Review: 40622 Disney 100th Celebration BrickHeadz
Posted by Huw,
2023 marks Disney's 100th anniversary and I think we can be sure that LEGO will capitalise on that with a range of product releases during the year.
The first set to make an appearance is a four-pack of BrickHeadz, 40622 Disney 100th Celebration, which features blocky representations of characters that are all firsts in the film studio's history.
Summary
40622 Disney 100th Celebration, 501 pieces.
£39.99 / $39.99 / €39.99 | 8.0p / 8.0c / 8.0c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
Four figures of firsts in the film studio's history
- More of the same for BrickHeadz fans
- Monochrome ones are a bit boring
- Fewer printed elements than usual
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
They are, from left to right: Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Disney's first character, Mickey Mouse, 'the first ever animated character', according to LEGO, Snow White, the star of Disney’s first feature film, and Tinker Bell who was the first Disneyland mascot.
6x6 plates are provided on which to stand them as usual, but to emphasise the celebratory nature of this set they come with drum lacquered 1x4 tiles rather than black ones. It's a shame the same can't be said for the other pieces because the resultant effect is somewhat lacklustre.
Oswald the Lucky Rabbit
Oswald first appeared in Trolley Troubles in 1927, a year before the release of Steamboat Willie, so the claim that Mickey is "the first ever animated character" seems incorrect. That first film is in the public domain and can be viewed at Wikipedia.
The character seems to have taken several guises during his 11-year career, all of them crudely drawn, so the designers did not have much to work with. The result is something that passes for a black-and-white rabbit, with a splash of colour for his trousers.
Mickey Mouse
Steamboat Willie, produced in 1928, was the first Disney cartoon produced with synchronised sound. However, the film's star was certainly not 'the first ever animated character' as LEGO claims in the product's description.
Nevertheless, there is no disputing that the mouse is Disney's most recognisable character. This monochrome representation of him is pretty much identical in design to the more colourful 41624 Mickey Mouse, but with the addition of a hat.
Snow White
After a pair of monochromatic characters it's good to finally have some colour! The titular character of the studio's first full length animation is attired in a light blue and yellow dress, which is as she always appears. Printed pieces at the front and on her shoulders provide the distinctive details of her garment.
Her hair looks great from the front and sides but perhaps not so much from the back.
Tinker Bell
The fairy from Peter Pan is definitely the most interesting of the four. Her lime green dress has a lovely shape and the printed Nexo Knight shields on the front and back look like leaves, which it is sometimes made to resemble. Trans light blue shields on her back are used to create her wings, which are an unusual feature on BrickHeadz.
To top her off, literally, the bun of her hair adds height and interest. As is always the case, a distinctive hair-do leads to an interesting BrickHeadz.
Verdict
All four of the figures are charming in their own way. None of them stand out as spectacular examples of the blocky characters, although Tinker Bell comes close. If you're a Disney fan you'll no doubt love them but if not you'll probably be allured more by other BrickHeadz that have just been released.
They'll be available at LEGO.com from 1st February priced at $39.99, £39.99, €39.99, the same as other 4-packs.
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35 comments on this article
The silver 1x4 tiles are the most exciting part for me.
I love Oswald getting some recognition. After spending hours playing Epic Mickey when it got released, this particular one brings back a lot of nostalgia in me.
The other ones are pretty great-looking (as far as BrickHeadz go), the Steamboat Mickey one would look nice near the Ideas Steamboat Willie set !
I just don't understand why they keep using light coloured snot bricks for dark coloured characters as they're very visible in the "seams", why not black snot bricks for a black character etc??
It won't take too many pieces to change Oswald into Yakko Warner. Now I really want an Animaniacs set...
I like these! And after playing Epic Mickey, I really want it for the Oswald Brickheadz.
So color = good and little color = bad.
I have never heard of Ozwald and as Mickey mouse has already appeared they could have easily found two other characters from the classic feature films.
"Oswald first appeared in Trolley Troubles in 1927, a year before the release of Steamboat Willie, so the claim for 'the first ever animated character' seems incorrect"
If we are talking about Disney characters, Oswald wasn't Disney's first either. Pete is the oldest reoccurring character in Disney cartoons, appearing in shorts back when Walt Disney operated Laugh-O-Gram Studios, the animation company Walt operated in Kansas City before he left for Universal. Pete appeared in the Alice Comedies, Oswald shorts, and Mickey Mouse shorts. He originally was a bear, but changed to a cat to better fit in with Mickey Mouse. As for the first ever animated character, not even close.
I think it's a decent looking set but really needed a printed title tile to note the significance of the group. A simple "Disney 100 years" would have sufficed.
Mickey was the first animated character for Disney, the company. That's a pretty big error by Lego.
@TheEpicLuke said:
" As for the first ever animated character, not even close."
I spent some time researching who was and couldn't really come up with a definitive answer given that 'animated' is open to interpretaton.
Some sources say that "Winsor McCay's Gertie the Dinosaur (1914) is often considered the first example of true character animation." but it seems there are some that pre-date him.
@Huw said:
" @TheEpicLuke said:
" As for the first ever animated character, not even close."
I spent some time researching who was and couldn't really come up with a definitive answer given that 'animated' is open to interpretaton.
Some sources say that "Winsor McCay's Gertie the Dinosaur (1914) is often considered the first example of true character animation." but it seems there are some that pre-date him.
"
I was going to go into detail about that, but I refrained. Most people say Gertie the Dinosaur. Although Gertie the Dinosaur is the cartoon that made animation popular, it is not the first cartoon ever. There's also the first big cartoon star, Felix the Cat. Although not the first, Felix was so popular he had Merchandise, a hit song in the 20's, parodied in film, was the first cartoon character to debut in the Thanksgiving Parade, and for a time was the mascot for the New York Yankees. Felix's popularity was killed by Mickey Mouse, which used a lot of strategies Felix used while standing out by having sound. Cartoon history is pretty interesting, huh?
@TheEpicLuke said:
"There's also the first big cartoon star, Felix the Cat. Although not the first, Felix was so popular he had Merchandise, a hit song in the 20's, parodied in film, was the first cartoon character to debut in the Thanksgiving Parade, and for a time was the mascot for the New York Yankees. Felix's popularity was killed by Mickey Mouse, which used a lot of strategies Felix used while standing out by having sound. Cartoon history is pretty interesting, huh?"
Yeah, there seems to be some debate about who was the first cartoon character, mostly depending on your definition of either "cartoon" or "character." Felix seems the most likely candidate if we're thinking about "character" as "recurring fictional animated figure with distinct personality/name/brand."
Regardless, claiming Mickey as the first seems DEFINITELY wrong. I wonder if it's Lego's error or something Disney is trying to popularize as a claim.
@TheEpicLuke said:
"
If we are talking about Disney characters, Oswald wasn't Disney's first either. Pete is the oldest reoccurring character in Disney cartoons, appearing in shorts back when Walt Disney operated Laugh-O-Gram Studios, the animation company Walt operated in Kansas City before he left for Universal. Pete appeared in the Alice Comedies, Oswald shorts, and Mickey Mouse shorts. He originally was a bear, but changed to a cat to better fit in with Mickey Mouse. As for the first ever animated character, not even close."
This is really interesting, I didn’t know this. Imagine the alternate universe where Disney has Pete as their primary mascot.
@MrClassic said:
"I just don't understand why they keep using light coloured snot bricks for dark coloured characters as they're very visible in the "seams", why not black snot bricks for a black character etc??"
I'm pretty sure that's for ease of building. It's the same reason the star destroyer isn't entirely grey.
@WemWem said:
" @TheEpicLuke said:
"There's also the first big cartoon star, Felix the Cat. Although not the first, Felix was so popular he had Merchandise, a hit song in the 20's, parodied in film, was the first cartoon character to debut in the Thanksgiving Parade, and for a time was the mascot for the New York Yankees. Felix's popularity was killed by Mickey Mouse, which used a lot of strategies Felix used while standing out by having sound. Cartoon history is pretty interesting, huh?"
Yeah, there seems to be some debate about who was the first cartoon character, mostly depending on your definition of either "cartoon" or "character." Felix seems the most likely candidate if we're thinking about "character" as "recurring fictional animated figure with distinct personality/name/brand."
Regardless, claiming Mickey as the first seems DEFINITELY wrong. I wonder if it's Lego's error or something Disney is trying to popularize as a claim."
I can’t imagine it’s an error, but rather Disney exerting their animation dominance and claim to history. And let’s face it, whether he was the actual first, he helped make animation into what it is today, more so than any other character.
Frankly I'm happy we can all come together and call out the Michael Rodent Company for their whole "first animated character" thing here. Excellent work, my friends.
As for the set itself, well ... they truly are headz with brick, I guess.
YEAH!!!
No.
@Oeuf0platieN said:
"I love Oswald getting some recognition. After spending hours playing Epic Mickey when it got released, this particular one brings back a lot of nostalgia in me.
The other ones are pretty great-looking (as far as BrickHeadz go), the Steamboat Mickey one would look nice near the Ideas Steamboat Willie set !"
That's because Oswald is public domain now copyright. or going be... There hoping TM sticks. Mickey is 2024 I think.. thats why boat mickey is on screens movies they trademarked that one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ti4HoMi4vgU
Donnie Darko is such a good film......
I just cannot decide if I like this or not.
I'm just gonna make Oswald out of parts I own.
I hope Tinkerbell's skirt parts end up in PAB those prints are nice.
It’s an odd collection. Even though they each represent a milestone for Disney, as a group they don’t really make sense together. I’d rather see tinker bell with Peter Pan and Captain Hook. I’d rather see Snow White with dopey and grumpy. Steamboat Willie with vintage Minnie. Etc.
Something seems off about Snow White’s outfit, but I think it’s just the lack of red slashes in her sleeves when viewed from the front. Small detail making a big difference I guess
Oooh...black dish pieces will be available again. I'm late realizing this I'm sure.
Are those transparent Nexo shields new? I don't recall them ever appearing in that colour...
I'm hoping to get the rumoured Wall-E Brickheadz along with Malifecent when it comes out. Really happy with these, especially steam boat willie Mickey. I might pick this one up soon, with the new GWP coming up...
Makes no sense to me that Tinkerbell is bigger than Gollum 40630
There’s a nice vid on YT, about the Steamboat Willie version of Mickey getting public domain. And what Disney is doing to prevent that.
https://youtu.be/ti4HoMi4vgU
About the BH. They look very plain to me. Will buy a set for the BH collection. but don’t know if I will build them.
Ladies are okay (if boring), animal life is plain and basic. The Brickhead style doesn't fit Tinkerbell at all.
Should've been individual
Dots failed while this abomination of a theme exists still...
:(
@Ridgeheart said:
"Winsor McKay also brought his much-beloved Little Nemo to animated life as early as 1911. Older still is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fantasmagorie_ (film), dating back to 1908, featuring an animated stick-man. But that's just cell-animation, you can go back even further to magic lanterns and kineographs, the earliest example dating back to circa 1470 (!).
So no, that disgusting helium-voiced rodent wasn't the first animated character, not by a longshot. I can't guarantee that the above examples all featured actual marketable characters, but any and all stick-figures you see in motion there came way before Disney's favourite disease-vector and should be credited as such."
Sounds like you have a big hatred for Disney and Mickey Mouse for some reason.
@Ridgeheart said:
" @monkyby87 said:
" @Ridgeheart said:
"Winsor McKay also brought his much-beloved Little Nemo to animated life as early as 1911. Older still is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fantasmagorie_ (film), dating back to 1908, featuring an animated stick-man. But that's just cell-animation, you can go back even further to magic lanterns and kineographs, the earliest example dating back to circa 1470 (!).
So no, that disgusting helium-voiced rodent wasn't the first animated character, not by a longshot. I can't guarantee that the above examples all featured actual marketable characters, but any and all stick-figures you see in motion there came way before Disney's favourite disease-vector and should be credited as such."
Sounds like you have a big hatred for Disney and Mickey Mouse for some reason. "
Okay."
Does one really need a reason to hate international mega-corporations? Their mere existence is plenty. I've seen the insides of too many. There's no such thing as a 'good' large company.
Feels like the 'plus' could also be a 'minus'...
@lordofdragonss said:
"Dots failed while this abomination of a theme exists still...
:("
The theme is liked by many folks. They make great additions to some collections. Not everyone's cup of tea, granted, but I like Brickheadz.
Me and my partner have loads and they get a lot of interest and 'wow's whenever we have visitors.
@Oeuf0platieN said:
"I love Oswald getting some recognition. After spending hours playing Epic Mickey when it got released, this particular one brings back a lot of nostalgia in me."
This is also where I learned about Oswald! I really wanted to like Epic Mikey, but the game ended up felling like a worse, clunky Mario Sunshine. If the story had been more compelling I might have finished it, but it was far less 'dark" than the trailers and concept art made it out to be.