(Written by William)
The LEGO Disney theme features a series of cute little collectible sets with plastic housing shaped like a book, a buildable interior, and tiny micro-sized mini-dolls. They are referred to as the LEGO Disney Storybook Adventures collection. The four initial sets released in 2020 are the #43174 LEGO Disney Mulan’s Storybook Adventures, the #43175 LEGO Disney Anna and Elsa’s Storybook Adventures, the #43176 LEGO Disney Ariel’s Storybook Adventures, and the #43177 LEGO Disney Belle’s Storybook Adventures. They were followed by the #43189 LEGO Disney Elsa and the Nokk Storybook Adventures, and the #43193 LEGO Disney Ariel, Belle, Cinderella and Tiana’s Storybook Adventures in 2021, and the #43200 LEGO Disney Encanto Antonio’s Magical Door and the #43201 LEGO Encanto Isabela’s Magical Door in 2022. And for 2023, we got another two sets; the #43213 LEGO Disney The Little Mermaid Story Book, and the #43220 LEGO Disney Peter Pan & Wendy’s Storybook Adventure. These last two releases are what we will be focusing on today.
The target audience for the LEGO Disney Storybook sets is younger builders, age 5 and up. So, they are not sets I have considered purchasing as an adult LEGO fan. However, there are a few features that really surprised me even as an adult. One is that these storybook sets were designed to lock with a special little key (which I originally mistook for a minifigure guitar). The locking system is simple yet effective and left me wondering why I hadn’t incorporated such a cool feature in my own creations.
The other surprise for me was the miniature size of the characters. I was expecting them to be regular-size mini-dolls, but they are actually much smaller. The upside is that they fit in the miniature scenes much better. The downside is that they lose a lot of articulation (besides some head movement, they are one moulded piece). I was also surprised that although the bodies are much smaller, the heads and hairpieces are the same as for the regular-size mini-dolls. I suppose they could become fun collectibles.
With my initial impressions out of the way, let’s see what these sets offer in terms of play features and other specialties.
LEGO STORYBOOK ADVENTURES – THE CHARACTERS
Given the fact that most of the play features of these sets involve role-playing, the characters are the most important part of the play experience. I will say, it does look and feel a little strange having these super deformed miniature mini-dolls.
In the #43213 LEGO Disney The Little Mermaid Story Book we get Ariel, Ursula, and Prince Eric. This set is released to coincide with the new movie, thus Ariel’s skin and hair color match the actress’s features. I do like the extra texture in her hair, and the flower is a nice touch. Ursula comes with spiky white hair and purple skin. Unlike the regular mini-doll version of this character, the super-deformed style fits her curvy shape much better in my opinion. There is nothing particularly special about Prince Eric, although he does feel a little out of place in the included underwater scenes. But he is crucial to the story, so it makes sense that LEGO designers included him. There is also a fourth character; a regular LEGO crab that could be a stand-in for Sebastian.
In the #43220 LEGO Disney Peter Pan & Wendy’s Storybook Adventure we get Peter Pan, Wendy, and Captain Hook, as well as Nana the dog. Peter Pan is especially cute, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he becomes a fan favorite. Captain Hook also looks great, especially mounted on his micro-sized ship.
Although the characters lack articulation, their miniature size does make them fit the scenes better. Everything looks more spacious when the characters are so small, Speaking of which, let’s check out the scenery.
LEGO STORYBOOK ADVENTURES – THE SCENES
The book shells in the LEGO Disney Storybook sets have three parts; the two covers and the spine. Each cover is a different color, matching the story and creating a platform for the scene inside. While the previous sets in the collection had the front and back covers the same color, in these last two sets, they are different. This adds some additional possibilities for the layout.
For example, in the #43213 LEGO Disney The Little Mermaid Story Book, Ariel’s side uses light-blue for her cave of wonders, while Ursula’s side uses purple for her dark and moody lair. And in the #43220 LEGO Disney Peter Pan & Wendy’s Storybook Adventure the green side represents groundcover, while the blue side represents water. The sets also have you apply stickers to the book covers to add additional atmosphere to each of the two scenes.
All of the scenes are filled with various accessories and brick-built objects, and they are separated by a taller structure in the spine to visually separate them. This middle section also adds a bit of three-dimensional interest.
Considering that much of the space needs to remain empty to allow the books to close up, LEGO designers did an excellent job making the scenes look full of useful pieces and accessories. And they also did a great job focusing on key elements and pivotal scenes like Ursula’s throne and the contract from the Little Mermaid and the ship from Peter Pan.
LEGO STORYBOOK ADVENTURES – FINAL THOUGHTS
As these sets are designed for ages 5 and up, we can’t really expect advanced building techniques. With that said, it is impressive that they can be locked and unlocked with a special key. It’s a feature adult builders can transfer to their own creations. Additionally, there are some nice parts like pearlescent gem pieces and special printed elements. I wouldn’t say that there is enough of them to make these sets great for parting out, but they are nice surprises.
Another positive feature is that these are highly mobile playsets. Pick them up, lock them, and go. And they also clean up easily in a self-contained package. Add in the fact that they have two scenes and several unique characters in a unique size, they could be nice sets to collect. But overall, these are really for young LEGO fans looking for compact adventures and play experiences. If you want to check them out, they are available at the LEGO Disney section of the Online LEGO Shop.
What do you think? Do you have any of the LEGO Disney Storybook sets? How do you like them? And do you collect the micro mini-dolls? Feel free to share your thoughts and discuss in the comment section below!
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