A Closer Look at DISNEY Series 2 Character Cars

Alrighty, this is right on the heels of my other Disney Series 2 article. I kinda wanted to include this stuff in that article, but I was already falling so far behind. At any rate, now that I’ve got all of the cars open, there’s a few more details I want to get into. Remember, the Series 2 lineup is as follows:

• 1 / 6 – Minnie Mouse
• 2 / 6 – Peter Pan
• 3 / 6 – Belle
• 4 / 6 – Pinocchio
• 5 / 6 – Stitch
• 6 / 6 – Sulley

If any of these seems redundant from the previous article, my apologies. It won’t kill anyone to read a couple of adjectives an extra time or two.

Naturally, Minnie Mouse is pretty basic and essentially a feminized version of Mickey from Series 1. The sporty car has a bit of a deeper curve and generally more rounded features. The “ears” comprise what could be considered a spoiler, yet they’re almost obscured by the 3D-ish box that sits on top behind the cabin. It definitely feels a little “simple” but if they’d gone in hardcore with the details it wouldn’t feel much like the classic “Minnie Mouse.” I am slightly interested in what it mightlook like with pink replacing the red (a more modern interpretation) but overall I like the “boy-clone / girl-clone” dichotomy for this pair of characters.

Previously I described Peter Pan as something coming out of the Bugatti camp, and I still feel that way. It’s a little sleeker and more “spaceship-y” than your typical hyper-car. The fin-like protrusion created by Peter’s feather gives it a very sleek look. A couple of touches I didn’t notice until opening it were the small belt in hood area and the sword resting along the right side of the body whereabouts the passenger door would be. Also, the entire green body rests atop a grayish semi-transparent “foundation.” The reason? Well I don’t really know. Maybe it’s a nod to everyone’s ability to fly around. It is a bit of a bizarre addition.

I really love the throwback design of Belle’s car. It’s big and yellow and grandiose like her iconic evening gown. It’s classy, sophisticated…impressive without being flashy or outlandish. The muscle car-ish design belies Belle’s femininity a bit but I’ll let it slide. There is a very cool detail on the back windshield – I won’t bother trying to take a picture of it because it won’t show – but instead of a regular ol’ windshield, it resembles green stained glass and in the very middle is a rose housed within a dome, a very clear nod to the magical rose that drives the plot of Beauty and the Beast.

Originally I pointed out that Pinocchio’s elongated hood was a representation of his famous nose. As I opened it, I noticed a seam about half way down…check it, the front half of the hood (“nose”) pulls forward revealing an uber-tiny engine! It’s almost like opening the hood by sliding it out like a drawer. What’s the one, big, defining feature that everyone knows about Pinocchio? His growing nose! Even though it is a total gimmick, the fact that they’ve worked it into the design without it interfering is pretty cool.

Stitch is neither a character I’m all that attached to nor one I grew up intermittently exposed to, so I sortta judge it from a “super-objective” standpoint. Upon closer inspect, I really like the compact yet sporty shape. It look a lot like something you might expect to see whizzing around the Italian countryside in the next 5 to 10 years. It’s also a very unique, indigo hue that I didn’t pick up on at first, further accentuated by the vibrant turquoise undercarriage.

Besides Minnie, I’d peg Sulley as the most recognizable, provided one is familiar with Monsters, Inc. I’m not sure if anything really jumps out at me now that it’s out of the package…perhaps the prominent brow-line which now functions as the overhang on the windshield is a bit more obvious. It is the only matte piece in Series 2, which I suppose is a small nod to Sulley’s fur. Most of the truck’s lines are slanted, giving it sense of motion and action and not just a boring, static tow-truck. Sulley was hardly the most nimble of the monsters, but he was alive, and all the diagonal lines contribute to the illusion.

So there we go, a little more up close and personal with these newbies. I love the variety of shapes and color, and as bizarre as that Pinocchio thing is, it’ll be a while before its oddness is matched or topped. Let me know what you think below!