Disney Insider Holiday Gift Guide – Part 2
11. Gravity Falls: Legend of the Gnome Gemulets for Nintendo 3DS
With our beloved Disney XD Gravity Falls soon coming to an end, we’re luxuriating in the one and only console game inspired by the series. And guess what? It’s great! An animated 2D side scrolling adventure with dungeon-crawling, puzzle-solving elements, it wickedly maintains the spirit of the series, while forging a fun new path all its own. You’ve got to do something while waiting for the series’ finale, right?
12. Haunted Mansion Quicksand “Stretch Painting” Figure
A few months ago, Disney Parks released an amazing figure inspired by the ballerina on the tightrope “stretch painting” from the Haunted Mansion. It instantly became our favorite thing in the world; we loved the detail, the dimensionality, and how faithfully it replicated the iconic moment from the Haunted Mansion. (Is this room actually stretching?) Well, the first follow-up has finally been released and we couldn’t be happier! This time, it’s the “quicksand” painting that’s getting the figural treatment and it’s so cool. The quicksand painting, of course, features three dandy gentlemen, standing on each other’s shoulders. There’s a small sign alerting them to the quicksand, but it’s too little, too late. This figure replicates the scenario lovingly, and will look lovely next to the original tightrope piece. Now we just can’t wait for the other two figures to come out.
13. Fantasia Ear Hat Ornament Collection
We love the super adorable ear hat Christmas ornaments, available in the Parks and online, and this collection, dedicated to Fantasia (for its 75th anniversary) might be our favorite yet. Each ear is dedicated to a different segment from the immortal musical classic (“Night on Bald Mountain,” “Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” etc.), with unique designs and nifty embellishments (like the Chernobog’s horns). Your Christmas tree will look way more musical and incredible with these hanging on the branches.
14. “Sanjay’s Super Team” Plush
“Sanjay’s Super Team,” the Disney•Pixar short that plays before The Good Dinosaur (in theaters now), is one of the greatest Disney•Pixar shorts ever. And the lead character, Sanjay, modeled after filmmaker Sanjay Patel, is one of our favorite animated characters in recent memory. So we couldn’t be more thrilled that there’s a plush toy devoted to Sanjay, whom you can now cuddle with each and every day.
15. Playmation Marvel Avengers Ultron Prowler Bot
Playmation, the super-cool play experience which combines cutting edge technology with the limitless possibilities of imagination, is pretty exceptional—from both a conceptual and practical level. Seriously: watch any little kid play with Playmation and you’ll be endlessly charmed. And one of the coolest peripherals for Playmation is this Ultron prowler bot, which zooms across the floor like a malevolent Roomba. Watching somebody dive out of the way while this thing blinks and rolls along is pretty amazing, no matter your age.
As we’ve already noted, the next season of Marvel’s Daredevil (coming to Netflix in 2016) will feature Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) facing off against cult favorite antihero The Punisher (played by Jon Bernthal). And in order to get ready for that showdown, please wear this very cool tee, which combines the logos for both characters. We’re ready.
17. WALL•E LEGO Set
If the WALL•E LEGO set wasn’t insanely cool as is (it has a posable neck, adjustable head and arms, gripping hands, opening trunk, and rolling tracks), then its backstory will certainly put it over the top. You see, Angus MacLane, a Pixar animator (and certifiable LEGO nut who directed “Burn-E,” the short film that appeared on the home video edition of WALL•E), created the set. (He is co-directing the highly anticipated Finding Dory, out next summer.) So not only is it a killer LEGO set, but it was lovingly crafted by one of the filmmakers. Indispensable.
18. Star vs. the Forces of Evil Vol. 1 on iTunes
Star vs. the Forces of Evil is about a mythical princess who travels to our world and fights off all kinds of malevolent nastiness. It is one of our very favorite Disney XD shows – it’s funny, touching, and gorgeously animated. If, for some reason, you’ve been in an alternate universe or far away world and missed its awesomeness, you can now catch up via this nifty iTunes package.
19. The Haunted Mansion Funko Pop figures
Earlier this year it was announced that Funko, which makes the adorable, highly stylized Funko Pop vinyl figures, would create exclusive characters for Disney Parks. And, for a while, we didn’t hear anything more. Until, at the end of last month when four awesome Haunted Mansion-inspired figures appeared in the domestic Parks. Spooky. The figures are the three hitchhiking ghosts (Ezra, Gus, and Phineas), as well as fan-favorite: the Hatbox Ghost. They are very much worth the wait.
20. Walt Disney Records: Legacy Collection CD Box Set
Over the last few years the “Legacy Collections” have paired expanded versions of classic soundtracks with handsome cover art by Walt Disney Animation Studios artist Lorelay Bové (she’s currently working on Gigantic), and a behind-the-scenes booklet for each film. They’re basically our favorites. This set includes the Legacy Collection editions of The Lion King, Mary Poppins, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, Fantasia, Pinocchio, Toy Story, Lady and the Tramp, Pocahontas, The Aristocats, Cinderella, and Disneyland, which for a long time was only available inside the Park. Disney music collections don’t get much cooler.
