Disney Store 12" Belle Doll Review and Comparison (2013 Edition)

As you probably noticed, I didn't get this post done last night. ;)  Here's my review of my lovely new 2013 Belle doll from the Disney Store.

Belle in her box

Side view

Back view

Side view

And a closer look at some of the box details:

You most likely noticed this in the previous pictures, but Belle's box was scrunched even worse than Rapunzel's.  Her box was open at the top, and was so lopsided that at first I had to hold it in place to get it to stand.

She also had a huge smudge on her box near her face which really concerned me.  I hoped it wasn't a paint line from her nose or something. :(  (Thankfully, she was unharmed when I took her out!)

Belle also had a "Scan for Movie Moment" feature on her box.  Once again, since I don't have a smart phone, I wasn't able to check this out.

I didn't do as many deboxing pictures of Belle since her packaging was exactly the same as Rapunzel's.  (If you're fascinated by packaging, you can check out my previous Rapunzel deboxing post HERE.) ;)  There was one exciting exception with Belle's packaging.  She had a twist tie around her bun instead of a plastic piece stuck into her head.  Hurray! :)

Like Rapunzel, Belle had tissue under her dress...

...and VERY glittery legs.  By the time I had deboxed both dolls, I was coated in two layers of glitter, and my kitchen wasn't much better. ;)

Belle still had her ballet flats from last year rather than heels.  As usual, they were held in place by rubber bands.

Here is Belle, free from her box.  You'll probably notice a few stray glittery spots on her face.  I could NOT seem to get it all before the photo shoot! :}

From the Disney Store pictures, it seemed like Belle's face would be a bit softer.  However, I found to my surprise that her eyebrows were pretty much just as "archy" as last year, and the additional heavy eye makeup made her look even more severe, at least to me.

And apparently it was the day for crooked bodices.  Look how off-centered the accent at the top of her bodice was!  I suppose it could be that way for dramatic asymmetrical effect... :} 

Her skirt was quite beautiful, albeit very glittery. :}

A view from the back.

Belle looks like she's posing for a fashion magazine in this one. ;)  I do think she has the closest thing to movie accurate hair out of all of the Belle dolls.

And speaking of them, here they are!  2010 Belle, 2011 Belle, 2012 Belle, and 2013 Belle.

I've realized that to make these 100% helpful reviews, I really need to find another 2010 Belle doll.  My Belle has been through so much with her "Belle's Bulletins" adventures that her hair is completely different, and I don't even have her original dress anymore. :(  To get an idea of what she looked like originally, you can view my original posts HERE and HERE.  These posts were done before I was in full reviewing mode, so they're not as detailed as my current posts, but at least you'll have an idea of her original look. :)

2010 Belle had very long, wavy hair and a much simpler gold dress than she's wearing in this picture.  She features a kind, elegant face that remains my favorite to this day.

  Here is pretty 2011 Belle.  You can see my original review of this doll HERE. 

2011 Belle was given a bigger head with wide, innocent eyes.  She still has long hair, but unlike 2010 Belle's hair, 2011 Belle's is extremely straight.  Not very accurate to the movie, but much easier to take care of and maintain, especially for young Belle fans. :)  This Belle, like all the Disney Princess dolls from this year, has a poofy tulle skirt with a TON of glitter.  It is probably the least movie accurate dress of all the dolls.

Here is my 2012 Belle that I got on my trip to LA last year.  You can see my original review post HERE.  

2012 Belle has a less wide-eyed look than the previous edition.  She also features arched eyebrows which give her a more serious look than the earlier dolls.  Like the other princess dolls from this release, she features a hairstyle that resembles the revamped princess hairstyles from 2012.  Her hair is also shorter like Belle's was in the movie.  She is the only 12" Disney Store Belle doll (so far) with hard plastic legs featuring articulated knees and elbows.  

And here is the latest edition.  2013 Belle's arched eyebrows are even darker than 2012 Belle's.  She also has the heaviest eye makeup of all the dolls.  Her hair is still the shorter movie length but is simplified to resemble the original style rather than the fancier look of 2012 Belle.

Like I did with the Rapunzel dolls, here is a comparison of all four Belle dolls next to each other.  I looked through the blog archives and chose an older picture of my 2010 Belle to make it a more accurate comparison. :)

And now for a closer look at their dresses.

Once again, this part of the comparison is not the most helpful since 2010 Belle is not in her original outfit.  Here she is wearing the golden ballgown from the 2009 Belle Wardrobe Playset from the Disney Store (you can see my original post about it HERE).  Her original dress was much simpler and had a similar little jewel in the top center to 2011 Belle's.

Here are the bodices of 2012 and 2013 Belle.

Skirt comparison.  2009 Belle Wardrobe Playset dress and 2011 Belle...

...and 2012 and 2013 Belle.

Here's a hair comparison from the back.  Keep in mind that 2010 Belle's hair was originally about as long as 2011 Belle's but was wavy instead of straight.

And here's another look at all four of the face molds.

I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed by my newest Belle.  I love having dolls from each year, so I'm not sorry I got her, but I feel like she looks too made up and almost arrogant compared to the other versions.  I love the faces on 2010 and 2011 Belle because I feel they capture Belle's sweet spirit a little better.  As far as movie accuracy, 2012 Belle probably has the most accurate dress (although I love the Belle Wardrobe Playset dress that 2010 Belle is wearing, too).  For movie accurate hair, I'd have to go with 2013 Belle.  So the ideal Belle doll for a collector would have 2010 or 2011 Belle's face, 2013 Belle's hair, and 2012 Belle's dress. ;)

As far as a play doll, I think I'd recommend either 2011 Belle or 2013 Belle.  2011 Belle's straight hair is long but would be easier to maintain without all the curls.  Her dress is simple and her unarticulated legs would be simpler for a little one to handle.  2013 Belle would work as well.  Her shorter hair, although it is curly, might be easier to work with because of its length.  And really, my main complaint with her is her face...if a little gal found it attractive, then who am I to argue? ;)

As you know, in my house Belle and Rapunzel dolls make excellent BFFs, so I thought I'd end this post with a few parting shots of my gals paired by year.  

The ones who started it all:  2010 Belle with 2010 Rapunzel.  These two are super close and have been through a lot together.  You can read all about their adventures on Belle's blog. :)

Here are my 2011 Belle and 2011 Rapunzel, aka Hope and Rowena. ;)  (What?  I couldn't name them all Belle and Rapunzel.) ;)

2012 Belle and 2012 Rapunzel, aka Grace and Rosamonde.

And here are my 2013 gals, as yet to be named. ;)  I'll keep you posted when I come up with alternate monikers for them as well. :)

So, which of my new dolls is your favorite?  And which version of each doll do you like the best?