Pixar began life in the late 70s as a part of Lucasfilm, before becoming a separate company, funded by the co-founder of Apple, Steve Jobs. After releasing their first feature film, Toy Story, with Disney, the two companies continued to release films together before Pixar became a part of Disney in 2006. Long before Toy Story, Pixar was known for its computer-animated shorts, most famously, Luxo Jr. This brought to life a pair of Luxo lamps, with the smallest of the two playfully interacting with a ball. Luxo Jr. soon became Pixar’s mascot and is still seen happily stomping on the ‘I’ in the Pixar logo at the start of Pixar’s films. Now it’s the latest addition to the LEGO® Ideas range. Here’s a look at the 65th LEGO Ideas set.
Product Details
Set Name: Disney Pixar Luxo Jr. | Set Number: 21357 | Pieces: 613 | Theme: Ideas
Number of Bags: Bags x 4 + loose elements | Instructions: Paper booklet + Builder App | Stickers: N/A | Characters: N/A
RRP: £59.99/69.99€/$69.99/109.99AUD/89.99CAD
Availability: LEGO Stores & LEGO Online from June 1st
Disney Pixar has the honour of inspiring several fan-created designs in the LEGO Ideas product range. In August 2024, it was announced that the project inspired by Pixar’s Luxo Jr. lamp was still under review. The following month, the LEGO Ideas team finally announced that fan designer T0BY1KENOBI25150‘s design would become a future LEGO Ideas set. You can see what the original fan design looked like here and learn what inspired Toby to design the set here.
The build is split into two sections, with the first being the colourful ball Luxor Jr. plays with in the original animated short. As you build it, you’ll notice the core filled with masses of unusual coloured elements. It soon becomes apparent that these represent characters from various Pixar films. Characters from Toy Story, Up, The Incredibles and more are all hidden within the ball. Crafting a round object with LEGO bricks is never easy, but it’s been done well here. The large discs which clad the Easter Egg-filled core can be removed so you can connect the lamp on top of it and then set it on the small tray-like plate.
The base of the lamp continues with the fun Pixar Easter Eggs, here you’ll notice bricks representing characters from Finding Nemo. The body of the lamp is quite complex, with various sections connected together to create the unique criss-cross frame, a Luxo lamp is famed for. It can be moved as the real lamp would, with the body of the lamp having the ability to rotate and the head also being movable. So you can position it in various fun poses.
The head of the lamp is crafted from two large curved sections. These are similar to the pieces used for hot air balloon sets. Thankfully the detailing around the neck is printed, so there on no stickers anywhere in the set. The bulb is also home to one last Easter Egg. Under the two pale half domes, you’ll find a mini Pizza Planet truck. This is a fitting nod to the Easter Egg found in almost every Pixar film after Toy Story.
It may not be as big as some of the other LEGO Ideas sets, but it is just as impressive. Plus the smaller sized set comes with a more cost friendly price point. The ever-increasing amount of large-scale expensive set needs to be balanced with lower cost sets. The way the lamp is built without any awkward coloured elements on show is great and helps give it a pleasing finish. But the best part of the set is all the little Pixar Easter Eggs hidden within sections of the lamp and ball. It’s also the perfect celebration of Pixar. Their many characters have been featured in several past LEGO sets, but this is a true reflection of the studio’s long history and early advancements in computer graphics. Plus, it’s a delightful display piece. The LEGO Ideas | Disney Pixar Luxor Jr. Lamp can be pre-ordered now and will be available from June 1st. (Please note minifigures are NOT included in this set)
Pre-order: UKIrelandUSCanadaMexicoGermanyFranceDenmarkAustraliaNew Zealand
The LEGO Group provided this set to BricksFanz for this review. However, the thoughts expressed in this review are those of BricksFanz and do not reflect those of the LEGO Group or Disney Pixar. Providing a set for free does not guarantee a favourable opinion of the set.
