Brand Profile - Disney Lorcana

Delving into the Inklands

Ravensburger has officially released the third instalment of the Disney Lorcana Trading Card Game, titled Into the Inklands. To celebrate this milestone, fans were able to meet with some of the talented artists behind the game at select store launches. Toy World’s Caroline Tonks tagged along to see what series three has to offer and meet artist Guilia Riva.

Even at 10 o’clock in the morning, the Disney Store on London’s Oxford Street is full of life. Past a smiling Goofy, arms open wide as he stands atop Cinderella’s Castle, on either side of the staircase which leads down through the middle of the castle, are signs for Into the Inklands. These are decorated with colourful trading cards and are guiding customers to the new products. A Whole New World plays throughout the store, a fitting welcome as visitors are transported into the brand-new world of Disney Lorcana.

On 23rd February, fans of the trading card game are patiently lined up outside the store, waiting with bated breath to be let in for the official release. The line is already around the corner, with more to come as the time ticks by. Downstairs, the shelves are lined with the third instalment, ready for enthusiasts to get their hands on. Around the corner, a demo table is set up for fans, both novice and experienced, to play a few rounds with members of the Ravensburger team. Under the pavilion sits Guilia Riva, preparing for an autograph session.

Guilia Riva is a card art director for Disney Lorcana, with a background in animation. She has illustrated cards in each series, with six cards in the first set and five in the second, such as Rafiki – Mysterious Sage, Peter Pan’s Shadow – Not Sewn In and Genie – On the Job. For series three, Guilia designed three cards: Magica De Spell from DuckTales, Iago from Aladdin and the Magic Broom from Fantasia.

When creating a card, the artist is assigned to a character, with certain specifics regarding the narrative of the card. “It’s a flow of ideas,” says Guilia when describing the design process. “The artist is given a guide of what the card has to contain, and then it’s a back-and-forth collaboration.”

From an artist’s perspective, Guilia has been thrilled with the reaction from fans. “After working on Disney Lorcana for so long, without the game even being announced, it was hard to know if it was going to be welcomed by people or if they were even going to play it,” says Guilia. “I had never played a trading card game before Lorcana, so I didn’t know what the market was going to be like; I didn't know what the fans were going to be like. When it was released, it was amazing to see the queues of people looking for the products and going to tournaments to see them play.”

During the press hour, there is a first look at the new products and artwork, as well as the opportunity to be one of the first to play series three, getting up close with the new cards. This new instalment introduces location cards of classic places within the Disney universe which give players special abilities and interactions. Some of the new location cards include Motunui from Moana, Neverland from Peter Pan and Agrabah from Aladdin. There is also a plethora of new characters, including the 101 Dalmatian puppies and Huey, Dewey and Louie.

The guests queuing up outside finally get their hands on the release around 11:15. As they come quickly down the stairs, ready to buy their shares, Léa Dillenseger, marketing manager at Ravensburger, looks on, while a buzz of excitement fills the air.

“There’s a lot of curiosity with the new mechanics of the game,” says Léa. “The location cards will change a lot in the game play. This is what the players are waiting for. What we’ve done globally is reach out to fans through card reveals. We tease them before the set is launched, so they keep the release date in mind and get a taste of what is coming.

“It’s stunning artwork,” Léa continues. “Disney Lorcana places great importance on the art and the attention to detail.”

With each release, there are new characters and designs to collect, with exclusive artworks every time. Ravensburger highlights its artists by printing their names on each of the cards they’ve designed. “Bringing artists to these launch events is a bonus for both the players and collectors because they get to chat with each other and make a connection beyond the game,” adds Léa. “We try to bring an artist to each event that we host. Guilia has lots of history with Lorcana, so we felt she was a very good fit for the new set.”

Once fans make their purchases, they continue to the pavilion, to meet Guilia. Some are already ripping open their new packs, while others compare their cards, both old and new. Kaylie Nugent stands in line with a bag full of series three goodies, a lanyard of Disney Lorcana pins around her neck and an album in her hands containing her Enchanted and Promo cards, including a very rare and expensive Enchanted Elsa.

“I’ve always been a huge Disney fan,” says Kaylie. “The minute I heard they were bringing out a card game, I knew that I had to test it out. I bought a starter deck, went to a local game shop and started a little league; I was absolutely hooked.” Kaylie has enjoyed joining the global Lorcana fan community. “I like to play and connect with other players face to face. It’s really broadened my whole social outlook,” she added. With every new set that is released, players have to completely redesign their deck, adding new cards and taking into account the new lore of each series. This is one of Kaylie’s favourite aspects of the game. “I like that it’s not stagnant, that it’s always changing.”

The launch of Into the Inklands at the Oxford Street store is deemed a great success by not only Ravensburger and the fans, but by Disney as well. Nico Regan, senior buyer for Hardlines at Disney, is very pleased with how the event has panned out. “It’s been such a positive partnership,” explains Nico. “It’s very exciting to create these kinds of events in store and give our guests the hands-on experience with meeting the artists, product signing and table demos. We’ve got very dedicated Lorcana fans who come to every launch day. All in all, it has been just as exciting as the previous launches.

“We’re already looking forward to more to come at the back end of the year,” adds Nico. “There are lots more exciting projects in the works for Disney Lorcana.”