Dragon’s Lair: Animation Legend Don Bluth Reacts to RepliCade Miniature of Classic Arcade Game

Animation legend Don Bluth recently received a RepliCade Miniature Cabinet of his iconic, notoriously difficult arcade game Dragon’s Lair– but did he get to unbox it himself? No!

Lavalle Lee, Vice President of Don Bluth Studios found the package in the office and snuck in an unboxing AND some gameplay before getting caught by Bluth himself. Lee posted the video to YouTube with the caption: Check it out! Here is my Dragon’s Lair Mini RepliCade unboxing video with Don Bluth. I found this in Don’s office and snuck it out to play it, then caught by Don! Find out what happens!

Hold onto your video game nostalgia hats and check out the unboxing below:

 

Maybe Don Bluth should have had a dragon guarding his desk if he wanted to keep the surprise hidden! Thankfully, he was greatly impressed by the RepliCade’s detail, the video quality, and the fact that after all these years, people are still having fun trying to traverse Mordroc’s castle in search of the treasure within the Dragon’s Lair.

Considered famous for its challenging gameplay and incredible animated sequences rather than pixel-based sprites, Dragon’s Lair first captured the imaginations (and quarters) of arcade gamers everywhere in 1983. Using LaserDisc technology, it featured quick time events to progress through highly detailed scenes from the story of a brave knight named Dirk the Daring as he seeks to rescue the beautiful Princess Daphne from Singe, the dragon holding her captive. The animation was created by Don Bluth, whose illustrious career includes work on franchises like Anastasia, The Land Before Time, An American Tail, and more. Thankfully, this RepliCade recreation of the game won’t eat your quarters, so you and Dirk the Daring can take as many tries as you need to rescue the princess!

The Dragon’s Lair RepliCade, created by New Wave Toys, is a fully playable 1:6 scale replica arcade cabinet that recreates the original look and feel of the Dragon’s Lair game, complete with artwork, tactile and functional buttons, and an arcade ROM. It features a built-in rechargeable battery, a 3.7″ screen in 4:3 aspect ratio, a multi-speaker audio reproduction, and an illuminated marquee. Complete with premium packaging and some miniature accessories, this incredible collectible game experience is a must-have for fans of Dragon’s Lair (especially those who never finished the game at the arcade).

For collectors looking to really capture that full arcade experience in their home, New Wave Toys has also produced an Asteroids playable RepliCade and a USB charging station built to look like a Change Machine. These highly detailed replicas look great on a shelf or in a gaming display- you can even pair them with your favorite sixth scale figures!

You can pre-order the Dragon’s Lair RepliCade Scaled Replica from Sideshow now and relive the action in 1:6 scale, fully playable format for yourself. The princess is waiting!