Over the past few years, Disney’s Consumer Products division (now Disney Parks, Experiences and Products) has secured a number of truly killer partnerships, whether it is Coach or Mondo or Levi’s, each one of these deals brings fresh energy to the Disney brand and makes sure that collectors of all kinds (and all income brackets) can take home a unique piece of the magic. The latest in this line of terribly exciting partnerships is with Super7, the San Francisco-based pop culture design house and producer of toys and collectibles. They’ve been teasing their partnership with Disney for a little while now and released a really cool Haunted Mansion-themed set for Comic Con, but these are the first proper figures from their collaboration (part of their Ultimates! Figures line) and whew boy they were worth the wait.
As for the choice of inaugural characters/figures Super7 said “we dove deep and emerged with a few that have always held a special place in our hearts.” According to the company these are the “ones that represent the Super7 way of looking at the world.”
The first figure is Sorcerer’s Apprentice Mickey Mouse, as he appeared in Walt Disney’s groundbreaking 1940 masterpiece Fantasia. And it is amazing. The figure is “super poseable and features three interchangeable expressive heads, interchangeable hands, two water buckets, animated broom, axe and the Sorcerer’s giant spell book. The Ultimates Sorcerer’s Apprentice is also dressed in a tailored, velvety-soft wizard robe with a real rope tied waistband.” I particularly love the slightly annoyed Mickey face that the figure comes with, and all of the accessories obviously. The team at Super7 didn’t try to modernize his look at all, just capture it perfectly as he appeared in Fantasia. Just great.
Just as great is the second figure, Pinocchio from (again) the 1940 masterpiece Pinocchio. This figure (like Mickey, described as “super posable”) comes complete with “3 interchangeable heads showing his growing nose, interchangeable hands, his conscience Jiminy Cricket (of course), schoolbook, axe, apple, Cleo’s fishbowl, Figaro the Cat, and a smart fabric vest with gold trim.” How much do we love that the clothing on the figures is real cloth? Pinocchio’s face with the long nose and the birds’ nest at the end is too good. And I love all of the accessories (surely Disney put the kibosh on a cigar and a head that has donkey ears, but we get it). Again, the expressions on the figure are so perfect.
And when it comes to expressions on characters, it doesn’t get much better than the third figure from Super7 and Disney: Prince John from 1973’s Robin Hood. Of the three figures, this one truly captures the expression of the character (and the perfectly fussy way that master animator Milt Kahl drew the character), particularly in the head where his crown is down around his eyes. (Fun fact: the character was originally designed as a tiger, and when the decision was made to make him a lion, because of Richard the Lionheart, his brother, Kahl just erased the stripes.) His figure comes with “three interchangeable heads, interchangeable hands with and without the jewels of his rings, two versions of the slithering assistant Sir Hiss, a vanity mirror, and a luxurious, plush velvet regal robe with fur trim.” Two versions of Sir Hiss? This is truly an embarrassment of riches.
All three characters are now available at preorder.super7store.com. They can be purchased individually at $45 or in a set for $135 from August 5th to September 5th. This is an absolute steal compared to what some other companies charge for their collectibles. Will undoubtedly snap these up.
And Super7 teases more Disney collaborations “from our favorite Disney moments from film, TV, and Parks.” Time to get pumped.