The Good: Generally good sculpt, Good balance
The Bad: Detailing on Spot, Assembled appearance, Seems expensive, Coloring on Arlo
The Basics: The 2016 "Arlo And Spot" ornament from The Good Dinosaur is a good idea with a mediocre execution.
When it comes to Disney-themed Hallmark ornaments, it is interesting to see how the newer films are actually represented. While some of the older Disney films have been over-represented, many of the new films lack iconic characters or moments needed to make interesting ornaments. Unfortunately, one of the problems with some of the ornaments made for some of the newer films is that they are rushed to market. That is what happened, arguably, with the 2016 Arlo And Spot ornament.
For those unfamiliar with The Good Dinosaur (reviewed here!), Arlo and Spot are a boy and a dinosaur who team up for a journey home. Basically, The Good Dinosaur is a buddy comedy that teams up a neanderthal boy and an apatosaurus.
Basics
The "Arlo And Spot" ornament recreates Arlo the apatosaurus and Spot the child as they appeared in The Good Dinosaur, though not from a distinct moment and not nearly as much detailing. The ornament, released in 2016, is a fairly accurate sculpt of Spot riding Arlo.
Measuring four inches long, two inches deep and three and a half inches tall, the "Arlo And Spot" ornament is a larger than normal-sized Disney character ornament, but about on scale with the other Pixar Legends ornament. Arlo And Spot is a standalone Disney Pixar ornament. Unfortunately, Arlo And Spot feels a bit more expensive than its quality with an original release price of $15.95.
The Hallmark "Arlo And Spot" ornament is made of a durable plastic and has Spot riding Arlo. The sculpt of Arlo looks very assembled with noticeable seams at the legs. Similarly, the sculpt of Spot looks more like a caricature of the character than a version based upon the digital model of the character. Spot looks unfortunately simplistic in ornament form.
The coloring on the Arlo And Spot ornament is very simple as well. One of the impressive aspects of The Good Dinosaur is that the textures for Arlo were incredible. On the 2016 Arlo And Spot ornament, the coloring is simplistic and the dinosaur looks very plastic. The coloring on the entire 2016 Arlo And Spot is very basic, lacking in the sophisticated depth and shading of the characters in the film.
Features
As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, "Arlo And Spot" could have a sound or light function, but this ornament has neither. The lack of a sound clip for the ornament seems comparatively expensive and less ambitious than Hallmark could have done.
Balance
As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake "Arlo And Spot" ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate Pixar movie Christmas Tree, the "Arlo And Spot" ornament is very average, but not at all essential (the film is not exactly a timeless masterpiece). The ornament has the standard brass hook loop embedded into the top, back, of Spot's head. From there, the ornament hangs fairly level.
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. "Arlo And Spot" is one of several Disney ornaments on the market for 2016. This ornament did not seem to be a big seller, arguably because of the quality issues, and it has not appreciated in the secondary market yet.
Overview
Fans of The Good Dinosaur, Disney, and Hallmark ornaments are likely to be largely unimpressed by the 2016 Arlo And Spot ornament. Hallmark ornament fans have, generally, come to expect more from the ornaments than something so simple and unremarkable as the 2016 Arlo And Spot ornament.
For other Pixar-themed Hallmark ornaments, please check out my reviews of:
2016 Inside Out ornament
2015 WALL-E
2014 Bank On Hamm Toy Story ornament
2012 Monsters, Inc. ornament
2011 Up ornament
4/10
For other ornament reviews, please visit my Ornament Review Index Page for an organized listing!
© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
| | |
No comments:
Post a Comment