We Build LEGO Beauty and the Beast Castle, a Tribute to a Disney Renaissance Classic

This set is a part of an adult-focused rebrand for LEGO Disney, which began with the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' Cottage in 2024. Prior to these sets, the vast majority of Disney sets were pitched as LEGO sets for kids. A 'castle' would be little more than a colorful partition. The Princess and Prince minifigure builds were derived from the tween girl-targeted LEGO Friends line. The intended audience was clear.

LEGO still sells these smaller, more kid-centric sets. But the new, additional focus on the 18+ audience begs some interesting questions. Has the original LEGO Friends audience grown up and demanded more? Are dedicated Disney fans – not necessarily dedicated LEGO fans – driving this reprioritization? Or is it a bit of each? Regardless, as a fan of LEGO and a fan of Disney (I proposed to my wife at Disneyland), I can say that the cottage and the new castle succeed both as LEGO builds and as homages to two Disney classics.

From a build perspective, LEGO Beauty and the Beast Castle is a quality modular build that relies on established brick-building tactics – layering thin bricks to stabilize the base, crossing long bricks to stabilize the walls, and spare connection points to make those layers easily detachable from another.

The exterior of the castle is light purple and grey, and it incorporates occasional lined pieces to create the impression of a brick facade. The spires are dark, royal red. The windows are narrow archways, with black crosshatches covering them. The model castle is more colorful than its movie counterpart, which is in its 'cursed,' shadowy state for the majority of the film's runtime. Instead the LEGO model derives its look from the Tokyo Disneyland castle, which opened as part of the park's New Fantasyland expansion in 2020.

The castle uses beige pieces as buttresses and pillars to contrast with and break up the color scheme. The statues that adorn the castle are suggestive, despite their minimalism. One half-circle tile comprises a wing, and two of them, tilted forward at a 45-degree angle, give the impression of a perched griffin, guarding its entryway. There are two massive lions flanking the main entrance –perfect for recreating the tense scene where Maurice approaches the castle for the first time.

The set comes with five minifigures: Belle, Maurice, Beast, Gaston, and LeFou. Even better, the set also comes with eight(!) enchanted household objects: Lumière (candlestick), Cogworth (clock), Mrs. Potts (teapot), Chip (teacup), Fifi (featherduster), Sultan (footstool), Wardrobe (wardrobe), and Chef Bouche (stove).

Two of the minifigures have swappable elements. Belle has both 'standing' and 'sitting' legs, and the Beast can either be in his original Beast form or his human form. When not using them, you can store leftover minifigure elements in two locations: within a hidden compartment near the West Wing, and behind the Wardrobe in Belle's room. Any longtime LEGO fan will appreciate this foresight. There's nothing more irritating than having loose elements with nowhere to put them.

The set's interior details recall the movie's classic scenes. The topmost floor is the West Wing, with the enchanted rose and the torn painting of the Beast in his Prince form.

Below that is Belle's room and a hybrid space that contains elements of the Study – where Belle tends to Beast's wounds after the wolf fight – and the Library, which Beast gifts to Belle near the end of the film. Below that is the kitchen – which includes a stove, sink, and dish cabinet – and the dining room, which contains a long table with three plates of food. Interlocking gears allow you to rotate the plates and utensils to 'dance' and recreate the "Be Our Guest" sequence.

The final, bottom floor is the best one: a recreation of the red staircase from the beginning of the "Beauty and the Beast" sequence. There are rails on the sides of this room, which means you can slide it out of the castle and display it separately. To the right is a recreation of the ballroom, complete with a golden chandelier. Though it's tightly fixed to the ceiling, the chandelier has enough wiggle room to 'swing' if you bump it with your hand.

The floor spins, and if you place Belle and Beast upon it, they can rotate and 'dance' together. Disney nostalgia is a powerful thing (as illustrated by the best Disney LEGO sets), so when you replicate this scene for the first time, don't be surprised if you hear Angela Lansbury's voice in your head. You'll remember that cinematic shot, which swoops down from the chandelier to the dancing couple. And if you're anything like me, you'll get your camera and start taking photos.

I love staging scenes with my LEGO sets. And the new LEGO Beauty and the Beast Castle is an incredible opportunity for impromptu photo-ops and cinematic re-enactments, especially on this bottom floor. The set's elaborate interiors invite the builder to replicate the right angle, at the right distance, with the right characters, to make the perfect shot.

LEGO Beauty and the Beast Castle, Set #43263, retails for $279.99, and it is composed of 2,916 pieces. It is available exclusively at the LEGO Store beginning on April 4.

Kevin Wong is a contributing freelancer for IGN, specializing in LEGO. He's also been published in Complex, Engadget, Gamespot, Kotaku, and more. Follow him on Twitter at @kevinjameswong.