New Disney edition of Leica Q2 marks the two companys’ century of collaboration

This new alliance between Leica and Disney isn’t as leftfield as it first appears. Walt Disney’s first features were developed in the 1920s and 1930s using Leica cameras and projectors as part of the painstaking animation process. 2023 is Disney’s centenary year, and the two companies have unveiled this collaboration to mark the occasion: the Leica Q2 | Disney ‘100 Years of Wonder’.

Leica Q2 | Disney ‘100 Years of Wonder’

The term ‘Leica Reel’ came out of this early era of filmmaking, referring to the process of making an animated storyboard aligned with key parts of the soundtrack, used to develop and showcase the progress of a film.

This special Q2 is decorated with a design based on a 1937 model sheet by animator Don Towsley, who worked on Dumbo, Fantasia, and Pinocchio, amongst many other films. There’s also a Mickey Mouse on the top plate and an etched Disney logo on the rear.

Pitched at collectors who are mad about the mouse and also appreciate the sheer quality of Leica’s cameras, this new edition of the Leica Q2 is limited to just 500 examples. 

Leica Q2 | Disney ‘100 Years of Wonder’, £5,400, available from leica-camera.com