Book Review: The Art of Big Hero 6

Hey everyone!  Today we'll be looking at The Art of Big Hero 6.  It's really a great book and my pictures/description just doesn't do it justice. 

When you take the dust jacket off, the hardcover is black with BH6 printed on it, like so. 

The concept art in the front of the book. 

It's laid out almost like a comic book with the text boxes and the text font used.  It's really neat!  They also include a list, not show here, of all the artists whose work is displayed in the book.  It's a long list.  Really super long. 

"The World of Big Hero 6" is a really big section in the book.  It covers the designs for SFIT, San Fransokyo, apartments, the Lucky Cat Cafe, Krei's buildings, so on and so forth.  There's a lot of structural/architectural things covered in the book. 

The page announcing the section "The Characters of Big Hero 6" displays the team with and without their superhero suits. 

...And they also include other concept ideas; a lot of them.  Almost all the characters are covered in the book.  All of the team characters, Tadashi, Aunt Cass, Krei and Callaghan, Baymax, bot-fighters, etc.  They have a lot of really, really neat information about how the tech in the movie works.  This includes Baymax and his charging station, Wasabi's lasers, Honey Lemon's purse, etc.  As a person who always asks "why" and "how", I loved these sections because they explained how fictional sci-fi stuff could work!  It's SO COOL. 

The "Cinematography" section covers a lot of different things such as color keys and mood with color, but it also includes information on an all-new technology that Disney used for the first time with Big Hero 6.  The program enables a photograph to be rendered into an animated movie; can have one light source listed and it will display a lighting key, etc.  I can't really explain it well, but it's fascinating and it's amazing how far animation has come! 

Examples of the parts in the book that describe how something works.  Wasabi's lasers, in this case.

Back concept art. 

Back of the book's dust jacket. 

I highly, highly recommend The Art of Big Hero 6.  It's very nicely done and has a plethora of information, be it how things work or different concept art.  A lot of the characters could have looked very different, so it's really interesting to see how the characters developed over time.  I have to give it a 10/10. 

Is anyone planning on getting The Art of Big Hero 6?  Has anyone read it already? 

Art of Animation: From Mickey Mouse to Beauty and the Beast book review

Hey guys! 
I've got a review for you all today - a review of the book "Art of Animation: From Mickey Mouse to Beauty and the Beast" by Bob Thomas. 
A note here: I am SO sorry that almost all of these are sideways.  Blogger decided to load them up the wrong way and it's just plain not wanting to work today, so bear with me.  Sorry!

This book is very informative.  Now, if you're interested in any of the other Art of books, or Disney history, you'll most likely enjoy this book.  It includes information on the origins of Walt Disney's company, and about most of (if not all of) the animated features up to "Beauty and the Beast". 

Side note here: this is kind of a 2-in-1 deal here.  It also includes a second book, "The Making of Beauty and the Beast", also by Bob Thomas.  If I would have known this pre-purchase, I wouldn't have bought that book separately (review to come. :P) So in other words, don't pay $11 for The Making of Beauty and the Beast *AND* $5 for Art of Animation: From Mickey Mouse to Beauty and the Beast when you could just get both for $5. 
Moving on.

The book is divided into several sections...

And includes a lot of interesting information on all of the movies Walt was involved in, especially Snow White.

Part of the table of contents. 
This book seriously has a wealth of information - I couldn't put it down!  It's not like it's riveting and full of action or anything, but I just find it really interesting xD

The side margins of the book has a lot of photos of the workers at the company, as well as captions.  The information in these are also kind of neat! 
The book also includes quite a bit of neat concept art, even including a two-page spread of the movie Fantasia. 

If you're interested in Disney history, this book would probably be an excellent thing to look into.  I bought it from Amazon.com used for about $5, so it's definitely a decent price for such a good book!

I will be posting the review for The Making of Beauty and the Beast book after this, and then will be posting reviews for the Big Hero 6 Junior Novelization, probably The Hunger Games trilogy (and the first two movies, I suppose), a movie review for Big Hero 6 (*muffled screaming* it was amazing), annnd probably a few other things I just can't think of right now :P

Disney Store & JCP updates and movies!

Hey everyone!!
Just thought I'd let you all know that the Disney Store is currently having a sale on the Classic dolls - $10.00 each.  Of course, the Frozen dolls - which are now available -- are not included in this sale, and are still $16.95 (?). 
Also, they have some merchandise for Big Hero 6 up - including an 11" Gogo Tomago doll for $16.95.  I'm debating whether or not I want to get her at some point; I'll wait until after the movie comes out.  I'm hoping they come out with 11" classics for Honey Lemon as well! 
ANDDD JC Penney's has a coronation Anna and Elsa set - both of them for $25.  Of course, their outfits are much simpler and they don't have the articulation, but you can't beat that price.  You can also get free shipping to your local store. 

While I'm at it, some movie DVD release dates that are coming up:
Maleficent: November 4
How To Train Your Dragon 2: November 11
Guardians of the Galaxy: December 9

And, of course, Big Hero 6 is coming out in theaters November 7th!!!  Is anyone excited for it or planning to see it?  I won't be able to see it in theaters, most likely, but I'll be waiting [im]patiently for the DVD release, as always :P 

2014 Rapunzel Disney Store Doll Review

Hey everyone!  Here's the 2014 Rapunzel Disney Doll review I've been promising.  I'd really just like to take a couple of minutes to thank all fourteen of my wonderful followers, and even those who don't follow my blog, but still read posts - you guys are AMAZING, and thank you so much for following me and for sticking with me.  I know I've been terrible for posting lately, so thank you so much. 
Onto the post!
This, as afore-posted, is the front of their boxes. 

And this is the back of Rapunzel's box. 

When I got her out of the box (which was fairly easy.  There were two of those pesky plastic tag things in her dress that left holes, though, which I wasn't exactly pleased about.) 
Under her skirt is an INSANE amount of tissue paper, and it's even wrapped around her legs!  Not sure why she was so wrapped up with the tissue paper this year, seeing as her dress, though glittery, does not shed.  (Which is AMAZING.) 

Here's the beauty herself! 

Front of her dress.  This is the most accurate dress they've made since the original 2010 release, which I was excited about. 

This is blurry, which I didn't notice until just now...sorry!  This kinda shows how full her skirt is, and that the pattern goes the whole way around her skirt.

At first, I was pretty hesitant to buy her -- I mean, to me, she looked a lot like the 2013 release, and I didn't want a duplicate, but on the other hand, I didn't want to break my pattern (I have the 2010, 2011, Wedding 2012, 2013, and now 2014...Only missing a few).  I'm glad I got her, though!  When I first saw her in the box, I thought I probably wouldn't like her, because her eyes are HUGE.  Slightly bigger than the 2013 release's.  Her lips are also a vibrant pink, which I wasn't a fan of.  Buuuut she grew on me, and I love those big eyes!  She's similar to 2013 Rapunzel, but different at the same time. 
Her hair is so silky soft, and a beautiful color.  It goes just barely to her ankles, but it's a lot thinner this year than in previous years.  I'm not meaning that the rooting is poor or patchy or anything, that's fine -- she just has less dense hair.  I don't know how to explain it...
Anyway, like my 2014 Ariel, her hips were really stiff.  Luckily, I was able to work them until they were fine.  And there were no knees harmed in the making of this post.  :D

She has freckles, too! They're bolder once more, but I love 'em anyway.  Also:  her eyes look bluish in this picture, but they're deep emerald greenish in real life.

The gel holding her hair up in her trademark "swoop", as Glen Keane calls it, was almost nonexistent, (which was odd - I got one doll that was gelled wayy too much, and one that wasn't gelled enough!)  so I did the same thing I did with Ariel:  I spritzed her with the fabric softener and water solution and got the gel out.  Her hair falls like this now, and if you position it a certain way, she looks like she has a completely different personality - she goes from bubbly and perky to shy and quiet.  I like it, actually!  It gives her a different air.  

Overall, I give her a 5/5.  While she's not 101% movie accurate (eyes are too dark, lips and freckles too bold), she's still beautiful and nicely made. She's fun to photograph as well!  I need to make a comparison post for her and her predecessor, and I feel a photoshoot coming on.  Anyway, I'd definitely recommend her! 
Anyone planning on getting her?  Anyone have her already? 

2011 Belle & Mattel Beast/Adam doll review

Hey, guys!  I'm so sorry, I completely forgot about the Belle and Beast review until now -- so without further ado, here it is. 

This is a Mattel Beast/Adam doll.  I'm not sure what year or anything, but he comes with a removable plastic Beast head and jacket. 

I love the detailing on his shirt!

To show you how different his joints are, I pulled out the JC Penney's Hans and Disney Store 2013 Flynn dolls for comparisons. 
His elbow joints can go straight forward like Flynn and Hans', but they can also swivel in towards him, which is pretty awesome. 

May I just say?  Ow.  This is as far as his arm will bend the wrong direction. 

His legs can't split at all, so there will be no horseback riding in his future.

This is how he sits...

It's bad when he sits in a more ladylike manner than the 2013 Disney Store Anna can.

Going back to his costume...his fabric boots are not connected to his blue pants, which is superb.  I don't know how many Ken dolls have their boots sewn onto their pants, and I don't know about anyone else, but when I was little, once those things were off, I could never get them back on.  Soo I was really happy to see that the boots weren't sewn to his pants -- makes life easier for little ones as well as the parents!

His shirt is also not attached to his pants, and has Velcro in the back.

Now for this horrendous thing.
The head and paws are made out of plastic and attached to the jacket/suit/whatever-you-wanna-call-it.  I kind of wish that it wasn't, because then you could use the jacket without the Beast attachment, but I can also understand why it needed to be made that way. 

Putting this sucker on is no easy task, and I could see little ones easily getting frustrated.  First, you gotta squeeze him into the head, and not mash HIS head in the process.  His head is made out of really, really soft, squishy plastic, so it mashes easily. 

Once you have that on and the arms wormed into the sleeves, there are these two little plastic pegs sewn into the inside of the jacket: one on either side.  These will have to be wedged into the holes on the Beast attachment's shoulders, and those things are incredibly challenging, both to get them in and then back out! 

Once he's all put together, Beast looks like this: 

Buuuut it makes him top heavy.  Very, very top heavy.  So if you have quick reflexes and a quicker camera, you can get shots like this

Or this. 
It's quite amusing, actually!  :P

Moving on......

I now interrupt this review with a random Chip. 
This came with the lot as well.  I don't know where he's from, but he's cute!  :P

And now we have Belle.  She is a 2011 Disney Store Belle, but her dress is either from the Wardrobe set or from the 2010 Disney Store Belle--I'm not entirely sure which. 

At first, I was a little concerned about buying the 2011 Belle doll, because her face looks worried.  I didn't think I would really like her face, but she's actually very, very pretty and a lot of fun to photograph! 

Her hair is VERY long, and definitely not realistic to the movie, but it's nice.  It tends to get frizzy at the bottom, but it's nothing a good fabric softener spritz and a little bit of brushing won't fix!

Back of her dress

Front of her dress

And she came with these cute little shoes, but I don't know what or who they're from, if the 2011 Belle doesn't normally come with these style shoes.

As far as her body and articulation, it's just the same as the 2011 or 2010 Rapunzel model - Rubber legs, articulation at the shoulder, elbow, and wrist.  Belle's head can bend to the side a little more than the 2010 or 2011 Rapunzel, though, which is interesting.

She's very photogenic, but I think Chip's a wee bit too big for her.

Annnd that's about it!
I would give Belle a 5 out of 5, despite the inaccurate hair, and would definitely recommend her!
I would give Beast/Adam a 4/5, docking a point because of the tricky Beast attachment and the top heaviness - though the top heaviness is completely understandable.  

Do any of you have a Beast or Belle doll?  If so, what year/brand, and what do you think of them?  Or are you planning on starting a Beauty and the Beast collection sometime? 

Coming up will be a 2014 Rapunzel and 2014 Ariel review, and various movie/book reviews.