The LEGO Group and the Walt Disney Company have had a long-lasting relationship. Long before plastic bricks, Disney was the very first licensed LEGO® toy. Ever since the magical world of Disney and its beloved characters have inspired many different LEGO sets. Throughout 2023, many of the LEGO Disney releases have celebrated Disney’s 100th anniversary but it’s today Disney officially marks its centenary. One of the most unique of the LEGO Disney 100 sets celebrates the man and mouse who started it all. Here’s a look at the Walt Disney Tribute Camera.
Product Details
Set Name: Walt Disney Tribute Camera | Set Number: 43230 | Pieces: 811 | Theme: Disney 100
RRP: £89.99/$99.99/99.99€ | Number of Bags: Bags x 6 + extra elements | Instructions: Paper booklet + Builder App | Stickers: N/A | Minifigures: Walt Disney, Mickey & Minnie + Bambi & Dumbo figures | Insiders QR: Yes
Availability: LEGO Stores, LEGO Online & LEGO retailers
One thing which must be highlighted about this set is the truly outstanding work of its Graphic Designer, Camilla Thorsted Coording. Although it doesn’t feature any stickers, the set does have a few elements with unique print details on them. The most prominent is a long plastic film strip which wraps around the camera. This unrolled film reel features LEGO versions of famous Disney films. They are amazing and as an added bonus the same images are featured in the set’s instruction booklet. I would love to see these images turned into a LEGO Insiders print.
Another neat use of graphic design is found in the first section of the set, which is an elaborate minifigure display stand. This combines a classic clapper board and also features a classic piece of retro-tech developed by Disney animators, including Ub Iwerks. Back before computers, the Multiplane camera was used to create depth in 2D animation. Backgrounds would be painted onto glass sheets and layered on top of each other and then a camera could ‘move’ through them. This is nicely recreated on this stand section, with a trio of printed panels mounted in a similar fashion to how they would have been when early Disney animated films were created. There are a number of studs lined up along with the top halves of the clapper board, upon which the set’s minifigures can stand.
This leads nicely into the set’s minifigures, of which there are three, along with two animal figures, all of which are unique to this set. These include black and white ‘retro’ of Mickey and Minnie Mouse. Technically, these are similar to the versions featured in the 2019 LEGO Ideas set based on Steamboat Willie, although they are lacking the hats. They are joined by a minifigure of Walt Disney, the iconic filmmaker who started Disney with his brother and created the entertainment giant still around today. The minifigure does a great job of capturing Walt’s larger-than-life personality with two different but cheery expressions. I’m not sure about the hairpiece used but the suit and head are spot on. Walt also includes a unique 2×2 printed tile featuring a sketch of Mickey from Steamboat Willie.
Along with the minifigures, the set also includes two exceptional animal figures. Although we’ve had many animal figures over the years, we’ve not really had any inspired by ‘famous’ animals. These unique figures recreate Dumbo from the 1941 classic and Bambi from the following year. It’s highly unlikely but I would love to see more Disney sets featuring animal characters as both Bambi and Dumbo have turned out quite well in LEGO form.
The main part of the set is a vintage film camera. This features a number of interesting details, mostly focused around the body of the camera. Back when movies were captured on actual film, the camera would feature two large ‘cans’. These would house and protect the film, here these have been incorporated into the creation of the Disney 100 logo, with the cans obviously becoming a pair of zeroes. This adds to the displayable nature of the set. The body of the camera is suitably vintage looking, including the ability to rotate in different-sized lenses and an adjustable lens cover. Inside the body of the camera is a hidden studio for Walt to sit and sketch. To access this you need to twist the viewfinder from a horizontal position to a vertical one and you can then pop open the side of the camera.
Another great detail is the inclusion of a handle crank, turning it on a real camera would capture the images and move the film through the camera. Here they merely recreate the familiar clicking of the film as it would have sounded when in action. It’s an unnecessary feature but I love that it’s been included, especially as it doesn’t impact the build or add any complex structure to the build. The camera section is then mounted on a tripod, this is where things got a little tricky. Although the instructions show how a section part of the camera must be mounted, I still found what I had built didn’t match the image on the box. It’s only noticeable when you add the plastic film strip mentioned above. This connects to a pair of ball joint connectors on the body of the camera and the connecting structs which link each of the tripod legs.
Overall
I must admit some aspects of the build experience were a little annoying. Correctly getting the camera to line up with the legs of its tripod and the unique film strip elements seems more difficult than it should be. The instructions do partly show how some parts of the set line up but I still had to tweak things at the end of the build. Despite that, I really like this year, it’s so unique and has some amazing details such as the clicking noise when you crank the handle of the camera, the plastic film strip and even the little clapper board minifigure stand, with its nod to how classic Disney animation. Once built, the set makes a striking display piece and perfectly celebrates Disney and the man who started it all.
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