Thursday, October 17, 2013

Disney's Frozen: Disney Store Dolls, Coloring Book, New Trailer, and Other General Geekery ;)

Okay, once again I'm interrupting our Lala and My Little Pony-themed posts, basically because I'm in total geek-out mode and need a place to get it out of my system.  Plus, this is my blog and I reserve the right to interrupt already scheduled stuff. ;) 

Fear not, Lalaloopsy and My Little Pony fans!  We'll get back on track tomorrow afternoon or evening with the Lala-Ooopsies review. ;)

Before I begin my extremely long fangirl post, I want to apologize for possibly repeating things I may have mentioned earlier.  I posted some things on Facebook about "Frozen", but I couldn't remember whether or not I'd done much here.  Sorry if I end up telling you things I've already shared. ;)

So I've been really interested in "Frozen" since I first heard about it, but I've been waiting to get more info before I went into full-on geek out obsessive mode (my normal pre-movie state). :}  Last week, I found out that one of the characters from the movie, Hans, is voiced by Santino Fontana, who is currently playing role of Prince Topher in the Broadway production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Cinderella".  That got me excited.  The next day, I totally caved and read the Frozen coloring book in Barnes and Noble, discovering the entire plot of the movie in the process. :}  In this case, I'm kind of glad I did, because there was a HUGE plot surprise I was not expecting and I might have had a hard time not knowing it going into the movie.  (And no, I will not reveal it here, even though I've been DYING to tell someone!) ;)  Even with the plot twist, I was super impressed.  (In fact, the plot twist was actually one of the things I liked once I got over the shock of it...but I need to stop there!  I am determined not to give away any spoilers!!)

Suffice it to say, this is going to be an incredible movie.  I feel like I'm going to explode waiting for it to come out!  Thankfully, there have been all sorts of fun things to tide me over in the meantime, like an incredible new trailer that was released today (I've already watched it five times). :}  You can see the new trailer on Facebook HERE.  For those of you who do not have Facebook, you can see it on YouTube HERE.

Totally amazing, right? :D  Anyone else geeking out, or is it just me? 

I had some Frozen stuff I was going to review at a later date, but seeing the trailer made me want to go ahead and dive in today!  So, fasten your seat belts for an incredibly long, picture-heavy post!!  We'll take a look at the Frozen merchandise I've added to my collection in the past month. :)

First off, just this morning I found a fun mini coloring book at Walmart for just $1.79.  I love the fact that it is strictly a coloring book with pictures that tell the entire story.  No crossword puzzles or other activities. (I've never been into coloring and activity books, to be honest.)

The coloring book is titled "Radiant Heart".

And here's Kristoff with a guitar!!  I'm sensing a musical number to look forward to. ;)

I thought I'd share just a few pictures from the coloring book.  Don't worry, I only selected spoiler-free pics and didn't include the text. ;)


The coloring book also included two pages of mini stickers.

Unfortunately, they weren't printed very well, so some of the stickers look a little odd.  I couldn't capture it on camera, though.

My other Frozen treasures are the four classic dolls from the Disney Store:  Hans, Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff, pictured below.


Here are Elsa and Anna together. 

I decided to just open Anna and Kristoff for starters, so I'm only going to share boxed pictures of Elsa and Hans.

The sides and back of her box:

Elsa's pretty face.  You can't really see it in this picture, but my Elsa has eyes that are not quite looking in the exact same place. :}

Elsa's beautiful, glittery dress.

Bodice and sleeve details

A closer look at her skirt.

Other box details: 

Elsa is a beautifully detailed doll. :)

That's all of Elsa for now. :)

We'll get to my pictures of Anna in a bit... ;)

Here are the two men from Frozen, Hans and Kristoff.

Handsome Hans, voiced by Santino!  I hope he gets a song. :)

The sides and back of his box:

I must say, I was a bit disappointed with his freckle paint.  It didn't look quite as natural as Kristoff and Anna's freckles (coming in a bit here).

Box details: 

I really love his outfit and the detail in his face.  We'll have to wait for more pictures for now, though. ;)

Here is Anna in her box.  


I must say, I am super impressed with this beautiful doll.  I think they captured her perfectly. :) 


Side one

Back 


Other side

Anna's beautiful face.  I really like the way they painted her freckles.

Beginning the deboxing process. :}

Anna was held in by just a few twist ties and some thread.  That's always a nice thing. :)

One of the things I was most thrilled about was the way they attached Anna's head to the box.  They put twist ties around her braids...

...and a rubber band around her neck.  No annoying little plastic thingees attached to her scalp.  Hurray!!! :)

A quick look at her adorable boots.  We'll take a closer look in a bit. 

I was amazed at how well her box held up to opening.  I don't think I actually ripped anything, which is amazing for me! ;)

Anna's cape was attached to her skirt.  I went ahead and snipped it free. 

And here she is, all free from her cardboard prison. ;) 


Her braids were attached to her clothing with plastic ties.  This was actually the most difficult thing about Anna in doll form.  The plastic ties were attached to her cape, which was made of a thick felt-type material.  They were attached so tightly that it was almost impossible to cut them free without either cutting her hair or cutting her cape.  Thankfully, I was able to get them removed without incident.

Anna's cape closes with a hook and eye...

...which can be easily opened.


I love the detail on her bodice.

Her gloves were held on by plastic packaging and rubber bands.  Once I removed the rubber bands, it was easy to get them off (not so easy to get them back on without making them look a little funny). :}

I was impressed with the fact that the Disney Store had a layer of plastic between Anna's hands and her gloves, presumably to keep them from staining.

She has the typical Disney Store hands, with arms articulated at the wrist and elbow.

A closer look at her skirt.  

She has blue built-in underwear, and as you can see, they went back to the hard plastic legs with jointed knees and ankles.

I've gone into this before with my other Disney Store doll reviews, but I'm really not impressed with the fully articulated dolls.  I really hope they improve on the design.  My Anna in particular has a problem with her knee joint that makes her right leg shorter than the other.  I found that if I bend her left knee slightly, she can stand.

Her boots are amazing.  They're so cute and detailed. :)

I can't get over how perfectly they captured her face! :)  Oh, but there was a purpose to this picture. ;)  I wanted to show you her hat from the front... 

...and the back. 

The hat was attached with little plastic ties which I removed with scissors.  Without them, it is kept in place by a thick, clear band that goes around her braids at the back of her head.

And here is Anna as we see her in much of the artwork from the movie.

Her profile

I think her ears are so cute! :)

Anna from the back.

As you can see, her shirt is all one piece, even though it looks like a shirt and jumper.  It has easy Velcro closure in the back.  I didn't get a picture of it, but her skirt is separate from her shirt.

I did appreciate the fact that even though the tops are attached, they used a different layer of material for the black bodice.

I'm so glad I got this doll.  Even with her wonky leg, she's a lovely addition to my collection. :)

Now on to Kristoff!

Box details:

One side

Back of the box 

Other side

Kristoff's box was a lot harder to open, partially because there was a lot more tape.  In fact, getting his box open was the hardest part of setting him free. ;)

His box didn't survive quite as well as Anna's did.

Once he was out, though, getting him completely unattached was fairly easy. 

His hat was held in place by a plastic piece attached with twist ties.

He had another twist tie around his waist (inside his clothing) and two more on his legs.

I was very pleased with the design of his hat.  It came right off but also stayed nicely on his head when I put it back on.

Here he is completely deboxed.

A view from the back.

A few headshots:

This is my favorite angle.  His face is so expressive.

Kristoff's clothing is very detailed.  He has a suede-like top with faux fur trim.  His gloves are leather-look and polar fleece.

His pants are polar fleece, and his boots are plastic.  They stay on well and help him stand unassisted much better than the typical prince boots from the Disney Store.  They also come off easily when needed.

A closer look at the detail on his gloves: 

I thought it was interesting that his hair has a rather metallic look to it. :}

The detail on the hair mold is very nice.

Although his top looks layered, in reality it is all one piece.

I'm very pleased with Kristoff as well.  His clothing has amazing detail, he stands up better than any prince doll I've ever purchased from the Disney Store, and he looks super cute with Anna:


The only thing I was a bit bummed about as a doll photographer is that it was very difficult to get a picture of the two of them looking at each other.  The problem is they both have a sideways glance (Kristoff more so than Anna), so it takes some creative camera angles to make it look like they're in conversation.

This one actually turned out okay. ;)

In spite of that one nit-picky thing, they're very photogenic and I had a lot of fun photographing them.



I would highly recommend both dolls to any Disney fans or collectors.  I think Kristoff would make a great doll for the kiddos he's marketed for.  Anna would be okay as long as a parent helped with the deboxing and getting her braids and cape separated.  However, be aware that the satiny material of her dress will fray easily and may not hold up well to a lot of play. 

I wanted to end with a few pics of Anna with Rapunzel, especially since so many people were complaining that Anna looked too much like the previous princess.

As you can see, while there are some similarities, I think both are unique enough that they compliment each other.  I don't feel like I have duplicate dolls whatsoever.

I think they have the makings of a great friendship. ;)

And one more piccy of Anna, just 'cause she's so cute. ;)

For those of you interested in a more detailed review of Elsa and Hans (as well as Anna and Kristoff), be sure to stop by Heather's blog, "The Doll Grotto".  She has a review of Elsa and Anna HERE, and a review of Hans and Kristoff HERE.  She included pictures of each of the dolls completely undressed.  I just have a hard time undressing my brand new dolls...it's an obsessive mint condition thing I have. ;)

I hope you guys found this post enjoyable and informative...those of you who actually made it through the whole thing and are still with me, that is. ;)

Is anyone else as excited as I am about Frozen? :D

Have a wonderful rest of your week!  Be on the lookout for more Lalaloopsy and My Little Pony fun soon! :)

23 comments:

Jen said...

I can't say I'm looking too terribly forward to "Frozen" (although now I'm wanting to know what this plot twist is, because maybe it'll pique my interest!). Disney and Hans Christian Andersen are a hit-and-miss combo, that snowman character looks like something better relegated to a bad Dreamworks film, and yes, I've been one of the ones looking at Anna and saying "Isn't that just Rapunzel with pigtails?".

Then again, I never expected Rapunzel to come out of nowhere to by my Disney Princess Homegirl, so.

That said, that Anna doll looks ADORABLE and I kind of want one, even if I end up hating the movie. :D

Jasmine said...

Hi! Anna and Elsa look so cute, and so do their dolls! =D I think that they will be two of my favorite princesses. I'm really excited about Frozen, too! It looks awesome from the trailer =D

Sunny_Harper1994 said...

Originally, I went to the Disney store to buy Elsa but I didn't like her in person. I left with Kristoff and Anna. Anna is too beautiful but I didn't like her name so I changed it to Wendy (she looks like the Wendys from the fast food place to me.) Lol
I hope she and Kristoff are together.
Do you know why Wendy, er, Anna has that blonde streak? :)

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Hi Jen! Good to hear from you. :)

I was wary about Frozen at first too, especially after that first trailer with Olaf (the snowman) and Sven (the reindeer). I get a little annoyed when the trailers for the newest Disney movies are obviously trying to target the boys in the audience so they leave out anything princessy...which in this case, was the entire point of the story. :} Olaf really annoyed me in that first trailer, too, but he's grown on me since then. I don't think he'll be quite as bad as he seems at first.

Anna is really adorable. I'm so glad I got her. :)

And just so you know (although you probably guessed it already), don't go into this expecting the original version of the story. It's a beautiful story, but it's not The Snow Queen. ;) I think it just helps going into something without expectations sometimes. ;)

P.S. If you want a spoiler, you can always email me. ;)

Hi Jasmine! I'm really pleased with them too. From what I've seen, I'm thinking this movie is going to be right up there with Tangled and Beauty and the Beast for me. :)

Hi Sunny. :) I think Elsa looks a little bit better deboxed. I also think that they captured Anna a little better.

I know who she ends up with, but I can't say...unless you really want to know and want to email me. ;) (Lol...I feel like I have government secrets or something.) ;)

I don't know for sure about the blonde streak, but I'm guessing it has to do with something that happens when the girls are young.

KrissyLou said...

Thanks 'Belle! I'm now really looking forward to taking DD1 to see it! I wonder when they'll be releasing it in Oz...

Nina said...

I want to see Frozen so badly! And I want the dolls;) I'll have to look for that coloring book. It's so cute! And u can't wait to see the plot twist!

Emmaline Grace said...

I am so excited for Frozen now! At first I was mildly curious, but now that I saw the trailer and you mentioned the plot twist, I can't wait! Plus I really like the character designs. I kind of wish they were following the original story, but I'm interested to see the Disney version.

Heather said...

I've known about the plot twist for a while now, and I felt betrayed when I first learned of it! I like it though now that I'm used to the idea.

Thank you for the mention too!

Anonymous said...

Squeeeeeee! *Goes into total geek-out mode*
I rarely go to movies in the theater (too expensive), but I just might have to go to this one because the visuals look really cool. :)
I definitely want to get the girl dolls, but I haven't decided yet on the boys. Kristoff looks pretty good (love the detail in his hair), but Hans just looks too stuck-up to me. :( He doesn't seem that way from the brief instances we see him in the trailers, but the doll... hmmm. If they'd given him a friendlier expression, I probably would buy him (I have a thing for redheads ;)), but I just don't like his face. :(

--Kate :)

misspiggy=awesome said...

Anna looks so much like my BFF's older sister it's creepy. :0

Kaffrum said...

I really liked the first trailer - with Olaf and the Reindeer - it made me laugh, I do like a bit of comic relief. I saw the new trailer and I think the blonde streak in Anna's hair is revealed there. I haven't bought a Disney doll since Tangled first started appearing in the shops, these dolls are very tempting. I would have liked Hans to smile a bit more. I think Anna is gorgeous, and would not even have thought to say she was a Rapunzel double.

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Wow, it's always so fun to come back to so many comments. :)

Hi KrissyLou! I'm glad to get the word out about this film. I'm not sure about the Australian release date. Hopefully you won't have to wait too long! ;)

Hi Nina! I'd definitely recommend the dolls. I've also seen the Mattel ones, and I think that the Disney Store did a much better job with their dolls. The coloring book is really fun too, but only if you want to know the whole story before you see the movie! :)

Hi Emmaline Grace. I'm glad you're getting excited, too. :) I was a little disappointed about the deviation from the original at first. However, I think they did an excellent job with their version, and I love the message of the film too. :)

Heather, that's exactly how I would describe it!! I was completely crushed at first...which is one of the reasons I'm glad I found out about it ahead of time. Now that I've had time to adjust, I think it's a brilliant element to the story and an interesting deviation from the norm.

No problem on the mention...I thought your reviews were very thorough and would be perfect for readers wanting a little more detail. :)

Hi Kate! Hurray!! Another person geeking out with me! ;)

I don't go to theaters all that often either, and when I do, I don't go to the 3-D versions (I'm not really a fan of the whole 3-D phenomenon), so that helps with the expense a bit. :) I usually see the animated Disney or Disney/Pixar releases, though. :)

I was a little disappointed by Hans in person, too, I must admit.

I would love to say more, but I think I'll just end things there before I start going into spoilers!!!

How interesting that Anna resembles your best friend's older sister so closely, misspiggy=awesome. Isn't it funny how that happens sometimes? ;)

Hi KAF FRUM. Thanks for stopping by. :) I think I would have enjoyed the first trailer a little more if I hadn't been hoping for a glimpse of some of the main characters. My Hubby, on the other hand, thought it was hilarious. Now that I've had the pleasure of viewing the other "real" trailers, I've found I can enjoy the first one a little more. Weird, I know. :}

I'm pretty sure the reveal in the new trailer is something different, because she has the blonde streak before then. There's also an incident that happens early on in the story that I'm pretty sure results in the streak.

I'd definitely recommend the dolls. Even Hans, with his less than pleasing face, has clothing with amazing detail. So if nothing else, he could be harvested for his outfit! ;)

Thanks for all the comments, everyone! ;)

mystrygirl87 said...

Thanks for sharing! I'm totally geeking out as well.

I'll have to check if the Disney outlet is getting any of these dolls in. Right now I'm saving for the new Petite Princesses at Toys R Us. Anna is just adorable.

The Dolls said...

I honestly can't wait for Frozen!!!! On another note, someone I know has a friend, she has type one diabetes and needs 6,000 dollars this spring so that she can get a service dog. I was wondering if you could help us get the word out and possibly post this link on your blog as a little shout out. https://www.facebook.com/4hannahshope

I know I shouldn't be asking for things, but this is important, please at least take a look at the page and read her story.

Abbie R,

Presto said...

Don't try to take Anna's hair out of those braids. She has nearly no rooting under the top layer of hair on top of her head.

Honestly, I think Anna's doll looks more like Rapunzel than Rapunzel's doll did. I could see doing a reroot on Anna and making a VERY convincing Rapunzel, lol!

Michele said...

So glad you did this review. I did go by Target today, sorry about commenting on an old post :} I don't know why when I came to your blog that was the first thing up, I thought it was strange because it wasn't a Lalaloopsy post, but I thought, (well it's obvious I didn't think), maybe they were re-releasing them. Anyway, they had a few dolls for the new Frozen. I had only seen the trailer with the snowman and the reindeer. I was not excited about this movie until I saw the dolls today and realized there was more to the story. And now after reading your post, I can't wait to see this movie! I want to know the plot, but I'll wait because I love surprises. Enjoyed the review, loved seeing those beautiful dolls.

ampy said...

Hello Beastbelle!
great doll reviews!!^^
It kinda made me wish that we had a disney store in the Philippines(though if it DID happen I kinda won't be surprised if the prices are doubled...).
the girls(anna and elsa) have beautiful eyes,they remind me of miku hatsune...anyways have you seen the mattel doll versions of these dolls?they were very nicely made than the merida and rapunzel dolls,the girls are more accurate!
as for the boys...I love em both!
though I think Hans will be a minor character,the mattel doll line didn't include them...Im looking forward to see them in belle's bulletins ^^

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Hey everyone! I don't have time to respond as I'd like to right now, but I'll be back with responses to your comments later this evening! :)

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Yikes, I forgot all about coming back and responding to these comments! :}

You're welcome, mystrygirl87. Glad someone else is geeking out too. :)

How fun that you have a Disney Outlet nearby! :) We had a seasonal one for a couple of years, but it hasn't been around for a while.

Hi Abbie! I responded to this request in your latest comment. I'll get back to you soon. :)

Thanks for the tip, Presto. :) I wasn't planning on taking her hair out of the braids, but it's good to know that just in case. ;)

You have a good point...I bet Anna would make a nice custom Rapunzel. :)

Hi Michele. Glad I was able to get you a little more excited about the movie. ;) I think it's going to be really great!

Don't worry about commenting on an old post. Blogger is weird sometimes and will do funny things like that. ;)

Hi ampy! Thanks for stopping by. :) I'm glad you enjoyed the review.

I'm sorry you don't have a Disney Store over there. Do they ship to the Philippines?

I have seen the Mattel versions of the Frozen dolls. I do think they did a good job overall, but I still prefer the Disney dolls, especially since the Mattel versions appear to have no articulation in the elbows or knees.

I have my own ideas about why Hans was not included in the Mattel line, but I'll keep them to myself for now. ;)

Unknown said...

I drew a picture of Elsa. I would like to know your feedback on it, but I don't know how... :(

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Hi Ava. :) If you would like, you could email it as an attachment to nevergrowup.beastsbelle@gmail.com. I'm horribly behind on my emails, so it might take me a while to get back to you, but I'd love to see it. :)

All AG said...

Are you ging to leave Elsa in her box? I love Elsa more than Anna and would love a review. :)

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Hi All AG. I did end up opening Elsa, so I'll try to get a review up for you soon. :)