Ornament Review: Merida - 2012 Hallmark Ornament

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Great likeness of Merida in action

Cons: Very minor balance issues; mainly for Disney fans

The Bottom Line: 

Commemorate Brave

With Merida in action

Every Christmas

Merida is Ready to Shoot if You Don't Hang Her on Your Tree

Hallmark always seems to produce at least one ornament for Disney’s new movies, so it was hardly a surprise that they produced something for Disney/Pixar’s Brave.  Since that movie has been popular, Merida has been popular as well.

The ornament depicts the character much as she appears in the movie.  She’s wearing a dark blue dress and her red hair is flowing down in ringlets past her shoulders.  She’s notched an arrow in her bow and is slowing raising it to fire.  It’s aimed almost level, although it's still going to hit the ground until she raises it a bit more; but one false move and someone will get shot.  It almost looks like she is following the wisps at the moment into the unknown and wants to be ready for anything.  And if you turn around and look at the back, you'll see her elbow sticking out of her hair.

The ornament is a great rendition of the character, complete with Hallmark’s usual attention to detail.  Looking at her, I really do expect her to start moving at any moment.

Since I love to get as any different Disney characters in ornament form as I can, she was a must buy.  Many others must have just loved the movie because she has been flying off shelves since she originally premiered in July.  A few will show up and quickly sell out again.  While she isn’t officially sold out yet, if you want her, I suggest getting her soon.

Merida is standing in this pose, so it’s not too big a surprise that the ornament is able to stand on its own.  However, she isn't completely steady.  The bow and arrow weigh her heavily to the front, so if you tap whatever she is standing on, she'll tip over fairly easily.

But what about hanging?  Naturally, there’s a little loop for hanging her on the top of her head just sticking out of the plastic curls of hair.  Slip a hook through it, and you’ll find that she hangs basically straight.  She tips every so slightly to her left, our right, but you have to be looking closely to even begin to notice - it's that tiny.

For those looking to capture something from the movie Brave to place on their tree, you can’t go wrong with Merida.  She looks great and will make a great addition to any pop culture or Disney ornament collection.

Original Price: $14.95