip cloak (from an old Mattel version) and put that on this doll. Prince Phillip needs his cloak. It makes a huge difference.

The extra height on this doll actually is a good thing. It makes him look more princely. This series went a bit farther with body articulation. Not only can you bend his knees, elbows, and hands at the wrists; there is the capability of pivoting his forearms around. It's a bit strange to try and describe in words, and I did not take any pictures of his bare arm, but it's a strange feature that is rather unnecessary, in my opinion.

So, this is not a bad doll, but I am still hoping that Disney will make a better Prince Phillip doll at some point.











I also have the current Disney Store Prince Phillip doll, but he just does not look right to me. The hair is right, but like Cinderella's Prince Charming, there is something "off" about him and I don't think he resembles Prince Phillip very well. They also left out his cloak, which is super strange, because Prince Phillip always wears a cloak.


 
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I did already introduce Fashion Secrets Megara (Mattel, 1997) on page 5 of this thread, but that picture is so dark that I wanted to revisit her in much better light. My high opinion of her will never change: she always has been and always will be one of my most treasured Disney dolls. I am so glad that she has remained in pristine condition after 15 years! Personally, I think that Megara can easily hold her own next to any of the Designer Princess gowns and look just as high fashion. Sure, she doesn't have the glue-on gems, but she doesn't need them: she is the wife of a demi-god after all!
Megara (1997) - 01


Megara (1997) - 02
Megara (1997) - 04
Megara (1997) - 05


Megara (1997) - 06
Megara (1997) - 07
 
i'm appreciating all the Phillip love!! Phillip and the other princes are def. neglected, and I would love to see Disney work harder on making them look more like themselves and giving them more accessories. Phillip is my favorite prince! he's so dreamy and charming
shiva- those ferdinand and charming dolls are awesome!!!
i adore meg too!! (especially those sandals!!)

it makes sense if sleeping beauty diamond comes 2014, it would coincide with disney's release of Maleficent that year and so SB sales might boost and hopefully new awesome merchandise will be released. i just hope there's at least one thing with aurora in blue
 
What's the difference between the Diamond release, and the release of the Sleeping Beauty BluRay that came out some years ago? Anyway, I would love a re-release of the Sleeping Beauty on BluRay, since I completely miss the other one, and prices on the Special Edition are kinda expensive. Also it would make sense why they didn't release a 17in Aurora back then, perhaps they're waiting for the Diamond edition, that would be great.

And I also agree on improving some of the princes and a Khan horse figure as well !
 

Oh, when Sleeping Beauty was released on DVD and blu-ray in 2008, it was still part of the previous Platinum Edition series, but it also happened to be Disney's first big animated feature to be released in the blu-ray format. Pinocchio was the last film to be part of the Platinum Edition and was also released in blu-ray format. Based on the limited information we have at this time, Disney will be releasing more of the same films that were part of the Platinum Edition into the current Diamond Edition through 2016. Although no dates have been set for the films beyond Cinderella on October 2nd and then Aladdin in spring 2013, it is assumed that Sleeping Beauty and Pinocchio will both get the Diamond Edition treatment as well, though probably last.

Just for reference, the films that were part of the Platinum Edition that have not yet gone Diamond Edition are: Cinderella (scheduled), Aladdin (scheduled), The Little Mermaid, Peter Pan, The Jungle Book, 101 Dalmatians, Sleeping Beauty, and Pinocchio. Disney has announced that they intend to release all of these, and it is consistent with the time table of 2 Diamond Edition releases per year. Again, after Aladdin we have no idea which order thesefilms will be released. We speculate that The Little Mermaid may be the other 2013 release.

On the one hand, I really want a 17" LE Aurora doll to be released soon, but on the other hand, I want some time to pass so they don't incorporate any of that "new look" into her. Aurora needs her signature bangs and curls! We have already seen that 17" LE Cinderella has the "new look" side-swept bangs and that random hair curl at the side of her face. I hope I can tuck that back under her hair band neatly, or I may just have to cut it off.
 
Well, the forces that be have been smiling upon me, for after a year-long search in my storage unit, I finally found my 1996 Esmeralda doll, made by Mattel for Disney. Like Megara, I've had her since the film's release and she's still in top condition. I even have all of her accessories (including all of her bracelets)! So may I present, the beautiful mystery and romance of La Esmeralda:

Esmeralda (1996) - Mattel

I truly feel like The Hunchback of Notre Dame is one of the more underrated films from the Disney Renaissance of the 1990s, perhaps due to the the dark tones of the story, or perhaps the creepy villain, or that the hero does not end up with the girl... Who knows? But it is a very good film, despite it's (obvious) departures from Victor Hugo's novel.

Like so many of the dolls made by Mattel for Disney in the 1990s, a lot of attention and detail were put into the creation of this doll for the gypsy Esmeralda. However, if I am not mistaken, I think the base doll is using the Barbie Lara head sculpt, which has pronounced cheekbones and an open smile. This is very unlike Mattel's Pocahontas and Megara dolls, which had unique doll heads made for the characters. As you can see, the head is far too narrow to be completely movie-accurate, because Esmeralda's character design has a much broader face. Still, I think she looks very elegant and pretty. Her eyes are also not quite as green as they could have been. Esmeralda's lustrous black hair is very fine, similar to Megara's, and if not taken care of could be easily prone to tangling or getting matted. Luckily, my Esmeralda still has great hair. This doll is fairly well articulated, having bendable joints at her elbows and knees.

Her outfit comes in several parts: her main gown (shirt, skirt, corset), a chemise/slip, and the coined purple hip scarf. Overall, her outfit looks great. Perhaps the one thing I would have changed is that the corset does not fully wrap around her core, so when you look at her from the side, her outfit looks a little bit odd. The fabrics are very silky, but the skirt is prone to wrinkling (but a few swiped of a hot iron can fix that). The skirt drape well on her in nice folds. Surprisingly, they included a full slip that goes from her shoulders down to the same hemline level of her skirt--all in white, but with tiny bells sewn onto the bottom. You rarely see this kind of undergarment inclusion in play dolls. The purple hip scarf has a hidden snap to hold it in place, and also has gold coins sewn along its edge. A sheer pink scarf is wrapped around her head and has gold sparkles in it (which is one of the only commercial play doll things on her that I am not crazy about). It's subtle, though, and does not distract too much from her overall look. Esmeralda also has a lot of jewelry on, including her big hoop earring on her left ear, several bangles, and a cuff bracelet--all of which are completely consistent with her character design from the film. True-to-character, she does not have any shoes.














 

Fabulous pictures, Shiva! Funny, I actually just finished watching HBoND! She is totally stunning, I had her once upon a time but she is missing in action... her and Meg were best friends when I was younger! :lol: Congratulations on re-finding such a STUNNING doll!
 

Thanks, Jasmine! I have been obsessing over finding her for quite a while! I knew she had to be packed away inside of a box in storage, but in a 25 foot long by 15 foot wide unit full of stuff, it can be a real chore. I swore I had categorized each section, but I guess this one box slipped through the cracks and was in the back of the unit, of all places! It was actually the "who do you think is the most evil villain" thread that really spurred me to do a super thorough sweep to find Esmeralda! So a big thank you to zoelovespins and everyone else who discussed how creepy Frollo is!
 
Alan, I'm so happy you posted photos of Meg & Esmeralda! They bring me back to my childhood. I remember my sister and I didn't want to get the same dolls, so we would divide up the characters. She almost always wanted the girls, but I was happy because I got Hercules and Phoebus (who happen to be two of my favorite characters). I ended up scoring in the end anyway, since she eventually outgrew her doll stage...and I did not...so she gave me her dolls! lol
 
After taking pictures of my Designer Doll Mulan, I took a group picture of all of my Mulan dolls, I love them all Mulan rocks!



From Left to right:
The first Mulan is just a regular DS Mulan, but with one of the additional costumes available in the 2 Dresses pack. I got rid of the flower that got her hair into a ponytail, so it would look a little more accurate like in the movie. Next, is the 1st release of the DS Mulan doll, in my opinion being the best of all of the releases so far, as she is super accurate. Coming with her violet sash thing, and there's little glitter, making her the perfect Mulan doll to date. Then, the amazing Designer Doll! She's the crown of my Mulan collection overall, so beautiful and pretty! Next is the Sparkling Princess doll from Mattel. Though it has a nice dress, my problem with it is that she's kinda tall, and doesn't really fits in the overall scale of the other ones. And finally, Mattel's Film Premiere, Imperial Beauty Mulan! She's a jewel in my collection! The dress, the crown, details and colors are simply perfect in the doll. I love the fact that her gown has fire colors all over her, and the Medallion is a nice touch!
 
"Look! Bananars!" Adventurous and spirited Jane is anything but a prim Victorian lady, which is probably why she ventures into the African jungles to try to see live gorillas. Jane, like so many of Disney's leading non-princess ladies, has been largely neglected by Disney merchandising. Dolls in particular are often only found from the time of the original film's theatrical release, in this case 1999 with the release of Tarzan. I've often had my eye on this doll for some time, and I finally got her. I'm not sure if I am going to debox her, but I may, so that she can be displayed alongside Megara and Esmeralda.

Jane (1999) - Mattel

As part of Mattel's collaboration with Disney, this play doll of Jane is both charming and rather well-made. Originally, I had though that they used the same doll head sculpt as the 1999 ALice in Wonderland and the Cheshire Cat doll (previously reviewed in an earlier page on this thread), but she actually has a unique head sculpt, which is nice. Her bright blue eyes reveal Jane's kind and somewhat innocent heart. Her eyelids are lightly washed in a subtle pink eyeshadow. Her pert nose is tiny and very true to the character design, and her lips are a pretty coral color. Her hair is brown with golden highlights, with neat curls framing her face and the rest pulled back more into a ponytail that the updo that she has in the film. Overall, her hair looks a bit too neat, but still nice. Her right arm is straight and her left arm is bent, with no articulation.

Jane is dressed in her bright yellow Victorian frock, with it's high white collar, poofy short sleeves, violet ascot, with a draped front panel. The fabric looks like silk brocade. The manufacturers did neglect to give her a proper bustle, or even a back panel on the skirt which is supposed to cover the bustle. That is a bit disappointing, but as a play doll, that is not very surprising. She has a bronze colored ribbon around her waist, white kid gloves, and her wide-brimmed jungle hat. The doll also comes with white stockings and short brown boots, but they are not put on her by the factory--they are in a tiny plastic bag inside the box. The other accessories included are: a tiny figurine of the baby baboon that Jane encounters early in the film; her sketch book, which unfolds like a pamphlet; a pencil, which she is holding in her left hand; and the page that has her sketch of the baby baboon, which leads to the big baboon swarm chase scene that brings Tarzan and Jane together for the first time.

Like so many of the dolls that were made for Disney by Mattel in the 1990s, Jane looks great and is a very collectible doll. She is a play doll, but can just as easily be displayed as a collector doll.










 
It's a shame the films released around that time (Herc, Tarzan, Hunchback and to a lesser extent Mulan and Pocahontas) don't get much merchandise love any more. I'd love dolls of characters from those films in the newer style rather than hunting down old stuff of variable quality. Sigh!
 
I love the SIGNATURE SERIES princess dolls that Mattel released in the 90's (Snow White, Cinderella, Belle and the Beast, Aurora), as well as the villains (Captain Hook, Maleficent, Evil Queen and Ursula), all of which I luckily have. I think Mattel is focusing on the little kiddos nowadays, so I don't collect any of their dolls now -- but the Disney Store has really taken off in the last few years! Movie accurate faces and costumes! Love them! and when they started releasing the 17" dolls, I knew I was hooked. True I buy them and make them new clothes (LOL), but they are fantastic dolls.
 
Snow White Stop Motion Short Tale - YouTube Video by Disney

I just came across a fabulous short stop motion video called Snow White Stop Motion Short Tale made by Disney and uploaded to YouTube on June 13, 2012 by DisneyLiving (an official YouTube channel of Disney). It features the 2009 Limited Edition Snow White 17'' Doll, and one of her bluebird friends, that was included with the doll. She is walking the woods when she stops in her tracks because something is caught on a tree branch. Here is a screenshot of that moment. The video is in HD quality (1080p) and is 25 seconds long.


Snow White Stop Motion Short Tale Screenshot @00:07 - Something's Caught by drj1828, on Flickr
 
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Wow this is so cool, I wonder how many images they had to take to make this, probably a couple thousands of photos and many hours of tweening! and it runs amazingly smooth! I wish it was longer, but I really hope they make ones for the other LE dolls, I'd definitely love to see one made for Rapunzel & Mother Gothel, and maybe Wedding Rapunzel too! Thanks for sharing this DRJ1828 <3

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