Jakks Pacific Beauty and the Beast Range Review

Friday 17th March will finally see Disney’s live action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast. This is probably the most anticipated movie of the year (until Star Wars anyway). And although I have my thoughts about the casting, I am excited to finally see it. But not as excited as Little Miss, who is pretty much counting down the days until she can finally see it. She squeals with excitement when it comes on the TV. She walks around singing the songs from the animated classic, her art work is all Beauty and the Beast inspired, it’s consuming her life at the moment. Belle is now her favourite princess, she loves Gaston and hates when the Beast returns to his prince form (don’t we all haha). I just hope it all lives up to her expectations!

She was incredibly lucky this week to receive a box of goodies from Jakks Pacific with three of their brand new toys from the live action Beauty and the Beast range along with the latest edition of Disney Princess magazine. It’s always such a huge honour to review toys as Little Miss gets so much pleasure out of things I do for my blog and this particularly opportunity is no exception, especially since she had a Belle dress to wear while we unboxed.

Along with the Disney Princess magazine, which retails for £2.99 and is available in most newsagents and supermarkets she also received a Deluxe Toddler Belle Doll (RRP £24.99), The Enchanted Rose Jewellery Box (RRP £19.99) & The Enchanted Objects Tea Set (RRP £19.99). She was overjoyed with them all. From a parents point of view, the packaging was the worst bit about them, make sure you have scissors and a lot of patience to hand when opening them but I can assure you, once you’re inside they’re worth it. They do, of course, look a lot less without the packaging but I think they’re worth their price tags.

On the whole, I haven’t been that taken by the merchandise available for the live action Beauty and the Beast movie. In fact, until these arrived I’d only bought a lipstick and even then I liked it because it was ambiguous and could also be tired to the original classic which I love. I feel it looks incredibly tacky and doesn’t appeal at all. That said, all three of these toys (which they are despite the tea set and jewellery box looking like you can use them for display, they are technically meant for children) are actually really nice and I was impressed by the quality of them.

Starting with the Deluxe Toddler Belle Doll . We have a few of these Jakks Pacific toddler dolls, and we have a few of the Disney Store versions. On the whole I adore the Disney Store version as they’re usually cheaper and slightly bigger, however there is no denying how gorgeous this doll is. LM fell completely in love with her and has carried her around ever since. She’s wearing the dress from the new live action movie, and although I’m not sold on it from the images that have been released, on the doll it actually looks much nicer than the animated version. The colour looks better, the details are gorgeous and maybe because it’s in miniature version, I actually feel like I would love to see Little Miss in it. The facial details are really pretty although I do feel for a “toddler” she’s a little too glam for my liking (this is usually my reason for preferring the Disney Store dolls). However she appears to be exclusive to Jakks Pacific as I can’t find a counter part so if you child falls in love with the live action Belle, I definitely recommend going for this doll (especially since she doesn’t have Emma Watson’s face which apparently doesn’t translate well on a toy). The doll also comes wearing the tree necklace that I’m guessing it going to be relevant to the movie plot.

Next we have the Enchanted Objects Tea Set, featuring Mrs Potts and Chip. Ever since the first images of the enchanted objects appeared online I haven’t been sold at all. The voice casting is perfect but the CGI objects just looked creepy and sort of “wrong”. It’s probably why a lot of the merchandise hasn’t appealed to ne because I’m not a fan of the style. However, this little tea set is a lot cuter than I though and again, I’m not sure if it’s because the target audience is children age 3+ or it’s the plastic used, but I do think it’s a lot nicer now that we own it. Little Miss ADORES it and both Mrs Potts and Chip now live happily on her bedside table. The set includes Mrs Potts, who blinks as you pour, Chip, another cup, a sugar bowl and two spoons. For £19.99 it doesn’t seem like a lot but you are paying for the Disney name and I’d say the quality is exceptional. Now if only I could find a little Lumiere and Cogsworth for her, so LM could really play enchanted castles!

Finally the Enchanted Rose Jewellery Box. This piece is gorgeous and I know it’ll be right up the street for anyone who has a Beauty and the Beast display in their house. The detail is exceptional and although personally I don’t think it’ll function well as a jewellery box as it only has one tiny drawer. The fact it’s a unique piece, lights up and plays music makes it worth it’s £19.99 price tag. It plays a small segment of Tales as Old as Time and the rose glows when you press the button on the front. The button looks like it’s part of the jewellery box which doesn’t take away from the design. It comes with a gold feather ring that although is currently too big for LM it will fit older children. I’d say out of everything this is my favourite because it’s something that will appeal to adults due to the intricate design and how hard it is to find a replica rose in the bell jar ornament.

Over all, I think all three are worthy of their price tags. They’re good quality, they look good and they made my daughter happy, and that’s the purpose of a good toy, right?