The Good: Decent costume detailing, Sound clip, Value
The Bad: Back-heavy, Obtrusive button placement
The Basics: The 2015 "Let It Go" ornament recreates Queen Elsa from Frozen wonderfully . . . and musically!
Having realized just what a cash cow merchandising for the Disney film Frozen was, it is somewhat unsurprising that this year Hallmark had three Frozen ornaments in their Disney line of Hallmark Keepsake ornaments. Perhaps the most coveted this year is the "Let It Go" ornament, if for no other reason than it is what last year's Queen Elsa ornament ought to have been. And it's a good version of Elsa with an impressive sound clip that is the subject of the "Let It Go" ornament.
For those unfamiliar with Frozen (reviewed here!), Queen Elsa was the magically-endowed sister of Anna, the princess who is lonely and searching for Elsa much of the film. Queen Elsa ascended to the throne of Arendelle after her parents were killed sailing to a nearby country and she had the misfortune of causing all manner of things to freeze whenever she became overly emotional. After she freaks out and freezes over all of Arendelle, Queen Elsa runs off. Elsa's big musical number is "Let It Go" and her breaking out in song is a pretty exciting moment in Frozen.
The "Let It Go" ornament was part of the October release and had an original release price of $17.95, which made it quite a value considering its impressive sound clip!
Basics
The "Let It Go" ornament recreates Queen Elsa as she appeared in Frozen, in a recognizable pose as she reached a crescendo in singing the title song. The ornament, released in 2015, is a pretty wonderful sculpt of Queen Elsa, on her own. Queen Elsa is almost instantly recognizable as a blonde Disney princess with a long, flowing blue dress and an ice blue cloak covering it.
Measuring three and three-quarter inches tall by three inches wide by two and seven-eighths inches deep, the "Let It Go" ornament is on-scale with most of the other Disney Princess character ornaments..
The Hallmark "Let It Go" ornament is made of a durable plastic and has Queen Elsa, arms flung wide, looking like she is belting out her song. The ornament is sculpted accurately and gets the look of Queen Elsa perfectly right! She has her lock of blonde hair draped over her left shoulder and she is cast looking straight out. The "Let It Go" ornament is augmented by faint snowflakes etched into the cloak that catch the light and add a layer of depth to the otherwise simple ornament.
The paint job on Queen Elsa is quite good. Elsa’s skin tones are rendered in monotones and her hair is similarly solid-colored. That said, Hallmark included painted detailing on her eyebrows and teeth that keep it from looking overly simplistic. Even Elsa's eyes are appropriately colored and detailed, which cannot be said for all Disney-themed Hallmark ornaments!
Features
As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, "Let It Go" could have a sound and light function, but it has only a sound clip. When a rather obviously-placed button on Elsa's dress is pressed, the song "Let It Go" begins playing out a speaker on the bottom of the ornament! This is a great and appropriate sound clip and it is also one of the loudest sound clips for any of the Hallmark ornaments this year!
Balance
As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake "Let It Go" ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate Disney movie Christmas Tree, the "Let It Go" ornament is an excellent addition, especially for those who were unable to find the Queen Elsa ornament last year! The ornament has the standard brass hook loop embedded into the top center of the back of Queen Elsa’s head. From that position, the Queen Elsa ornament hangs with the back pulling it down. This ornament is significantly back-heavy and given how flat the speaker section of the bottom of the ornament is, it is very noticeable.
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. "Let It Go" is one of three Frozen ornaments Hallmark released and one of several Disney ornaments on the market for 2015. This ornament, surprisingly, did not sell out at any of the Hallmark stores I've been to. Still, if it can still be found after the holiday season on clearance, it might well be one of the better Disney ornament investments!
Overview
Fans of Frozen, Disney, Queen Elsa, and Hallmark ornaments are likely to fall in love with the "Let It Go" ornament if for no other reason than the strength of the sound clip it plays. It is one of the better Disney Hallmark ornaments this year!
For other Disney-themed Hallmark ornaments, please check out my reviews of:
2015 "Yo, Rugman!" Aladdin ornament
2015 Olaf In Summer Frozen Ornament
2015 Jiminy Cricket Pinocchio Limited Edition ornament
2015 WALL-E
2015 Rapunzel And Pascal Tangled ornament
2015 Tiana Ballerina The Princess And The Frog
2015 Ariel's Thingamabobs The Little Mermaid ornament
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
7/10
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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