Review: 43177 Belle's Storybook Adventure

Will you build a tale as old as time, or create an all new adventure in this buildable storybook?



Our final storybook adventure is based on my personal favorite fairytale: Beauty and the Beast. The box follows the same layout as the other three storybook adventure sets. The front shows the open book from the castle courtyard side. The LEGO and Disney logos are in the upper left corner, while the Disney Princess logo is in the lower right corner along with an illustration of Belle in her ball gown, holding a book. In the lower left corner is a callout circle of the closed book. The background magic fades from purple to blue on this box. 

This box seems to be from the regular U.S. distributors since all the required labeling is printed on the box. None of the labeling is done with stickers. 



The box back shows the open storybook from the castle interior side with circular callouts to various play scenes, and arrows showing the moving parts of the build. Under the LEGO and Disney logos is an movie-style image of Belle and the Beast dancing. Like on the other storybook boxes, there is an image of all four books in the series and an image of how the book closes. 

This box is taped shut, so it does not have the knockout indicators for opening.



The top of the box shows the included characters plus the printed rose brick. While not all of the enchanted staff are included we do get Mrs. Potts, Chip, the Wardrobe, and Cogworth. Sadly, Lumière is not included. Micro dolls of Belle and the Beast are also shown, with the Prince shown as the actual size example. 





The rest of the box follows the same layout and style as the other storybook adventure sets.



Opening up the box, the contents are as expected. The two book covers and spine are exclusive colors to this set. The instructions are a folded sheet like the other story books. There are two sticker sheets and three unnumbered bags of parts. 



Here's a closer look at the sticker sheets. Since everything is loose in the box, I'm not terribly surprised that one of my sticker sheets is a bit curled.

Let's take a look at the parts, starting with the largest bag. 



There are some great new printed parts in this storybook. The pearl gold 6 x 8 oval tile has a beautiful silhouette of Belle with roses. 

The pearl gold 2 x 3 modified tile with 2 clips has the same key hole print used in 43174 Mulan's Storybook Adventures and 43176 Ariel's Storybook Adventures.

The white 2 x 4 x 2 half cylinders with 1 x 2 cutout have a new window and flowers print. This print also appears in the polybag 30554 Cinderella Mini Castle. I'm so happy to see this is a print and not a sticker. 

The white 1 x 2 x 2 brick with wardrobe print and the reddish brown 1 x 1 brick with Cogsworth clock face pattern are both exclusive to this set. We will take a closer look at the completed characters after the rest of the parts. 



The middle sized bag of parts includes the heads and bodies for Belle and the Beast. 

We get two more 2 x 2 modified plates with 1 stud in center with gold lace print. It's nice that one or two of these are included in each storybook set. It provides a nice continuity between the sets. 

The white 1 x 2 jumper arch was new in 2019 and appears in five other sets, including set 41167 Arendelle Castle Village and set 41379 Heartlake City Restaurant. 



Opening the last and smallest bag of parts, there are a few more prints and fun parts. 

The pearl gold 3L technic pins with stop bush are the same that are used in 43174 Mulan's Storybook Adventures and 43176 Ariel's Storybook Adventures as well as three other sets. 

The trans-clear 1 x 1 brick with rose print is exclusive to this set, as is the new Chip print on the teacup 

There are also a couple of other nice parts that were new in 2019:

• The pearl gold spear tips with fins was new in 2019 in set 41167 Arendelle Castle Village. It also appears in 3 other sets in 2020. 
• The dark red 2 x 1 45° slope with cutout without stud appears in 4 other sets. 
• The medium lavender 1 x 1 x 2/3 modified brick with curved top and no studs appears in 5 other sets.

Here's a closer look at all the fun prints included in this set. 



An enchanted castle needs good staff to run it. Just a couple of pieces are added to complete Mrs. Potts, Wardrobe, and Cogsworth. Chip is complete with no additions. 



Belle and the Beast are cute as micro dolls. There is only one micro doll for the Beast but he can transform into the Prince by removing the Beast mask and adding the alternate hair piece. Both Belle and the Prince use the same hair pieces as before, but the Beast's mask is new to give him the large eyes in this chibi-style doll. 



I think the micro-dolls compare very well with their larger mini-doll versions. Note the mini-dolls are not included in the set; I pulled these from my collection for comparison.




Time to start building. First, we put the book covers and spine together. 



Then we add the silhouette tile and stickers to the exterior of the book covers. 



Next, we start adding details to the interior of the covers. A bridge and some plants are added to the front cover to create a courtyard. The back cover has a dance-floor on a turntable, the magical rose, and a statue bust of the Prince which provides a place for the alternate hairpiece. 

Next we build the castle that will go in the spine of the book. 



Like the other storybook adventure sets, the castle in the spine is built in three sections. The top section is a small tower, with a bed that folds out on the interior side of the castle. A sticker is used for the bed, and I just noticed that I put the sticker on backwards. The turned down corner should go toward the clips so that it lines up with the pillow. Oops.



The center castle section is a wide arch entrance. A sticker is used for the stained glass rose on the front of the castle, and a flag flying over the roof. 



The final section of the castle has another small tower. From the exterior of the castle is matches the first tower, but inside is a cozy fireplace. The fireplace actually turns so you can either have the fire or just the brick wall. 



Here is the completed build, with all the characters stowed away so the book can be closed. There are enough jumpers for all the characters, and everyone fits no matter where you decide to place them. 



The bed folds up when the book is closed, and the bridge fits into the main entrance. I enjoy the simplicity of how these books fold up.



Here's the book all closed up. 



Just a few leftover parts, including an extra teacup with Chip printed on it. This book looks okay without the extra stickers, but they will add a lot of decorative details. 



All the stickers have been added, and the book is complete. Here is the front of the castle and the courtyard. It's a beautiful space for Belle and the Beast to get acquainted. 



From the other side, we have the castle interior. Each corner can be used as a separate room with the ballroom in the center. 




From the sides, you can see how I have placed the stickers. There are no instructions for their placement; it's up to the builder to decide how many stickers to use and where to place them. 



I think it is a fun book. Like 43175 Anna and Elsa's Storybook Adventure, this storybook creates clear interior and exterior play areas. The castle looks good from either side. The bridge and the dance floor do a great job of helping the story flow from cover to cover. 



Belle and the Beast can't walk though the arch together, but they will both fit on the jumpers looking through the arch. 



If you are looking for a fun, portable set for someone who loves fairytales these storybooks are a great choice; just pick your favorite tale. Personally, I'm a big fan of the micro dolls, and think they are super cute. The printed half cylinders will be useful for future projects. While the stickers make it more difficult to customize the books, if you leave them off there is room for building your own storybook. I'd love to see what other people come up with for these books. 



Here is the front and back of the finished book ready to be shelved with the other storybook adventures. 






The complete collection of storybooks looks great together. 

Happy building!
~prrbrix

Disclaimer:
This set was purchased by me, and was NOT provided by The LEGO Group.
Opinions provided here solely mine.
Photographs are mine and are not directed by TLG in any fashion.