— Recommendations are independently chosen by Reviewed’s editors. Purchases you make through our links may earn us a commission.Shelling out a chunk of change for a Halloween costume that your kids will wear once or twice can be nerve wracking. Sure, your kid may like how it appears online, but what if it looks completely different in real life? Or, worse, they find it so uncomfortable that they refuse to wear it? Those possibilities are enough to drive a parent to eat an entire bag of mini-size Snickers in one sitting.
Well, I have good news for you: we persuaded our kids to try out a wide variety of popular Halloween costumes from shopDisney—and give us their honest, unvarnished opinions. Kids ranging in age from toddler to teen shared everything they did (and didn't) like about their favorite Disney costumes, so that you won't have any unexpected surprises when your child's costume arrives. But we won't judge if you still want to eat your own bag of mini Snickers.
Resistance costume
shopDisney's Resistance costume is comfortable, well made, and fun to wear.
Available sizes: small to extra large
If you've been to Galaxy's Edge at Disneyland, you've seen this costume on some of the Disney cast members who work there. Well, now your kid can dress up as a member of the Resistance, too. Our intrepid 9-year-old tester, Violet, gave this costume a rave review. Not only did she profess that it was comfortable enough to wear all day, but she loves that she can stash extra candy in the belt, and she likes how the cloth twirls out when she spins around. Her mom reports that the costume is incredibly well made, but that she did have a bit of trouble getting the hook-and-eye closures on the back to stay closed.
The biggest drawback to the Resistance costume is that you'll need to buy a shirt and a pair of leggings to wear under it, otherwise your kiddo will end up being a Resistance flasher rather than a Resistance fighter. An affordable pair of Old Navy leggings and a long sleeved shirt can do double duty as costume wear and school wear.
Get the Resistance costume for $79.99
Darth Vader costume with sound and Storm Trooper
Bring the galaxy's most feared characters to your trick-or-treat route in these authentic looking costumes.
Available sizes: Darth Vader 3 to 13; Storm Trooper 3 to 9/10
You can't go wrong with a classic Star Wars Darth Vader costume, especially when it has eight different sound effects. Our 13-year-old tester, Deven, was very impressed with the sound effect capability—it says eight Darth Vader phrases—and he also rated this costume as comfortable enough to wear long after trick-or-treating is over.
The Darth Vader costume includes the suit, mask, gloves, belt, and detachable cape, and kids can activate the sound effects by pressing a button on the belt. If your child wants to complete the costume with a lightsaber, you'll have to purchase that separately.
Staying on theme with the Star Wars family costume, Deven's 8-year-old little brother, Dhillon, gamely tested out the Storm Trooper costume. Unlike the full body plastic suits that the Storm Troopers sport at Disneyland, the Halloween costume version is made out of segmented vinyl so your kid can actually move. It comes with the helmet, mask, and detachable belt, but if your child wants the accessories, you'll have to purchase the baton and shield separately.
If you're wondering just how comfortable this whole Storm Trooper getup is, Dhillon reports that it's fine for trick-or-treating, but it's definitely not something you want to wear for long periods of time.
The Mandalorian
The Mandalorian will be a popular costume this Halloween.
Available sizes: 3 to 13
If your child is a fan of The Mandalorian, they're definitely going to want to dress up as the titular character. We had two different kids test out The Mandalorian costume: 7-year-old Henry, and 9-year-old Martin. Both boys rated this costume as supremely comfortable, and Henry even wore it out to dinner, and then actually slept in it (minus the mask). As far as sizing goes, it definitely runs on the slightly larger size—the legs of Henry's costume were long and had to be rolled up—but it was easy to get into and out of and it looked great in person.
The main complaint that both of our testers had with the Mandalorian costume is that the mask is way too big—it easily fits a large adult head—so it kept slipping down and wasn't easy to see out of.
Get The Mandalorian costume for $34.99
Ironman
The Ironman costume includes a cool glove that makes sound effects.
Available sizes: 3 to 13
It wouldn't be Halloween without at least one superhero costume, and thankfully, 9-year-old twin, Elliott, wanted to take Ironman for a test drive. The costume is a perfect dupe for what's shown online, and it was easy to put on and take off without much adult assistance. Elliott rated the Ironman costume "comfortable for a full night of revelry" and he loved the sound effects from the motion-activated arm piece—aka a repulsion cannon. Both Elliott and his mom agreed that the sounds from the arm piece gave the costume added value and made it even more fun.
Get the Ironman costume starting at $49.99
Audrey from Descendants 3
Fans of Descendants 3 will love the Audrey costume.
Available sizes: 4 to 13
The Descendants TV movie franchise is quite the phenomenon amongst the grade school set, so it wouldn't be Halloween without at least one character cruising the trick-or-treat trail. Our 6-year-old tester, Josephine, opted for Audrey, aka Princess Audrey Rose, the daughter of Princess Aurora from Sleeping Beauty.
The costume is well made and looks just like the photo on the website which, in turn, looks exactly like the costume that Audrey wears in Descendents 3. Josephine loved the cape and said the costume was super comfortable, but she did have major complaints about the pink wig—which has to be purchased separately. The wig is luxuriously curled and the colors are incredible, but it’s very difficult to keep on a kid’s head and tangles incredibly easily. It’s itchy to wear and Josephine didn't want to keep it on long, and her mom says, "I think if I had to do it again, I’d just spray her hair with color."
Mal from Descendants 3
Another Descendants 3 favorite, our tester loved her Mal costume.
Available sizes: 4 to 13
Another entry from the Descendants 3 universe, the Mal costume includes a sleeveless faux leather jacket, a top, leggings, and fingerless gloves. Our 8-year-old tester, Reese, liked the way the costume fit, but she pointed out that it makes noise when your arms rub against your body, and it made her hot. She also didn't like how tight the elastic bands on the gloves were, but her overall review is pretty much a rave: "I really love it and don’t want to ever take it off!”
Get the Mal from Descendants 3 costume starting at $34.99
Spider-Man: No Way Home reversible costume
This reversible Spider-Man costume received rave reviews.
Available sizes: 3 to 9/10
Recreate the fun of the movie Spider-Man: No Way Home with this cool reversible costume. Our 3-year-old tester, Arlo, loved everything about this costume except the face mask—he wasn't a fan of how it gets pulled on over the head. The outfit itself is soft and cozy and reminiscent of a pillow, and the mask is both see-through and breathable, if your kid will agree to wear it. Plus, the fact that it's reversible means, as Arlo's mom points out, "It's like two costumes for the price of one. Huzzah!"
Get the Spider-Man: No Way Home reversible costume for $49.99
Peter Pan and Tinker Bell
A classic Disney combo is always a great costume choice.
Available sizes: 3 to 9/10
Why not opt for an old school classic Disney duo (like I forced my kids to do) and go with Peter Pan and Tinker Bell? My 8-year-old, Noah, wasn't all that excited about dressing up as the OG Lost Boy until I agreed to order him Peter's dagger to complete his costume, but once it arrived his interest was piqued. The costume itself looks exactly like it does online, and Noah found the soft pants so comfortable that he ended up wearing them for most of the night. The biggest issues we had with the Peter Pan costume are that the "boots"—really shoe covers the fit over a child's kicks and secure with a piece of elastic—don't stay up at all. The minute Noah started walking, the boots fell down and ended up bunched around his ankles, leading him to declare, "whoever designed these is not a good fashion designer."
The Tinker Bell costume is absolutely adorable and it looks incredible in real life. It's a great option for a kid who wants to dress up in a sparkly, fluffy costume, but doesn't have any interest in going as a princess. My 7-year-old daughter, Rose, loved how pretty this looked when she took it out of the box. It's really does look perfect for a fairy, with its chiffon skirt and glittery bodice. She did have an issue with it being uncomfortable, however—she said that the waistline seam was really itchy—so we ended up having to put a cotton tank top underneath it in order to get Rose to wear it.
It's worth noting that to get the complete look as shown online you have to purchase quite a few accessories. The light-up wings (which are awesome) are an additional $18, and the coordinating sparkly shoes add another $16 to your tab. If your kid wants Tinker Bell's light-up wand, too—which we skipped—that's an additional $10, putting your total cost for this costume at around $75. If you think your kid will wear it for dress-up once Halloween is over, I think it's a good investment, but for a one time wear it's a big outlay of cash.
That being said, the light-up feature on the wings is great for keeping an eye on your trick-or-treater in the dark, and the whole costume together really looks great. Rose's favorite part were the sparkly slippers that "give you blisters, but I like that there are bells in the shoes.”
- Get the Peter Pan costume for $44.99
- Get the Peter Pan Dagger costume accessory for $10.49
- Get the Tinker Bell costume for $31.49
- Get the Tinker Bell Light-up Wings for $17.49
- Get the Tinker Bell Shoes for $16.09
- Get the Tinker Bell Light-up Wand for $10.49
Related content
feature The product experts at Reviewed have all your shopping needs covered. Follow Reviewed on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, or Flipboard for the latest deals, product reviews, and more.
Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.