After nearly 100 years of filmmaking, Disney has pop culture in a stranglehold. Its influence is practically impossible to escape. If ya can’t beat ’em, join ’em. And that’s what Lego did, turning some of Disney’s most iconic films into real-life brick counterparts. Here are our 10 favorite Disney Lego sets, ranked.
10. Belle and The Beast’s Castle
Who among us didn’t want to live in Belle and The Beast’s Castle as a child? The charming rural location in the French countryside? The beautiful Gothic architecture? The swoon-worthy library? It’s a place that’s impossible to be lonely in, considering that all the furniture is sentient and ready to make your stay a five-star experience. The Belle and The Beast’s castle Lego set is a beautiful brick homage to the majesty of the original, complete with minifigures of the film’s characters.
9. Ariel’s Underwater Palace
Perhaps the only place more whimsical than Belle and The Beast’s castle? Ariel’s Underwater Palace. She wants to be part of our world, but if only we had the gills and fishtails necessary to be part of hers. Imagine sleeping in a giant clamshell. Making music with the creatures of the deep. Sliding down the waterslide, because under the ocean, all slides are waterslides. Maybe if we’re nice enough, King Triton will let us ride in his dolphin chariot.
8. Walt Disney Tribute Camera
What better way to honor the maniac—I mean … the man himself than with a Lego set of an old film camera? Walt Disney Tribute Camera is a stunning Lego replica of the tool that Walt Disney himself used to establish a century-spanning dynasty of films. I’m sure that somewhere deep within the Disney vault, a smile is slowly playing across his cryogenically frozen face at the thought of this tribute. With 811 separate pieces, only the man’s biggest fans are mentally prepared to build it.
7. Stitch
Stitch is the ultimate Disney cutie. Experiment 626 might be morally ambiguous, but his status as an adorable Disney character is a surety. Just look how uncharacteristically innocent he looks with his little ice cream cone and hibiscus flower set jauntily atop his furry head. One could almost be fooled into believing that this is not one of the most dangerous creatures in the galaxy but simply some kind of cuddly blue koala … almost.
6. Maleficent’s Dragon Form
Maleficent’s Dragon Form is an homage to one of the best monsters that the Disney team ever came up with. Maleficent’s draconic transformation is easily the best part of Sleeping Beauty (and one of the harder battles in Kingdom Hearts 1). I can just feel my dread returning remembering this monster’s five separate health bars. Good thing there’s an included Prince minifigure with a sword to kill her all over again. I don’t think that I have it in me to do it a second time.
5. Princess Ultimate Adventure Castle
The Disney Princess Ultimate Adventure Castle is the location of the greatest slumber party ever thrown. this particular castle has four separate levels and five included minifigures, each with its own animal companion! Worried about the uninvited crashing the party? This Disney set even includes a heart-shaped lock to seal away the castle when it is not in use. That way nobody’s little brother can come in and try to read someone’s secret diary. The place is a Lego Fort Knox.
4. Simba
The star of arguably the most popular Disney film ever made (at least in the pre-Frozen era) Simba from The Lion King is an adorable set that won’t try to to blow up your home with a plasma blaster (I’m looking at you, Stitch). This set is a simple build and even includes a few unfortunate bugs for the little Lion King to eat. The best part? All of Simba’s limbs move, along with his head and tail, allowing you to put the little guy in all sorts of cute poses!
3. Steamboat Willie
Steamboat Willie was the first Disney film ever made. To this day I’m not actually sure what Steamboat Willie is. Is it the name of the steamboat itself? Or was it Mickey Mouse’s character’s name? Perhaps this Lego set will clear the issue up once and for all. This little boat is replete with moving parts, including a water wheel that turns and adjustable steam pipes. Just don’t stick it in a river. Or a creek. Or even a bathtub. I don’t think that this ship is shape enough to float.
2. The Little Mermaid Royal Clamshell
The Little Mermaid Royal Clamshell is the perfect set for the Disney adults lurking among us! It’s marketed for builders ages 18 and up and consists of over 1,800 separate pieces. That’s a hundred pieces of every year its minimum age group has been alive! Despite being only one set, this clamshell actually features three separate locations from The Little Mermaid. Triton’s clamshell throne doubles as Ariel’s bedroom and then triples as Ursula’s lair below. Does King Triton know that Ursula is literally his roommate? Does the clamshell have a lease? Is she squatting? Is there a housing crisis under the sea, too? It’s a hard world.
1. The Disney Castle
The Disney Castle is the ultimate Disney Lego set. Just look at it! Such whimsical majesty! Can’t you just feel all of your dreams coming true? Like the real Disney castle that rules over Florida with an iron fist, the Lego Disney Castle is similarly gargantuan. At 4,000 pieces, it’s the biggest Lego Disney set on the market. And it isn’t just a facade! Turn the thing around and the interior is revealed, featuring an ornate foyer and balconies that are furnished with suits of armor, candelabras, and even a grandfather clock. The set includes 5 minfigures including a tuxedo-clad Mickey Mouse to usher guests inside—or turn them away. No shirt, no shoes, no entry. Sorry Donald Duck, pants are required too.
Published: Aug 21, 2024 05:10 pm