LEGO Disney 43221 100 Years of Disney Animation Icons review

Celebrating Disney with a collage of characters seems like a solid strategy, and LEGO 43221 100 Years of Disney Animation Icons thankfully paints a near-perfect picture.

43221 100 Years of Disney Animation Icons may be a wordier moniker to wield than most other models in the LEGO Disney 100th anniversary collection, but this set is a gem that is – unfortunately – destined to be overlooked despite an exceedingly competitive price.

Ever since the announcement of LEGO DOTS' retirement, with the promise that it would continue in other themes, we've been waiting with bated breath to see what would come of the concept. As long as 43221 100 Years of Disney Animation Icons is even a glimpse into what to expect in the future, tile-based play is in safe hands.

--- LEGO Disney 43221 100 Years of Disney Animation Icons set details ---

Theme: LEGO Disney Set name: 43221 100 Years of Disney Animation Icons Release date: June 1, 2023

Price: £49.99 / $59.99 / €54.99 Pieces: 1,022 Minifigures: 1

LEGO: Available now

--- Where to buy LEGO Disney 43221 100 Years of Disney Animation Icons ---

43221 100 Years of Disney Animation Icons appears to have no exclusivity and is available from LEGO.com, LEGO Stores and third-party retailers now. Check out the latest prices below.

--- LEGO Disney 43221 100 Years of Disney Animation Icons build ---

It's easy to overlook 43221 100 Years of Disney Animation Icons next to new releases such as 43227 Villain Icons and 43226 Disney Duos, but there's a lot of pure fun to be had with this collage concept. The main part of the build is the larger frame with nine slots for mosaics, each assembled on a coloured plate.

The frame is simple to put together and integrates a few Mickey emblems into the design. However, alongside the larger frame is a smaller photo frame with room for just one mosaic. This frame can either be hung on a wall via a hook or stood up using the included stand, while its Mickey emblem also hides the hook – both of these are things the larger frame fails to do.

It's a disappointing aspect of the larger frame, which otherwise serves its purpose well. It's strange to see that the designers have limited the larger frame when it appears that a similar Technic stand could have been integrated. However, it would have made the frame thicker and heavier than it already is.

Whatever the case, the frames otherwise work well and allow you to display 10 of the mini mosaics at once. Those mosaics can depict a variety of official designs, with instructions for a small selection of them provided in the physical manual. The instructions for the rest of the official designs were not available in time for this review, and can be found on the LEGO Builder app.

We've attempted to recreate one of these designs and make a few of our own. The designs are easy to put together but digging through the many pieces to find the specific bricks is a bit unwieldy. A DOTS tray could have helped, similar to 43219 Disney Princess Creative Castles, but admittedly even that wouldn't have been enough for the variety of bricks.

As long as you can find a solution for sifting through those pieces, the process of recreating these iconic characters or other mosaics inspired by Disney is a delight and you can easily spend an evening brainstorming designs for that perfect mosaic. The included printed Disney 100 brick is just the icing on this creative cake, but is hard to implement in anything but the official design.

--- LEGO Disney 43221 100 Years of Disney Animation Icons minifigure ---

Surprisingly, 43221 100 Years of Disney Animation Icons includes an exclusive minifigure of Mickey Mouse in overalls painting the various mosaics. The minifigure sits alone on its stand and feels completely separate from the rest of the model. Its inclusion is odd and mildly confusing, but the printing details are good and the iconic mouse isn't in too many of the other Disney 100 sets.

There's no need for a minifigure in 43221 100 Years of Disney Animation Icons but it doesn't appear to have driven up the price, so the thought to include it is much appreciated.

--- LEGO Disney 43221 100 Years of Disney Animation Icons price ---

The price of 43221 100 Years of Disney Animation Icons is phenomenal. Whether you look at it from the perspective of how long it takes to build or the volume of the contents, there's no denying that 43221 100 Years of Disney Animation Icons is one of the best-value Disney 100 models.

Its very concept isn't going to appeal to everyone but for the price, 43221 100 Years of Disney Animation Icons is worth considering at its full RRP. To anyone looking for a rainy day build or something bright and colourful to decorate their room, you'll be satisfied with this Disney 100 set.

--- LEGO Disney 43221 100 Years of Disney Animation Icons pictures ---

--- LEGO Disney 43221 100 Years of Disney Animation Icons pros and cons ---

It's great to see the concept of LEGO DOTS live on, even before it retires. The connections between this anniversary build and the theme are undeniable, but it mixes the concept of tile-based play with the wider Disney range excellently and seamlessly. The integration of a Mickey painter minifigure hints at a narrative and the mosaics are endlessly rebuildable.

43221 100 Years of Disney Animation Icons offers something that is comfortably reminiscent of LEGO DOTS but with a touch of Disney never quite realised in the theme's Mickey and Friends range. The Disney model is destined to be overlooked, it's true, but once you've got the priority purchases out of the way, give 43221 100 Years of Disney Animation Icons another chance as it's sure to surprise you.

This set was provided for review by the LEGO Group.

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--- Alternatives to LEGO Disney 43221 100 Years of Disney Animation Icons ---

Easily the closest alternative to 43221 100 Years of Disney Animation Icons is 21226 Art Project, but as that's retired you'll likely need to look elsewhere to attempt to replicate the collage experience.

31207 Floral Art is similarly priced, but you'll need to get creative with the design. Otherwise, the retiring 41957 Adhesive Patches Mega Pack is a closer match, but there's no frame to store the tile mosaics in.

--- LEGO Disney 43221 100 Years of Disney Animation Icons FAQs ---