Review: 43193 Ariel, Belle, Cinderella and Tiana's Storybook Adventures

Ariel, Belle, Cinderella, and Tiana join together in another Storybook Adventure Set. What stories will you tell with these four lovely micro princesses?

Ariel, Belle, Cinderella and Tiana's Storybook Adventures is the sixth release in this portable Disney Princess line. This playset within a book cover follows the same format as the previous storybooks, using three large pieces to create the basic book. Both the covers and the spine are new in white and pearl gold respectively.



The front cover features a pearl gold 6 x 8 oval tile with an exclusive print. Clockwise from the upper left the print features Belle, Cinderella, Tiana, and Ariel in dark purple silhouette with a metallic pink background. The shimmer is very difficult to photograph but it looks great in person. The bottom of the print features a heart jewel. 

Like the previous books, the book clasp uses a pearl gold 2 x 3 modified tile with 2 clips. This is the same lock piece used for three of the previous storybooks. So far it has only appeared the Storybook Adventure sub-theme.

Foil-backed stickers are used on the spine and back of the book to provide more details like the other books in this series. The spine sticker repeats the heart jewel from the front with some flourishes and a crown. This replaces the cameo-style silhouette from the past books. This change makes sense with four princesses being included. Who would you choose for the silhouette? The flourishes and crown are repeated on the back book plate. 



Here's a quick look the front and back of the book all closed up. You can see one new feature on the exterior of the book. A pearl gold 1 x 4 x 1 fence has been added to the top and bottom of the spine adding a nice little detail to the "pages" of the closed book. It will become a fence on either side of the castle when the book is opened. 



The interior of the front cover has an exclusive print featuring medium azure water, lime green grass, and a gold and white tiled courtyard. Like the other books, there are a few attachment points in the outer corners and center of the covers. Most of the building will be done in the spine of the book. 



Two 2 x 2 medium azure jumper tiles are added to the corners of the front cover, and two dark pink 3 x 3 heart plates with 2 x 2 lavender round jumper tiles to the back cover. Then we build a small dolphin chariot for Ariel. The chariot uses a medium azure 1 x 2 modified plate with horizontal grip clip which is a new color for 2021. It is also used in set 43197 The Ice Castle and the Minecraft Horse Stables set. 

The baby dolphin was introduced in 2019 with the Friends Dolphins Rescue Mission (set 41378) and has been used in four other sets since then. It's the perfect size for this micro sized set.



Before we continue building anything else, let's take a closer look at our micro princesses. As you can guess from the set title, we get Ariel, Belle, Cinderella, and Tiana. Ariel and Belle are not new figures. This is the same Ariel micro doll from set 43176 Ariel's Storybook Adventures (2020) and the same Belle micro doll from set 43177 Belle's Storybook Adventures (2020). You may see them listed as new on some sites because both micro dolls now come with crowns (which are also not new) which they did not have in the previous sets. 

Cinderella and Tiana are both new as micro dolls and also come with crowns. The head and body are new prints for both figures, but they continue to use the same hair pieces used for their respective mini dolls. 

All four micro dolls have good printing on the front to create dress details and no printing on the backs. They also each come with a companion. 



Ariel comes with the dolphin for her chariot. Belle comes with Lumière instead of an animal companion. This Lumière is the same one from set 43196 Belle and the Beast's Castle (2021). Cinderella comes with Gus Gus, who is also available in set 43192 Cinderella's Royal Carriage (2021). Gus Gus is so cute. Finally, Tiana comes with a frog.  



Now that we have the book, the micro dolls, and their companions, it's time to flip over the instruction sheet and build the castle that will sit along the spine of the book. We start at the top end of the book and work our way down. 

There are two printed pieces that will be used in the castle, while the rest of the details are done with stickers. The prints are not new but they are nice to get.

We get two more of the 2 x 2 modified jumper plates with gold lace rug pattern. These have been used in the six previous Disney Princess sets including four of the storybook adventure sets. 

We also get two of the printed 2 x 4 x 2 half cylinders featuring a gold trimmed window and metallic pink flowers. These have also been used in Belle's Storybook Adventures (set 43177) and the Cinderella Mini Castle polybag (set 30554) both from 2020. It's nice to get a couple more. 



At the top end of the spine is the first castle tower. We add a shiny foil sticker to a medium lavender 2 x 3 pentagon tile. This is a new color for the pentagon tiles, but has already been used in two more sets that were released after this one. The sticker has a lotus flower to represent Tiana. 

On the back/inside of the tower, there is just enough space for Tiana and a small stove. 



Next we build the central gate for the castle. This uses two more medium lavender pentagon tiles and foil stickers. A shell represents Ariel, and a glass slipper is the symbol for Cinderella. The bridge will fold up when the book is closed. 



Above the entrance arch on the inside of the castle is a small "mailbox." A sticker is used to create a tiny door with a door bell. This is a room for Gus Gus. He has a wedge of cheese waiting just outside his door. 



On the bottom end of the spine is the second castle tower. This matches Tiana's tower except for the sticker. A rose represents Belle. The back/inside has a tiny library. The book case is created with a sticker, but the globe is a print. This is a new piece that is so far exclusive to this set. The globe is printed in reddish brown on a tan mini figure head. As built, the globe cannot be stored in the castle roof space, but if you add a 1 x 2 jumper plate, it will fit up there. 

Here's a closer look at the globe. 

You can see it is printed on both sides and includes the 6 major continents, but lacks island details such as Japan. 

Here's the completed storybook. With the castle in the spine, the covers create a large courtyard in front and comfortable living space inside. The bridge folds down to create a path to the water so Ariel can move between land and sea. 



The castle itself is very cramped when you put all four princesses inside. Still I think it has nice details for such a confined space, and I love Gus Gus's hideout.



At the end of the build, we have the typical small parts left as spares. We also have most of the sticker sheet left. These stickers are for customizing your storybook. You can place them wherever you wish, or not. Personally, I think the book looks rather plain without them, especially on the interior on the castle. 



Ah, that's got more character. I really like the cushion stickers for each of the princesses which echo their pentagon tiles. They can all sit around exchanging stories of their adventures while munching on tasty treats.



I even added a couple stickers to the front and back covers. Get creative, and personalize your storybook with the extra stickers. There are no rules for where to place them.



The box front follows the typical Disney Princess style with a swoosh of magic. The upper left corner is white while the lower right corner has a magical blue background. The book is pictured open showing the front of the castle and the micro dolls embarking on their adventures. There is a circular call-out image on the lower left corner showing the book in the closed position about to open. All four included princesses are shown in the lower right corner in their animated/non-LEGO form. 



The back of the box follows the same background layout as the front of the box. The open book is pictured from the other side and shows the interior of the castle. Each micro doll is featured in a circular call out image and the opening mouse house is indicated with an arrow on the main image. Across the bottom there are two more call out images showing more books from the Storybook Adventure sub-theme and an illustration of how the book opens and locks.



The top of the box shows each of the included micro dolls with their companions. Tiana is used for the scale image. 



The instructions are on a single folded sheet. My instructions and sticker sheet were badly curled in the box. It doesn't affect the application of the stickers, but it is annoying. You can see how shiny the foil-backed stickers are. The top section of the sheet has the stickers used in the main build, while the extra stickers are bounded by a purple box. 



Here is an image of all the parts. I have tried to highlight any new, re-colored, and rare pieces throughout the review. Even if you aren't a fan of the storybook format, there are some nice pieces in this set, and the micro dolls are super cute. 

Summary:

In general, I am a fan of the Storybook Adventures sub-theme. It's not for everyone, but it appeals to my love of LEGO, books, and Disney Princesses. I appreciate the idea of a small travel set for children where the playset is contained within the book. Plus it's a good size for a small gift.

My biggest question about this set is how they decide which princesses to include. While I'm okay with the idea of bringing multiple princesses together in one set, I prefer that each princess gets their own book. Why can't we get Tiana in a set without including someone else? I think Tiana's Place would make a fun Storybook Adventure. I know Cinderella could stand on her own. Why not give her a storybook and include a micro doll Prince Charming or her Stepmother? If they are going to combine princesses, why give us two that already have micro dolls? Why not include Sleeping Beauty and Snow White. Like Tiana, they are under-represented in the LEGO Disney Princess line.



Setting aside my desire for a bookshelf filled with individual storybook adventures for every Disney Princess, this story book compares favorably with the previous ones. If you enjoy this format, you will enjoy this set. The bridge folds up and down easily with the opening and closing of the book. It's nice that you don't have to fold or unfold each part of the pop-up experience by hand. You have to use some care in placing the dolphin chariot and Lumière in the corners when closing the book. Lumière needs to be placed at an angle, and even then he doesn't always stay in place. Likewise, the water reins of the dolphin chariot need to be carefully placed to avoid the edges of the book and to fit around the castle tower. The princesses do not fit well in the corners when closing the book as their hair pieces tend to get in the way, but there are jumpers in the spine for all of them. Choose your storage positions carefully. I ended up adding a 1 x 2 jumper above the library so I could move the globe upstairs and put Lumière next to Belle. This seems to work better for me instead of putting Lumière in a corner. With this one small piece, everything now stays in place and the book closes easily.  



I like the castle. Towers and the foil stickers for each princess are very pretty. The micro dolls are adorable as always. It's a good set for encouraging the creation your own adventure stories rather than recreating the Disney movies. If you're looking for a small Valentine's Day gift or set to include in an Easter basket, this would be fun for any Disney Princess loving fan of LEGO, especially children who like to make up their own stories or who just like stickers. 

It's definitely not for everyone, but I'm happy to add it to my shelf. 

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 property of Friends Bricks and are not directed by TLG in any fashion.