They will make sets out of Angus MacLane's WALL-E:
and Andrew Clark's Dr. Who and Companions:
BTW, they note the sets that will be in the next review cycle, but how is the Avengers Helicarrier that is up for review any different than the Helicarrier set they just announced?
It's felt like the Dr Who stuff has been a likelihood for a while now. With rumblings of licensing deals with the BBC even unconnected to the Lego Ideas project. It will be interesting to see what Doctor they pick, or whether they try and provide a few fan favourites (whatever they do, I'm sure people will complain they didn't include a certain one).
The Wall.E model looks nice, and I guess was an easier deal to arrange considering TLG's partnership with Disney, but seems a little late considering the film was released 7 years ago. I assume they've done their research, but is it really something kids are still interested in, or has a big enough adult following?
Looking at the sets for the next reivew, I can't really see any of them passing. Don't know if this is a possibility, I don't think they've ever said a set HAS TO pass each time? Though it would seem a bit disappointing.
Yes!! I'm happy with both of these, and while I may not be able to squeeze Wall E into my budget, I'm happy that it got made into a set. I'll most likely be getting Dr Who, though.
Andhe: "but is it really something kids are still interested in, or has a big enough adult following?"
While it's not "hot" in that it is being currently marketed heavily, I can tell you as a parent of kids aged 7, 5, and 3, that kids know all of the Pixar movies. We pretty much have those DVDs on constant rotation, and it seems like the same is true for others their age as well.
Heck, look at the Disney Princess sets in Friends and Duplo: Beauty and the Beast, 1991, Little Mermaid, 1989, Cinderella, 1950. Disney is masterful at keeping their old IP relevant (and generating revenue).
On the sets, I thought both of these were inevitable. When LEGO announced they would accept Dr. Who sets, they were essentially announcing they'd already worked out the potential license with the BBC and they were just waiting for the right set. As noted above, the existing DisneyPixar/LEGO relationship, the inclusion of LEGO in recent Pixar offerings, and just the great free press they get out of having Angus as a Pixar director and AFOL.
Bruce
As I noted here, LEGO is adding Dr. Who to the upcoming LEGO Dimensions game. The pack will include a mini Tardis and Peter Capaldi's Doctor, and K-9. While this does not prove what the ultimate LEGO Ideas set will look like, it is suggestive that it will be based on recent Doctors (I'd been hoping for Tom Baker myself, but I haven't watched the recent series - btw, is K9 in the new series?). Also note a new mold for the sonic screwdriver.
The Wall-E set has been posted on an Irish toy-dealer site. Details are on Brickset. There is not yet an official announcement on a the LEGO Ideas blog, but we have always said that if something was put on the shelves of a store, or on their website, even if that store made a mistake, it was fair game to discuss and not an illicit leak. Over on Brickset they are speculating that this will be $40 US / 40 UK pounds, and a December release date. I know what I want for Christmas!
I'm sure most have seen this, but two days ago LEGO Ideas [url=https://ideas.lego.com/blogs/1-blog/post/44]released images of the upcoming Dr. Who set[/url]. It's set to come out on December 1, so a perfect Christmas gift for the Whovian in your life, at USD $59.99 / EUR €59,99. Figures are the Eleventh Doctor, the Twelfth Doctor, Clara Oswald and a Weeping Angel, plus 2 Daleks (So a little disappointment for me as a fan of the classic shows - I really wanted Tom Baker's Fouth Doctor, Sarah Jane Smith, and K-9 - but I certainly understand the business sense of focusing on the more recent series). It looks like the Tardis folds up to be a stand-alone police call box on a 8x8 base, but then it also unfolds and attaches to a larger playset space that represents the interior.
I have to say, it was well worth the wait. The Tardis (7x7 base, not 8x8) exterior is well done, not perfect, but very well done. Interior looks quite accurate, and the figs are all superb. They all make sense, though I definitely would have preferred Amy and Rory over Clara, and 10 over 12, but I will survive. Here's hoping it becomes a whole theme like Minecraft did.