LEGO Pixar Luxo Jr. Review: A Love Letter Made With Bricks and Filled With Easter Eggs

When you think of Pixar Animation Studios, one of the first things that undoubtedly pops into your head is the iconic lamp in its logo. Many of us can probably hear the sound of that lamp — named Luxo Jr. — jumping on the “I” in Pixar’s intro animation. Luxo Jr. is the mascot of a company that has delivered some of the best and most memorable animated movies of all time, so it naturally became the representative for a LEGO set meant to celebrate all that Pixar has done for storytelling over the last 30 years.

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LEGO’s new Pixar Luxo Jr. set, which is available now and retails for $69.99, was designed not just to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Pixar, but to also share the love for all of the films the studio has made. This small but mighty set is an intricate and exciting build that is packed to the brim with Pixar Easter eggs, giving fans of the studio something to enjoy in just about every section.

This set contains 617 pieces spread across four bags. And while it doesn’t contain any minifigs, fans won’t be left wanting. The build starts with the almost-as-iconic Luxo Ball, aka the blue and yellow ball with the red star that Buzz Lightyear bounces on in the original Toy Story, and returns for more appearances throughout Pixar’s catalogue. As you put the three-dimensional ball together, you’ll notice some seemingly random colors being thrown into the inside layers, sort of like how some of the display helmet LEGO sets have pink blocks at the center to represent a brain.

But what Pixar fans will quickly discover is that these colors are all representative of beloved character duos from the films. Below is a look at square setup that provides the inside structure of the ball. On the left is a side view of one pair of characters, those colors obviously representing Buzz and Woody from Toy Story. On the right, you can see that every side of the square has its own character duo. In addition to the Toy Story guys, you can find Mike and Sully from Monsters, Inc., Linguini and Anton Ego from Ratatouille, and Carl and Russell from Up.

This trend of using color schemes to reference Pixar’s most popular films and characters extends into Luxo Jr. as well, though they aren’t quite as in your face as the Easter eggs within the ball. But rest assured, there are some clear nods to Inside Out, Cars, Coco, and plenty of other Pixar favorites.

Once the Luxo Ball is complete, you’ll see you can really customize how you display it alongside Luxo Jr. The sides of the ball come off quite easily, exposing the bricks you need to make the lamp and ball interact. Luxo Jr. can be looking down on the ball, with both structures standing on their own. Or you can take a couple sides off the ball so that Luxo can stand right on top of it, helping to recreate that bouncing action from the Pixar intro.

The Luxo Jr. lamp itself is incredibly detailed and has a pretty wide range of motion, allowing you to adjust its appearance a few different ways. And somehow, when you twist the lamp shade around, it does seem to mimic the movements from the animation. This may sound a little weird but this set takes on a personality of its own once the bricks fall into place.

The real crown jewel of the Luxo Jr. LEGO set, however, is a hidden piece inside the lamp’s light bulb. The design team here saved the very best Easter egg for last.

Nestled inside the light bulb is a tiny little Pizza Planet truck. It doesn’t have any of the logos and it consists of just a few tiny pieces. But there’s no mistaking that classic yellow and red vehicle that Toy Story made famous.

This set is a love letter to Pixar’s movies and history, and I think it’s about as close to a “must-buy” as a LEGO can get for any die-hard Pixar fan. LEGO sets aren’t necessities, obviously, so none of them are something you truly can’t live without. But at the $70 price point — which I’m a little surprised isn’t higher — this set will bring plenty of joy and nostalgia to anyone who grew up on Pixar’s films. It’s easily one of the best adult sets out there for under $100 and looks perfect up on the shelf.

A review copy of LEGO’s Disney Pixar Luxo Jr. set was provided by the manufacturer.