Ornament Review: 1950 - Treasure Island Premiers - Moments That Made Disney #9 - 2015 Disney Store Ornament

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Details and base make the ornament fun

Cons: Bust of a pirate not exactly Christmassy

The Bottom Line:

A live action first

Ornament is not a bust

Thanks to the fun base

This Ornament is More of a Treasure Than Expected

While Disney had dabbled in live action film making his entire career (his early Alice shorts combined a live action girl in an animated world and much of Song of the South was live action after all), but it wasn’t until 1950’s Treasure Island that he produced his first full length live action film.  That’s a true milestone, so it was obvious that Treasure Island's premiers would be one of the Moments that Made Disney ornaments.

But I’m sure those behind the ornament series wondered just how to represent it.  What they finally hit upon might seem a little odd, but it really does work.  We get a bust of Long John Silver.  He’s wearing his black hat and red jacket.  He’s looking slightly to his right, and he’s got his green parrot perched on his right shoulder.

A bust of a pirate as an ornament?  I’m not sure I’d normally pick it up, and this wasn’t one of the series I was really looking forward to purchasing, but I also can’t picture what else they’d do.  A ship would be too boring.  It was going to have to be a figure of some kind, and I’m picturing an ornament that would be slightly small if they went with a full person.  As a bust, this ornament seems about right.

As to character, could they have picked a better one to represent the film?  Everyone knows Long John Silver, and his behavior has influences our stereotype of pirates for decades.  Including the parrot and the sneer on his face are fun touches.  On the other hand, the size of the bust makes it a little large for a Christmas tree.  It’s not like some of the other pop culture ornaments you can hide in your tree.  This one jumps out and demands your attention to something non-Christmassy.

But it’s the base that really makes this ornament work for me.  The bust is on a circular base that has Treasure Island written on it.  And that base?  A tan sand color.  In the base, there are little bits of sparkles and glitter as well as gems and gold pieces to catch the light.  That detail makes the ornament so much better than it would have been otherwise.

That base is also flat, so you can set the ornament out for Talk Like a Pirate Day or any other time you want.  There is a red ribbon slipped through the loop on Long John’s head, and if you use it, you’ll find the ornament hangs straight.

No, this isn’t the best ornament in the series, but the little details make it so much better than it could have been.  This is the way to mark the milestone that is Treasure Island's premiers.

Be sure to check out the rest of the Moments that Made Disney series.

Original Price: $19.95