Review of Frozen Elsa & Anna mini-busts

Introduction

"Do you want to build a snowman?" Yes, everyone, everywhere knows all about Frozen, Disney's hit film from last year. There is no stopping this movie, and while it might not make complete sense to everyone (I loved the movie, but thought Tangled was superior overall) it is a massive entertainment juggernaut that will drive parents crazy for years to come.

As you'd expect, there are more than enough collectibles to go around, as well as every form of licensed product, from Band-aids to hair braids. There's no escaping the giant sucking sound of Disney removing the money from every parent's wallet. Oddly enough, I haven't fell prey to picking up a single item, even though (as I said) I really enjoyed the film.

That was until I came across the Elsa and Anna mini-busts from Grand Jester. I've always had a thing for this style of collectible, even when it wasn't based on a comic book property...maybe even more so when it's not a comic book property.

You can pick these two up from plenty of online retailers - or your local comic shop - for around $70 each. Grand Jester has done a number of other Disney related busts, so adding the the collection will be no problem.

Packaging - **1/2
These come in very simple boxes, with a small photo of the bust on one side and the company name. They are not limited, numbered editions, so there's no Certificate of Authenticity or number on the box or base.

They also use that damn cheap Styrofoam that tends to tear and flake all over the house. I'm sure it keeps things safe in transit, but it's damn annoying to open up.

Sculpting - ***1/2
Both of these are very lovely sculpts, capturing the animated beauty of the characters. Grand Jester has been doing a terrific job the last several years for Disney, and these sculpts are a terrific example.

I like the pose on Elsa slightly better, with the snowflake in her right hand. Anna is nice, but not quite as perfect at emoting the character's personality.

They've also done a nice job integrating the snowy bases with the overall theme for each character.

Elsa comes in at about 7 1/4" tall, while Anna is about 7". The slight height difference is due to the slightly taller base upon which Elsa rests.

Paint - **1/2
The paint quality isn't quite as good as the sculpt, unfortunately. Some areas are solid, like the big, round princess eyes. They gazes are straight too, with no wandering eyeballs.

But the detail work is a bit too broad and clumsy, especially on the costumes. Edges are often sloppy, and lines and designs don't always come to a proper completion. There is a nice use of color, but some areas (like the highlights in Anna's hair) are too broad and obvious.

These issues are unintentionally quality problems, but there's also some odd choices that were clearly intentional, but don't quite work. For me, the freckling and shading of Anna's face is one of those. It's too obvious, and doesn't blend quite right.

Value - **1/2
You can find some busts down in the $50 - $60 range, but they are getting pretty rare. The $60 - $70 range that these fall into is the more common area, particularly for this scale.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing.

Overall - ***
I love these characters - I love this movie. It's not the best thing Disney has done over the last couple years (Tangled and Wreck It Ralph are both superior), but it has a lot to recommend it. Likewise, these aren't the best Disney busts that Grand Jester has produced over the same period, but they are very pretty sculpts, and the scale and style should fit nicely with other related collectibles.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - **1/2
Sculpting - ***1/2
Paint - **1/2
Value - **1/2
Overall - ***

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth is also at $70 each

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
I haven't looked at any other Frozen merchandise, but you might find some of the other high end collectibles based on other Pixar and Disney licenses interesting, like the Tin Toy from Pixar, or these statues of Bolt, Remy and Wall-E.

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