Disney Store 2017 Classic Dolls are Here!

And sadly, there aren't too many changes to report, especially for the dolls I collect, but there are a few things they switched up that are fun. The face molds appear unchanged, and most of the dresses are almost identical to last year's. Also like last year, each of the princess dolls comes with a sidekick. Let's take a look!

As usual, I'll start with the dolls from my three favorite movies (only highlighting the princes from my faves), and then the rest of the dolls will be listed alphabetically.

To change things up a little bit, I thought it would be fun to include pics of the dolls both boxed and unboxed. I like seeing how the boxes change from year to year, but you can usually see more of the differences in the unboxed pictures.

If you'd like to take a look at last year's post to compare the changes, you can see it HERE.

Belle

(original images HERE)

So first, we have beautiful Belle. The only changes I see right away are the lack of glitter on her bodice this year and the shorter skirt length. Any other differences are so subtle, they won't show up until I see her in person. I have to say, I do hope she has at least a slight variation in her face paint, or I'm going to feel like I'm purchasing the exact same doll. :{

Just a note on the new box design. Boxes don't matter as much to me with this line since I always debox these dolls, but overall, I find this year's design quite plain compared to last year's. However, I do like the fact that each box has the title of the movie in its original script. That's kind of cool and nostalgic. ;)

Beast

(original images HERE)

The Beast appears to be exactly the same as he has been for the past two years, and since I wasn't a huge fan of him before, I'll be skipping this guy this year, too. :)

Rapunzel

(original images HERE)

The only difference I see in Rapunzel right off is that they kept her sleeves short. I really like it when they add her longer sleeves, since the dress is more movie accurate that way. No other differences stand out to me at this point. Again, it will be interesting to see her in person and see the slight variations.

Eugene (because I still refuse to call him "Flynn") ;)

(original images found HERE)

I'm pretty sure all the prince dolls are the same (except for one...but more on that later), so Eugene, like the Beast, is virtually unchanged. I think I'll pass on him this time, too, even though this mold is one of my very favorite renditions of him. :)

Anna

(original images found HERE)

Classic Anna. I'm so glad she was released right away this year instead of weeks later as an almost afterthought, like last year. I know everyone loves Elsa, but Anna has always been my favorite of the two sisters. That being said, I don't think I'm going to bring her home. Honestly, it's crazy enough collecting the Belle and Rapunzel Classic dolls. I really don't need to start with Annas, too. ;) Especially since I know her outfit will be so simplified compared to the original.

Kristoff

(original images found HERE)

Since I just purchased this version of Kristoff last year, I won't be getting him this time around. Did I ever review this guy for you guys? I can't remember...

Elsa

(original images found HERE)

Elsa's new doll seems almost the same as well. Definitely not getting her since I already try to limit my Elsa purchases. I'm just flat running out of room!

Hans

(original images found HERE)

Hans was the only prince/villain doll to receive a major change. He's wearing his outfit from the ball, and it actually looks pretty detailed, especially for the Classic line! I'm going to have to get this guy eventually. He'd look great on my shelf with my original Hans. I might tone down his freckles a bit, though. They're pretty big and dark compared to how they looked in the movie. 

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I won't go into as many details with these others since I don't actively collect them, although I will make a few comments on some of the more obvious changes.

Ariel

(original images found HERE)

 Wedding Ariel

(original images found HERE)

Every once in a while the Disney Store releases wedding versions of some of their princess dolls. I haven't paid enough attention to have an educated breakdown of which ones they've released and how often, but I know I've seen Ariel, Cinderella, and Rapunzel in wedding dresses at different times. Wouldn't it be cool if they did a whole wedding line sometime, with wedding prince dolls, too? That would be awesome! :D

Aurora

(original images found HERE) 

Cinderella

(original images found HERE) 

 Jasmine

(original images found HERE) 

Merida

(original images found HERE) 

Mulan

(original images found HERE) 

I'm so happy that they FINALLY decided to change things up for poor Mulan, who's had essentially the exact same dress since 2010. I love that they did a version of her green and white outfit this time. Little Gal is super excited for the updated look, since Mulan is her favorite princess. I'm sure this will be one of her purchases on next year's birthday trip!

 Pocahontas

(original images found HERE)

Snow White

(original images found HERE) 

 Tiana

(original images found HERE)

Tiana has gone back to her green dress this year. In some ways, I wish I'd snagged one of the blue-dressed Tianas either last year or the year before. Her blue dress has always been my favorite, and I loved her face mold and face paint. But again, I just can't justify collecting other Disney dolls. I have so many dolls in general, and my Beauty and the Beast, Tangled, and Frozen ones already take up so much room. I really don't need to add more. She sure is a cutie, though, especially in her lovely blue gown.

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So, that's all for now! My tentative plan is to pick up a Belle, a Rapunzel, and a Hans, but I will probably wait for a while, at least until they go back on the "buy two or more, get them for $10 each" promotion they usually have going (it usually comes back about a week or so after the newest Classics are released). And I might wait for a free shipping code.

To see all of the new Classic dolls together, you can go to the Disney Store website HERE.

What do you guys think? Will any of you be tempted to add any dolls to your collection this year? Would you like to see more variety from the Disney Store with this line? Which dolls are your favorites? If you could oversee the production of the Classic doll line, what changes would you make?

P.S. I apologize to those of you who left comments I didn't respond to. I just noticed I was a bit behind! Sorry about that! I'll try to get to those a bit later.

P.P.S. Was it killing anyone else to miss D23 this year? Someday, I really want to go! Did you hear that all of the current Disney Princesses will be making a cameo appearance in Wreck-it Ralph 2? I can't wait! :D

This post contains no affiliate links and was not sponsored by Disney. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Disney Store Classic Belle 2015 Doll Review

 I decided it would be best to give each of my four new Disney Store dolls their own review post to keep things as simple as possible. Today, we'll take a look at Belle. The Beast will be next, then Rapunzel, then Eugene. :) My goal is to publish all four posts by the end of next week. So we'll be all Disneyed out by then. (If there is such a thing.) ;)

Also, since I have four posts to do this year instead of two, I probably won't be as wordy as I usually am on these yearly comparisons. I've done these for so long, you guys know just about as much as I do by now anyway. ;) I still took lots of comparison pictures for you, though, so don't worry.

Here's beautiful Belle in her box. :)

Box views and details:

Belle out of the outer shell.

Now I just have to tackle the thread and twist ties. ;)

Like many of the previous dolls, Belle's hands are held in place with plastic and rubber bands. I didn't get a picture of it, but she also has those annoying plastic ties in her head again. :(

She is held in place by a twist tie at the waist.

Like most DS dolls, her skirt has paper in it to make it look nice and poofy in the box.

And here she is out of the box. :)

I love her beautiful face! Like I said before, I'm so excited that she doesn't have angry or snarky eyebrows this time around. :) 

Belle's bodice...

...and skirt.

I love the gathered material at the top...

...and the beautiful glittery rose accents. 

Like the most recent Belle dolls, 2015 Belle has yellow flats held on by rubber bands. I didn't take any other pictures of her legs, but they are the "click-knee" variety, not the hard plastic with knee and ankle articulation.

Belle from the back.

She has Velcro closure at the bodice.

It always makes me happy when the pattern of the skirt continues all the way around. :)

Belle's hair is a pretty good length, but it looks a little funny from behind. 

The little short part in the middle is the leftover bit from the bun.

It looks a little better when the two big sausage curls are pulled together.

I love the hairline on this year's doll! It's much closer to Belle's movie style than any of the other Disney Store dolls from 2010 on.

And her face! Not only is it happy-looking and a nice representation of Belle, but it's so beautifully painted. 

I mean, check out the eye detail! Great stuff here. :)

Per a reader's request, here are some screen shots of Belle to compare:

(Images found on disneyscreencaps.com.)

The only major disappointment with my particular doll is that she has a defective wrist joint. When I try to move it up and down, it only goes to the side like this. And as you can see from the picture, there is a good-sized crack in the ball joint. 

I've decided not to exchange her since she will spend most of her time on display in my curio and not be played with. However, I know from past experience that the Disney Store is really excellent about returns, so I'm sure an issue like this would be no problem if I chose to exchange her.

So as is my tradition, let's take a look at the Belle dolls from the past few years and compare them with the newest edition. :)

Here's the complete lineup.

Now for a closer look at their faces. Since I did a lot of explanation on the faces in last year's post, I'm pretty much going to let the pictures speak for themselves this time around. (I'll link to last year's post at the end of this one for anyone who's interested.)

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014 

2015 

Here's a closer look at each of the dresses through the years:

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

Here they are from the back. I always find it interesting seeing the differences in hair length and style.

And here's a closer look at each of the hairstyles from the back, year by year:  

2010 

2011 

2012

2013

2014 

2015

I also love to see each of the dolls right next to the newest one each year, so I thought I'd share some pictures of each version next to each other. 

2010 and 2015

My two favorite Disney Store Classic Belle dolls...so far. ;)

2011 and 2015

This Belle has a sweet face, but the "year of tulle" was definitely not my favorite year for dresses. ;) To me, though, these two have faces that look the most like the movie character.

2012 and 2015

I still think that the 2012 dress is my favorite. I like 2012 Belle's hair, too. But I don't care for her eyebrows or her articulated legs.

2013 and 2015

Poor 2013 Belle has looked played-with since I took her out of her box, with her flyaway hair and crooked bodice embellishment. I do like all of the pretty rose designs on her skirt, though. :)

2014 and 2015

I didn't realize until I lined everyone up that this year's Belle has almost the exact same dress as last year's. The only differences are that the top embellishment on 2015's is not sheer material and she has little jewels added to the roses on her skirt. It makes me wonder how many of the other princess dolls have almost identical dresses to last year's versions. To me, 2014 Belle looks like she could be 2015 Belle's sophisticated older sister. 2015 Belle looks more young and innocent with her big eyes and softer eyebrows. 

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I'm very pleased with my latest addition to the Belle lineup. But before I go into my official thoughts, I thought I'd give you a little preview of some of the other dolls to come.

For one thing, I have to keep my tradition of taking pics of the newest Belle and Rapunzel together. Because in this house, Belles and Rapunzels tend to be besties. Just ask my first 2010 Belle. ;)

2015 Rapunzel and Belle

I had a difficult time getting both dolls to look in the same place. For many of the Belle and Rapunzel releases, they've both had a sideways glance, so I could make them look at each other. Now Rapunzel is looking straight ahead and Belle is looking over and up. It makes photo shoots with these two a little challenging. ;)

And, of course, we have to see some shots of Belle with her Beast. ;) 

I have some mixed thoughts on this newest Beast doll. It's super hard not to just go into them now...which is why I decided to do his review next. ;) Stay tuned for more info!

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So let's get back to this year's Belle. It's time to share my thoughts on this latest edition.

Pleasing Qualities: 5 out of 5

   I'm thrilled with this newest Belle doll. I'm so happy they gave her a more pleasant expression and a more accurate hairline. I love the extra detail they put into the face paint this year and her lovely complexion. Her dress, although not necessarily the most accurate one ever, definitely gives the idea of the original dress and is lovely to look at. I'd love to see them try to create gloves for Belle's gold dress again. I'd also love to see them release her in some of her different dresses sometime, like they did with Tiana this year. Overall, though, I'm very happy with her.

Posability: 4.5 out of 5

   The posability is the same on this doll as it has been for most of the previous years' releases. I love their extra posable arms and prefer the click knees since I don't care for the Disney Store's articulated legs. I'm docking half a point for my particular Belle doll because of her faulty joint. Without any issues, she would have a perfect score.  

Playability: 4.5 out of 5

   Overall, this gal would be great for playtime. I docked half a point because the curly-haired dolls from the Disney Store tend to have pretty messy hair after they've been played with for a while. The good news is, this Belle doesn't have a bunch of crunchy product in her hair like some have had in the past, so she has that going for her. 

   Oh, and like many of the past dolls, if you don't like glitter, you'll want to find this doll a new outfit. I had glitter all over me after taking pics of her and Rapunzel. ;)

Price: 5 out of 5

   The "2 or more for $10" promotion is a great deal, especially for detailed dolls from beloved movies. Since I can't afford the super expensive LE dolls from the Disney Store, I'm thankful that there are less-expensive alternatives for my collection. ;) I would prefer to spend $10 instead of the regular price of $16.95, but for dolls I really wanted, I would be willing to pay the full price. I would pay full price for this year's Belle and this year's Eugene, definitely. More on the other dolls later, though. ;)

Thoughts from the Gals:

(Typed exactly as dictated to me with no changes. Italicized clarifications are added by me.) :)

Oldest Gal (age 11):  

   This year's Belle doll is gorgeous. Her eyes and eyebrows are just right, and her lips and nose are pretty good too. Her dress is beautiful, even though it's a little short and not quite poofy enough. :( It looks a lot like the movie minus all the rose designs and jewels. 

   Her hair is pretty, but it looks a bit strange from the back. There are these two ginormous locks and then a short little wavy piece of hair in between the two. Her bun is pretty well done, down on the head instead of looking a bit detached from the head. I love what they did with her hairline! It looks just like the movie, except for the two strands that go up, then back down, in the front. Overall, I am very pleased with this Belle doll. 

Which is your favorite Disney Store Belle doll so far?

   I'm going to have to separate it into categories because this is so tough. For hair, I like the 2013 doll. It's short and the bun doesn't look too conspicuous. For face, 2015 and 2011 have to tie. 2015 is beautiful and movie accurate, but 2011 is really pretty too. If you're going for realism, 2015 and 2012 tie for the dress. My personal favorite is 2015. My overall favorite is 2015, as you can guess. It's such a realistic doll with the hairline and the beautiful eyes and eyebrows and the gorgeous dress. 

   

Middle Gal (age 9): 

   I really like her face. I like the way they did the little top of the heart thing on her hairline. And I like the detail on her dress. I like how the glitter does not come off. Her hair is a little messy, and it's kind of weird how they did it in two separate things, but I really like how they made her happy. 

   One complaint that I have about this doll is her bun. The Disney Store doesn't do really detailed buns. I like how they did the fully posable arms and wrists, but I wish that the legs would be more posable, too. I like that body better. Another little complaint that I have is that, well, the ruffles on the front of her dress are so beautiful, but in the back, they didn't do that, and that is just, like, it irritates me that the Disney Store did not do detail on the back of her dress, except for the glitter. 

   Overall, I really like this doll, and I think you should get her. 

Which is your favorite Disney Store Belle doll so far?

   2015. I like this doll the best out of all of the Belle dolls because they finally got her eyebrows right and she is so awesome! 

Little Gal (age 7):

   So, for Belle, I really like the way they made her smile this year because they make her look mad, like angry, not mad like "crazy" (in previous years). She is very beautiful, but I don't really like how they made her hair separate in two. The bun is pretty cute, and for her shoes, I'm kinda disappointed that they never do high heels. That's basically what every princess has in the movie. And I don't really like it how her dress doesn't spin like it does in the movie, doesn't even spin at all. And I like the way they did her part. It's just like it was in the movie. It goes like up, curve, down, up, curve, down. And then the back of her dress isn't really realistic. And they didn't do the little balls on the front of her dress. And they made her have too much eyeshadow. 

Which is your favorite Disney Store Belle doll so far?

  Probably 2015.  

The girls were very detailed in their reviews for Belle and the Beast. Since we just rewatched the movie the other night, the original characters were fresh on their minds. ;)

I'm very happy with my newest Belle and would definitely recommend her for my fellow Beauty and the Beast fans. :) 

If you'd like to get your own 2015 Belle, you can purchase her on the Disney Store website HERE. 

If you'd like to check out my review post from last year, you can see it HERE. 

Stay tuned for more reviews! The Beast doll is up next! :)