Review: 43268 Lilo and Stitch Beach House
Posted by SetToBuild,
In advance of May’s upcoming live-action remake of Lilo and Stitch, the Pelekai family’s colourful beachside home is brought to us at minifigure scale. Since the 2025 movie is a remake of a 23-year-old film, it’s no surprise that this fetching little dwelling is packed with miniature references and fan service moments sure to grab the attention of multiple generations of fans.
Summary
43268 Lilo and Stitch Beach House, 834 pieces.
£79.99 / $89.99 / €89.99 | 9.6p/10.8c/10.8c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
Oodles of fan service is packed into this heartwarming set.
- Cute sticker designs
- Funny references
- Wide selection of characters
- Lilo’s figure could be improved
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Stickers
The sticker sheet includes some adorable LEGO-fied characters and references. Sadly, the alignment of the blue and white surfboard stickers was slightly off in my copy, as you’ll see in a moment. Additionally, stickers 1, 2 and 3 had strange white artefacts staining the red areas of the print.
Minifigures
Stitch is nearly identical to his CMF counterpart, except this version more accurately uses dark azure instead of medium blue. The tail on the back is the only printed detail that has slightly changed as well.
They’ve opted for a brick-built Plasma Blaster rather than the laser pistol element. Personally, I prefer the more retro-style ray gun. A four-armed variant for the torso would also have been a welcome inclusion, but they probably want to keep Stitch’s second CMF especially unique.
LEGO Lilo’s clothing has never looked quite right to me, and the latest attempt with a seamless trouser suit isn’t an improvement. A more accurate look could have been achieved from a fabric skirt element paired with printed legs. Lilo’s alternate minifig available in 21352 Magic of Disney addresses the dress a bit better, but it's still not perfect.
Lilo’s prized toy camera and a flower for her rubbery hair piece are included as accessories. She also has an alternate expression that is used to respond to Nani’s demand, “Go to your room!”. Neither looks like the animated character unfortunately, with a very ‘LEGO-fied’ appearance similar to other recent child faces.
A welcome surprise to this set was a figure for Lilo’s plush friend, Scrump. The excellent use of a DREAMZzz Dreamling body, combined with the printing on the head, perfectly represents the hodgepodge and handmade nature of this stuffed animal. The stalk element causes Scrump to be as tall as Lilo, but it doesn’t look too bad.
Nani’s hair has been used a few times, for example as Isabela or Pocahontas (and even the previous version of Lilo)! The dynamic swooshing effect was perfect for those earlier characters, but doesn’t really suit Nani so well; her hair has more volume and shape rather than length and sway.
As noted in the sticker section, there is some unfortunate print registration that leads to an offset of the decal on the surfboard. I wish Nani’s alternate face was one of anger or frustration, as that would have paired well with Lilo’s expression of defiance.
David’s hair piece is not new or rare, but is perfect for his ‘curtains’ hairstyle. Since the character is usually shirtless, the torso has detailed front and back printing to convey his muscular frame and fishhook necklace. Dual moulded legs are an unfortunate omission here, since he usually wears shorts and sandals.
Printing on the left upper arm is included to represent his tattoo. In the film, we’re introduced to David in his fire performance at the lu?au where Nani is working, so the inclusion of his fire sticks allows builders to represent another classic movie scene. The two awkward grin face prints are also nicely expressive.
Mr. Bubbles’ face print is excellent, perfectly capturing his displeased expression, intense eyebrows and characteristic sunglasses. Although the torso print is new for this character, the rest of the figure is fairly nondescript, with a simple black suit and plain black legs.
The figure carries the rare silver metallic briefcase, previously only available in 76269 Avengers Tower.
Sadly, a couple of the “main” characters got left behind—Jumba and Pleakley figures are nowhere to be found! My suspicion is that their alien forms were too costly or complex to accurately convey in LEGO form, so rather than including them with compromises, the human characters were prioritised instead.
Completed Model
The set is your typical doll’s-house style model, with a few creative liberties for the overall layout of the building. For example, the house from the film was depicted to be on stilts, but this reimagining doesn’t detract from the set’s playability. I’m a big fan of the door element with built-in working doggie door.
There are many rooms to play in and recreate scenes from the film. It would have been nice to get an extra stud or two of depth to the back of the house, as some of the rooms feel cramped and have limited options for figure poses and activities. Having said that, we definitely can’t complain about the efficient use of the space that was provided.
This side of the house is a bit plain due to the large panel and sticker combo on the other side. A second sticker on the outside wouldn’t have hurt! The reliable modern palm tree design has been seen in a few other sets, and overall, the foliage on this side makes effective use of just a handful of parts.
The 1x3x3 arch extended to the inside creates an unfortunate white spot on the otherwise completely blue wall, but at least it’s centred, so it looks somewhat deliberate. The gap between the roof and the wall is a bit unsightly, but it doesn’t ruin the build. On the front facade, fairly commonplace techniques are used to create flower boxes from brackets, and faux shutters from ingots. It’s also a nice detail to be able to clip the surfboards next to the porch.
Nani’s room gives us simple but satisfying bed and bedside table designs. The stickered, red 2x2 tile above her bed is a reference to the Mulan poster that she has up on the wall in the film. This is true attention to detail on the designers’ part, as the poster only briefly features in the movie. Another great sticker shows the adorable ‘family portrait’ out in the hallway—Jumba and Pleakley are at least acknowledged here, even though they’re not present in the set.
Stitch’s bed doesn’t look as cosy as his makeshift bed from the film. The lack of knee or hip joints on the short-legged figure means he has no choice but to stare at the ceiling uncomfortably! One of Nani’s dressers has materialised behind Stitch’s bed and holds her surfing trophy, which cleverly uses a 1x2 half-circle jumper plate.
Lilo’s room packs a bit more detail in. The bed can be removed to see the photo collage better, which is a lovely sticker bringing life to the bedroom wall with some of Lilo’s favourite photos.
The kitchen is one of the best-executed rooms, with a great compact design in a small space. Packing tiny kitchens into sets is a well-honed art perfected in campervans, modular buildings and Friends houses. The fridge with distinct handles is accompanied by an unfortunate cooking accident in progress on the stove!
The living room is almost the same size as the kitchen, but is dominated by the large, fancy carved-back wooden sofa. There is just enough space for the sofa, the pickle punishment jar, and the record player. I can almost hear Elvis Presley playing!
Stitch’s little hover car (seen at the end of the film) is illustrated well in bricks. However, the additional patterning on the front of the vehicle is a nod to his original spaceship, The Red One. I wish that Lilo’s yellow hover car was also included, but at least there is space for her, uncomfortably, in the back of Stitch’s ride.
Some of the furniture and detailing of interior items is very successful, and most can be easily removed to reconfigure or expand the play area outside the house itself. Here are my favourite mini builds shown a little more clearly:
Lots of extra parts continue the colourful theme, and some useful connector pieces, plants and trophy figures make for a desirable haul.
Conclusion
Although a bit cramped in space, I can see children, and adults, having a ton of fun recreating movie scenes in the house. There are a ton of accessories and furniture to do so.
Toys generally seem expensive nowadays, but £80 is a tough sell for this set despite the average price-per-piece ratio. Shoppers who aren’t LEGO or Lilo & Stitch fans could spend less on a doll’s house play set, so the price point relies heavily on the movie tie-in and brand loyalty.
Of course, if you’re reading this, you likely value the rebuildability and quality of the LEGO format and are excited to see your favourite movie scenes in the brick! Clearly, the set and graphic designers had a lot of fun with the sheer number of references they’ve managed to pack in here, and it seems to have been a real labour of love.
Overall, the build experience was enjoyable with key references to tease and delight the builder, and the vibrant colour scheme looks great on display.
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23 comments on this article
I do wish there were Jumba and Pleakley minifigures as well, as they were a core part of the original movie and the TV show. Maybe they could have gotten away with brick-built versions with prints?
@Agent00Z said:
"I do wish there were Jumba and Pleakley minifigures as well, as they were a core part of the original movie and the TV show. Maybe they could have gotten away with brick-built versions with prints? "
Possibly, but if the Nightmare before Christmas set is any indication I have to assume there’d be a lot of compromises in the final design. I agree they should pop up in LEGO form at some point.
My youngest (7 years-old) is a HUGE Lilo and Stitch fan, and really wants to get this set!
It's a bit pricey though--so I'm going to wait to see if I can find it on sale at some point.
This seems a lot like what a LEGO Friends set might be like if Friends used minfigures instead of minidolls. I like it and hopefully will pick it up at some point.
On another note I despise putting stickers on surfboard pieces. They leave too much of the board undecorated and are a pain to align. I'm normally a sticker apologist but even I wish surfboards were printed.
Delightful set — even just as a house it's very visually appealing and distinctive, but all the movie-accurate details elevate it to the next level. And as you say, the interior space is used very efficiently, with lots of nice-looking furniture and flooring individualizing the various rooms.
The figs look great, even though minifig design standards aren't really able to capture some elements of the designs from the film like their wide noses and mouths. I hope we get Jumba and Pleakley figs at some point, but it feels like a somewhat reasonable decision to omit them here since five characters are enough to populate the scene, and dedicated molds for some of their more alien traits would have certainly driven up the price.
Shame about the stickers in your copy of the set being off-register. They do add quite a bit of nice detail though!
We better get a set with Plikley i Jamba later.
My only complain about the house is... The rooms are too low, it just looks weird with Minifigs inside.
@lordofdragonss said:
"We better get a set with Plikley i Jamba later.
My only complain about the house is... The rooms are too low, it just looks weird with Minifigs inside."
It's definitely giving off a "What is this, a house for ANTS?" vibe in the final shot.
I can’t get over Nani’s legs. I’d’ve sacrificed her dual molded arms for dual molded legs instead. They look so bad.
Might still pick this up though. The interior has just about every reference one could ask for.
More Disney sets like this please!
I quite like this. I wish Lego would make more houses based on IPs.
The upcoming WHAT
I should get back under my rock by the sound of it.
Great review btw! And for once it's not as expensive as I feared. A house under 100 euro with a license almost feels normal now. Almost.
Ir might help that I don't want to get it so it's not like that price holds too much weight for me. But idk, it could have been worse...?
I wish they would have sacrificed the deck around the house for more space inside, although I'm sure cost was involved in the decision.
Also, same complaint as before about the minifigures - they're all extremely Lego-fied except Bubbles, who looks copied directly from the movie.
But overall, fun playset!
@Binnekamp said:
"The upcoming WHAT
I should get back under my rock by the sound of it."
I think it looks better than most of the Disney Remakes, from what we've seen so far. Can't wait for Disney to disappoint me yet again.
@pretzemilia said:
"On another note I despise putting stickers on surfboard pieces. They leave too much of the board undecorated and are a pain to align. I'm normally a sticker apologist but even I wish surfboards were printed."
Bit of a tip - if you put a 1x2 plate or 1x2 tile on the surfboard first, it’ll really help when applying the stickers more evenly and centring them on either side.
The choice for the house it a weird one, unlike "Encanto" or the Disney castles, the house is not that unique, interesting or a character for the plot of the movie. It's just there because there's nothing else to have?
It's also not that impressive in person, had a chance to see it in a Lego store. I think 2-3 smaller "scene sets" for each of the characters groups would've been better.
I hope someday we get a buildable Gantu, with Jumba and Pleekley minifigs. Or their ships? Heck, throw in Dr. Hamsterweil, Leroy, and Angel while we're at it. Wouldn't even need new molds for the latter two.
@elangab said:
"The choice for the house it a weird one, unlike "Encanto" or the Disney castles, the house is not that unique, interesting or a character for the plot of the movie. It's just there because there's nothing else to have?"
Well, it's a good dollhouse. I think, lil' kids will appreciate it.
Am I the only one who thinks it's kind of ridiculous that lego can't improve the shorts leg printing? Nani's legs look so weird. I refuse to believe it's some herculean effort to print all the way down to the foot.
This review lists "Cute sticker designs" as a pro. Hmmm. Was this review actually written by an AFOL, or an alien pretending to be one?
Is this a Lego house whose kitchen includes a refrigerator and a dishwasher? The homeowners of 31139 are jealous.
I am tempted by this adorable set. However, I am put off by the use of two hideous 1x6x5 wall pieces (https://brickset.com/parts/6445319/wall-element-1x6x5-abs).
Set looks super cute and starting price is decent. That's new for Disney set.
Don't understand comment about expensive toys. Ratio is similar to Winter Village (which are always considered as fine priced) sets and here we have also license. Lego isn't cheap period.
@BrickAnomie said:
"This review lists "Cute sticker designs" as a pro. Hmmm. Was this review actually written by an AFOL, or an alien pretending to be one?"
There's no point in complaining about stickers since they're not going anywhere, so I might as well review them as they are. I have no shame in saying that the illustrations are heckin' cute. :)
@mafon2 said:
" @elangab said:
"The choice for the house it a weird one, unlike "Encanto" or the Disney castles, the house is not that unique, interesting or a character for the plot of the movie. It's just there because there's nothing else to have?"
Well, it's a good dollhouse. I think, lil' kids will appreciate it."
There are much better one (and cheaper, which is always welcomed by parents) to get from other themes such as "Friends" and "City".