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In 1923, two brothers founded a new animation studio that went on to become one of the most treasured companies in the world. We know it today as Walt Disney Animation Studios and it continues to bring magic and joy to millions of people around the world.
It’s now been 100 years since The Walt Disney Company was born, so to celebrate its centenary, we’re taking a trip down memory lane to explore our partnership with Disney.
From our first ever Disney set, to some of our newest 100th anniversary celebration sets, here are some special moments in LEGO® | Disney history (or at least as much as we can fit into one article) …
It was a year later that two of the world’s most famous animated characters made their first appearance in LEGO bricks. Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse appeared in 2000 in the LEGO Juniors sets Mickey’s Fire Engine and Minnie’s Birthday Party.
But, while Mickey Mouse might be the most famous Disney character, he wasn’t the first. That honor goes to Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, who features in one of our 2023 anniversary sets with LEGO BrickHeadz™.
It would be over a decade later that we would make our first set with Disney and Pixar. To coincide with the release of Toy Story 3 in 2010, we launched a range of Toy Story sets, including Construct-a-Buzz (7592), Pizza Planet Truck Rescue (7598), Army Men on Patrol (7595), Woody and Buzz to the Rescue (7590) and more.
Next, we cruised to Radiator Springs and the world of Lightning McQueen and Tow Mater from Disney and Pixar’s smash-hit movie Cars. Like the movie, this LEGO | DUPLO® Cars line for toddlers was enduringly popular and is still going strong today.
After racing along Route 66, we set sail for the Caribbean in the company of Jack Sparrow, Captain Barbossa, Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann. The first movie premiered in 2003 and introduced us to the best pirate we’ve ever seen.
We released various sets from across the Pirates of the Caribbean movie series, including the fan favorite The Black Pearl. Parlay!
Almost since its creation, Disney has excelled in creating enchanting female heroines. First, there was Snow White in 1937 and then Cinderella hit our screens in 1950. They both paved the way for future Disney princesses to come.
We welcomed our first LEGO DUPLO | Disney Princess™ line aimed at toddlers in 2012 with a Cinderella set. Since then, we’ve ventured into Disney Princess sets for older kids to enjoy with Mulan, Ariel, Tiana, Rapunzel and many more.
Want more? Check out the 9 best Disney gifts for adults...
When our fan-generated ideas platform LEGO Ideas launched, it wasn’t long before our first Disney set appeared. The LEGO Ideas WALL•E set was designed by Angus MacLane, an animator working on the movie at the time of his design. It wasn’t the last time WALL•E would appear; this year, he appears alongside EVE in a new LEGO BrickHeadz set.
The next LEGO Ideas | Disney set would be TRON: Legacy in 2018.
Whether a villain or hero, the characters in Disney stories are iconic. To pay homage to some of these childhood favorites, we released a LEGO | Disney series of minifigures in 2016 featuring Alice in Wonderland, the Genie from Aladdin, Peter Pan, Ursula, Maleficent, Donald Duck and many more.
For 2023, we have a whole new selection of LEGO | Disney Minifigures...
One of the most unique stories told by Disney and Pixar is that of Carl Fredricksen in the movie ‘Up’. It tells the tall tale of a 78-year-old balloon salesman who attaches enough balloons to his house to float to South America to keep a promise to his wife. It’s a moving and powerful story, now making its debut as a stunning LEGO | Disney set that’s perfect for fans of the movie.
Over the years, our partnership with Disney has given us some of our most rewarding builds (we can’t list them all or you’ll be here for hours). The good news is that there’s plenty more to come.
This year, we’re releasing some unique commemorative sets. One is a motion picture camera that celebrates Walt Disney’s incredible legacy in movies.
“Since we launched our first LEGO DUPLO Winnie the Pooh range in 1999, LEGO | Disney has inspired joyful play for Disney and LEGO fans of all ages. From voyages across high seas and valiant quests, to the mesmerizing magic of Disney Princess castles, LEGO | Disney has enchanted families around the world by bringing fantasy to life and inspiring new adventures using the LEGO brick.” - Casper Rafn Voigt, Head of Product for LEGO | Disney at the LEGO Group.
And if you’ve watched any Disney movies, you will have already seen the subject of the second set.
It’s a showstopping set based on the iconic castle that we all know and love. With turrets stretching into the sky, fireworks popping all around and an assortment of Disney minifigures, this set is a must for Disney lovers everywhere.
Looking for something smaller? The LEGO brick bookstand features some of your favorite classics like Sleeping Beauty, Aladdin and Snow White – a bookend to bring back all the magic.
©Disney
©Disney. Based on the ”Winnie the Pooh” works by A.A. Milne and E.H. Shepard.
