Disney themed LEGO sets have been releasing all year long for the 100th Anniversary. I normally don’t buy Disney themed sets, but I enjoy watching Pixar movies and I thought “Up” was a fun one. This set is #43217-1: “Up” House. It was released on 2 March 2023 in the US for $59.99. It contains 598 pieces which works out to an even $0.10 per piece. Not a great deal, but you can’t complain about it being overly expensive either.
The box is about the size of a breakfast cereal box and is shaped that way as well with it being printed to go the tall way. Not really a big deal, just different from most sets. It probably helped them capture the height of the set. The box shows the set on the front with the Disney and Disney 100 logos. It also has some silver colored bricks which sadly are not a part of the set. The back shows some additional details and play features.
The set contains four numbered parts bags, an instruction booklet, and a sticker sheet.
Here are the stickers. While I always prefer printed tiles, the stickers here do add a bunch of detail to the house and give it some extra life. I guess I can’t complain too much here.
Bag one starts the build with the first floor. My kids built it while I supervised for this review. I had to help them on a few steps and I caught a few steps they didn’t quite follow correctly, but overall they did a good job. The first floor adds the front door and a small portion of the porch. It builds out some of the living room with a few items including a lamp, a record player, and some pictures.
Russell comes in this bag. He has his giant back pack full of gear and it is built so that it touches the ground, but it keeps him upright due to a jumper plate positioned upside down. The torso is printed with all his badges which is a fun detail and I like how his hat is on his head, but you can still see a bunch of his hair on the front of his cranium.
Bag two finishes up the first floor and starts on floor number two. I like how they captured the design of the window space on the front of the house on the first floor. It’s a fun, colorful build and it’s a great shape without a ton of gaps. I added a picture of the inside so you can see some of the details and how the stickers really do fit in well. Just about all of the references are there from the movie to include the change jar with the Paradise Falls label.
The Carl Fredricksen minifigure comes in this bag. I think it matches the movie character well while still being in LEGO form. I’m also glad to see that they were able to replicate his cane. Sadly, it doesn’t have the tennis balls on the bottom, but it’s still pretty close with the roller skate piece.
The third bag finishes up most of the second floor with some interior details, the roofing, and the chimney. Inside you build a bed, a TV, and the adventure book which goes in a crate. The roofing is a fairly simple build, but it still seems to capture the shape of the house from the movie. The chimney is built and then attached to the house with Technic pins. It looks ugly from the back, but you can’t tell from the front.
Dug comes with this bag and he is molded in one piece. I like how they captured his form. Well done designers!
The last bag is mostly balloons. You do add one last window to the second floor and a weather vane with a blue chicken on it. I like how the balloons were done. There definitely is not as many as in the movie, but cost is a consideration here so it’s just about right I guess. Additionally, you get a section of the yard with some air to blow up more balloons, a box of what I assume are balloons, a squirrel, and the mailbox.
Here’s a closer shot of the three minifigures. Again, I think the designers did a good job capturing the likeness of all three characters while still keeping them looking like LEGO minifigures and Dug compatible with studs. If you look close, the clear piece on Russell to hold up the back pack is a bit awkward, but not a huge deal in my opinion.
Here’s the final set and why the box looks like a tall cereal box. You need to be able to show the full set on the front of the box and it’s tall. Overall, it’s decent set. There are some good pieces, some different colors, and the minifigures were well done. The price is okay, but hopefully it will go on sale near the end of its shelf life. I picked it up during a GWP offering so I can’t complain. I recommend this one to Disney and Pixar fans or someone looking for a fun small scene to build. Beyond that, it you could add it to a city scene if you wanted to or maybe a Friends scene with the bright colors. I look forward to seeing pictures of what the fan community does to re-build this set into other things or to see what gets added.
Happy building!
