Thursday, July 16, 2015

Wonderfully Worthwhile! The Tiana Ballerina The Princess And The Frog Ornament Is Simple And Nice!


The Good: Decent sculpted details, Cool pearlescent coloring to Tiana's outfit, Affordable
The Bad: No sound clip, Slightly heavy on the right side
The Basics: The 2015 "Tiana Ballerina" from The Princess And The Frog ornament is surprisingly magical and makes for one of the better, affordable, Disney ornaments this year!


Every now and then, Hallmark produces an ornament that is simple, but manages to do all it needs to without a lot of flair. This year's magical little gem ornament from Disney's Hallmark ornament line is the Tiana Ballerina ornament. Almost deceptively simple, this year’s The Princess And The Frog ornament is inexpensive, does not have any sound or light function, but has a slight pearlescent quality to Tiana's outfit, which fits the magical sense of whimsy surrounding Tiana.

For those unfamiliar with The Princess And The Frog (reviewed here!), the young waitress Tiana slowly gets over her preconceptions about life, relationships and work. The vision of Tiana as a ballerina does not appear to actually be from the film; it was part of a doll line that imagined all of the Disney Princesses as ballerinas. Hallmark is running with the concept and the Tiana Ballerina ornament is surprisingly cool as a result.

Basics

The "Tiana Ballerina" ornament recreates Tiana as the protagonist in The Princess And The Frog, as imagined as a ballerina. The ornament, released in 2015, is a very accurate sculpt of Tiana the waitress turned into a ballerina, in the act of dancing. Despite being simple, it is very clearly Tiana in the same color scheme she wore while attending the ball in the film.

Measuring four and one-half inches tall, two and one-quarters inches wide and one and one-half inches deep, the "Tiana Ballerina" ornament is an average-sized Disney character ornament. As well, it is one of the more affordable ones at only $14.95.

The Hallmark "Tiana Ballerina" ornament is made of a durable plastic and has Tiana, with her left gloved hand raised above her head, right gloved hand pulling out the tutu, her toes in toe shoes pointing down and looking quite content. The ornament is sculpted accurately and looks wonderful, with wonderful detailing for the tiara and texturing on the hair. In addition to the costume, Hallmark did an incredible job with the sculpt of the layers of skirts in Tiana's tutu. Tiana Ballerina is colored in monotones, though there is a little bit of depth and shading to her lips and cheeks. The dress and tiara have a pearlescent quality to them, making it feel like it is magical or a daydream. Tiana’s eyes are perfectly rendered and the coloring is perfectly accurate for the character!

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, "Tiana Ballerina" could have a sound effect, but it does not. Instead, this is a less-expensive option that is just the character.

Balance

As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake "Tiana Ballerina" ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate Disney movie Christmas Tree, the "Tiana Ballerina" ornament is one of the cooler abstract ornaments of a Disney characher. The ornament has the standard brass hook loop embedded into the top center of Tiana’s head. This is fairly well-obscured by the character’s tiara and obviously, it is necessary for the ornament. Unfortunately, at that position, Tiana Ballerina hangs just a little off. The ornament is a little heavy on the right side, so Tiana's feet do not quite hang perpendicular; she hangs like she is drunkenly tipping on her toes!

Collectibility

Hallmark Keepsake began delving into the collectibles market in 1991 with Star Trek when it introduced the exceptionally limited edition original U.S.S. Enterprise ornament (reviewed here!). Within a few years, every major franchise from Star Wars to A Nightmare Before Christmas to Indiana Jones started making Hallmark ornaments. "Tiana Ballerina" is one of many The Princess And The Frog ornaments the company has released and one of several Disney ornaments on the market for 2015. This ornament has not sold out at any of the local Hallmarks I’ve been to, but it might still be one of the better investments for collectors as ornaments from The Princess And The Frog have historically held their value at the very least; if found on clearance, the market should bounce back pretty quickly.

Overview

Fans of The Princess And The Frog, Disney, Tiana, and Hallmark ornaments are likely to be excited by the Tiana Ballerina ornament enough that they will gladly overlook the minor balance issue and the fact that Tiana either did not appear in the film in the outfit or was only a ballerina in the briefest of fantasies. It takes a pretty special ornament to make a concept like that work, but the Tiana Ballerina ornament does it!

For other Disney-themed Hallmark ornaments, please check out my reviews of:
2015 Jiminy Cricket Pinocchio Limited Edition ornament
2015 WALL-E
2014 Queen Elsa Frozen Limited Edition
2014 Bank On Hamm Toy Story ornament
2014 Jack's Peculiar Pet The Nightmare Before Christmas ornament
2014 The Daring Princess The Princess And The Frog ornament
2014 Rapunzel's Long Locks Tangled ornament
2014 The Little Mermaid 25th Anniversary ornament
2014 "This Is Halloween" The Nightmare Before Christmas ornament
2014 All Eyes On Belle Beauty And The Beast ornament
2014 Olaf Frozen ornament
2013 Under The Sea The Little Mermaid
2013 The Nightmare Before Christmas Jack’s Sleigh O’Scares
2013 Tiana's Party Dress The Princess And The Frog ornament
2013 Beautiful Belle Beauty And The Beast
2013 Fierce With A Frying Pan Tangled ornament
2013 Ariel's Big Dream The Little Mermaid ornament
2013 Merida The Archer Brave ornament
2012 The Circle Of Life The Lion King ornament
2012 Jack Sneaks A Peek The Nightmare Before Christmas ornament
2012 Monsters, Inc. ornament
2012 Merida Brave ornament
2012 It's All About The Hair Tangled ornament
2011 Rapunzel Tangled ornament
2011 CLU’s Light Cycle from Tron: Legacy ornament
2011 Up ornament
2011 A Snowy Surprise The Nightmare Before Christmas ornament
2011 Captain Jack Sparrow Pirates Of The Caribbean ornament
2010 Tron: Legacy Light Cycle ornament
2009 Welcome To Christmastown The Nightmare Before Christmas ornament

8/10

For other ornament reviews, please visit my Ornament Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2015 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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