Jim Shore Statues and Why I love them

Jim Shore's Disney Tradition Statues are probably some of the most beautiful and wonderfully designed Disney collector's Items I have ever seen. I first came across these lovely figurines in a jewelers in my home town and I couldn't believe how amazingly detailed they were, but they were also just so different and unlike any Disney figure I'd seen before which I loved. They had a really well done display of some of the statues in their window among all of their bracelets and whatnot. When I went home and googled about the figures I discovered that they are very popular and you can get them in any number of places and there are so many different ones.

The man behind these creations, Jim Shore, is an American artist from South Carolina who, after years of successfully making his own unique creations, teamed up with Disney to produce his own twist on their classic characters and stories. When asked why he loves making his pieces, Jim was quoted as saying: “Art is something I’ve done all my life. It’s what I’ve always loved and the only thing I ever wanted to do. But making a living as an artist isn’t easy. There are thousands of very talented people out there that never get a chance to show what they can do. I’ve been lucky. Not only do I get to do what I love, I get to share it with people around the world. I’ve been given a tremendous gift and I thank God for it every day.”

I have included some photos of ones I've purchased since 2011. The most recent one I got was for my 5 month old Nephew's bedroom. My sister, went with a Winnie the Pooh theme which I was naturally pretty happy about, and I knew the second she told me that, I'd have to add a little Jim Shore touch to the room. The statue is of Pooh and his teddy getting ready for a long winter's slumber , which I thought was just a super cute idea and to have in a baby's room was ideal! It's about 6 inches tall I believe and when I gave it to my sister before the little man arrived into the world she was really delighted with it.

As you can see, the detail on them is really intricate and it just looks like something special. My favourite part of the Winnie the Pooh is his little pj's and that he's got his own little bear, such an adorable concept.

One of the first Statues I bought for myself in 2011 was an Alice in Wonderland one, the collection has a lot of this type of figure, mostly of the girl characters sitting on a stand and they are so pretty and delicate looking.

One other statue I thought I'd talk about from not my personal collection, but it is one I purchased for my cousin for her birthday last year. Her favourite Disney movie is Peter Pan, so the minute I saw him sitting in that window display of that jewelers I knew it was the perfect gift for her. It's similar to my Alice one and a Bambi one I also have, I should mention the prices vary with these items, the smaller ones like Peter Pan & Alice aren't too expensive (€25.00) here in Ireland, however the larger and more detailed they get, the pricier they get, but they are absolutely worth it! If you're a collector and are looking for a new line of Disney merchandise to peak your interest or if you're just interested in keeping a gorgeous piece of Disney art in your home, I'd definitely look into Jim Shore's Disney Traditions Collection! It's the perfect time of year for it.

You can see Jim's stuff on Facebook <3

https://www.facebook.com/ArtistJimShore/?fref=ts

Jim Shore Disney Traditions Online Shop <3

http://shop.jimshore.com/disney-traditions.html

Book Review: The Disney Book, A Celebration of the World of Disney

Book Review: The Disney Book, A Celebration of the World of Disney

I wanted my first post to be about this wonderful book I came across in a small bookstore in a town I was working in about three months ago. The Book is entitled The Disney Book; A Celebration of the World of Disney. It was written by Jim Fanning and published by DK in 2015. It cost me €23.99 here in Ireland. I didn't set out to purchase this amazing book, however when I came across it while looking for a story book for my baby nephew one morning I absolutely HAD to have it!

The most beautiful and interesting thing about this book for me are the rare images it contains. It has so many unique story board sketches from Snow White and other classics which are lovely to see as well as an early sketch drawn by Walt himself as a young man in his sister's school book. When you first open the book it comes with an original 35mm filmstrip from Disney Pixar's Brave. I must be completely honest here, Brave is not a favourite of mine, however it is a pretty cool item to have in any Disney fan's collection, so I really think it was a sweet little touch that the publishers included it.

The Book begin's with some super interesting history on Walt's beginnings and his time making Silly Symphonies and how he came to create everybody's favourite Mouse with Designer Ub Iwerks. There are individual sections throughout the book about all of the Disney classics and how they were made, the artistry that went into making them and the audience reception upon their release. The book is very thorough however, so it doesn't just give you information on the standard Disney animated films, there's a really in depth look at the live action films made by Disney too, including of course Mary Poppins, my personal favourite! I really loved the parts that were dedicated to discussing the animator's and imagineer's work and how it varied and was unique to each film.

The final sections of the book are about Disney branding and merchandising and also the impact the Disney brand has had on the world of entertainment, including a lengthy section about Disney theme parks which I found very interesting and unique to this particular book.

All in all, this book was a terrific buy. I think if you wanted to know more about Disney as a whole, in particular about Disney history, it's a must-read item. 5 out of 5 from me!

My Very Own Disney World

My Very Own Disney World!

Hi! My name's Sinead and I am a 25 year old Irish Disney fanatic! I love ALL things Disney, from the music, to novelty items, to Disneyland and of course Disney Films! I have been a Disney fanatic since I was a little chubby child and I have only become more interested and devoted a fan as the years have gone by. I decided to do this blog mainly to share some interesting things I have bought, received, come across over the years that are Disney related. I'm pretty much doing this to entertain myself first and foremost, but also I'd like to think that maybe some fellow Disney fans will come upon some of my posts and find them a little bit interesting. So, if you're that kind of person and would like to read my blog to pass the time, Be My Guest!