Tag Archives: maleficent

June 30, 2023

Lego 43227 – Disney Villain Icons for Disney 100 Anniversary

By Joe
Coming to a bookshelf near you.

I do love a good Lego set. The problem is, I really don’t have much room for them when I’m done building them. For that reason, I have to be really choosey about what sets I invest in. It basically can’t be just for me, at this point, it has to be something my family likes. That basically narrows things down to Disney and occasional one-offs that everyone loves. And even with Disney, there is stuff I’ve passed on because, again, space! I’ll prioritize anything from the parks, or things that I can find a place for. And that’s what made the new villains set appealing because it’s not that big. At just 1,540 pieces, it’s a modest sized set and it’s designed to be a decorative piece when completed. And since it’s celebrating the villains it had instant appeal.

That tape pretty much steals the show.

Lego 43227 is basically a set of Lego books designed to resemble classic movies from the company with a few other pieces. It comes with 4 mini figures: Maleficent, Gaston, Jafar as a genie, and the Evil Queen as the old hag. Of the four, Maleficent is the only repeat from the mini figure waves. A standard Jafar was in wave two and wave three includes the Evil Queen so this does work with some other figures rather well. The films represented by the structures are the films associated with those characters plus Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, and The Little Mermaid (animated).

“I sleep in a drawer.”

The premise of this set is essentially this: you have a small assortment of books and they’re on a shelf in a somewhat haphazard manner. There’s Aladdin, which is on its side with Beauty and the Beast and Sleeping Beauty beside it on their end. Each one of these books is designed to celebrate its villain in both color and appearance. On the Aladdin book, there’s a Jafar (sorcerer) that you construct out of Lego. It somewhat resembles stained glass to me, but not only is it decorative, but it’s also a door that allows you to store the mini figure inside. For Sleeping Beauty, the same approach is taken on the side of the book as you construct a profile view of the villainess that also opens to reveal a slot of the figure. Gaston doesn’t get the same treatment as there’s no relief of him created in Lego. Instead, he gets a drawer to sleep in. On the top of the book, is a flip-up piece for the enchanted rose from the film. A fun touch, but not as cool as a Gaston relief.

The rose is a hidden feature in the top of the Beauty and the Beast book.

Those are just the books, there are also a couple of other items to construct as well. For the hag, we have her poisoned apple. It’s well-designed as it’s coated in green poison and it’s all done with Lego brick. It opens up to reveal a little compartment for the queen to inhabit and I really get a Star Wars/Emperor Palpatine vibe out of this one. It’s cool though. The apple can connect to the Aladdin book so it’s not just free-floating, unlike the watch. That’s just a free-floating element that’s a quick build, but looks nice when complete. It has silhouettes of Peter Pan, Wendy, and her brothers on it from when they fly past Big Ben in the film. Lego opted to play it straight with the silhouettes too and not do Lego versions of the characters. It is a bit of an odd inclusion for a villains set though. I guess this could be considered Hook’s watch? Then why does it have Peter and the kids on it?!

My favorite part of this set.
Ursula sold separately.

The other two villains represented in this set are Ursula and the Queen of Hearts. For the queen, she gets a playing card constructed out of Lego that’s pretty much the size of an actual playing card, just obviously thicker. It looks nice though as the image on the front is done with prints instead of stickers. It would be nice to get the actual queen mini figure in the set, but I guess that was just too much. The same is true for Ursula who also doesn’t get to see inclusion here, but she does have the coolest representation. For that film, there’s a Lego VHS cassette for you to build. It’s really cool when done and the top flap is articulated to reveal a fake strip of tape underneath it. Lego included some stickers of famous scenes from the film with the characters depicted as Lego figures. Definitely, my favorite part of the set. It clips onto the Aladdin book and is designed to then be tilted, but you could have it on its side if you wanted.

For some characters, this isn’t their first go at a mini figure. New Maleficent is on the right with the old on the left.

The build for this one is rather breezy. It’s 13 bags and a determined person could probably bang it out in an evening, but I spread it out doing 2-3 bags at a time. Some take longer than others, but most of them are pretty similar. There are stickers, which I do hate, but thankfully not a ton of them. Basically, aside from the playing card and the watch, everything you see on this set in pictures that could be a sticker, is. The only exception is the Disney 100 logo which is a printed piece. The movie titles and character images are all stickers though.

The figures included. They’re pretty well done, though I feel like Gaston could be better.

The mini figures are pretty typical of Lego. Jafar is essentially the Genie colored red and he does come with a black version of the magic lamp. Gaston is a standard mini figure with a hair piece and two faces: smug and yelling. I kind of wish they used the Hulk mini figure base to make Gaston impressively large or did something to alter his physique, but alas. The old hag uses a large brick for her lower half instead of legs. It’s the same approach Lego took with Maleficent, Jafar, and other robed characters. She has two portraits as well, angry and smiling, and comes with a little apple. Maleficent is basically the same figure we got before, but with a smiling face and different print job. They also dropped the cape and changed-up the staff a bit. I like the new staff and the smile, but I do miss the cape. At least it’s not a straight re-release though.

If you’ve been collecting the mini figures up until now then you should have a solid assortment afer adding this.

The last important piece to touch on with this release is the price. It’s a Target exclusive (presently sold out online, but maybe in stock at a store near you) and retails for $130. For a 1,500 piece set, that feels a little steep. I’m thinking we’re dealing with a Disney tax here and a set that would normally be 90-100 bucks is getting up-charged. I don’t love the price, I don’t hate it either as I’m used to paying hundreds of dollars for Lego just because of the sets I’m drawn to. I do think they should have just given us at least the two extra mini figures in Ursula and the Queen of Hearts. Plus, Gaston doesn’t get any items? He should at least get a sword or bow and arrow or something. I was definitely disappointed with his execution. Aside from that, I really didn’t have any other issues though. I suppose there’s a debate to be had on if Lego picked the best films for representation, but that’s pretty subjective. All of the films they did choose to represent are very popular and beloved by many so I don’t see much fault there.

If you like Lego and you love Disney then you’ve probably already made up your mind on this one. It’s a solid build experience and boasts some unique characters which is probably enough by itself to get people interested. It displays really well too and I’m left hoping that this isn’t the only set like this we get for the Disney 100 celebration. Why not a heroes version that’s essentially the same concept, but highlights different films? Pinocchio, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Fantasia, Robin Hood – all would make for fun concepts along with several others. As long as it’s not the exact same format in different colors I’d be almost guaranteed to grab it.

If you want to add this one to your collection, keep an eye on Target’s website. I’m guessing there will be a re-stock at some point so set those notifications if you can’t find it local. These Disney celebrations tend to go on for awhile so if you missed it up until now don’t go running to eBay right away. And if a sister set does get released, I guarantee you can come back here and read my thoughts on that one too.

If you like Lego and Disney then you have some options:

Lego 71044 – Disney Train and Station

Earlier this year I did a post wondering what happened to the Lego/Disney relationship that seemed so fruitful just three years prior. It was a post born out of some frustration, but mostly just disappointment. Following the release of an entire line of minifigures devoted to the Disney brand as well as the massive Cinderella’s…

Keep reading
by Joe

Disney gets the Lego Treatment

Lego is one of the most popular toy manufacturers on the planet. They’ve become known for their building block style toys that come in various shapes, sizes, and colors and can be combined to form castles, pirate ships, space crafts, and other fantastic designs. They also have struck gold with their mini figures, simplistic action…

Keep reading
by Joe

Lego: Disney’s Cinderella Castle

This past spring Lego released its third line of mini figures to be based on an official license. Following two straight years of The Simpsons, Lego turned to Disney and its cast of classic characters. Going with a mix of old school, Pixar, and movie characters not touched by the existing Lego Disney Princess line,…

Keep reading
by Joe

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in toys

June 1, 2014

Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty

By Joe

Sleeping Beauty (1959)

Sleeping Beauty (1959)

If you played a word association game with random people and asked them to say the first thing that comes to mind when they hear the word Disney I’d be willing to bet that the top three responses would probably be Mickey Mouse, theme parks, and princesses. It’s that third word I’m keying in on for this post as the princess character has seemingly become synonymous with the Disney brand. This is mostly due to the creation of the Disney Princess line of clothing, toys, and such marketed at young girls as well as attractions like the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique at the theme parks. This gives off the impression that the Disney films, particularly the golden age unofficially beginning in 1937 and ending in 1967, are overstuffed with princess stories but that’s really not the case. Of the films spanning those forty years, only two star an actual princess; Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Sleeping Beauty, with a third, Cinderella, featuring a woman who would end the film a princess by marriage.

In recent times, the princess as a character has become somewhat controversial as many people feel like these characters are poor role models for young girls. Snow White flees her unhappy life in the castle but assures her audience that someday her prince will come and save her. Cinderella, on the other hand, passively escapes her droll existence through her dreams and is too content to wait around for a fairy and a prince to save her from her wicked stepmother. These are admittedly cynical ways to view what are otherwise considered timeless classics. Parents are free to decide what is and what isn’t appropriate for their children but I don’t think kids necessarily take anything from these, aside from maybe that Cinderella has a pretty dress or Snow White a nice singing voice.

As a result of these portrayals, many movie-goers these days want a stronger female lead. And lately, that’s become true with films such as Frozen and even Beauty and the Beast back in the 90s. Unfortunately, in 1959 this trend was still far away when Walt Disney released Sleeping Beauty. If viewers are uncomfortable with the female leads in Cinderella and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, well then they really won’t like Aurora.

Some of the backgrounds are truly stunning, but unfortunately give the film a flat look.

Some of the backgrounds are truly stunning, but unfortunately give the film a flat look.

Aurora is the title character of Sleeping Beauty, an animated film more famous for its villain and the castle that inspired the famous one at the entrance to Disneyland than for its lead. Aurora has the misfortune of being cursed at her royal unveiling by the evil fairy Maleficent and is fated to die on her sixteenth birthday. The three good fairies decide to take her into hiding and raise her as a peasant girl in order to hide her from Maleficent and hopefully prevent her curse from becoming reality. Aurora assumes the identity of Briar Rose and lives there until her sixteenth birthday when she meets the charming Prince Phillip, and after sharing a song in the forest, the two decide they’ve fallen in love. Of course, Aurora ends up being lured to that famous spinning wheel by Maleficent where she pricks her finger and falls into a deathlike sleep and only true love’s kiss can ever hope to wake her.

Aurora appears in less than 18 minutes in the film as a result of her coma, leaving most of the screen time to the three fairies; Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather, as well as Maleficent. Aurora has no real personality and is completely defined by her situation and is quite literally dependent on the Phillip character. Phillip, in turn has little personality of his own save for he is a good and just person willing to do what is necessary to save his princess. Maleficent is the true star of the film, though she is pretty much a by-the-numbers villain with a cool look and an even cooler ability to change into a menacing dragon. The good fairies provide some laughs, as do the royal parents of the two leads, but this is a fairly weak Disney film where plot is concerned.

Maleficent has proven over the years that it is she who is the star of Sleeping Beauty.

Maleficent has proven over the years that it is she who is the star of Sleeping Beauty.

For many, these classic Disney animated features are less about the story and more about the look and score. This version of Sleeping Beauty is adapted from the ballet by Tchaikovsky and is appropriately scored. It’s lone drawback from a musical standpoint is the one song sung by the main character, “Once Upon A Dream,” is too similar to Cinderella’s signature “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes” and not as memorable. The scene in which it’s sung is also too similar to Cinderella’s as Aurora dances in the forest with animals of high intelligence. For the visuals, Disney made use of Super Technirama 70, which allows for more detail and complexity in the backgrounds. Walt Disney also wanted the film to separate itself from the previous fairy tales the studio had done and requested his artists employ a sharper look. Aurora’s face is noticeably more angular than Cinderella and Snow White’s rounded look and the backgrounds resemble still paintings as opposed to fully realized environments. The approach comes at a cost as the film has a very flat look to it. The colors are rich though, and I’m reviewing this as a blu ray feature, which help separate it form its peers. This was the last Disney film to use hand-inked cells as the following ones would utilize xerox. I like the direction the studio took, but I do think it needed further refinement to remove that flat look. The image where Aurora is found unconscious after pricking her finger on the spinning wheel is particularly ugly as her body looks like it’s been run-over by a steamroller.

I can't believe this shot made it into the final film. Aurora looks like a piece of paper.

I can’t believe this shot made it into the final film. Aurora looks like a piece of paper.

The standout scene for Sleeping Beauty is unquestionably Maleficent’s battle with Phillip, in which she takes on the form of a massive, black dragon. Prior to that, Phillip is blocked by a massive wall of thorns that are wonderfully illustrated and appropriately vicious looking.  Maleficent’s menacing transformation is foreboding and her green-tinted flames eerie. It’s a classic sequence and among Disney’s top ten. It doesn’t save the film, but is an accomplishment by itself.

When I was a kid, Sleeping Beauty was probably my favorite of the princess movies. That was entirely due to the fact that it had a cool looking dragon at the end while Cinderella and Snow White were boring by comparison. As an adult, I view the prior two films in a much stronger light and even enjoy the both of them. They aren’t my favorite Disney films, but they do charm me. Sleeping Beauty is able engage me visually, but even there it’s a bit of a mixed bag. While I enjoy the art direction and use of color, I find the earlier films from Disney to be overall better visual experiences. As a story, it’s rather bland with uninteresting main characters and little to get attached to. There are some decent funny-points, but nothing gut-busting by any means. Maleficent is the most engaging character defined as much by her interesting visual style as she is by her voice actress, Eleanor Audley, who should have been everyone’s go to voice for evil women. As such, it’s not at all surprising that Disney has chosen to place the spotlight on her for a feature film starring Angelina Jolie. I have not seen the film, but it won’t have to do much to top Sleeping Beauty.

1 Comment   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , | posted in Film