Review: 43245 The Magical Madrigal House
Posted by CapnRex101,Encanto was released in 2021 and has become unexpectedly popular, hence LEGO is returning to the film this year, having produced just three sets originally. The family home, named Casita, definitely deserves a bigger and more detailed model than 43202 The Madrigal House.
43245 The Magical Madrigal House seemingly satisfies that need, almost tripling the piece count of the previous set and containing several more memorable locations from the movie. In addition, this set provides a great selection of mini-dolls, including three family members making their debuts in mini-doll form!
Summary
43245 The Magical Madrigal House , 1,560 pieces.
£139.99 / $159.99 / €159.99 | 9.0p/10.3c/10.3c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
Much though I love the interior, the Madrigal house can still be significantly improved
- Beautiful interiors
- Many important features
- Excellent mini-doll selection, overall
- Modular design causes issues
- Mediocre functions
- Some lapses in detail
- LEGO doesn't talk about Bruno
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Mini-dolls
Alma Madrigal, known simply as Abuela in the film, is the family matriarch and appeared in 43202 The Madrigal House a couple of years ago. However, the mini-doll has been updated since then and includes a more accurate light bluish grey hair element, as well as a new facial expression. A second head with a concerned design would have been a welcome addition.
Furthermore, the detail on Abuela's dress has been refined. I like the ornate collar and stripes across the torso, with intricate embroidery on the dress. The decorative butterflies look superb and another golden butterfly is attached to Abuela's belt, reflecting their symbolic importance in Encanto, as well as her attire onscreen. Many butterflies can be found throughout the set.
This includes a pair on the dress worn by Mirabel, again corresponding with the film. Mirabel has appeared more often than her fellow Encanto characters, unsurprisingly, but the mini-doll continues to look excellent. I love the texture of her hair element and the designs on her dress are outstanding, although I wish they included accurate bands of blue shades.
Luisa is one of the new characters included, although the middle sister earlier appeared as a micro-doll in 43201 Isabela's Magical Door. This figure is reasonably detailed overall, but mini-dolls are locked to one body type, so Luisa's physique is not conveyed at all. While minifigures have similar limitations, I find those far easier to excuse because minifigures look deliberately unrealistic.
The mini-doll format is perfect for Isabela though, who returns from 43237 Isabela's Flowerpot. The medium lavender dress looks splendid, accurately adorned with tiny flowers, while the hair element is ideal for the character, despite being designed for Pocahontas. Isabela's accessories are found inside the house, but Mirabel and Luisa come with an accordion and a dumbbell.
Mirabel's sisters are now complete and her three cousins are included as well. Dolores is the eldest and makes brilliant use of a dual-moulded hair element designed for the Friends theme, which suits her perfectly. In addition, the detail on Dolores' dress is impressive, although I think her blouse should be slightly paler.
Camilo is instantly recognisable by his poncho, but this fabric piece is awkward, as it does not rest naturally against the mini-doll. The pattern looks lovely though and the torso underneath is decorated too, with simple buttons and pockets. While not an ideal match for Camilo's onscreen hairstyle, this element is a good choice and has never appeared in reddish brown before.
The youngest member of the Madrigal family is Antonio, whose micro-doll figure conveys his age quite well. This figure differs slightly from the previous example, including smaller eyes to match the other family members. I like his awed smile, recalling the moment Antonio received his gift of talking to animals during Encanto.
Appropriately, two animals are included. Chispi the capybara was available in both the original Encanto sets, albeit represented by a mouse, which bore only a very loose resemblance to the animal from the movie. This specialised part first appeared in 43239 Mirabel's Photo Frame and Jewellery Box and represents a great improvement, complete with suitably relaxed eyes!
A donkey completes the selection of characters, probably awaiting collection by Luisa, given their tendency to escape and cause trouble around the village. Even though donkeys appear rather frequently in the movie, I am surprised a new element has been developed for this one, good though it looks. I imagine the donkey will reappear in Friends sets before too long.
The Completed Model
Casa Madrigal is the central location in Encanto and seems absolutely ideal for a LEGO model. The building is incredibly colourful and devoid of symmetry, which gives maximum potential for an interesting design. This rendition of the house definitely captures its vibrancy and its size is satisfying, measuring 37cm across, which far exceeds 43202 The Madrigal House.
However, the house's chaotic nature was perhaps conveyed more effectively by the previous model, given this one is constructed in modules. Each section has its own instruction manual, which is excellent for building as a group, but I am not convinced this ability to reconfigure the house was really required because Casita's exact layout is very well established in the movie.
Also, there are very few alternative configurations, as the modules vary in size and some must remain together, such as those on the ground floor. These are the only sections connected via Technic pins, so you cannot really move them to other levels. I suppose varied options for play and display are always welcome, but I would have preferred a more cohesive structure, on this occasion.
While its modular design may be questionable, this building is richly detailed. The teal door is faithful to the source material and I like the green elements above, recreating a window above the entrance in the film. The surrounding foliage also looks nice on the whole, although the lone frond on the palm tree is decidedly underwhelming.
The pink ivy is more effective, growing across the wall and onto the roof. 1x1 bows form curved roof tiles and I like their orange and vibrant coral colours against the red plates underneath, but the repeated pattern is a little disappointing. 41379 Heartlake City Restaurant used this building technique a few years ago and avoided such repetition, so its tiles appeared more realistic.
Moreover, there are large gaps between the roof panels on either side and those on the front, which could surely have been closed. On the other hand, the contrasting medium nougat and tan walls of the modules adjoining the entrance look lovely, incorporating nougat 1x4 masonry bricks and a few stickers. A total of 30 stickers are included, but the vast majority are inside.
Isabela's room is clearly identifiable from the outside, as shown in the film. The lavender walls are striking and the colourful plants look wonderful, although these should really be even more overwhelming, almost completely enveloping the balcony! Bruno's tower is mounted on top and looks reasonable there, as layers of the onscreen home are compacted into a shallow building.
The gaps between modules also look strange. These are intended to recreate balconies and open walkways from the original house, hence the red and reddish orange railings, which are attractive. However, the walkways on this model are not really accessible for the mini-dolls and they appear too uniform, seemingly due to the modular structure.
Casita is imbued with magic, like its residents. The house can therefore introduce new rooms when family members receive their magical gifts, as well as moving features like steps or tiles inside and out to interact with characters. The model includes a couple of functions to recreate this ability, as a sliding tab causes a row of tiles to move up and down in a wave, for instance.
Additionally, turning a gear set into the wall beside some shutters causes them to move. I like that the designer has included functions to depict Casita's abilities, but their implementation is disappointing, especially in the case of the shutters, as the adjoining Technic gear could surely have been better concealed and moved further away from the shutters.
The dark pink module on the upper floor is among my favourites, standing out clearly from the building's predominant pastel colours. The foliage looks perfect and flanks an opening window, with the Miracle Candle inside. This artefact contains the Madrigal family's magic and features a decorative butterfly, which the LEGO recreation also includes.
I have mixed feelings about the exterior, but the interior looks marvellous. Each room is easily accessible and the varied decor is appealing, providing enormous potential for play. Moreover, the house is absolutely packed with memorable details from the film, as the model and graphic designers have obviously paid careful attention to the source material.
The front door opens to an internal courtyard in the movie, which is ill-suited to this model's shallow design. This room therefore includes various features from other parts of the house, such as the stickered portraits of Julieta and Pepa with their husbands, opposite an image of Pedro, Abeula's husband, whose sacrifice originally triggered the Madrigal's miracle.
A piano and a gramophone are also placed in the entrance hall, beside a brick-built typewriter, which can be seen in Mirabel's bedroom in the film. The gramophone belongs to Bruno, while the piano is one of several items Luisa is seen moving around. There is space for some extra accessories as well, attached to clips alongside the portraits.
Three stickers are applied in the kitchen, displaying an accurate butterfly pattern and several shelves. Although I dislike the reliance on stickers, these look nice and complement the other furnishings, particularly given the warm yellow and orange colour scheme. The large oven and sink look great and numerous accessories are supplied, notably including a printed wedge of cheese.
The dining room is probably the most important setting in Casa Madrigal, where much of the action takes place. There are seats for six mini-dolls around the table and the seats are fairly detailed, although actually placing mini-dolls on them is awkward, given the lack of connection points. Despite this frustrating issue, the dining room looks splendid.
My favourite detail is undoubtedly the family tree on the wall, presenting the seven included characters alongside other members of the family, all in mini-doll form. Of course, the image also serves to highlight the missing characters, but I understand the decision to leave certain family members out, such as Mirabel's parents, who play surprisingly minor roles in the film.
Furthermore, there is only enough space for a few rooms on the upper floors, so focusing on their occupants makes sense. Isabela's room is overwhelmingly pink and lavender, matching this location from the film and including a few plants, although not as many as I had expected. Trees and flowers should completely cover just about every surface, so including a couple of leaves and tiny flowers feels inadequate.
That being said, I like the swinging bed in the centre of the room, which is suspended between two Technic beams. Also, the bed is easily removable, so you can make space for several mini-dolls. Moreover, removing the bed allows better access to the accessories, including the cactus featured in Isabela's song, which also appeared in 43237 Isabela's Flowerpot recently.
Unlike other members of the family, Mirabel did not receive a magical gift on her fifth birthday. Instead, her door faded away, so Mirabel remains in the nursery. The lime green walls appear too bright, but this butterfly wallpaper corresponds with the film, also featuring the letters of the alphabet and several sketches, which originate from the onscreen location.
The sewing machine is another accurate detail, while the bed is nicely decorated with vibrant coral and dark pink 1x1 tiles. Good though these furnishings look, I wish there was a stronger contrast between the nursery and Isabela's room, as the former should seem bland beside the magical splendour of the latter. Instead, they appear relatively similar.
Antonio's room has no such problems. The jungle design is stunning and varies dramatically from other rooms, reflecting its appearance in the film. The open design works well and there are numerous charming details included, such as the animal-themed desk and the jaguar plush on a shelf, which Mirabel gave Antonio on his birthday, shortly before he received his magical gift.
The leaves and flowers around this room look fantastic and I love the waterfall, which is quite compact, but still looks realistic. There is even room to hide something behind the opalescent trans-light blue 2x5x2 canopy forming the waterfall, as Chispi demonstrates in this image. The fabric hammock is also a welcome addition, hanging beneath the tree.
Abuela's room is similar to Mirabel's in some regards, without any ostentatious magic. Another chair is placed inside and uses the same building technique as those in the dining room, while the bed is decorated with a sticker and includes a pair of reddish brown 1x1 bricks with scrolls underneath. Their texture looks superb and I like the knitting basket found in the corner as well.
The final section is perhaps the most unusual, as Bruno's cavernous tower does not suit the modular format of other rooms. The sides are therefore completely open, which appears odd from the front of the house. However, the ornamental hourglass on the roof is a neat inclusion and I appreciate the effort to depict endlessly flowing sand, using a sticker applied on a trans-clear curved wall panel.
Rotating this panel reveals two opalescent trans-bright green tiles, featuring Bruno's vision of Mirabel standing in front of the cracked Casa Madrigal. The model also includes a functioning drawer underneath, which is apparently intended to hold a piece of the prophetic image, based on the instructions. Even so, this is a peculiar feature, in my opinion.
The tiles comprising Bruno's prophecy are incredibly detailed, recreating the emerald slab from the film as faithfully as possible. Both pieces are printed and I love how Mirabel is stylised as a mini-doll in the foreground. However, the consistent absence of Bruno himself is disappointing, particularly because his tower has now appeared twice. Surely it is only a matter of time before LEGO releases a Bruno mini-doll.
Overall
43245 The Magical Madrigal House perfectly encapsulates the nature of LEGO Disney sets. Some areas of the model are highly detailed and close attention has clearly been paid to the source material, especially on the ground floor and in Antonio's room. However, other sections seem rather lacklustre by comparison, such as Isabela's room, with its bafflingly few flowers.
The focus on modularity is equally strange. This format inevitably restricts interaction between rooms and serves no obvious purpose, as you cannot really rearrange the modules. Moreover, the functions seem underwhelming and Bruno should be included, although the other mini-dolls are very appealing. Despite this set's positive qualities, I find myself wanting more, particularly given the price of £139.99, $159.99 or €159.99.
81 likes
36 comments on this article
I love doll house styled mini modulars but these last ones are just too thinn. No space for interior details and play
Lots of great sets being released tomorrow......
And this.
@Ridgeheart said:
"LUISA.
SHOULD HAVE BEEN.
A BIGFIG (OR BIGDOLL), FIGHT ME.
It's a pretty lovely set, I thoroughly enjoy the look of this."
No no, you have a point.
There are three things we must never talk about:
-Fight Club
-Bruno
-Pacific Rim Uprising
I hope we can get some sort of add-on set for this that includes Julieta, Augustin, Pepa, Felix, and, of course, Bruno! I imagine the builds would be more room modules that you could add to Casita, so that the modular feature makes more sense.
We need MORE capybaras and donkeys!
Casita was rebuilt not exactly as is at the end of the movie if my memory is correct, and can add rooms when kids grow up, so is meant to change shape. So the modular conception seems accurate to me, and allow to upgrade the house too if one wants too/can.
The set seems pretty accurate to me and great fun to play with, my daughter would love it.
I do agree though that it's weird there's no Bruno (but let's not talk about it :P) and that the wheel for the blinds could have been better concealed. It's a bit expensive overall.
I like it. It captures the location well.
That said... that price man.
It’s a nice model, but it doesn’t feel like £100 or so more stuff than the original version.
@AverageChimaEnjoyer said:
"There are three things we must never talk about:
-Fight Club
-Bruno
-Pacific Rim Uprising
I hope we can get some sort of add-on set for this that includes Julieta, Augustin, Pepa, Felix, and, of course, Bruno! I imagine the builds would be more room modules that you could add to Casita, so that the modular feature makes more sense."
You forgot Indiana Jones and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Star Wars - The Last Jedi on that list of things we don't talk about...
I showed this to my kids (3 girls, ages 9, 8, and 6--definitely the target demographic). While they loved the main build, as well as the accessories and animals included, all three of them were disappointed by Luisa's representation by a regular minidoll, as it hardly looks like the character. While I understand that introducing new parts is always tricky and expensive, I really think this was the right opportunity to include a bulkier physique for minidolls.
I'm disappointed by the lack of Bruno, but my kids didn't seem to mind the fact that he wasn't included.
I have no interest in the IP. The figures look nice and the building don't look bad at all for a kid's playset (although the price!). And that accordion is lovely.
@jjr_2009 said:
"I showed this to my kids (3 girls, ages 9, 8, and 6--definitely the target demographic). While they loved the main build, as well as the accessories and animals included, all three of them were disappointed by Luisa's representation by a regular minidoll, as it hardly looks like the character. While I understand that introducing new parts is always tricky and expensive, I really think this was the right opportunity to include a bulkier physique for minidolls."
I know there was a bulkier torso piece designed for minidoll men in LEGO Friends. Perhaps they could've tricked one of those up with a white lace dress design?
Or they could've just made a brand new torso and arm mold for Luisa's muscular physique, which would have been the superior option IMHO.
Thanks for the review! This level up from the last set makes me want an 18+ style minifigure based set even more.
Also, agree that Luisa is not well-suited to minidoll form, but do think it is interesting that they seem to have used the torso typically used on male-presenting characters to better (albeit still imperfectly) convey her more muscular stature.
Amazingly colourful, i love that. That capybara has a lot of character too!
@Murdoch17 said:
" @AverageChimaEnjoyer said:
"There are three things we must never talk about:
-Fight Club
-Bruno
-Pacific Rim Uprising
I hope we can get some sort of add-on set for this that includes Julieta, Augustin, Pepa, Felix, and, of course, Bruno! I imagine the builds would be more room modules that you could add to Casita, so that the modular feature makes more sense."
You forgot Indiana Jones and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Star Wars - The Last Jedi on that list of things we don't talk about..."
And Galidor...
Bruno is here. He’s just in the walls.
Honestly even a normal minifig, with their naturally stocky bodies, would have represented Luisa better than a minidoll, maybe give ‘em those long Woody/Avatar legs to convey her height too
I thought “madrigal” was an affectionate term when I first saw the film, as there’s a pause between “family” and “Madrigal” in that first song. That was a bit confusing.
Luisa's size is wrong, but her hair color seems off too. Dark brown would look more like it does in the film. It does look lighter in some scenes, but most of the time, it just isn't as light as the minifigure hair.
If they would have gone all out on this including the entire family and made it more detailed I would have definitely purchased it. I understand that they sought out to make a product in a specific price range and this was probably the best they could do. I don’t doubt that maybe someday we’ll get a more detailed version and I will wait for it.
@Walnut_Candle said:
"Bruno is here. He’s just in the walls."
He's in the walls...
HE'S IN THE GOSHDARN WALLS!!!
The source material is so colorful and fun that either size looks great on display. I have the smaller one. Not sure I have the need for a bigger one, but you can’t go wrong if you like it and haven’t purchased the previous set.
First Rule of Bruno: don't.
We don't make minidolls of Bruno.
The model is absolutely lovely, the house really is an ideal subject for Lego and I'm glad the original was successful enough to warrant this expansion, but yes, the bizarre decision to go with modularity does harm the exterior quite a bit, it doesn't come across as a cohesive house like the smaller model did. A shame for sure, hopefully in a few years there'll be another edition that's a bit more faithful to the original and a bit more ostentatious.
Nice parts pack.
I wanted to love this set but it's just so underwhelming. The exterior looks awful compared to the film. I didn't expect the courtyard layout to be represented at this price but I definitely expected more depth between the buildings and not an extremely flat facade with strange gaps. The interior looks decent but besides the new characters, the smaller Casita set is definitely better.
Modular sets can certainly be fun but I know if I were a kid I’d want the dollhouse to be screen accurate at all times. And structurally sound.
The exclusion of Bruno is absolutely bonkers. What other set could they feasibly include him in? A buildable rat set?
Luisa warranted either a completely new torso element or a pair of thicker arms. Minidolls are due for a quite a number of updates, tbh. I’d love to see shorter legs and more unique neck attachments.
Definitely bricklinking the Donkey.
Great review and set, I love that donkey and glad of the detailed interior. Luisa does have a different body type, she’s got the adult male body minidoll torso, whereas her sisters have the girl minidoll torso. You can tell by the broader shoulders, flat chest and slightly thicker arms.
I love the colours. So bright and happy. Already have the smaller first version that I mainly bought to enlarge/modularise at some point. This doesn’t really offer anything different though other than the fat moody rat and donkey! 6 times the price too!
"LEGO doesn't talk about Bruno" Best. Negative. Ever. (That sounds weird to say...)
@HJB2810 said:
" @Murdoch17 said:
" @AverageChimaEnjoyer said:
"There are three things we must never talk about:
-Fight Club
-Bruno
-Pacific Rim Uprising
I hope we can get some sort of add-on set for this that includes Julieta, Augustin, Pepa, Felix, and, of course, Bruno! I imagine the builds would be more room modules that you could add to Casita, so that the modular feature makes more sense."
You forgot Indiana Jones and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Star Wars - The Last Jedi on that list of things we don't talk about..."
And Galidor..."
"Life. Don't talk to me about life..."
@Murdoch17 said:
" @AverageChimaEnjoyer said:
"There are three things we must never talk about:
-Fight Club
-Bruno
-Pacific Rim Uprising
I hope we can get some sort of add-on set for this that includes Julieta, Augustin, Pepa, Felix, and, of course, Bruno! I imagine the builds would be more room modules that you could add to Casita, so that the modular feature makes more sense."
You forgot Indiana Jones and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Star Wars - The Last Jedi on that list of things we don't talk about..."
And the Percy Jackson movies!
Love the colors in this, and the donkey??
@Murdoch17 said:
" @AverageChimaEnjoyer said:
"There are three things we must never talk about:
-Fight Club
-Bruno
-Pacific Rim Uprising
I hope we can get some sort of add-on set for this that includes Julieta, Augustin, Pepa, Felix, and, of course, Bruno! I imagine the builds would be more room modules that you could add to Casita, so that the modular feature makes more sense."
You forgot Indiana Jones and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Star Wars - The Last Jedi on that list of things we don't talk about..."
I think you mean The Rise of Skywalker. The Last Jedi was good, actually.
@AverageChimaEnjoyer said:
" @Walnut_Candle said:
"Bruno is here. He’s just in the walls."
He's in the walls...
HE'S IN THE GOSHDARN WALLS!!!"
Woah, the Metaverse award goes to you!
@Murdoch17 said:
" @AverageChimaEnjoyer said:
"There are three things we must never talk about:
-Fight Club
-Bruno
-Pacific Rim Uprising
I hope we can get some sort of add-on set for this that includes Julieta, Augustin, Pepa, Felix, and, of course, Bruno! I imagine the builds would be more room modules that you could add to Casita, so that the modular feature makes more sense."
You forgot Indiana Jones and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Star Wars - The Last Jedi on that list of things we don't talk about..."
Well, why Indiana? Maybe it's the weakest of all films, but it's definitely not bad...