Finding Dory: Disney Store Disappearing Hank Mug

Last month, April 18th to be exact, the Disney Store released their full collection of exclusive Finding Dory merchandise. One of my favorite items right off the bat was this "a-dory-ble" cast mug featuring minimal screen art of the film's main characters. Dory, Hank, Bailey, Destiny, Marlin and Nemo are all looking as cute as ever among the colorful coral reef.

Though the design of this mug is great looking on its own, the absolute coolest part is that Hank actually disappears when hot liquid is poured in! Since octopus change color to match their surroundings (like Hank does in the upcoming film), this was a fitting and brilliant idea. Who comes up with this stuff?

Check it out in more detail below!

This ceramic mug is 3 3/4' H x 3 3/4'' Diameter (5 1/2'' W at handle) in size, is microwave/dishwasher safe and holds 12 oz. of your favorite hot beverage. Retail is $14.95.

Once Hank cools down, his vibrant colors return. Overall, the color changing feature works extremely well! I was excited to bring this home to test it out and it doesn't disappoint. See for yourself in my brief video demonstration below!

You can pick this up at your local Disney Store or visit their website HERE to order.

Happy Memorial Day

 

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY 

from Dan the Pixar Fan

Ratatouille: Bistrot Chez Remy Figurine

Bonjour à tous! Today we have this extremely cool and beautifully made Ratatouille "Bistrot Chez Remy" collectible figurine- featuring Chef Remy himself and his brother Emile! My wife and I picked this up in Epcot just last month at the Souvenirs de France gift shop. If you're heading to Epcot's World Showcase soon, be sure to hit up that store. There is a ton of new Ratatouille merch there (much of it I'll be showing here on the blog in the coming weeks).

This is a delicate, decorative figurine made out of a resin material (of course it's breakable, so it would be best to keep this away from the kids). It's about 6.9 inches high, 7.9 inches wide and retails for just $16.95. For how nice the quality is, I found that to be a really reasonable price.

Just look at the detail of the sculpts and the vibrant, clean colors!

On the front, it says "Bistrot Chez Remy" and on the back you'll find the adorable little chef's hat/mouse whiskers Ratatouille logo icon.

Fun Fact: "Bistrot Chez Remy" is also the name of the gorgeous Ratatouille themed sit-down restaurant in Disneyland Paris! Man would I love to go there someday (check it out HERE). This sculpture was originally available there.

 On the bottom is the official Ratatouille Epcot World Showcase Walt Disney World stamp.

Any new Ratatouille stuff is hard to come by these days, so I was thrilled to find this and a few other nice items as well. If you're a fan of the film, I'm gonna highly recommend you pick this up! If you're not going to Epcot any time soon, you can currently find it in stock on the Shop Disney Parks app.  

Bon appétit!

Finding Dory: Hank Funko POP!

Hey everyone! This has been quite the busy week for me, so I just wanted to give you a little life update. Sorry I couldn't get around to posting yesterday, but with everything going on with my birthday and my job, time just got away from me. This week I plan on getting to my full Finding Dory birthday party post as well as finishing up my Disney World write-ups. Stay tuned and thanks for visiting!

Today we have a great item that I got yesterday as a gift from my parents in-law...Hank from Finding Dory as a Funko "POP!" vinyl figure! I had been looking forward to getting this one for months and boy is he especially cool in person. His stylized design is spot on and I just love all the subtle details Funko threw in (such as the little coffee pot, which is actually translucent). So fun! I actually like the look of this final version much more than the original concept art (seen HERE).

Hank here is number 191 in the Funko "POP!" Disney collection, with Dory being number 192. It should be noted that I didn't get the Dory, since the sculpt is actually just a straight repack of the original Dory Funko "POP!" from the 2014 Finding Nemo assortment that I already have (with just a slightly different paint job). I wish they would have made a new version of her for this lineup!

This figure stand at a little over 2" tall and is about 4" wide. The retail price is typically between $9 and $14 (depending on where you buy).

If you're looking to add Hank to your collection, you can find him currently online (direct Amazon link below) or in stores such as Barnes & Noble, FYE or Hot Topic (among many others). Highly recommended for Pixar fans anticipating the release of the film!

Finding Dory: Sticker Sets

Here we have a couple fun sets of Finding Dory stickers. These can be found at- you guessed it- Target in the dollar section! These sell for a buck each.

The first set has 15 round stickers (which are clear domed with little pieces of confetti in them to shake around) and the other is a traditional four sheet sticker book. Take a closer look below and pick these up at your local Target today! Super cute stuff.

Confetti Stickers

Sticker Book 

Toy Story That Time Forgot: Buddy Figures Gift Set

As soon as I saw the adorably stylized Toy Story "Buddy Pack" figures upon their release in 2010, I was completely hooked. I absolutely loved collecting the little guys! If you haven't seen my full collection of them, check out my blog post right HERE.

That collection ran pretty consistently for about a year or two until it finally faded away. Other than some recent re-packs of old figures, there hasn't been any Buddy Packs on the shelves for a long time and no new characters have been released since [probably] 2012...that is until recently!!

Out of nowhere, new Buddy Pack figures featuring characters from Toy Story That Time Forgot surfaced in the form of a seven figure gift set! This was a most welcome surprise for me and a most welcome return to a collection I love. Could there be even more new characters on the horizon?

This pack includes seven awesome characters from the 2014 TV holiday special: Battle Armour Buzz Lightyear, Battle Armour Woody, Angel Kitty, Reptillus Maximus, Battle Armour Trixie, The Cleric and Battle Armour Rex. What's extra cool is every figure is brand new! No re-releases here (which is rare for a gift set).

As usual, each plastic figure stands at about 2" tall (except for the significantly shorter Angel Kitty of course) and features minimal articulation. Lets take a closer look below!

Battle Armour Buzz Lightyear

 Battle Armour Woody

Angel Kitty

 Reptillus Maximus

 Battle Armour Trixie

The Cleric

Battle Armour Rex

My personal two favorites here [though I love them all] are The Cleric and Angel Kitty. They look so good- plus they're my favorites from the actual film! It's super fun to have a little figure of Angel Kitty, since the only other way this character was ever available was as a plush. If you loved the short, this is a must have set for any kid or adult collector. 

I picked this up at ToyWiz.com right HERE for $29.99. You can also find it on eBay HERE or Amazon using the direct link below. This doesn't seem to be sold in stores currently.

Are you excited to see new Toy Story Buddy figures? I'm really hoping for more soon. Who would you want to see get made that hasn't already? Shout out your thoughts in the comments below!

Finding Dory: Tub Time Activity Set

Kids will want to just keep swimming during tub time with this new Finding Dory "Tub Time Activity" kit from Tara Toys! I picked this up at Target recently in their dollar section (near the front of the store) for just $3. There was so much random stuff there that I bypassed getting, but this, while still a little random (for me), kept calling my name. It was too cute to pass up! I'm all about bath time fun.

This activity set comes with 8 foam pieces that kids can stick to the bath tub wall to "create fun scenes": Bailey (a new beluga whale character), Destiny (a whale shark), Hank (an octopus, well actually a septopus in the film), a trio of otters, jellyfish, Nemo, a sea plant and of course Dory! A blue, washable bath crayon is also included.

I'm gonna hang onto this for my future little ones. Hopefully they'll have some fun with this someday! If you're interested in picking this up, stop by your local Target today.

Events: Disney World Vacation 2016 (Part 3)

Looking to catch up on our previous days? Check out PART 1 and PART 2. Good to go? Lets get to it!

We split our third day (Monday, April 18th) into two parks; the first half of the day was spent at the marvelous Hollywood Studios and the second half at beautiful Epcot! Once again, things couldn't have gone much better. The weather was warm and sunny and the crowds were relatively minimal!

Right off the bat, I hit up some of the main gift shops. Below are a few more Pixar items I saw that may interest you (if you're heading down there soon).

Finding Nemo & Monsters University Pins (Blind Boxes)

Star Wars: Everything for the Film Fan, is a new gift shop there near the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Hollywood Boulevard. It had a cool retro Hollywood vibe to it. Definitely check it out if you're a fan like I am.

Overall, I was super impressed with how many new Star Wars shops, attractions, shows, etc. have been added since we were there in 2014! Star Wars was just about everywhere; just scroll through this post and you'll see what I mean.

Popped into Starring Rolls Cafe and spotted these Darth Vader and BB-8 cupcakes. Props to Brita for this discovery.

This is a set up for a new Star Wars show that takes place periodically throughout the day. More on that below.

Star Tours time! This was our first time riding it with the new The Force Awakens Jakku experience that they added back in December. I loved it! It might be my favorite of the different planets. It was super cool to see Finn and BB-8 now a part of the ride as well.

(note- we got Jakku every time we road it, so they must have it set up like that currently so everyone can experience it).

The Jedi Training show (now with the subtitle Trials of the Temple) has also been updated since the last time we were there. They revamped the whole look of the outside and added a few more characters to the mix (including Kylo Ren from The Force Awakens and the Seventh Sister from Rebels). Awesome stuff!

The new Star Wars Galaxy, Far, Far Away show is really simple, but I had a blast with it. With character appearances, great photo ops, film quotes/clips, iconic music, pyrotechnics and more, this one is a must see for any Star Wars fan. It runs about eight minutes long and happens several times through each day (watch it HERE).

The Star Wars Launch Bay was one of my favorite new attractions. Inside you'll find character encounters (Chewbacca and Kylo Ren), tons of movie props, behind the scenes info, playable video games, a cantina style area for photo ops (with appearances by hilarious Jawas at random times during the day) and a giant new gift shop called Launch Bay Cargo (with tons of merch and art pieces). I spent a lot of time there and have SO many pictures- I wish I could post them all!

Wait times for Chewbacca and Kylo were pretty reasonable at only about 20 minutes. I also loved how Stormtroopers are often seen patrolling outside in the Animation Courtyard as well.

I may have told Kylo Ren that I would join him. He responded with "excellent." ;)

This food stand (right outside the Animation Courtyard) had some awesome Star Wars souvenirs! Here you can find a BB-8 beverage stein and a Tie Fighter popcorn bucket.

Next up, lunch time at the classic 50's Prime Time Cafe. I grew up eating here when we visited Hollywood Studios, so this place is really nostalgic for me.

Brita got Grandpa's Crab Cake (Lump Crab Cake served on Succotash Salad with Bacon and Chili Sauce - $12) and I got the ever so tasty Dad's Stuffed Pork Chop (Stuffed with Gouda Cheese, Apples, and Herbs served with Roasted Potatoes, Carrots, and Demi-glace Drizzle - $25). YUM! For dessert we got a delectable Pineapple Upside Down Cake ($6).

First Order Stormtroopers and Captain Phasma on patrol! They rule Hollywood Studios with an iron fist and keep all the park guests in line.

Next up some of our all time favorites- Rock 'n' Roller Coaster and Terror of Terror. Timeless thrills.

A peak at the future Star Wars Land which will be under construction soon! It's in the area where the old New York Street was.

Muppet Vision 3D; a Classic. I hope they're not getting rid of this anytime soon (though I fear its days are numbered).

The Stage 1 Company Store had lots of cool Pixar pencil sketch art pieces and some Toy Story / Cars Ink & Paint Cell prints!

Pixar Christmas ornaments in "It's a Wonderful Shop."

The traditional/obligatory Star Wars speeder bike pic! I've been taking pics on this ever since I was a youngling. :)

Star Wars: Path of the Jedi is a brand new film montage experience featuring footage from all seven Star Wars films (runs about 10 minutes). It's a very simple tribute, but worth checking out.

A quick visit to Pixar Place. Don't worry- we'll be back for much more. And by the way, how have I never noticed (or perhaps just never paid mind to) this cool looking Woody's Roundup area!?

For the remainder of the evening, we decided to take a nice boat ride over to Epcot to spend time at World Showcase. We explored just about every country and every store in detail! It was incredibly fun (we're big fans of Epcot).

Note- this day I was wearing my Monster's Inc. MagicBandits. Check out my full post on those HERE.

We especially enjoyed Japan this time around. Honestly, we've never spent much time there in that country, but we've been missing out. It's really pretty and the giant main store there was intriguing for sure!

Making our way around "the world" and checking out all the amazing Disney character topiary shrubs! Those are always fun to see (Elsa and Anna were added since our last visit).

Inside the Mexico Pavilion

OK, this is called "School Bread" and it's only found in the Norway pavilion at the Kringla Bakeri og Cafe. Brita had heard of this sweat treat being a lesser known cult favorite and she was set on trying it.

It was deliciousness. It's basically just a sweet bread roll injected with vanilla custard, then covered with sweet icing and toasted coconut- but boy is it good. If you can make it there, go ahead and give this a try! Have you had it before? What do you think?

We finished our night riding Test Track with virtually no wait. That was fantastic! Oh and and here's the sick car design we came up with. We totally nailed 2nd place during our ride ;)

Goodnight Epcot! Until next time...

Phew! What a day. Are you still with me? Are you actually keeping on top of our times each day? Well then, look for Part 4 right here tomorrow. Many more times ahead!