Yesterday LEGO officially unveiled the next LEGO Collectible Minifigures Series, this time featuring Disney characters. Please note that this series will have 18 minifigs, instead of the usual 16. Below are details, pictures and some analysis, so we can discuss. 🙂
BILLUND, Denmark (March 29, 2016) – The LEGO Group today announced its 18th collection of LEGO Minifigures starring some of The Walt Disney Company’s most beloved characters inspired by stories from across the entire Disney universe. Eighteen new minifigures bring to life in LEGO form for the first time the playful personalities of some of the most iconic characters from Disney classics such as Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland to Disney/Pixar favorites like The Incredibles and Toy Story.
“For more than 16 years, fans have been recreating their most beloved Disney stories through LEGO play,” said Jill Wilfert, vice president of licensing and entertainment for The LEGO Group. “This year, we’re excited to give them a diverse collection of Disney characters from classic storylines, to never-before-seen LEGO likenesses of Disney icons in order to further the creative play possibilities for Disney and LEGO fans alike.”
This collectible series of LEGO Minifigures will be widely available for purchase in all major toy retailers, as well as at shop.LEGO.com and in LEGO Stores nationwide in May, with a suggested retail price of $3.99 (USD) each.
Disney Animated Classics Characters: From Disney’s collection of timeless animated characters, the LEGO Group introduces minifigure versions of the beloved Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse characters, their temperamental friend Donald Duck, and his leading lady, Daisy Duck. Enthusiasts of 1950s Disney stories will appreciate the inclusion of Alice and the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan and Captain Hook from Peter Pan, and the evil witch Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty. Disney fans will also love minifigure versions of Ariel and Ursula from The Little Mermaid and the beloved Genie and Aladdin from the fictional city of Agrabah featured in Aladdin, plus the ultimate alien friend, Stitch, from Lilo & Stitch.
Disney/Pixar Inspired Heroes and Villains: Two Disney/Pixar characters never-before-seen in the LEGO world become minifigures – Mr. Incredible and archenemy Syndrome from Disney/Pixar’s The Incredibles. Additionally, fans can collect minifigure versions of two icons from the beloved Disney-Pixar’s Toy Story – Buzz Lightyear and the squeak-toy Alien from Pizza Planet.
This is a pretty interesting, and quite mixed collection. If you look at them as a whole series it doesn’t have the same uniformity as previous series, as some of the minifigs have moulded heads, while others use standard minifig heads. Some people feel that Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and Daisy Duck got too big heads. Comparing them to regular minifig heads they are definitely big, but I think they do look very cute. If the proportions bother you, you can consider them to be Disney costumed minifigs. Stitch is very cute though, so is the Pizza Planet Alien – although we have seen him before in the LEGO Toy Story sets in 2010. The Cheshire Cat also looks good with that sinister grin.
As far as the characters with regular minifigure heads, we got Syndrome, Ariel, Aladdin, Captain Hook and Maleficent in the top row. And Ursula, Alice, Peter Pan, Mr. Incredible, Buzz Lightyear, and the Genie in the bottom row (see below).
Ariel is particularly interesting because she already appeared in mini-doll form in the LEGO Disney Princess sets. The printing is very similar, but a brand new hairpiece is used for her. I don’t like the facial print on Captain Hook, but his hat is pretty sweet. Malificent is gorgeous all around, and Ursula is the first minifig with a 3D bust and belly – which I think is very funny and will make her popular. I’m very happy with Alice’s hard-plastic skirt (same as on Minnie Mouse), as I really dislike cloth skirts. Her hair is nice too, but her facial printing doesn’t have the cuteness of the original Disney character, which is sad.
Peter Pan is of course awesome, and could easily be turned into Link from Legend of Zelda – a character LEGO fans have been requesting for a very long time. Mr. Incredible and Syndrome are okay, I guess, although I think short legs would have been better for Syndrome to show the size difference. It is interesting that for Buzz Lightyear a regular minifig head was used instead of the previous moulded piece.
I don’t like the Genie at all – it seems like LEGO was not able to capture the facial features. In my opinion Ariel, Aladdin, Alice, Peter Pan and the Genie should all have larger eyes to match the cuteness of the Disney films characters. I don’t know why or how LEGO missed this, as recreating LEGO minifigures from cartoons is generally much easier than LEGO-izing real people (like real actors from films).
Overall, I think some of the characters are winners, while others could have been much better. What do you think? How do you like the LEGO Collectible Disney Minifigures? Are you planning to collect them all? Or just get a few you really like? Do you have any favorites? Or you don’t like them at all? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below. And you can also check out the currently available Disney sets under the LEGO Disney Princess section of the Online LEGO Shop.
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Disney Corp is so rapacious, soulless and greedy it disgusts me so I’m not surprised to see that there’s nothing there that I’d want. As usual, the Disney of it has overwhelmed the Lego of it and turned it into something saccharine and unsatisfying. On the other hand, that may be exactly what Lego Group wanted to capitalize on.
Oops! I meant “disappointing”.
Yeah, a lot of people don’t like Disney. There are some really nice accessories though that can be used for other minifigs. Alice is an excellent example with a new skirt and new hair, and she is generic enough to fit in a lot of different settings without having to be Alice. Aladdin and Peter Pan are also good generic minifigs with nice prints and accessories.
I think these are better that The Simpsons minifigs in the sense that because most of them come with regular minifigs heads they can be repurposed. So there is something for both Disney fans and those who are just interested in new parts and accessories.
Maleficent and Ursula, Alice and possibly pan are the only ones for me. Multiples of Maleficent for the headpiece I suspect.
Oh and Pan purely for link, nothing else…
Yeah, Malificent’s headpiece is amazing, isn’t it? I plan to get several as well 😀
Is it just me, or did Lego used to be more original. It seems lately the only things they’re coming out with are licensed things, that they know are going to sell.
Naw, they have a good balance. It’s just that LEGO fans often get most excited about the licensed lines, so that’s what you end up seeing all over the internet. However Nexo Knights, Ninjago, City, Creator, Elves, Technic, etc. are all full of amazing sets, and they are all original LEGO ideas. I actually much prefer LEGO’s own themes because they are not restricted by ideas and design, but I’m also happy for those who have been waiting for LEGO versions of their favorite movies, comics, or whatever. There are plenty of choices for everyone. 🙂
I just love how people may spend more time on licensed minifigure packs, but most of it is like WTH are these? And when a normal series comes out their all like “Look at that new part” and then they subside. Also LEGO doesn’t count licensed figure pack as the next series, they kind-of are just…there.
My daughter is going to lose her mind when she sees a Mickey Mouse “lego man”. I’m all in.
I believe (and this makes scenes as well from a business standpoint) that the head mold for Donald and Daisy are the same and just have a micro-peg at the top for their hat, bow things, same with Mickey and Minny. Also if you look at the bows for Minny and Daisy they look the same. In addition the I wonder what the tails for the Ducks will look like (they have tails because look between their hips and torsos).
I’m surprised LEGO did put, um…uh…, on Ursala as this is the first time a LEGO figure ever has, uh…, except of course the friends mini-dolls they have always had, uh…..YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!
Also is it just me or does Mickey look A LOT like his Duplo counterpart, like head wise, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was the same mold.
Yeah, I mentioned that in the article about Ursula. 😉
Yes, the DUPLO Mickey looks quite similar, but it is not the same mould. DUPLO figures are MUCH bigger than regular LEGO minifigs.
Still It looks like they just scaled it down and added an ati-stud, like proportion wise.
They are actually quite different. I mean Mickey and Minney obviously have a classic Disney look, so there is only so much variation that can be done, but the DUPLO versions have an open smile, their ears are bigger, and their faces are longer. But they are all cute in my opinion. 😀
There’s been a Fabuland-like Mickey minifig earlier, in the shortlived Mickey Mouse theme. (2000)
Oh, yes, you are right! Here they are: http://www.bricklink.com/catalogList.asp?catType=M&catString=149
Is it just me or is it weird that this new minifigure Micky doesn’t appear to have a tail?!
Oh! That’s interesting! You are right, no tale there! I guess this seems to make this minifigs lean even more towards being a costume rather than the real character. Good notice! 😀
They might have felt it wasn’t worth the effort when they would have had to make it so thin anyway… It might have been expensive and fragile…
They could have just molded the Tiger Woman’s tail in black.
Also “Ursula is the first minifig with a 3D bust and belly…” technically Bombur was the first…especially in the belly side, and his wasn’t some weird rubbery piece that was just floating on top of an octopus body (yes it is attached the the tentacles) also it does appear the she has some “blubber on her back as well.
Well, yes, when it comes to bellies there are a number of minifigs. But they are all boys, so they only have the belly part sticking out. 😉
If you want to get super technical that part of your torso is called (especially in clothing) that regardless your gender.
I was just trying to be polite. 😉
This is a discussion on a LEGO blog about some Disney minifigure series that many don’t look like their cartoon counter parts, POLITENESS ISN’T AN OPTION! 😉
I’ll be getting a full set and probably some extras since I’ve been collecting most of the Collectible figs.
Plus I need to write a guide for feeling.
The Mickey head might be the same in that the original sculpt was probably done on a large scale like the Simpsons figs, then scaled down for Duplo and probably scaled down again for this series.
I do like the idea of treating the Ducks and the Mouses as mascots for a theme park.
I am very excited about the new set of figures. I go to Disney World and parks at least once a year. I travel with my minifigs to photograph at different locations and will now be able to shoot pictures with the characters all over the park. I only wish Lego would create a mickey hat for regular minifigs.
Overall, to me a mixed bunch…
That Incredibles propaganda poster is awesome, though…
This series is overall a pass for me, excepting Stitch (not that it matters; even if I wanted him I’d never be able to get it). It’s not completely my dislike of Disney, but the minifigs just don’t look that good. Although I kind of like Ariel’s new hairpiece better than the minidoll version. No pin holes in this one.
On Pan, I wouldn’t say easy to turn into Link, considering the hair is the wrong color. If the hair was yellow, with a few other changes, he could pass as Toon Link. What we need is to get at least five good Zelda Ideas projects to 10,000 and complain about the lack of Lego Zelda on LEGO and Nintendo sites. 😉
Well, after all these turndowns, I believe Nintendo has some issues with licensing, possibly when the K’Nex license expires… Whenever now that was…
Changing Peter Pan’s hair is easy with a bit of paint. And of course getting rid of that feather. Or, just pretend that Link used a feather too. 😉
Or paint it, although that might constitute customization… *Shudders* 😉
Not sure how hard it would be to find the right nuance… I’ve painted some minifigs with enamel paint (I think it is) although most came off a bit half-assed… (Although I have a nostalgic affection to forgive that…)
I suppose that’s simple enough, although I’m not one to modify parts. Also, you’d need to change the colors and prints of the arms, torso, and legs. I note that Pan’s legs look to be molded in 3 colors: light green on top, normal green in the middle, and Dark Orange on the bottom. And I think they’re printed in a few places. Quite neat.
Also, I just noticed this, but Stitch’s minifig only has two arms… didn’t he have 4 at some point? 😕
Stitch had more arms but “sucked in” the extras to fit in on Earth. Aliens can do that. Most likely it was easier to animate him with only two arms.
Two of the arms are usually retracted… Despite simplifying things for animators, it might also mean he’s more domesticated / adapted. When arriving on earth, he has all four arms out.
Stitch is a pretty terrifying character actually. Four arms, big teeth, destructive attitude… but he is so cute! Which of course makes him even more dangerous. 😈
Keeping the beast in him in check… A time-tested metaphor…
I liked the movie, though…
That’s why Stitch is one of my favorite Disney characters. But I think that if this Stitch CMF had four arms, it would be the coolest CMF ever. Too bad it’s impossible without making his torso far too tall. 🙁
Also, he could use some eyebrow printing. He’s lacking in personality. Although, this way you can never tell what he’s thinking…. 😉
Also, the original Link had brown hair, so you could pretend that it’s him.
Stitch Pan Mickey Arial Minnie and Maleficent ar a must for me, Stitch is my favorite by far. I agree some look stupid to me, almost like they tried too hard. (:
This is bad for the collector in me. I want most of them but some could be done better. My son will want some. As hard as it’s been to find the current series and that I only wanted a few of them. I’ll hate to go digging for all of these. I’m considering getting case from somewhere and just selling extras.
I think it would be awesome if you did an article about the vast hobby of decaling custom LEGO minifigures. Many people in the community do it, but there are a few out there who can really do it well. It would be cool to have an article that acted as some sort of guide that could show the community what kinds of decal paper to use at a reasonable price, the right computer programs as well as design tips and templates, etc. and maybe even a showcase of some of the community’s work. It definitely seems like a lot, but I’m sure that it would make a great article for the community and could even make a good series of articles. Besides that, there are tons of people out there who have great ideas but have never heard of decaling, and I’m sure an article like that would spawn some great artists in the community.
Yes, that’s a great topic, and I do minifig customization myself. I would say though, that there has been a significant change in the world of customizing minifigs in the past 1-3 years. The old fashioned minifig customization with stickers, decals, paint, sculpting, etc. has become a dying art. This is mainly because LEGO themselves picked up on the trend of people wanting a much greater variety of minifigs and with greater detail and they have been releasing insanely detailed minifigs. Also, printing directly on minifigs to create custom designs has become an affordable option, so there is no need to fuss with decals any more. It’s sad because there were some great LEGO customizers who were true artist, but most of them are gone now. If you are interested in LEGO customization, there are two excellent books by Jared Burks which covers all aspects of minifig customization in great detail. They basically include everything you need to know; tools, techniques, resources, etc. Everything is there. I have reviewed the books here: http://thebrickblogger.com/2013/12/resources-for-lego-minifigure-customizers/
I think some of the minifigures are perfect and then they lost interest!
i would rather have the original buzz head than the one they got now
and make a proper head for Genie.
plus i have a feeling there will be a second series after this one!
Yes, I’m pretty certain there will be at least one other series. It just makes sense.
Yeah, Goofy, Mowgli, Baloo, the seven dwarfs, Pinocchio, Hercules, there’s a lot of possibilities…
If they made a Hercules his torso and legs would probably be nice for repurposing.
YES!!!! FINALLY AN UNMODIFIED LINK HAT PIECE!!!!!!!!!!! Deep breaths, ninja5, calm down… YAAAAAY!!!!!!!!!
Runs around and vaporizes some Octoroks.
LOL!!! 😀
I take back what I said earlier. That feather will have to go…
Naw, just pretend that Link found a red feather one day and decided to stick it in his hat. 😉
Skirt on Alice is pretty cool. And finally Buzz with short legs! In the Toy Story Lego’s all their legs were weirdly long.
Buzz had short legs originally as well. But he had a moulded head. It was Woodie and Jessie who had those long legs. 🙂