Review: LEGO Disney Series 1 Minifigures
April 29, 2016
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What happens when you combine the world’s most popular toy brand with one of the most iconic entertainment brands in the world?
LEGO’s Collectible Minifigure Series’ foray into Disney is undoubtedly one of the most heavily anticipated collaborations and minifigure series in history. It is the proverbial synthesis of pop culture icons and I am more than excited to bring you my long-awaited review of LEGO Disney Minifigures Series 1!
Featuring 18 of Disney’s most recognizable (debatable) characters in minifigure form, this is most likely going to be LEGO’s most popular Minifigure Series yet. Disney’s enduring popularity and legendary status somehow manages to infuse a sense of magic and wonder into LEGO’s Collectible Minifigure Series. There’s just something special about this Minifigure series.
Can we call this Series 1 of Disney Minifigures? Yeah, maybe, even though Series 2 is far from being confirmed. I see this set selling incredibly well and with such a massive library of characters to draw from, they can easily fill many more Series with Disney characters.
Special thanks to The LEGO Group for providing a box of Disney Minifigures to review. All opinions are of my own. 
If you’re new to LEGO’s Collectible Minifigure Series, the premise works like this – each blind bag costs $5 ($4 in the US) and contains a “mystery” Disney minifigure. There are 60 blind bags in each box of minifigures, and there are 3 complete sets (of 18) in each box, with a couple of spares.
You can also purchase them online through LEGO.com if you’d like to take a chance with getting random minifigs!
- US LEGO Disney Minifigures Store Link (currently sold out)
- AUS LEGO Disney Minifigures Store Link
The LEGO Disney Minifigures have been sneakily on sale in some countries and stores (David Jones started “accidentally” selling them early, for example) but the official release date is 1 May 2016 across the world.
18 characters in one complete set is quite a massive departure from LEGO Minifigures tradition where complete sets have always been 16 characters (not inclusive of 2012’s Team GB), but I guess the creative team found it challenging to whittle down the series to only 16 characters.
Here’s the leafleft which is included in each blind bag, containing a handy checklist of all 18 LEGO Disney characters.
On the other side are some instructional diagrams showing you how to assemble some of the more complicated minifigures in the set. It’s a really handy guide as there are some accessories that might confuse younger fans.
Most people are compelled to collect the entire theme, but you shouldn’t be pressured into buying them all if you don’t like them. The great thing about the Minifigure Series is that you have the freedom to just buy the minifigures you like and ignore the meh ones.
After riffling through a whole box, I have to say that the LEGO Disney Minifigures is one of the toughest series to feel for as there aren’t as many easy to feel for accessories in this series. This is compounded by the fact that there are 18 characters to collect, which means there’s more work to be done.
If you’re after a complete set but don’t want the hassle of feeling through or hunting down all 18 characters, I highly recommend getting them from I’m Rick James Bricks, an Australian LEGO retailer or through one of the many resellers online. He has complete sets of Disney Minifigures for $90 when they’re in stock.
Here’s the breakdown of each box of Disney LEGO Minifigures, which should give you an idea of the relative rarity of each minifigure. I’m glad that LEGO continued the practice of guaranteeing 3 complete sets of Disney minifigures in each sealed box, especially since there are 18 characters per set.
Here’s the full list and their quantities in each complete box.
4x Mickey Mouse
3x Minnie Mouse
3x Donald Duck
3x Daisy Duck
3x Ariel
3x Ursula
3x Buzz Lightyear
4x Toy Story Alien
3x Alice
3x Cheshire Cat
3x Peter Pan
3x Captain Hook
3x Aladdin
4x Genie
4x Mr. Incredible
4x Syndrome
4x Stitch
3x Maleficent
If you click the name of each minifigure, you’ll instantly jump to the corresponding minifigure review! If you’re hardcore and want to do things old school, each review also contains a “How To Find One” section with actual tips on how you can best identify the minifigs in their blind bags.
I am not a fan of other LEGO Minifigure “feel guides” as they’re almost always wildly inaccurate since other LEGO blogs tend to rush them out without actually considering real world experience and as such, are pretty useless. I felt through my box of Disney minifigs to fish out my set so you know I’m #legit. Oh and don’t trust bump codes – I don’t think they’re really reliable as there is enough anecdotal evidence that they vary wildly from region to region.
If you’re new to my LEGO Minifigure reviews, I use a 5-point scale review scale to rate minifigures. Here’s what the numbers mean!
5/5 – I love it
4/5 – I really like it
3/5 – I like it
2/5 – I don’t like it
1/5 – I didn’t really like it
0/5 – I hate it
Now that all of the background information is out of the way, let’s get to my review of LEGO Disney Minifigures. It’s a bit of a lengthy read, so get comfy! Or you could just scroll through the words and look at the photos 🙂
Note: Minifigure Bios aren’t released yet, so I’ll update this post when that information becomes available.
Mickey Mouse
Is there a more iconic or recognizable character in the world? Mickey Mouse is a household name and is what the entire Disney brand is built on.
The Mickey Mouse minifigure is simple, to say the least but it does a fantastic job capturing Mickey’s signature look. Mickey has a large, custom moulded head that is quite an accurate three dimensional representation of the King of Disney.
Obviously, Mickey’s ears are his defining feature, but the rest of his body contains many classic design elements such as his bright red pants with the two round buttons on the front and not forgetting his yellow shoes on his feet.
Mickey has a plain black body, which ends in his white gloved hands. LEGO have done a great job transforming Mickey into a minifigure – he obviously benefits from his convenient humanoid shape, but nearly everything is nice and proportional.
My Mickey Mouse had a bit of wonky and uneven painting around his nose, which bothered me a little but its mostly invisible to the naked eye. I’m sure this isn’t the case with most minifigures, although your mileage may vary.
Mickey has a tiny hole at the top of his head, just between his ears where you can fit in accessories that you’d normally find in Friends sets such as these party hats.
You can’t go wrong by keeping to the classics, and the Mickey Mouse minifigure definitely checks all the right boxes for me. He is just such a lovely, easily recognisable and carefully designed minifigure that it seems like Mickey Mouse looks so comfortable in this form – almost like he was born to be immortalised as a LEGO minifig.
Mickey Mouse is a wonderful minifigure to own and is just terrific to put on display. Who wouldn’t want to own a minifigure of the cartoon mouse that is now the owner of both Star Wars AND Marvel.
How To Find One: Mickey’s large head is quite easy to feel for thanks to his large round ears that stick out. They feel flat, and are quite rigid and you can also try feeling for his nose which juts from his face. Just be careful that it’s not Minnie as they have similar shaped heads. Mickey Mouse has no accessories in his bag, which is the best way to differentiate him from Minnie who has an additional skirt and ribbon.
Minifig Rating: 5/5
Minnie Mouse
Where would Mickey Mouse be without his lifelong companion and partner, Minnie Mouse. Like Mickey, Minnie also manages to make the transformation to a minifig look effortless.
Minnie Mouse has an identically-shaped head as Mickey, just with more feminine features such as long curly eyelashes. She makes good use of the pinhole in her head, as her polka dot ribbon is a separate accessory that fits snugly into her head. I was quite surprised to discover that this was a separate accessory and wasn’t moulded to her head.
You know what, I’m not even sure this is Minnie Mouse. It could be Mickey in a disguise for all I know. Knowing Disney and Mickey, I bet he wouldn’t want to share any of that sweet, sweet royalties that he’s getting from LEGO to use his likeness.
Minnie is dressed in her signature bright pink dress which sports a polka dot skirt. Minnie’s skirt is a separate piece and is made out of solid ABS plastic which is always a great sign. It has quite a bit of utility as you could easily use it on other minifigures.
Minnie has all the hallmarks of a premium minifigure such as the dual-moulded arms and legs, which give her some really believable looking sleeves and frilly undies (?) as well as some simple black printing which has her belt wrap around her waist.
Just like Mickey, LEGO have done an awesome job turning Minnie into a minifigure and was wise to retain her iconic look for her debut into LEGO’s Collectible Minifigure series. While Minnie may never rise to the heights Mickey has ascended to in the global consciousness, her minifigure does well to stay on par with King Mickey himself.
That said, you almost need to get a pair of Mickey and Minnies for them to look great together.
How To Find One: Minnie Mouse’s head feels exactly the same as Mickey, so look out for the two round flat ears attached to the head, which has curves and a pointy nose sticking out. Minnie has a lot more accessories such as her skirt which is a solid piece of plastic and has a wavy texture surrounding it. Alternatively, you can also feel for her ribbon, which is small and has a very obvious split between it.
Minifig Rating: 4/5
Donald Duck
Donald Duck is another classic Disney animated character transformed into a minifigure. Donald has typically been the comic relief in classic Disney cartoons – which kinda makes sense since he’s a duck, wearing a sailor shirt with a loud red ribbon, and a cap. Oh, did I also mention he’s not wearing pants?
Like Mickey and Minnie, the Donald Duck minifigure has a custom moulded head which is exquisitely designed. The moulding and printing on his head is pretty damn sharp and I loved how detailed his open bill is, and the fact that his tongue is printed inside his mouth. He has a small tuft of hair sticking out the back of his head.
Donald Duck’s torso printing is great as well and he even has some arm printing on his sleeves. Like most modern minifigures, Donald features dual-moulded legs, which work well in separating his butt from his legs.
I was surprised to discover that Donald Duck’s hat was a separate accessory – it works just like Mickey and Minnie where it has a small pin that fits into the head quite snugly.
Donald Duck also has a “tail piece”, made out of rubbery plastic that is wedged between his torso and legs.
Here’s how Donald Duck’s tail looks from behind. The plastic was surprisingly rigid, even though its not made from the same material as minifigs. Donald Duck also has back printing, which is always very welcome.
His tail definitely gives the minifigure a lot of character and ties his whole appearance together. I really liked the Donald Duck minifigure, mostly because of how well the entire package is designed. There’s not a single flaw I could find with this minifigure, other than say, the fact that he doesn’t come with any accessories. I can let that slide, since Donald Duck looks pretty sweet.
How To Find One: Donald Duck is quite a tricky one to feel for. I suggest trying to feel for his cap, which is hard and kind of feels like a squashed jellybean. Look for a curvy but flat piece that’s about the size of a peanut. His tail was also quite easy to spot since it has a very unconventional shape and has quite a thin/sharp edge.
You can also try feeling for his head. His beak is quite easy to identify since it’s open. Do be sure that you don’t mistake Donald for Daisy as they’re almost identical except for their different head accessories.
Minifig Rating: 4/5
Daisy Duck
The Daisy Duck minifigure is also very similar to Donald in that they use the exact same mould and there are only very minor cosmetic differences with her. Daisy’s appearance is much more simpler compared to Donald’s.
She’s got a pale purple torso with minimal details, just some sleeves and a V-shaped neckline. Like Mickey and Minnie, Daisy Duck has an identical head and face printing, with just some purple eyeshadow and long lashes to denote her gender. Daisy has the same bow accessory as Minnie except its pink.
Daisy Duck also sports the puffy tail which I think is a pretty cool new accessory hampered by its utility. Other than being a fluffy duck tail, I struggle to think of any other applications for it – especially since it’s designed to only work with minifigures.
Daisy ultimately stumbles from not being interesting enough. She lacks the personality that Donald Duck possesses and just feels quite boring. That said, you would want to pick Daisy up to pair her with Donald.
How To Find One: Daisy has similar accessories to Donald, except for her bow. Try and feel for Daisy’s head which has an easily identifiable bill, her fluffy tail piece which is has an odd triangle-ish shape with a rubbery piece attached to it. Once you’re certain you have one of the Ducks, feel for Daisy’s bow which is made of hard plastic and is shaped like an “M’ with a deep ridge in the middle.
If you feel a bow, be sure to confirm that it’s not Minnie Mouse who has the exact same accessory.
Minifig Rating: 3/5
Ariel
From classic animation, we move down under the sea for The Little Mermaid’s Ariel who looks absolutely stunning. The Little Mermaid is one of my favourite Disney movies and is such a fun sing-a-long, so fans will definitely enjoy getting Ariel as a minifigure.
The Ariel minifigure features the mermaid leg-piece, which hasn’t been seen in awhile (since Marsha from The LEGO Movie Minifigure Series) in a new shade of green. Aerial is strutting her trademark seashell bikini, and has some fins that line her waist where her human body ends and fishy tail begins.
She’s got a scallop piece, which opens up to fit in a pink jewel. It’s a weird accessory and a little unnecessary since it doesn’t really fit Ariel’s character apart from the undersea connection. I would’ve preferred a companion such as Flounder or Sebastian (wishful thinking) or at least something semi-related such as a dinglehopper (fork).
Here’s a look at Ariel’s back, which has printing, although its nearly completely obscured by her hair.
Speaking of Ariel’s hair, this has got to be the most impressive female hairpiece that LEGO have ever produced. It’s a very nice shade of red, has massive volume and is made out of solid plastic (not that rubbery crap that most Friends minidolls have) which means it has a beautiful shine. Most importantly, it looks exactly like Ariel’s hair in the movie.
This isn’t the first time that LEGO Ariel as we got her in minidoll form in 40150 Ariel’s Amazing Treasures and 41063 Ariel’s Undersea Palace, which I think looks a lot better than the minifigure since it’s more feminine and less blocky, but it doesn’t detract from the Ariel minifigure at all. There is a large portion of LEGO fans who want nothing to do with Minidolls, so getting a proper Ariel minifigure is good news for them.
That said, I really like the Ariel minifigure, partly because of her awesome hairdo but mostly because they’ve done a superb job on her overall design.
How To Find One: Ariel should be really easy to feel for thanks to her large tail/fin piece. The tell-tale signs should be a massive piece of LEGO that ends in a forked fin. The pins that connect into the torso are also quite easy to feel for.
If you’re still having a hard time, try feeling for the jewel piece, which is small so you can easily locate it by shaking the contents of the blind bag and let gravity do its job. Just don’t confuse the jewel with Maleficent’s.
Minifig Rating: 4/5
Ursula
Ursula is the main antagonist of The Little Mermaid and boy, have LEGO nailed her minifigure. I’m sure everyone has had nightmares about Ursula growing up. There’s just something terribly unsettling about a fat, undersea half-witch, half-octopus monstrosity, which is what made Ursula such a memorable villain.
You know what she reminds me of? That weird distant aunty who’s not even fully related to you that you only see at once-a-year family events. You know the kind – the one that insists on smothering you and doesn’t even compensate you with a crisp $20 dollars for putting up with 15 seconds of torture. Oh, and she’s also probably selling life insurance, herbalife or some weird crystal naturopath crap.
Ursula has a brand new hairpiece, which does a decent job of replicating her crazy-looking white hair, and it even has grey streaks on each side. Her skin tone’s a sickly purple and I really like her seashell necklace that’s printed on her chest. Spoiler alert: she uses this necklace to capture Ariel’s lovely voice and youthful essence.
Ursula is equipped with a gold trident, not unlike the one she forces Neptune to give up in the movie.
The Ursula minifigure’s most defining feature is of course her tentacle body – a brand new accessory. I have to say that it blows any other “leg slot” accessory out of the water. Firstly, it’s absolutely massive and just looks incredible from any viewpoint. I really like the tentacles and they reach all around in sinister fashion.
Ursula’s large protruding belly is present, and I also loved how they managed to incorporate her bust into the overall piece. When viewed from the front, it really “pops out”, giving her minifigure a cool three dimensional property that you don’t often get since minifig torsos are always flat.
Here’s another view of Ursula’s tentacles, so that you can properly appreciate how great of an accessory/body part it is. I’m just so impressed with LEGO and how they’ve managed to execute this perfectly.
Here’s Ursula’s back view – she has no back printing. Sorta. Her entire back is printed purple since her torso’s base colour is black. I do wonder why LEGO didn’t opt to use a fully purple torso – I’m guessing they had a huge surplus of black torsos in their inventory.
Ursula is one of my favourite minifigures from the Disney Minifigure lineup, purely because of how LEGO have done her character so much justice. They could’ve easily half-arsed Ursula, but they’ve gone above and beyond here and have definitely raised the bar of what we can expect in a LEGO Minifigure Series.
How To Find One: Ursula is really easy to feel for thanks to her chunky tentacles. It’s a really large and noticeable piece of LEGO, which makes the blind bags bulge a little. Just be careful to not mistake it with Ariel’s mermaid tail, which is of similar size. The tentacles and ridge on the upper part of the tentacles (where the minifig torso is inserted) is also quite easy to feel for.
If all that fails (it shouldn’t), you can also try to feel for her trident, which is the only accessory in this series with a long and thin handle.
Minifig Rating: 5/5
Buzz Lightyear
The Buzz Lightyear minifigure is one of the Pixar characters that represent the leading computer animation studio in this series. I felt that Buzz Lightyear was a bit of an odd Pixar representative as Woody is commonly viewed as the “main character” and poster child of Pixar but I’m not going to complain as I actually prefer him over Woody.
After all, who doesn’t love an over-zealous space ranger who struggles to comprehend that he’s a toy.
Like Ariel, this isn’t Buzz Lightyear’s first outing as a minifigure, having featured prominently in the beloved Toy Story theme. He’s received a few updates such as arm printing and enhanced leg printing, making him look more like the big-screen version.
Buzz also has a regular minifigure head, instead of a custom moulded one. Some fans have expressed their dislike of the minifigure head, but I quite like it. It gives Buzz Lightyear some added variety and I think that a stock standard minifig head suits him a lot better than a specialised mould.
Apart from those changes, Buzz Lightyear features the same spacesuit/armour/winged jetpack/thingy as before. It’s still a terrific looking piece of armour, and it was prudent of LEGO not to fix or change something that wasn’t broken.
Here’s a comparison of the old (left) and new Buzz Lightyear minifigure.
Buzz Lightyear looks great from all angles, and Pixar or Toy Story fans should be delighted to get a brand new version. I know I am. What I like most about this Buzz Lightyear minifig is that it gives those who are relatively new to LEGO or missed out on the Toy Story theme another shot at adding him to their collections.
It’s hard to go wrong with Buzz Lightyear and he’s a pretty solid addition to the Disney Minifigure lineup.
How To Find One: Buzz Lightyear’s chunky armour piece is quite easy to feel for. As you can see from the photo above, it’s made out of 4 distinct parts so don’t go in expecting an easy time feeling for his wings. His armour’s most noticeable feature is the front and back – you can very easily feel for a large gap where the torso goes.
Minifig Rating: 4/5
Toy Story Alien
The Toy Story Alien is another old minifigure that has been updated for the Disney Minifigure Series. Unlike Buzz who got a new head, the Toy Story Alien is mostly unchanged except for some new torso printing. The Alien is a regular fixture of the Toy Story movies and they’re utterly adorable.
The Aliens have a custom moulded head – it’s all made out of solid plastic, so his antennae isn’t flexible. It has quite a plain torso with a purple belt and a Pizza Planet logo on its left breast. The Alien’s short stumpy legs have boots printed on them, which is quite a nice bit of detail.
The Toy Story Alien also has back printing, but the boots unfortunately don’t extend to the back.
Here’s a comparison with the old Toy story Alien, who is on the left. The new Alien has a purple belt, which doesn’t seem quite accurate. I’m not too sure why they changed it, but it’s a very minor detail that doesn’t bother me.
I’m a huge fan of the Alien and I don’t really mind that it’s almost an identical re-issue since they’re pretty much the only “army builder” minifigure in this series. Because most of the characters in this series are unique, you don’t need to collect multiples of them – except for the Alien.
I enjoy army-building so I will definitely be amassing quite a number of him. Now that the Alien will be readily available in massive quantities, I’ll finally be able to own multiples. Small confession: I’ve always wanted dozens of these Aliens but I never got the opportunity to do so for a decent price – till now!
How To Find One: The Alien’s short legs are unique to only him, Cheshire Cat and Stitch, so use that as a starting point. They have similarly shaped heads which have an oval shape to them. The Alien’s head’s antennae will feel quite thin and pointy, and it’s also quite easy to feel the small round bit at the tip.
Minifig Rating: 3/5
Alice
It’s hard to believe that Alice in Wonderland came out almost 60 years ago. I’m not too familiar with the movie as it’s been ages since I’ve watched it, but I still can appreciate Alice’s position in Disney’s illustrious history. She’s dressed in her signature baby blue dress, which has an apron over it. The dress is pretty nicely detailed and I also like her demure expression on her face.
Her skirt piece is a separate accessory, and is similar to the one that Minnie Mouse has. I really like that her apron’s printing extend down to her dress.
For accessories, Alice comes with a bottle that I’m guessing contains some sort of potion. The blue bottle is really nice and I believe that it’s the first time the bottle has been made in this colour. It also has a “Drink Me” label on it. Alice also comes with a printed 1 x 1 round tile, which I’m assuming is some sort of cake or cookie.
Alice’s blonde hairpiece is large and has soft curves as well as a black hairband that’s fused to it. The hairpiece has a very cartoony look to it, since it’s almost devoid of texture. Sadly, the printing on my minifigure is a little sloppy where the hairband is which is quite disappointing. I’m not sure if this is isolated to this particular minifigure.
Alice is a decent minifigure, although I’m not that big of a fan of her character or the movie, which makes it quite hard to get excited about her. Alice is really well designed, and comes with two great accessories but it just feels like quite a boring character.
How To Find One: Alice’s bottle is one of the easiest ways to identify her. It’s a small accessory, so just shake the bag around and you should be able to feel for the bottle’s neck. You should also feel for her skirt piece and double check that it’s not Minnie Mouse.
Minifig Rating: 2/5
Cheshire Cat
The Cheshire Cat on the other hand is a lot more interesting, and I think a more recognisable element of the Alice in Wonderland movie. The minifigure’s bright pink colour scheme is incredibly eye catching and you can’t miss his trademark grin.
There’s nothing particularly flashy about the Cheshire Cat, but it’s a really simple design concept that is quite well executed. His custom moulded head has plenty of neat details like hair tufts, pointy ears and some seriously accurate and sharp printing.
The Cheshire Cat also has stripes printed on his arm and legs.
More striped printing on both the back of his torso and legs. The Cheshire Cat has a fluffy pink tail piece that’s made out of soft rubbery plastic. It’s similar to the ones from Rocket Raccoon’s minifigure as well as the ones from Chima. I’m not that big a fan of the rubbery material, but it isn’t too big of a drawback.
With the Cheshire Cat being such an iconic symbol, I’m quite glad to own the minifigure version of him and I like that he’s got a decent design.
How To Find One: Narrow the Cheshire Cat down by feeling for his short legs. To make sure that it isn’t Stitch and the Toy Story Alien, try feeling for his rubbery tail which is quite bendy and flexible. Alternatively, you can also feel for his head, which has a rougher texture on top and sharp and pointy sides.
Minifig Rating: 3/5
Peter Pan
Here’s another one from the Disney vault – Peter Pan of Neverland is the mischievous boy who never really wants to grow up. It’s a cute premise, but after awhile you just realise that he’s probably a man suffering from arrested development.
Peter Pan’s minifigure has a cheeky smile plastered on his face and is dressed in his signature green tunic. He’s equipped with two pearl gold daggers, which was a bit of a surprise since the illustration on the minifigure checklist and box has Peter Pan wielding silver or grey daggers. Eh, gold daggers are nice to have so it’s not too big of a deal for me.
Peter Pan has plenty of nice little details, such as his jagged sleeves, side leg printing and also his cap, which has his hair fused to it and also a red feather sticking into it.
Peter Pan also has very minor back printing, which has his brown belt extending across his waist.
I thought that Peter Pan was pretty average. Like Alice, the animated film came out almost 60 years ago and wasn’t that big a part of my childhood as the princess films were, so I don’t have that much of an affinity with the Peter Pan character. As a minifigure, I do think that his torso and legs are quite useful, as you can easily use them to create your own Link from The Legend of Zelda.
How To Find One: You should note that Peter Pan’s knives come stuck together (as seen above), so try and feel for them and not individual knife pieces. Alternatively, you can feel for Peter Pan’s cap which has a sharp and pointy tip – it also has a conical shape.
Minifig Rating: 2/5
Captain Hook
The Disney Minifigure series is all about character pairings, so it’s nice to get the Captain Hook minifigure as Peter Pan’s chief adversary. Unlike Peter Pan, Captain Hook just oozes flair that is befitting of a campy Disney villain.
Captain Hook is dressed in bright red robes that extend all the way to his knees. I really like the gold trim, which I was surprised to discover were actually slightly metallic. Captain Hook has a massive cheeky grin and a ridiculous looking moustache as well as beady little eyes.
He’s equipped with a pearl gold rapier and has a clawed hook in place of aleft hand.
Captain Hook’s most flamboyant accessory is his outrageously large hat. It’s fused together with his hair, which has a glossy texture to it. His hat is comically large and it has an ornamental feather on its brim. He also has back printing, but most of his back is covered up by his luscious locks.
Oh and check out his arms – he has just a little bit of arm printing on his cuffs. It’s a really tiny and almost unnecessary detail but I love that they added it in.
Pictured above is a dramatic re-enactment of Captain Hook’s tussle with a crocodile.
Dastardly Disney villains are by a rule, plenty of fun, which is why I quite like Captain Hook. His unique appearance, over the top design and silly oversized hat make for a very memorable package, making Captain Hook one of my top picks from Disney’s Minifigure series.
How To Find One: Try feeling for Captain Hook’s large hat/hair combo. You should easily be able to identify the hat, which has a large curved shape to it. You can also try feeling for his rapier, which is long, skinning and bendable.
Minifig Rating: 4/5
Aladdin
Disney’s Aladdin is right up there as one of the best animated feature films of all time, so it makes perfect sense to include titular character, Aladdin in the Disney Minifigure Series. The petty thief from Agrabah is mostly true to his onscreen appearance. I love his darker complexion – darker skinned minifigures are always a treat and his head is generic enough to be used to boost up the diversity in my LEGO collection.
His torso sports great printing, and it’s also partly exposed, another rare occurrence when it comes to minifigs. He has white harem pants, which end just above his ankles. It’s great that he’s barefooted and I also like the small patch on his right leg. Aladdin comes equipped with a pearl gold genie lamp, an accessory that he shares with the Genie.
Aladdin’s hairpiece is new and has just the right amount of ripples and texture. He also has a Fez attached to the top of his head. Aladdin has some minor back printing which consists of his brown sash that runs across his waist.
I felt that the doubling up of genie lamp accessories was a little lazy. I would’ve loved to have Abu, Aladdin’s monkey included as a companion. The monkey in the photo above not included and only shown as a forlorn vision of what could’ve been.
Having Aladdin is great, as Princess Jasmine finally has her bae or life partner, or whatever word kids these days are using to describe their significant others. Just like the movie, the two of them represent the concept of forbidden love, a princess and a common thief, a minidoll and a minifig. Oh well, with Genie around to help, I guess that he can help make it work.
How To Find One: For Aladdin, the easiest way to identify him is with his genie lamp. Just make sure that he has legs, so you don’t accidentally confuse him with Genie.
Minifig Rating: 4/5
Genie
Sigh, I’m still not fully over Robin William’s death. It is nice of LEGO and Disney to finally pay proper tribute to Genie from Aladdin, though I’m not too satisfied with the end result. Genie has the same lower half as Series 6’s Genie, and a weird head accessory thing going on.
It might seem weird that his lower half is a slightly different shade of blue, but I just double checked and it’s accurate to his onscreen version. The part that kind of triggers my OCD is his headgear not properly matching his head.
His headgear just looks odd, mostly because of the obvious line where it connects to the head. I like the ears, but I do wish that it would’ve been a bit better designed.
Genie has a black plume which has a bit of pearl gold painted on it attached to his head via a pin. It’s a cool accessory and a very creative way of creating his hairstyle. While I may not be a fan of his headgear, I do like the gold earring affixed to his right ear.
Oh, another cool thing about Genie is his golden bangle printed on his arms. Very cool. I really like how LEGO are finally going all out with leg, arm and back printing in this minifigure series. I hope it becomes the norm.
Here’s a comparison with Series 6’s Genie. They do look like a good couple, but LEGO have really done a commendable job ensuring that Genie looks like Genie from Aladdin and not some random Djinn. Also, I just noticed but wow, Series 6 Genie is ripped. Look at those pec muscles.
I can’t help but shake the feeling that Genie could’ve been better. I’m just really bothered by his headgear and I would’ve much preferred a better designed headpiece OR a singular custom moulded head. Either way, Genie’s not bad. Robin Williams’ legacy lives on strongly through Genie and fans will no doubt be excited to get a minifigure of one of his most memorable roles.
How To Find One: Genie’s minifigure is relatively easy to feel for thanks to his unique leg piece. You can try feeling for his hair plume thing or the lamp, and confirm it by feeling for his legs.
Minifig Rating: 3/5
Mr. Incredible
Mr. Incredible was a fantastic choice to be included in Disney’s first minifigure series. Why? I’m a huge fan of the movies. I think that The Incredibles is a much more competent and entertaining Fantastic Four movie.
Mr Incredible is exactly what you’d expect him to look like, with his red and black bodysuit and “i” logo proudly emblazoned on his chest. He has an awesome new hairpiece and also an eyemask on to conceal his identity. It’s really simple, but because the Disney minifgure series is so character-driven, I’d naturally gravitate to characters from my favourite movies.
Mr Incredible comes with a “Doing Our Part” printed tile, which you may remember as a poster from the movies when superheroes were revered and cool. It’s a really great reference to the movie and I’m quite a sucker for printed novelty tiles.
Now that we have Mr Incredible.. I kind of want the entire family. An easy work around would be to buy multiples of him and re-use the torso for the other members of the Incredibles family till they release actual minifigures. Or an Incredibles-themed set. I’d buy the heck out of that.
Goes without saying that Mr Incredible is one of my favourites from this series!
How To Find One: Mr Incredible and Syndrome both have tiles. Good thing they’re the only characters in this series with tiles included, so use that as a guide to narrow the both of them down. The only way to differentiate them is by their hairpieces – Mr Incredible’s has a smaller, more regular feeling hairpiece, whereas Syndrome’s is a lot larger and pointier.
Minifig Rating: 5/5
Syndrome
Syndrome is the main villain of The Incredibles, which makes him an obvious choice to pair up with Mr Incredible. LEGO have done a great job getting his look right, from his S costume, which is printed beautifully and almost seamlessly across his torso and legs, to his spiky Dragon Ball-esque hairstyle.
I was pleasantly surprised to find out that his hairpiece is a solid piece. I was expecting LEGO to reuse the similar looking hairstyle which is made out of rubber. If only his hair was blonde, and you’d have the perfect Son Goku Super Saiyan hairstyle.
He comes with a cape (No capes!!!) and a really goofy looking impression of a sinister smile.
Syndrome comes with a printed tile featuring the schematics for his Omnidroid, yet another cool nod to the movie. He also has printing on both his arms – just some silvery accents to his suit and some side printing on his legs as well.
I like Syndrome but you know what I would’ve really liked? A Frozone minifigure. I have high, nay, astronomical hopes that they feature Frozone in Disney’s Series 2. That said, Syndrome is a cool villain to have and I’m glad that my Mr Incredible has some dweeb to pummel.
How To Find One: Like Mr Incredible, start by locating the 2 x 2 tile which should be easy enough to find. Next, to find Syndrome, you’ll need to feel for his hairpiece which is fairly large and has a few pointy tips at the end. It’s a lot larger compared to Mr Incredible’s hairpiece and shouldn’t be too hard to find.
Minifig Rating: 3/5
Stitch
The Stitch minifigure is exactly like the Stitch animated character. This fierce alien creature is utterly adorable. Once again, LEGO have done a marvelous job recreating Stitch’s look. It’s quite possibly, the most accurate minifig portrayal that isn’t Mickey or Minnie Mouse in this series.
Stitch has a large custom moulded head, with his trademark large ears on each side. His body, while looking quite plain has some discrete details such as some fur printed on his chest, and toenails on his feet.
From the back, you’re treated with another view to appreciate the amazing paintjob that LEGO have given Stitch. I also like that they’ve even painted the tips of his ears a darker shade of blue.
There’s not much else to say about Stitch other as he’s a really solid character. What you see is what you get and it’s a good thing that what’s immediately apparent is that he’s the adorable little terror that we all fell in love with in Lilo and Stitch.
It’s a bit of a shame that Lilo isn’t here to accompany Stitch, but I’m sure that LEGO will rectify that when Series 2 inevitably rolls around.
How To Find One: Stitch is one of the few characters that has short legs, the others being the Alien and the Cheshire Cat. Once you feel for short legs, you can identify Stitch by feeling for his head, which is large, round and bulbous and of course for his large ears that stick out each side that feel like handles.
Minifig Rating: 4/5
Maleficent
Last but not least is Maleficent, one of Disney’s most memorable villains who recently had her own movie where she was played by Angelina Jolie. Thankfully, LEGO has rightfully chosen to base her minifigure off the classic version from Sleeping Beauty.
The malicious sorceress has some really neat features such as her pale and ghastly complexion (and hands), sinister black and purple robes and of course, her trademark horns.
When images first appeared, I got pretty excited by Maleficent as her horns seemed shiny in the renders, so I was a tad disappointed to discover that they’re actually fashioned out of soft rubbery plastic – Maleficent’s minfigure’s only real flaw. It’s not a bad accessory, quite the contrary, it’s well designed and very on-point. I just dislike the rubbery plastic material.
Here’s how Maleficent looks from the side, which gives you a better look at her horns. She also has a two-toned cape and a separate collar piece to achieve peak Evil Sorceress.
She has a pearl gold staff with a yellow jewel adorning the tip. Quite accurate to the movie version.
I think LEGO did a really great job with Maleficent and I’m glad that they included her alone since she’s such an iconic sorceress. Fans who own the Sleeping Beauty set will be glad to finally own a villain who will be able to torment her. If only her horns were made of better material.
How To Find One: Maleficent is one of the easiest minifigures to identify. Just feel for her sloped dress piece and you’re good!
Minifig Rating: 4/5
LEGO’s Disney Minifigure Series is an instant favourite for me. It rockets up and is easily one of my favourite LEGO Minifigures Series yet.
The thing that I love most about this series is the level of care, accuracy and passion poured into making this series a success. I cannot name one “bad” minifigure, just a few I didn’t quite connect with because I wasn’t a fan of the source material. Objectively, each and every one of the 18 Disney minifigures are excellent in their own right.
The level of quality is staggering – from all the new custom moulded heads and body parts to the laser sharp printing on most of the minifigs, I have to say that this is one of the best crafted minifig series of all time.
It was inevitable that LEGO would score a slam dunk with Disney minifigures. The Star Power of iconic characters like Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Aladdin, Donald and Daisy Duck is just too powerful to resist- heck every single character in Series 1 are almost household names. What’s really impressive is LEGO’s ability to translate them into minifgures so well.
Disney animated characters, with their bright colour pallets and culture-defining features just seem to fit the LEGO Minifigure aesthetic so well that you do wonder why this wasn’t done any sooner.
The only drawback, and this is more a critique of character-based minifigure series (like Simpsons) as compared to regular series is that there is almost no motivation for fans to purchase more than one minifigure for their collection. You don’t really need two Aladdins or Cheshire Cats.
I guess an exception can be made for “generic” characters like the Alien who would look great in a huge group, or Mr Incredible, so that you can use his torso to assemble the entire family.
My top 5 favourite minifigures from the Disney Series are:
- Ursula
- Mickey Mouse
- Mr. Incredible
- Donald Duck
- Stitch
I expect the LEGO Disney Minifigure Series to be incredibly popular and I think it’ll be instrumental in pulling in new minifigure fans into the fold. I can already foresee the incredible demand for this series, and people going crazy trying to complete the entire set.
I really hope LEGO had the good sense to flood the market with stock so that everyone receives an equal shot at collecting a set.
I’m really looking forward to the inevitable Series 2 as I’d love to see my personal favourites like Hercules, Mulan, Cruella, Pocahontas and Pinocchio. I really would’ve wished that we got Mulan and Pocahontas in this series as they’re really strong female leads who seemingly buck the “Princess” stereotype. Ah well, bring on Series 2!
So there you have it, that’s my review of the LEGO Disney Minifigures. I hope you’ve enjoyed the photos and the words. Please take the poll below and let me know which Disney minifigure is or will be your favourite in the comments section! Which Disney or Pixar character is on your wishlist for Series 2?
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