100,000 bricks and real water: Kaden and Qwogy bring Pirates of the Caribbean to life
The D23 2026 fan display recreates Disneyland’s boat ride with floating boats, lights, sound and a remarkable amount of teamwork. Watch the builders’ own model footage.
A little boat, a very big ambition
A LEGO boat that actually floats through a miniature Pirates of the Caribbean is a wonderfully direct way to bring a theme-park memory to life. At D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event in Anaheim, held August 14–16, 2026, visitors encountered a fan-built version of Disneyland’s attraction with real water and a route through its familiar show scenes.
This is the project associated with Kaden’s Modifications and Qwogy, with coverage crediting the Fan Attraction Builders team. It is a custom fan creation, not a boxed LEGO set. That distinction makes the achievement more interesting: the builders had to work out how their miniature attraction would operate, rather than follow instructions for an existing product.
The numbers come from the builders, too
Kaden’s July 30, 2026 video description puts the model at more than 100,000 pieces and says the project has been under construction since 2023. It describes multiple Arduino controllers in each show building and more than 1,000 LED lights. The same update, filmed for the Pacific Northwest Mouse Meet, identifies that outing as the first time the boats were working.
Those details give the project a useful timeline. D23 was a major showcase for something developed and refined over years. Kaden’s update even mentions further improvements planned for the gate and downhill section—a reminder that a working exhibition model can keep evolving after its first successful run.
Making a ride feel like a ride
The piece count is an attention-grabber, but the moving boats explain why this particular build resonates. A miniature building gives you a place to look at. A boat moving through connected scenes gives you a journey to follow.
Lighting and sound can give that journey its rhythm: a bright scene draws attention, a darker stretch creates anticipation, and an audio cue helps a small setting suggest a much larger world. MouseInfo reports that the display’s audio uses 90 individual files, with ride-through versions evoking 1967, 1998 and 2006. For fans who remember different eras of the attraction, that is a thoughtful layer of detail beyond recreating its outline.
Give the whole crew its credit
Qwogy’s August 21 finale video—the video featured above—explicitly mentions bringing the model to D23 2026 and the Pacific Northwest Mouse Meet. Its description credits Kaden’s Modifications with all the lights and motorized elements. Kaden’s own display video names Qwogy and himself as the creators.
That collaboration is worth celebrating. A model this ambitious brings visual building and practical engineering into the same project. The finished experience depends on the scenery and the operating systems supporting each other. For a LEGO community site, this is exactly the kind of work worth following: individual skills combining to make something a single builder might never attempt alone.
Watch, follow, and look a little closer
The verified channel is Kaden’s Modifications, run by Kaden Amaden. His channel covers modifications, repairs and projects, while Master Qwogy’s Master Builds documents custom LEGO work, including this Pirates of the Caribbean build. Both channels offer a more direct way to follow the creators than an unverified shop address.
When watching the model, try following one boat through the scenery rather than taking in the whole display at once. Then watch again for the transitions between scenes. That is our suggested way to appreciate the design: first enjoy the miniature voyage, then notice the decisions that help it hold together. D23 has already finished, but the builders’ videos let the voyage continue.
Reporting checked September 24, 2026. Plans and programs can change; follow the linked organizations for current information.