It can be amazing how fast LEGO can work sometimes to take a LEGO Ideas review passer and turn it into an official set. Last month, the winners of the Ideas Second 2018 Review Stage were announced. Close to a month later, LEGO is already teasing one of those sets.
Then again, it’s understandable since despite being a fan-submitted product idea, the set’s also a major franchise licensed to LEGO. LEGO Ideas Steamboat Willie (21317), based on the design by Máté Szabó/szabomate90, was teased in a sweet Twitter animation short.
Hello Folks! Let’s celebrate Disney Mickey Mouse’s first appearance with the new LEGO Ideas set “Steamboat Willie”. #MickeyTrueOriginal #Mickey90 pic.twitter.com/GQUALdVi6w
— LEGO® IDEAS (@LEGOIdeas) March 14, 2019
Said video depicts a LEGO tile mosaic being put together, grey and black on a white background. Then the whole thing gets animated into a familiar page-flipping motion, showing Mickey Mouse at the wheel of the titular Steamboat Willie. Disney movie viewers might recognize this as the current logo art for Walt Disney Animation Studios. Then the animated Mickey drawing fades into a minifigure version, still in black and white.
Choosing the classic 1928 Disney animated short “Steamboat Willie” to make an Ideas set out of was natural for Máté Szabó, who works as an animator. While technically not the first animation to feature Mickey Mouse, it’s the first that he showed up in with synchronized sound. In keeping with the aesthetics, the Steamboat Willie product idea was in black, white and gray LEGO pieces. LEGO would probably follow suit.
The other winner of the Second 2018 Review Stage alongside Steamboat Willie (21317) is the Central Perk Café from “Friends,” which has no teaser yet. Similarly, of the two First 2018 Review Stage winners, only “The Flintstones” (21316) has been revealed, not the Tree House.