Here’s how LEGO 43212 Disney Celebration Train’s minifigures have changed

43212 Disney Celebration Train, which is aimed for 4+ and due for release on April 1, includes six LEGO minifigures – and five brand new designs that we haven’t seen before. 

From their first introduction in 2016, the LEGO Disney minifigures collections have been immensely popular with their blind bags that contain one of 18 beloved characters from various Disney franchises. The second series was released in 2019 to similar excitement, and so far we’ve seen classic figures such as Vintage Mickey and Minnie all the way to more recent characters such as Elsa from Frozen.

Disney minifigures have been featured in other sets since then, such as 71044 Disney Train and Station in 2019, and this latest set offers some updated versions of five existing characters for 2023. Let’s take a look and see what changes have been made for the run-up to Disney’s 100th anniversary on October 16. 

Tinker Bell

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The first time that we saw Tinker Bell, the mischievous fairy from Peter Pan, was in 71040 The Disney Castle from 2016. This original Tinker Bell had a cloth skirt, some fairly basic rounded wings, and a simple smile. She also came with a clear green wand with a star on the end, which although wasn’t part of the 1953 film later became a prominent Disney symbol.

The 2023 version of Tinker Bell, which currently will be the only other version we have, differs in several ways to her predecessors. Her eyes seem a lot more cartoony, and her expression seems to be a little overly cheerful compared to her 2016 original version. However, given the target audience for this set, this maybe isn’t necessarily a problem. 

This may also explain the lack of a cloth skirt and wand, as they are additional small parts that for some may be tricky to construct without help. This being said, a major upgrade here is the wings, which are a lot more stylised and accurate to the shape of the original Tinker Bell wings, as well as in the Disney Fairies collections.

Moana

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In previous LEGO designs of Moana, we’ve seen some different variations in hair colour, which is the most notable feature here with our very first Moana LEGO minifigure. Her previous versions have all been in the LEGO Friends style, starting with the 2016 set, 41149 Moana’s Island Adventure, where she had black hair. This continued in 41150 Moana’s Ocean Voyage from the same year, and remained the same up until 2022. At that point, for the 43205 Ultimate Adventure Castle set, Moana’s hair was changed to a lighter brown. 

Some may say this is because the set (which also includes Tiana, Snow White, Rapunzel and Ariel) already has two black-haired characters. But this design choice still isn’t logical, and strays somewhat from the film. As a result, the minifigure that we have now also has lighter brown hair and eyebrows, which is somewhat disappointing. However the rest of her design has been nicely done, with more accurate details on her skirt compared to her previous versions.

Woody

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We’ve seen a lot of different versions of Woody, with many of them featuring a slightly jarring realistic head (like in 7590 Woody and Buzz to the Rescue from 2010). The more recent Woody minifigures are both from 2019, and have the standard minifigure head. The new 2023 Woody seems identical to the ones in 10767 Duke Caboom’s Stunt Show and 10766 Woody & RC, both of which feature a removable hat and no alternative scared expression.

Peter Pan

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Like with Tinker Bell, Peter Pan seems to have a slightly less stylised appearance compared to his Series 1 minifigure from 2016. While his expression and headpiece is identical to his previous version, the shirt has been simplified to remove the jagged edges from his sleeves, which takes away from his original characterisation of being carefree and a little unkempt. Similarly, where his past minifigure had a jagged bottom edge of the shirt that covered some of the dark green trousers, like in the film, we now simply have plain green legs.

The newest minifigure has also done away with the brown boots that Peter usually has, and even his belt, which originally was a little curved, is now completely straight on both sides. Overall, the 2023 Peter Pan seems a lot neater than he perhaps should be based on his actual character. Comparing this to Tinker Bell’s upgrade, we might suggest that this is because Tinker Bell seems to be a more popular character for Disney at the moment, hence her newer fancier wings.

Mickey and Minnie

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Disney’s iconic figure of Mickey Mouse has on a classic blue printed waistcoat and a small silver pocket watch, with Minnie matching his shirt with a yellow bow. Unusually, she’s wearing both pink and red, perhaps intended as a blend of her more classic red outfit compared to her usual pink dress as seen in Minnie’s Bow Toons.

The clothes definitely aren’t as recognisable as, for example, the Mickey from Fantasia that will be available in 71038 Disney 100, but again considering the target audience this doesn’t really seem like an issue. And overall, it’s definitely nice to have some newer outfits which are fitting for a 100th year celebration.

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