Wave 2 of McFarlane Toys’ Movie Maniacs line features Gandalf, Sloth and Alan from The Hangover, continuing a brand-degrading push.
When McFarlane Toys resurrected their Movie Maniacs line earlier this year, it included very few maniacs. There was the Wicked Witch of the West, who is undoubtedly one of the most iconic villains in cinema history, but the rest of the lineup included Harry Potter, Bugs Bunny and Ted Lasso. Come on, they could have at least gone with Snape, Wile E. Coyote and Nate! Now, wave two of Movie Maniacs has been announced…and there isn’t a single maniac to be found.
The next line of Movie Maniacs from McFarlane Toys features Gandalf the Gray (from The Lord of the Rings), Sloth (from The Goonies) and Alan (from The Hangover). So we’ve got a wise wizard, a deformed man with a heart of gold and the guy from The Goonies…None of these characters meets the qualifications of “maniac”, but it does make us want a Mama Fratelli figure. As with the first wave, each is a property of Warner Bros.
Each McFarlane Movie Maniac figure stands 6” and includes a “scenic printed back drop and environmental base display Includes art card with numbered certificate of authenticity and card holder”, in addition to a “hidden surprise.” Gandalf is limited to 14,500 pieces, while Sloth and Alan are at 11,750 and 13,000, respectively. The figures are expected to arrive in July.
Considering this lineup of Movie Maniacs is part of the partnership between McFarlane and Warner Bros., hopefully it’s only a matter of time before they go back to their horror roots, as the studio has a number to choose from. How about Pennywise from It or Esther from Orphan or Annabelle, all of which Warner Bros. distributed? Of course, the Movie Maniacs haven’t always been solely about horror, as they previously released Eric Draven from The CrowEdward Scissorhands and various terminator figures. But at least those have a tinge of horror/sci-fi to them.
What do you think of McFarlane’s next wave of Movie Maniacs? Should they rebrand or should we just be happy that the brand is back? Give us your take in the comments section below!