Disney enchants each and every one of us; even those who say they hate Disney don’t really. Deep down they have memories of Mickey Mouse or the first film they went to see. They enjoy watching the films when they are on television and they can be caught in any Disney Store, or at least near the Disney DVDs at the supermarket.
One time of year that gets everyone in a magical mood is Christmas; the films are on the television, there are children asking for the latest toys and, no matter where you go, there is something Frozen in the stores. It makes sense then that The Disney Store would produce some festive ranges.
This year is no different and, although, the vintage design of last year will surely make a comeback, this year the store is beginning to get some new ranges and items on their website and in store. Many of these are the Christmas ornaments. With these really taking off over the last few years, Disney have put time into making these a full range, they have moved on from just producing the most popular and, therefore, overused characters of Mickey, Tinkerbell and Winnie the Pooh. Instead they have been looking at their back catalogue and fans are rejoicing.
This year, The Disney Store has brought out a Legacy Collection. This series of ten figures represent an anniversary range. The official Disney Store list these as Film Anniversary Ornaments Collection, and, although the figures produced so far have all been from animated (or partly animated) films, this gives us no clues as to whether the range will only feature animated characters or include the live action ones as well. So far seven have been released with no information on what the other three will be. Disney have also not advertised them as a range yet, this may have been a missed trick but with four months left until Christmas they may not be ready to start working on the Christmas marketing for fears of losing the trade on the merchandise in between.
Mickey Mouse celebrates 90 years this year and is one of the first ornaments to be released. The Mouse has had a successful year with the Mickey Memories range which consisted as a mug, pin set and plush. One set being released per month and continues throughout the year. The Figurine shows him holding a transparent picture of himself and compares the difference from modern Mickey to his first appearances. It is a charming piece and even though there is another Mickey ornament released, this one may be the better seller. The other one doesn’t have a purpose and with just a £2 price difference this is definitely the better buy. Last year, The Disney Store in America released a two ornament set of Steamboat Willie and his boat. There is no sign that this will be released in the UK this year but the company has been closing the gap between the products on offer in the USA and the rest of the world. In Mickey’s 90th year it makes sense to capitalise on this and bring back the product just as they have done with so many others over the last few years.
The first Mickey Mouse cartoon, Steamboat Willie (released in 1928), wasn’t the first Mickey cartoon made. Steamboat Willie has since become an iconic image for the company, Disney decided to market this and all of the merchandise has proven to be a success. Mickey has undergone many changes over the last 90 years and will continue to do so. He is also the most recognised person in the world, meaning a cartoon mouse is better known than many real life people. It is predicted that over 90% of the world’s children knows who he is and can name him.
The Nightmare Before Christmas is a worldwide phenomenon. The film isn’t a typical Disney film and that’s because it has been made by Tim Burton. This is probably his most famous creation and every Christmas and Halloween The Disney Store capitalise on its success. For many years the store has sold tea light holders, mugs, plush and a giant cookie jar of Jack Skeleton’s head. This year, alongside the plush ornament collection that they have focused on for the last year or so, they have also brought out the legacy figure. This depicts Jack and Sally and captures the film perfectly, although this will be a great buy for the fans it may get lost with the amount of other Nightmare Before Christmas items on offer.
Made in 1993, the film is completely different from anything else in its era. Tim Burton tried a few more times to match the success in stop motion animation with The Corpse Bride and Frankenweenie but neither have the popularity of The Nightmare Before Christmas. In the Disney Parks there is a meet and greet with Jack Skeleton, he is a popular addition on special Halloween events. Tim Burton also worked with Disney multiple times since, most notably on Alice in Wonderland. He returns to add his unique style to a reimagining of Dumbo.
Wall-E is the First Pixar film on the list. Out of the first four released, none are from the Disney Animated Classic Films. Wall-E charmed his way into our hearts 10 years ago and it’s really nice that Disney have made this ornament. They have tried to make it a little festive by adding the lights that they have done previously with Baymax and, for this year, Stitch. The cute Wall-E sits with his true love, Eve. This may be the ornament which has had the most excitement on social media, there is very little Wall-E product out there and for something that is as cute and beautiful as this it is truly the star product of the range so far.
The success of Wall-E could have been very different, the majority of the first half of the film is between him and a small cockroach, neither of which talk. Pixar went through a stage of taking things away from the normality of film making and this love story takes a complete U-turn half way through. The film UP! also does the ‘out of the ordinary’ theme, another a huge success. The daring move paid off and now we get to enjoy this beautiful ornament to commemorate 10 years.
The next film depicted isn’t a full animated classic and because of its inclusion could open the doors to other films being included, something I will discuss later. Who Framed Roger Rabbit? is a funny story of the behind the scenes life of the cartoon characters from the shorts on the big screen. The film is a mixture of live action and animation but the ornament is of the animated title character taking a ride in the loudmouth taxi from the film. It’s great to have Roger Rabbit honoured at last as this film, which has a huge fan base, never seems to get any merchandise. Hopefully, this will encourage Disney to add a few extra Roger Rabbit characters to their list next year and we may finally get a Jessica Rabbit.
The best fact from the film comes from the rivalry between The Looney Tunes and Disney. For Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny to be used both companies asked that they be given equal dialogue and screen time. For their appearances in the film both are often seen at the same time to make this work. However, the same condition doesn’t seem to apply for the other Looney Tunes and Disney characters.
The next three characters are from the second wave released today (13/08/18). Peter Pan is shown flying through an open window with his small pixie friend Tinkerbell. This figure marks 60 years of the film. The picture on The Disney Store website doesn’t show the small medallion of 60 years, but in the description it states it is part of this collection. The window is semi-transparent with a scene of London as shown in the film. Tinkerbell also has her own ornament out this year, as always. She is also this year’s character used for the Christmas tree star, although there may be more than one as with other years.
Peter Pan was one of Walt Disney’s favourite stories, he had the rights to make the film at almost the same time as Snow White and the Seven Dwarves and it was always his intentions to make this classic. The character of Tinkerbell, just like the Dwarves in Snow White, is invented by Disney as an expansion of the original source material. The character was never shown as a person before the film but as a ball of light. The rights for the film stay with Great Orman Street Hospital as per Walt’s wish. Tinkerbell is a mainstay at The Disney Store with a range for her coming out every year.
Chip and Dale celebrate 75 years of being together, every year The Disney Store produces a few Christmas items with these lovable chipmunks. Usually there is an ornament and a mug so they have had to do something special with this anniversary figure. We see one Chipmunk as a knight and the other as the horse fighting a dragon. The dragon is actually a picture in a fairy tales book.
Chip and Dale are often seen fighting against Donald, Pluto and Mickey, they have been a mainstay of The Disney Store for many years but have never seen a full range of their own. It seems odd to have this image as their anniversary figure, an acorn depiction would we more suitable. However this may not have been used due to it being used many times before. To tell the two apart, Chip has a black nose and two front teeth, whereas Dale has a red nose and his teeth are more like a bat’s.
The last one in the current release of Legacy ornaments is the only girl to have a figurine in the collection dedicated solely to her. Mulan is one of the many princesses that have come from the studios from 1989 onwards. On this ornament she can be seen in her usual garments whilst holding a sun shade. Mulan has increased in popularity over the last few years, often previously being over shadowed by Belle or Cinderella. This is not the only ornament to come out this year of Mulan as she has one in a fabric dress too. The anniversary figure is more true to her image in the film.
Mulan was one of the last films to come from the renascence of the 1990s. This film enjoyed success but some dispute her appearance as one of the main Disney princesses. To get her included in the line-up Disney insist that she is of the highest rank in her culture which makes her a princess as it is equal to this position.
The above totals the first seven releases which means that there are still three to go. What you are about the read is purely speculation, as you will gather there are more than three listed so they all cannot be included.
Oliver and Company celebrates its 30th anniversary this year and seems like the best contender for the range. The other two films from the classics includes Bolt (10th Anniversary) and Melody Time (70th). Of the three Oliver seems the most popular and would fit with the nostalgia element of the collection. Bolt would also fit into this and, although not as popular as other films, does have a following. Unfortunately, Melody Time isn’t a well regarded film, the only character that they could do well from this without it being confused with any other film is Donald Duck, but then this doesn’t give the clear message that it is Melody Time which is being celebrated.
On the Pixar side, A bugs Life turns 20 this year and with the inclusion of Wall-E it is clear that other franchises are being included, although there is no definition if they are only releasing animations as the Roger Rabbit figure blurs the lines. If The Disney Store is including live action then the best contenders may be The Love Bug, which would finally mean a Herbie product or, and the more probable of the two, Hocus Pocus. A Blu-Ray is already being released to mark 25 years and the characters are a big part of the Halloween celebrations, this would be an ideal choice but only if live actions are being included.
With any of the Ideas above they will be a welcome addition in Stores. Disney seems to be leaning towards products for adults and with the new ‘Shop Disney’ website this can only increase. Hopefully nearer to the main event, and the correct time of year we should be talking about Christmas decorations, we will have a host of figures to choose from. Also, if this range is a success, they will continue this for many years to come, giving us opportunities for The Lion King, The Little Mermaid and many more.
So what do you think? Are there any characters or films that I have missed out? Do you know what might be included?