With the live-action adaptation hitting theaters this summer, some people would be tempted to say that Lilo and Stitch are making a comeback, but I’d argue they never really left. Released in 2002, Disney’s Lilo & Stitch has become a pop culture staple across the world over the last two decades. Stitch is a lasting Disney icon, so much so that supporting characters from his spin-off TV series are actual meet-and-greet characters in Tokyo Disneyland. The popularity of Lilo & Stitch has only grown since 2002, so it comes as a real surprise that it has taken this long for the film to get the kind of LEGO treatment that it received this month.
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The Lilo & Stitch Beach House set from LEGO was recently released, and it brings the beloved (and wildly quirky) house from the film to life for the very first time. The 834-piece set (which you can purchase here) for ages 9+ is one of the more moderately priced LEGO sets, as far as Disney homes/structures are concerned. Unlike some of the bigger, pricier sets out there, this is a build meant for a younger crowd, but comes with more than enough detail to please older fans as well.
This set comes with five minifigs from the original Lilo & Stitch — Lilo (with her doll Scrump), Stitch (with a small version of the red ship from the movie), Nani, David, and Cobra Bubbles. The minifigs are all great (Stitch especially) and they have some fantastic hair pieces that feel authentic to the characters. If there’s a downside to the minifigs themselves, it’s two of the film’s most memorable characters are missing. Jumba and Pleakley would’ve required custom bodies, making them more costly to include, but it’s still a little disappointing not to see them with the rest of the group.
The build itself is split across six bags and it takes about two-and-a-half hours for an adult to complete. It may take a little longer for a younger builder, but that’s to be expected. The minifigs are pretty well spaced out, with one minifig coming in each of the first five bags, giving you a fun little task at the start of each section.
Stitch comes in the first bag and his ship is the very first thing to build in the instructions. That’s great because, after you put that ship together, the rest of Bag 1 is a real chore. While this is a fun build overall, the first bag will bring you some frustration, especially if you’re an adult and/or have bigger hands.
With the exception of the ship at the beginning, the first bag is all about the foundation of Lilo’s house. Per usual, there are a lot of long and flat pieces here, but this build in particular features an agonizing amount of single stud connections at the start. So much of the foundation of the house hinges on very small connections that move and bend without much pressure at all. You can’t hold it in your hand while you add more pieces, or else what you’ve already built will shift enough that you’ve got to put it back down to reset. It’s best to build the entire section without taking it off of your building surface.
The entire foundation just feels flimsy as you work through the first bag. Ultimately it doesn’t affect the final product, but it does put you in a frustrating headspace to start the project. Don’t be surprised if you have to redo pieces or connections a couple of times before you’re through with the bag. Having Stitch and his ship at the front end of the entire build helps a lot, as it reminds you that sometimes foundations can just not be as fun, but that there are clearly better times ahead.
And those better times start to arrive in Bag 2, which is far and away the biggest and most time-consuming bag of the entire set. In addition to getting the chance to put Lilo and Scrump together, Bag 2 starts to introduce the elements of the house that make it look and feel so wonderful. There are some tricky and meticulous portions of the bag — the tile floor in the kitchen is especially challenging for perfectionists who want every single stud to line up with exact 90° angles. Outside of those couple of tricky little areas, Bag 2 is where you’ll start to find a groove in this build. There are a lot of windows and walls that are satisfying to click together and really help hold the whole house together.
The highlight here is the railing around the front porch and down the stairs. I know that sounds silly, but it was such a satisfying element to put together. The stair rails out front are actually hinged and watching those pieces slide into their correct spot is a thing of beauty.
[RELATED: Watch the First Live-Action Lilo & Stitch Trailer]
Bag 2 is the beast of the build but Bag 3 is easily the most enjoyable section of the experience. This bag contains most of the decor for the first floor of the house, so it becomes a lot of small, individual builds that only take a couple of minutes apiece. You’ve got Nani’s quirky couch (which doesn’t actually click in, don’t get hung up on that) and all of the kitchen appliances in this bag, and every one of them is fun in its own way. The refrigerator is particularly great, though it doesn’t actually open, which may be a bummer to some folks. Really, the whole kitchen stands out as a highlight of the entire house and, in retrospect, it’ll make you grateful for the challenging experience of the tile floor.
Bags 4 and 5 feel very similar and they cover the entire second floor of the Lilo & Stitch Beach House. That includes both Lilo and Nani’s bedrooms, the upper hallway, and the turret room on top of the house that eventually (in the Lilo & Stitch sequel) becomes Stitch’s room. That turret is the standout section of these two bags, with Lilo’s four-post bed coming in a close second.
Finally, you’ve got the sixth and final bag, which doesn’t come with any minifigs but does put the finishing touches on the house. This bag moves quickly because it contains a lot of big parts that make up the roof of the structure. The bright red roof and orange highlights make for such a beautiful contrast when paired with the blue of the house’s exterior. The trees and flowers all around the structure bring a balance to the final product that will have you thinking back to the unique style of the film itself. Lilo & Stitch set the modern style of its characters against a largely watercolor background, giving a sense of stillness and serenity to the Hawaiian locale that played so well against the sci-fi chaos that was brewing throughout the story. The design team behind this LEGO set did an excellent job honoring that style.
LEGO’s Lilo & Stitch Beach House is a beauty once it’s all done, so much so that you’ll probably forget about the frustrations from the very beginning of the build. It’s a little smaller than you may think when you look at the box, but at $89.99, it certainly feels like a good value compared to the other larger Disney sets. If you want to add this Lilo & Stitch set to your collection, you can order it from LEGO here.
A review copy of LEGO’s Lilo & Stitch Beach House set was provided by the manufacturer.
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Image Credit: Paramount Network Television
