15 incredible photos of Disney characters in real-world settings
It's a small world after all, as Disney Infinity miniatures go on the rampage across the USA.
Here at Creative Bloq we're fascinated by the artistic possibilities of miniatures – most recently, this brilliant street art on the theme of homelessness. And being big fans of the House of Mouse as well, we can't get enough of these specially commissioned shots by macro photographer Kurt Moses.
He's been working with Disney in general and their Disney Infinity characters in particular, to promote the launch of Baymax from Big Hero 6 today. In this brilliant series, he takes some of the best-loved Disney characters, places them in unusual situations across the USA and photographs them in his signature style.
Moses uses a fish eye lens and shallow depth of field, enabling him to capture the characters clearly but with a dreamy, out-of-focus background. He and his wife travelled the country to find the perfect setting for each scenario, mindful of factors such as angles, lighting, background and composition. You can see the results below, as we reveal how and where each image was created...
01. Mr Incredible hits the car wash
- Location: Lil'DogCar and Pet Wash, Two Harbors, Minnesota
- Props: bucket, towel, suds
- Materials: dish soap, bucket, paint, wire, cotton fabric, glue, Nikon DF DSLR, Sigma 15mm f2.8 lens
02. Rapunzel lets her hair down on deserted ledge
- Location: Leif Ericson Park, Duluth, Minnesota
- Prop: artificial hair
- Materials: doll hair, glue, Nikon DF DSLR, Sigma 15mm f2.8 lens
03. Sorcerer Mickey stares down a broomstick in a park
- Location: Schiffman Fountain, St. Paul, Minnesota
- Prop: broom and buckets
- Materials: sticks and coconut hair, clay, balsa wood, paint, gaffer tape, glue, Nikon DF DSLR
04. Aladdin rides his magic carpet by the Palace Fountains
- Location: HeffelfingerFountain, Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Prop: dollhouse rug
- Materials: tin foil, wires, glue, tape, Nikon DF DSLR, Sigma 15mm f2.8 lens
05. Barbossa and Jack Sparrow survey the horizon
- Location: Historic Guard Rail (1939), Gooseberry Falls State Park, Minnesota
- Materials: glue, Nikon DF DSLR, Sigma 15mm f2.8 lens
06. Elsa from Frozen tells a wolf to let it go
- Location: Ancient Lava Flow Rock Formation, Gooseberry Falls State Park, Minnesota
- Props: Ice cubes, toy wolf
- Materials: hammer (to crush ice), paint, Nikon DF DSLR, Sigma 15mm f2.8 lens
07. Merida ventures into the woods
- Location: River View Trail, Gooseberry Falls State Park, Minnesota
- Prop: plastic bear
- Materials: glue, Nikon DF DSLR, Sigma 15mm f2.8 lens
08. Wreck-it-Ralph pulls the plug
- Location: Adventure Zone, Duluth, Minnesota
- Prop: electrical wires
- Materials: wires, glue, flashlight, Nikon DF DSLR, Sigma 15mm f2.8 lens
09. "I know what we're going to do today – visit the Minnesota State Fair!"
- Location: Minnesota State Fair, St Paul, Minnesota
- Prop: admission ticket
- Materials: glue, state fair ticket, Nikon DF DSLR, Sigma 15mm f2.8 lens
10. Baymax prepares to take to the skies of New York
- Location: Union Square, New York, New York
- Materials: flashlight, glue, Nikon DF DSLR, Sigma 15mm f2.8 lens
11. Lone Ranger and Tonto keep watch in the wild west
- Location: The Foundry Home Goods, Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Props: old wooden crate, vintage toy rail tracks
- Materials: screw driver, hammer, pliers, glue, Nikon DF DSLR, Sigma 15mm f2.8 lens
12. Davy Jones swims with the fishes in underwater tank
- Location: Amazing Grace Bakery & Café, Duluth, Minnesota
- Materials: Nikon DF DSLR, Sigma 15mm f2.8 lens
13. Lightning McQueen and Holley Shiftwell race through the streets of New York
- Location: Times Square, New York, New York
- Materials: Nikon DF DSLR, Sigma 15mm f2.8 lens
14. Maleficent looks magnificent in this fireplace
- Location: Historic Campground Shelter (1937-38), Gooseberry Falls State Park, Minnesota
- Prop: fire with green flame
- Materials: Boric acid and methanol, flashlight, tin foil, lighter, glue, Nikon DF DSLR,Sigma 15mm f2.8 lens
15. Buzz Lightyear prepares for takeoff
- Location: Historic Pump House (1940), Gooseberry Falls State Park, Minnesota
- Props: space ship, hammer, nails, blueprint
- Materials: balsa wood, tin foil, wires, modelingclay, nails, glue, blue print, gaffer tape, Nikon DF DSLR, Sigma 15mm f2.8 lens
Images: © Kurt Moses and Disney
Have you seen a great example of the use of miniatures in photography? Let us know in the comments below!
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Tom May is an award-winning journalist and editor specialising in design, photography and technology. Author of the Amazon #1 bestseller Great TED Talks: Creativity, published by Pavilion Books, Tom was previously editor of Professional Photography magazine, associate editor at Creative Bloq, and deputy editor at net magazine. Today, he is a regular contributor to Creative Bloq and its sister sites Digital Camera World, T3.com and Tech Radar. He also writes for Creative Boom and works on content marketing projects.