Craft Room Renovations And A New Disney Animator Doll

If you’re wondering why I haven’t posted any craft projects lately, it’s because we’re in the midst of a major home renovation.  Over the last year or so, we’ve been slowly remodeling our house and the next room queued for demo is the craft room.

While I’m excited about redecorating my sad excuse for a workspace, it (unfortunately) means the projects I had planned will have to wait until after the reno. Bummer😒.

All is not lost, though. I still have some fun doll reviews planned for the next several posts. After that, I may have to get creative and do something besides a review or craft project, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. 

For now, let’s get to the main topic of today’s post:

Belle from the Disney Animators’ Doll Collection!

It’s no secret that Disney’s Animators’ Doll Collection has captured my heart.  What can I say?  Their adorable faces are irresistable!  And apparently I’m not the only one who can’t resist them because Sister recently informed me that she’d love to have Belle for her collection. So (being the generous sibling I am), I promptly placed the order. In return, she has allowed me to borrow miss Belle for today’s review.

As you can see, little Belle comes wearing in her blue and white peasant dress. This is the same dress she wore in her initial release in 2011; however, Disney switched to her yellow ball gown around 2013 and that’s what she’s worn ever since.

A lot of collectors loved her original outfit and weren’t too happy about the change. They didn’t like the style and, while I don’t know all the details, it was said that the yellow fabric was flimsy and stained the doll’s body.

I tend to believe this is true since quick internet search provides plenty of pictures showing yellow stains where the dress touched the vinyl.  Plus, if you recall, both Elsa and Rapunzel had a good amount of staining from their clothing. You can see pictures showing Elsa’s blue “birthmark” in our review: Disney Animator Doll Review–Elsa And Rapunzel.

Did customer complaint’s cause Disney to switch dresses again? I don’t know, but I’m glad they did because I think the peasant dress is much cuter and better suited for a toddler Belle.

Everyone seems to agree that this Belle is as beautiful as the first edition.  From what I can tell, the dolls looks exactly the same, except that the first edition Belle had lace around her socks and this one doesn’t.

Staying true to the look of the Disney Animators’ Collection, Belle has an adorable face with big, expressive eyes.

I just love how the creators have designed such distinct facial expressions for these dolls!  Belle looks both sweet and thoughtful.  Maybe even a little curious.  Her complexion is fair.  She does not have any freckles.  Her lips are pink, and she has brown, olive-colored eyes with painted eyelashes.

Did you know that each Animators’ doll has her own face mold?  Sure they share a similar style, but each character has a uniquely shaped face and skin tone.

Belle has rooted hair that is auburn brown.

It is soft, slightly curly (not as curly as Merida’s mind you), and comes tied in the back with a blue bow.

Belle is about 15 inches tall:

She has five points of articulation: Head, shoulders, and legs. It is possible to get them to stand on their own if you balance them just right.

Although she is not fully articulated, Belle can hold a variety of poses.

And her legs rotate outward so she can sit.

It’s not the most princess-y position, but it does remind me of how a toddler might sit and play.

As I’ve already mentioned, Belle comes wearing her village outfit.

The outfit consists of a dress with a pair of socks and shoes.

I’ll spare you from seeing any naked doll pictures, but, in case you’re wondering about staining, I’m glad to report that Belle had ZERO stains!  That’s right—not one solitary spot. There was tissue wrapped around her torso, and I guess the tissue did its job because Belle’s vinyl is as clean as a whistle!

The dress is made to look like a blue pinafore over a white, long-sleeved shirt.

It is sewn from a poly satin material and is all one piece.  The dress closes in the back with a small strip of velcro. There is a white Peter Pan collar trimmed with white lace sewn to the neck edge.  White lace is also sewn around the bottom hem of the skirt.  Then the dress has a white ribbon and bow stitched to the waistline.

Alright, it’s time for a confession.  While taking pictures of Belle both in and out of the dress, I managed to rip the sleeve!

This is the first time I’ve had clothing from an Animators’ doll rip, so I’m not sure whether it was a fluke, a manifestation of cheap manufacturing, or simply a sign that I need to be more careful?.  Whatever the case, it needed to be fixed before Sister found out!

I quickly grabbed a needle and thread and stitched up the tear.

Apparently, it was Belle’s finger getting caught on the fraying seam allowance (where the sleeve meets the cuff) that caused it to rip.  Since it was left unfinished, I went ahead and sewed an overcast stitch around the seam allowance to neaten it up.  The image on the right shows a comparison of the sleeve after having the seam allowance finished versus the other sleeve where the edges are still raw.  You can see where the unfinished sleeve had started to fray.

The shoes are black, Mary Jane-style shoes.

Each shoe has rows of “stitches” imprinted around the front edge and straps, and a small bow molded to the side.

The socks are very simple and look like they’d be easy to replicate if you wanted to make your own. Besides the hem at the top, there is only one line of stitching that runs from the hem edge to the heel and then around to the toe.

Belle’s last accessory is her “Chip” plushie.

Chip is sewn from a white, satin material.  His black eyes, tiny grin, and colorful accents are all embroidered on.  There is also plastic loop attached to his back so that Belle can hold him.

I’ve heard speculation that this year’s Animators’ Collection dolls are “chubbier” than previous versions.  This would be important information for those sewing clothes for their dolls so let’s test that theory and see if, in fact, the 2017 dolls are different.

I will admit that from this angle Belle does look chubbier than Tink.  Her legs seem slightly thicker and it looks like her belly sticks out further.  But we won’t know for sure until we break out the measuring tape.

Here are the measurements of Belle’s arm, belly, and leg:

According to this, Belle’s arm is 6 cm around, her belly is about 20 cm, and her upper leg is close to 10.1 cm around.

Okay, now let’s check Tinker Bell.

Tinker Bell’s arm is 6 cm around and her belly is 20 cm around.  However, Tink’s upper leg measures right at 10 cm which is slightly smaller than Belle’s.  Is .1 cm enough to make a difference?  I seriously doubt it.  Patterns designed for earlier waves of Disney Animators’ dolls should fit the newest edition just fine.

Since I have her out though, let’s get a picture of little Tink and Belle together!

Tinker Bell is super excited to have a new playmate!  Elsa plays with her a little, but she’s far too serious for my feisty fairy toddler!

Okay, let’s introduce Belle to the rest of the girls!

Here is Belle and her “cousin”, Elsa.  Elsa is like the big sister in our Animators’ Collection.  She tries to keep everyone in line and under control.  I swear she’s taller than the other dolls too.

Finally, Belle gets to meet her new sister, Rapunzel.

Rapunzel isn’t quite sure what to say (she’s kind of shy, you know).  I have a feeling though that she and Belle will have a lot in common.  We already know they both enjoy reading books!

And here is our little family all together:

I can’t wait until our remodel is over and I can start work on the My Girls Dollhouse. Yes, nine months later and it’s still sitting in the box waiting to be built. That is coming to an end, though, and, when that day comes, we’re going to design the prettiest room ever for these girls!

Final thoughts on Belle from the Disney Animators’ Collection:

• Adorability:  There’s no doubt about it, Disney Animators’ Dolls are downright adorable!  The amount of personality given to each doll is beyond compare.  I love that these girls (and now a few boys) don’t stare off into space with a blank look.  Whether it’s Tinker Bell’s impish grin, Rapunzel’s cautious side glance, or Belle’s daydreamy expression, each doll has her own, charming, characteristics!
• Outfit:  Had the dress not ripped, I would have given the outfit an A+.  The satin material has a nice feel, and the colors are vibrant.  However, the cuffs are tight, and Belle’s fingers can catch on the seam allowance causing it to rip when you slip her hands into the sleeves.  If all the 2017 Animators’ outfits are like this, I’m not convinced a three-year-old will be able to redress them over and over without tearing a seam at some point.
• Price:  The dolls in the Disney Animators’ Collection are about $26.95 each (with shipping and handling it’s closer to $38).  However, Disney Store tends to run sales as the holidays get closer, and you can find them closer to $20 each.  For a doll with such unique features and details, I think that’s a fair price. 
• Overall Impression:  I’m not a collector of toddler type dolls, except for Disney Animators’ Dolls.  Besides their Disney charm, they are good quality and have an endearing style that is fun to photograph.  The 2017 Animators’ Belle is perfect, and I am thrilled to see her in her village dress once again–even if the cuffs are little tight.

On that note, I will end this review with a few final photos of beautiful Belle!

Of course, my favorite pics are those of Belle wearing her live-action ball gown!

Feel free to leave us a comment and share your thoughts about Disney Animator Belle!  Are you happy to see her back in her peasant outfit?