Review: 43251 Antonio's Animal Sanctuary
Posted by SetToBuild,
This wildly colourful animal-packed sanctuary lives up to its name: it includes two small birds, a butterfly, a bee, a capybara, a frog, a snake and a jaguar. However, it’s missing a great opportunity to include a toucan. The birds feature heavily among Antonio’s animals, and the perfect part was introduced with the Series 22 CMF Bird-watcher.
The model comprises two separate builds, a sanctuary building and a treehouse. They can be built in parallel with separate instruction books, then enjoyed by multiple play participants and rearranged to create storytelling scenes.
Summary
43251 Antonio's Animal Sanctuary, 310 pieces.
£34.99 / $39.99 / €39.99 | 11.3p/12.9c/12.9c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
This colourful sanctuary is filled with creatures, but missing an obvious opportunity.
- Fun playset
- Two structures
- Boatload of animals
- No toucan
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Mini-dolls
This fourth iteration of Mirabel was introduced last year in 43215 The Enchanted Treehouse and features bright green glasses. The first three versions (one mini-doll, and two micro-dolls) all featured dark green glasses. Her beautifully intricate outfit is unchanged from her original appearance in 43202 The Madrigal House.
This version of Antonio is very similar to the preceding Micro Doll, but with a slight alteration to the facial expression with the mouth being a little more open. His eyebrows are still very raised thus almost entirely hidden by his hair, a part shared with the Friends mini-doll, Joaquim.
Completed Model
The sanctuary building reminds me of the excellent set, 41379 Heartlake City Restaurant. I’m particularly partial to the 1x1 curved plates implying terracotta tiles on the sloped roof. Like the restaurant, this set also has cool yellow walls, arched windows and doors, and medium nougat masonry bricks at the base. In the tree, uncommon dark tan and dark orange arch pieces add interest to the more ordinary brown panels.
The three-level hollowed-out tree features a waterfall and tyre swing amongst the flora and fauna. The flat canopy offers plenty of spots to place animals and figures as they leap or climb. I’m a big fan of the old-school solid colour style of water formed here with curved slopes. More of the newest leaf pieces are welcome too, though they feel slightly small next to the curved plates, leaving the tree bottom-heavy.
The tree's interior includes an animal hideout at the base, a sleeping area for Antonio and a lookout level for birdwatching. Unfortunately, the large jaguar doesn’t easily fit into the tree.
The single-storey sanctuary building houses Antonio’s capybara friend, a watering trough and bottle feeder, as well as places to store various animal care tools. There’s also enough space for the mini-dolls or the jaguar to occupy the interior instead. Several birdhouses are scattered across its exterior walls. The building emulates the overall aesthetic of the Madrigal House very well.
The new jaguar element is large and proportioned well to the scale of Anotino’s micro-doll, staying true to the film. I’m still not entirely convinced that animals in mini-doll sets need to be different to those in minifigure sets, but I’m sure the parts designers and market researchers have their reasons! Like mini-doll horses, a 2x2x1 1/3 cutout in the back of the animal is compatible with Lego Friends saddle pieces. None are provided here, as Antonio doesn’t use one.
In keeping with the rest of the theme, this set features ornately decorated pieces. Three stickered tiles give us a doormat, a sleeping mat and an adorable drawing of Antonio and Mirabel. The singular print in this set is a 2x4 oval tile featuring a fantastic depiction of Antonio and his animals, which is reminiscent of the decoration on his door in the Madrigal House.
Notable extra parts include a brown swirl “decoration top no. 2”, a teacup, binoculars and a bee.
Conclusion
The price is unsurprising given the two structures and inclusion of both a new large animal and a theme-unique small animal, but I’m disappointed in the lack of a toucan. Nonetheless, I’m glad to see the introduction of new elements, a treatment the theme deserved but lacked in its first wave. While the previous jaguar in 43200 Antonio's Magical Door used a recoloured lion cub mould, I appreciate the versatility of this new animal, which wouldn’t look out of place in a zoo MOC.
As far as I’m aware, the subject matter isn’t canonical. I don’t recall a sanctuary building within Antonio’s room in the movie. However, overall, I think that animal lovers and fans of Antonio will appreciate this set’s storytelling opportunities, colourful design and abundant creatures.
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15 comments on this article
For some reason I assumed this was a modular addition to the new Casita build.
I was just looking at the part inventory for this set on Bricklink, and I realized that it would make a great set for a parts draft.
Is the jaguar the same mold as Rajah in 43208?
Can I just get like 100 capybaras
@Klinton77 said:
"For some reason I assumed this was a modular addition to the new Casita build."
That would have been a nice feature!
@crazylegoman said:
"I was just looking at the part inventory for this set on Bricklink, and I realized that it would make a great set for a parts draft."
Very true! Especially if you can find it on sale!
@G_man284 said:
"Is the jaguar the same mold as Rajah in 43208?"
It is! Nicely spotted :)
@Capybara554321 said:
"Can I just get like 100 capybaras"
The ultimate Capybara battlepack!
Or are we talking about real Capybaras?! :O
@Capybara554321 said:
"Can I just get like 100 capybaras"
IKR!? I need a family of capys!
This is definitely a day-1 buy for us. This is a terrific theme.
@Capybara554321 said:
"Can I just get like 100 capybaras"
User name checks out.
we need a set with Bruno
Jaguars are among my favorite animals, and this one looks cool!
@emjim21 said:
"we need a set with Bruno"
You know we don't talk about Bruno.
Antonio micro doll looks like Rallo Tubbs from Cleveland Show.
Am I the only one who caught the subtle joke about a certain extra piece?