The spectacular Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World has been represented in LEGO on several occasions. Sleeping Beauty Castle, however, has been continually neglected, despite its status as the original Disney Castle, opened at Disneyland Park in 1955.
Thankfully, this changes with 40720 Mini Disney Sleeping Beauty Castle. This model succeeds the attractive 40478 Mini Disney Castle and complements its precursor, although the design is a little simpler on this occasion. Also, I harbour doubts about the proportions of the castle.
Released in 2021, Disney's Encanto proved to be a hit, with the catchy songs and the family Madrigal working its way into the hearts of Disney fans all round the world. Surprisingly, LEGO has only released seven sets from the movie so far, though they do range nicely from small storybook sets to a large model of the family house (hola, casita!).
Unfortunately, there's no set focused on my particular favourite character, but then again, we don't talk about Bruno, so what else can I do? Perhaps there's just not enough surface pressure to expand the line, and we're all just waiting on a miracle?
But enough of the musical puns before I irritate all of you. I've taken a look at one of this year's four sets, 43239 Mirabel's Photo Frame and Jewellery Box, which seems to be continuing the legacy of the Dots theme with its included bracelet and tile-based designs.
Disney's Frozen was released over a decade ago, yet remains one of the most popular Disney Princess movies of all time. LEGO have released numerous Frozen sets over the years, based on both the original and the 2020 sequel, focusing heavily on the two main princesses, Elsa and Anna.
43244 Elsa's Ice Palace is the sixth LEGO interpretation of the impressive palace of ice Elsa builds atop the north mountain as she discovers her powers during the film. Standing at 36cm tall, it is a relatively sizeable model, though previous versions have been significantly taller. Does this set offer anything above and beyond what has come before?
This wildly colourful animal-packed sanctuary lives up to its name: it includes two small birds, a butterfly, a bee, a capybara, a frog, a snake and a jaguar. However, it’s missing a great opportunity to include a toucan. The birds feature heavily among Antonio’s animals, and the perfect part was introduced with the Series 22 CMF Bird-watcher.
The model comprises two separate builds, a sanctuary building and a treehouse. They can be built in parallel with separate instruction books, then enjoyed by multiple play participants and rearranged to create storytelling scenes.
Following the success of the Bird of Paradise in the Botanical Collection, what better way to introduce more tropical blooms than with Moana’s Hibiscus-like flower?
The diverse types of flora included in this basket make for a striking display piece, but hidden within the set there are also a couple of detail-packed small scenes with excellent storytelling.
No one wants to be the “Well, actually…” guy, but sometimes we can’t help ourselves! I was surprised to hear that this set was called Snow White’s Jewellery Box, as technically this is the Evil Queen’s Heart Box. This is the container that the Evil Queen gives to the Huntsman when she demands he kill Snow White. The box was to be used to return her heart to the queen as proof of his success.
Fortunately, this set is not quite so gruesome. It instead features some more pleasant hidden surprises within. As a big fan of Mighty Max, or perhaps Polly Pocket in this case, I’m a sucker for little scenes hidden away within a larger object. This multi-layered feature is a playful way to add value to an otherwise simple object. But can this cute set get past its ominous origins?
Encanto was released in 2021 and has become unexpectedly popular, hence LEGO is returning to the film this year, having produced just three sets originally. The family home, named Casita, definitely deserves a bigger and more detailed model than 43202 The Madrigal House.
43245 The Magical Madrigal House seemingly satisfies that need, almost tripling the piece count of the previous set and containing several more memorable locations from the movie. In addition, this set provides a great selection of mini-dolls, including three family members making their debuts in mini-doll form!
Of the many adult-oriented sets produced since 2020, the celebrated Botanical Collection has achieved particular success. The range includes some wonderful sets and has clearly influenced 43237 Isabela's Flowerpot, which looks fantastic too.
While the flowers are attractive and reminiscent of those in 10311 Orchid, the titular flowerpot is perhaps even more striking. Its pink colour is obviously very vibrant, the woven texture looks good and there is even an interior, where the exclusive Isabela mini-doll resides!
Stitch, from the Lilo & Stitch franchise, is one of Disney's most beloved characters. Even after 22 years, Stitch merchandise seems very popular, especially in a certain affordable clothes store here in the UK, so it's no surprise that LEGO wanted in on the action.
Stitch is a genetically engineered extraterrestrial creature supposedly resembling a blue koala, so let's see if 43249 Stitch resembles experiment 626!
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was released in 1937, achieving stunning success and forever changing the perception of animation in feature films. However, LEGO has paid surprisingly little attention to this classic film, launching very few sets focused on Snow White.
43242 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' Cottage is therefore an exciting prospect and this model looks amazing in official images. The level of detail is remarkable and ten minifigures are included, although these many qualities come with a substantial price, of course.
Castles have been a common feature of Disney animation for decades and the studio's newest movie, Wish, presents another. Even so, 43224 King Magnifico's Castle looks unique and I love the gem-like dome on top, which is remarkably eye-catching.
Moreover, this set contains an exceptional mini-doll, as the titular king wears a beautiful silvery cape and looks excellent. However, the price of £84.99, $99.99 or €94.99 feels very expensive for a set including a mere 613 pieces.
40659 Mini Steamboat Willie is currently a gift with purchase at LEGO.com, free with purchases of Disney, Star Wars and Marvel sets exceeding £95/$100/€100.
For such a low threshold it's a substantial set, and not that much smaller than the LEGO Ideas set 21317 Steamboat Willie that was released four years ago.
I was impressed with 43231 Asha's Cottage and am thus approaching 43223 Asha in the City of Rosas with high expectations, given the shared architectural style between them. However, this set is considerably smaller and perhaps simpler too.
Nevertheless, the model appears fairly detailed and Valentino, Asha's animal companion, is only available here. Given its modest size and price, this set is quite an interesting prospect.
The Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio was founded 100 years ago, on October 16, 1923, and its films have continued to delight audiences today as Walt Disney Animation Studios. Walt's love for movie making and vintage cameras helped start that legacy, and 43230 Walt Disney Tribute Camera attempts to encapsulate this important part of Disney history.
Fortunately, the designer seems to have been quite successful on the whole! The models are entirely unique within the Disney 100 range, and several interesting characters are included - the most desirable of which being Walt Disney himself, and new molds for Dumbo and Bambi.
This is therefore an intriguing set, although the price of £89.99, $99.99 or €99.99 feels a touch expensive to me. Perhaps the promised quality of its contents will alleviate my worries...
The majority of Disney sets introduced this year have celebrated the studio's 100th anniversary, revisiting some cherished films and characters from the past. However, new releases continue too, including Wish, an animated film arriving in December.
LEGO has developed three sets focused on Wish, including 43231 Asha's Cottage. The architecture of the model appears surprisingly detailed and I can easily envisage this forming part of a medieval or rural display. However, this high standard of detail has seemingly resulted in an expensive price, of £46.99, $49.99 or €52.99.
40613 Mini Disney Palace of Agrabah outwardly resembles the microscale models of iconic park attractions produced lately, although this takes inspiration from Aladdin instead. This luxurious palace provides ideal source material, especially given its beautiful golden domes.
However, unique minifigures have accompanied previous microscale sets, which this model lacks. There is no interior either, hence the price of £39.99, $39.99 or €39.99 seems very expensive.
43232 Peter Pan & Wendy's Flight over London expands the superb diorama series to include Disney, joining Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Harry Potter and Indiana Jones sets. The blending of scales is interesting, as is the distinctly blue hue to this nighttime scene.
I think the model looks fantastic and appreciate this unique approach to the diorama format, as other examples have approached their subjects more literally. However, the cost of £57.99, $59.99 or €64.99 seems potentially very expensive.
The DOTS theme may be no more, but the building experience it offered lives on in sets such as 43221 100 Years of Disney Animation Icons which combines sticking tiles on plates with cute portraits of characters from Disney cartoons.
The result is a set that offers hours of fun and creativity and an attractive way to display your designs.
LEGO has produced a variety of sets celebrating the 100th anniversary of Disney, including some brilliant sets. The promotional 40600 Disney 100 Years Celebration has now joined the range and is available with Disney purchases of more than £95, $100 or €100 on LEGO.com.
This 226-piece set seems remarkably substantial for a promotional item, especially given the inclusion of a unique minifigure and a light brick. On that basis, the purchase threshold feels very reasonable.
