[singlepic id=420 w=160 h=120 float=left]Still coming down off the high off of the debut of Disney Store’s Imagination Park concept, it’s time to offer a new fix in way of what we can expect from the Disney Store this holiday season thanks to the Disney Consumer Products Holiday Tour which is finishing up its New York leg today.
But first, with New York in mind, here’s some information on the Disney Store Times Square in New York City that we’re eager to share. The store is slated to open in November, just in time for the holiday season. I got to watch a short video with a very hoarse Disney Store President Jim Fielding on a recent visit to the new space located in the heart of Times Square. There’s really nothing to report inside (at least not downstairs), but there was some plywood concept art type stuff along the side of the escalator. Although he has declined to call it a flagship store elsewhere, Fielding has previously stated this will be the largest Disney Store, encompassing two floors. In the video, he explains that while the second floor will be the Imagination Park concept, the entire first floor will be devoted to exclusive Disney-NYC branded merchandise.
Before being introduced to the new product lines and the holiday theme and products, I was also informed that (select) Disney Store locations will be selling vinylmations and that there are planned Disney Store exclusives on their way as well.
With Walt Disney Animation Studios presenting Tangled in November, there is a whole line of products rolling out soon to support it, but rather than repeat it all here, we refer you to the original article covering the Tangled products from Disney Store and Disney Consumer Products. We also covered most of the Disney/Pixar Toy Story and Cars product news in this article.
[singlepic id=435 w=160 h=120 float=right]That brings us to the new line of Disney Princess Singing dolls which we first touched upon in the Tangled report. Although they are not the final bodies, the articulated dolls feature a small, easily-accessible button in their right hands. When pressed, the doll plays a fifteen second snippet of the princess’ respective iconic song in a cappella style. In order to do this, Disney Store enlisted all of the original voice actresses (except for Cinderella and Aurora) to record the song especially for the dolls. All of the arrangements are unique and performed to the liking of the performer, so while Anika Noni Rose’s Almost There is relatively what one is used to, Jodi Benson delivers a true but breathy performance of Part of Your World while Paige O’Hara’s Belle and Lea Salonga’s A Whole New World provide powerful and border-line operatic performances. The dolls, marketed as toys moreso than collectibles, are an unusual 17″ tall and will retail for $29.50 each.
Just in time for the home video release of Beauty and the Beast will be an extensive collection celebrating Belle and her enchanted friends aimed at every one from the toddler to the serious collector.
As a follow-up to the extremely popular limited edition deluxe Snow White dress which sold out, Disney Store will be introducing a very lush Belle dress limited to 2,000 pieces worldwide and retailing for $149.50. But perhaps the most exciting news, while not on display, is word of a whole line of high-end collectibles described as (air quotes) ‘life-size replicas’ (end air quotes) based on the enchanted friends. Specifically, there will be a Cogsworth at his character’s respective height which will be fully operational clock; a Lumiere which will hold candles; and a Mrs. Potts fully detailed china set — you get the idea. Unfortunately there are no plans for a life-size replica Belle at the present time.
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on Disney Blu-ray and DVD to include details on some of the extras that can be found on the disc set.