Come with me, and you’ll be in a world of pure LEGO imagination. We’re always on the lookout for fun movie-related LEGO sets, and I had never seen the one based on Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory until a co-worker sent me a link recently. Released in September, it’s a celebration of one of the best kids movies of all time. Let’s see if the snozzberries taste like snozzberries.
Pieces And Minifigs Galore!
Every Christmas, it’s become tradition for my brother-in-law to add up all the new pieces of LEGO that his kids have hauled in for the holiday. This one is big, but nothing like the Star Wars Death Star set. That one has an insane 9,023 pieces. This Willy Wonka one includes a much more modest 2,025 pieces, which is nothing to stick your nose up at, even if you are as spoiled as Veruca Salt.
Speaking of ol’ Veruca, she’s included among the nine minifigs that come with the set, along with two Oompa Loompas, Augustus Gloop, Violet Beauregarde, Mike Teevee, Grandpa Joe, and, of course, Charlie and Wonka himself. Sure, I do wish Slugworth was also included, but this is still quite the haul of characters. It might not be a whole chocolate factory like Charlie gets at the end of the movie, but it’s a pretty great substitution for one.
It Includes My Favorite Scene In The Movie
The best part of the LEGO set has to be that the most prominent aspect is that my favorite scene, the wild boat ride, is front and center. The scene is so trippy and freaky that even as a kid, while it scared me, I couldn’t look away from it. It seems I’ve been extra intrigued by LEGO sets with boats lately, since another wild boat ride, this time from Jaws, has also commanded my attention recently.
I also love combining LEGO sets, so maybe sneaking the shark from that set into the chocolate river is the way to recreate that amazing scene in an even scarier way. Maybe Quint is taking the kids on the ride and delivering that crazy monologue/song that Willy Wonka provides in the chocolate factory. The sky is the limit; there is no glass ceiling for this set. You don’t even need a golden ticket!
LEGO has been crushing it lately, with sets like the pirate ship from The Goonies (yet another boat), and the Delorean from Back to the Future. This set from Willy Wonka is actually decently priced (for LEGO, of course), just $219.99 from the official LEGO store. In the meantime, you can watch the 1971 classic with your HBO Max subscription while you patiently wait for the set to arrive!