The LEGO Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory set truly aims to embody the rich detail, vibrant colors, and whimsical charm of the original story. For those wondering which version of Willy Wonka inspired this creation, a quick glance at the back of the box confirms it’s none other than Gene Wilder in his iconic role.
As a lifelong chocoholic, the original Willy Wonka movie was a childhood favorite, often rewatched with a mix of awe and a little bit of fear. Who could possibly resist the allure of an entirely edible chocolate factory, even with its subtle terrors? When LEGO announced this particular set, I was immediately curious how it would balance that distinctive blend of enchanting magic and underlying peril.
This incredible plastic brick rendition of the factory is a proud member of the LEGO Ideas collection – a special series born from fan designs and popular votes. If a concept garners enough community support, it can become an official LEGO product. While the final release usually features some refinements from the initial design, it always retains its core spirit and key elements. This particular build underwent several transformations before hitting the shelves, but it beautifully preserves its main attraction: a mesmerizing chocolate waterfall flowing into a tempting river.
Increasingly, LEGO sets are being designed for adult builders, and this one is no exception, bearing the 18+ label due to its intricate detail and piece count. However, I believe anyone mature enough to resist tasting the candy-like bricks will absolutely adore it. Just be prepared with a large workspace or a meticulous sorting strategy – some of these pieces are incredibly tiny.
The Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory set arrives in 16 numbered bags, packed with an impressive 2,025 pieces and nine delightful minifigures. Inside the box, you’ll find a single, substantial instruction booklet alongside a modest sticker sheet. While some larger LEGO creations offer a more collaborative building approach, tackling this factory can feel as wonderfully chaotic as the cinematic experience itself. You’ll find yourself constantly shifting focus between layers, meticulously adding vibrant details and decorations as you construct the three primary zones: the whimsical candy gardens, the magnificent chocolate waterfall, and the inner workings of the factory.
Interestingly, before diving into any of the larger structures, the very first step of the build guides you to assemble your Charlie minifigure and present him with a golden ticket. Five of these coveted tickets are included, beautifully printed onto tiny bricks — no fiddly stickers needed here. While it might seem odd to begin with a character when his destination isn’t even built yet, this thoughtful sequencing instantly sets a narrative tone. You effectively start your own journey as Charlie, having just secured his entry to the eccentric chocolatier’s mysterious realm.
Next, you embark on constructing the base of the factory, a phase I personally found to be the most demanding. Across several bags and hours, you’ll diligently expand a foundation that steadily grows in width. In typical LEGO fashion, a kaleidoscope of colors lies hidden beneath the vibrant green platforms, but the predominant shade throughout this build, quite fittingly, is a substantial amount of brown.
Eventually, your efforts yield a flowing chocolate river, neatly divided by two verdant green platforms, along with a sturdy pillar destined to support the magnificent waterfall. Just as the grand vision begins to take shape, you’re swiftly transported to an entirely new challenge: assembling the factory itself.
One surprising aspect, not immediately apparent from initial promotional images, was the intricate detailing on the rear of the factory. Two clever cutouts, visible only from this angle, offer delightful glimpses into the ‘interior.’ This is where the majority of the sticker sheet comes into its own, bringing to life iconic elements like the mysterious contract the children must sign, the television screen where Mike is comically shrunk, and even the vibrant fruit banners that, in the movie, are good enough to eat (though I certainly didn’t attempt to taste the LEGO versions!).
As you progress through the larger structural elements, you’ll continuously add smaller, charming decorations throughout the model. This thoughtful approach helps alleviate the repetitive nature of stacking countless brown bricks and maintains a sense of enchanting mystery about what new wonders will appear next. It’s almost as if you, the builder, are discovering the factory right alongside Charlie, never quite knowing what delightful surprise awaits.
Turning to the factory’s tiered front, you’ll find yourself constructing the very backdrop for the classic Oompa Loompa song. It’s adorned with a miniature pack of cane sugar and a pipe system, easily imagined as delivering milk to the chocolate river. A curious detail is that the two Oompa Loompa minifigures are uniquely designed without hinged legs, making them shorter than the other characters. This design choice, while accurate to their stature, did evoke a touch of sadness that they couldn’t fully ‘dance’ in brick form.
Next up is the magnificent chocolate waterfall, a standout feature of the original fan design. You’ll employ an ingenious sequence of Technic pieces to construct a sort of railway, onto which the ‘chocolate’ brown bricks are meticulously layered. This Technic cascade seamlessly connects to a clever, hidden cog system within the build, effectively forming a miniature conveyor belt. A simple spin of the decorative gumdrop wheel sets the waterfall in motion, creating a captivating illusion of an unending flow of delicious chocolate.
A curved cover is then added to cleverly conceal the top of the mechanism. However, to allow the ‘conveyor’ sufficient room to operate smoothly, there’s a small, somewhat noticeable gap between the cover and the waterfall itself. This means you can unfortunately glimpse some of the Technic pieces that LEGO typically excels at integrating discreetly. While this gap isn’t exactly hidden – it’s even visible on the box art – it’s something to consider when deciding the perfect angle to display your completed set.
With the waterfall proudly cascading, you shift your focus to the opposite side of the structure, constructing the charming bridge that links the gardens to the factory, thus finalizing the scenic backdrop. Your next project then becomes another magnificent centerpiece, a unique addition to LEGO’s official version: the iconic Wonkatania.
This impressive rowboat is, of course, the star of one of cinema’s most wonderfully bizarre scenes. Thankfully, the building process is far less unsettling! LEGO steps away from its usual vibrant color palette here, masterfully creating the illusion that the boat itself is crafted from chocolate. You construct a shell of brown bricks, then adorn it with elegant blue and white details. The remaining stickers are reserved for intricate gold decals and the unmistakable ‘W’ emblazoned on the ship’s bow.
As expected, one of the very last enjoyable tasks is bringing your Willy Wonka minifigure to life. This stands out as one of the most intricately detailed minifigures I’ve encountered, featuring his distinctive patterned purple suit, perfectly askew top hat, and even a tiny cane that fits just right in his hand.
Upon completing the set, you’ll have a fantastic collection of nine minifigures: Charlie, Grandpa Joe, Augustus Gloop, Veruca Salt, Violet Beauregarde, Mike Teevee, two Oompa Loompas, and the whimsical Wonka himself. Each minifigure boasts two expressions – typically a smile and a more serious gaze – but some characters feature unique, memorable expressions. For instance, Augustus Gloop’s alternative face is delightfully covered in chocolate, a playful nod to his iconic (and sticky) misfortune in your grand waterfall.
From this stage forward, your role transforms into that of an eccentric decorator, crafting charming mushroom flowers, vibrant gumdrop bushes, and whimsical candy cane trees to populate your burgeoning gardens. Every single one of these delightful decorations, no matter how small, is a thoughtful homage to the original film, right down to the tiny teacups you carefully nestle within some of your floral creations.
Many of these decorative elements are cleverly designed with hinges, enabling you to rotate them freely on a single axis. As I built, I couldn’t help but envision the endless possibilities for creating a fantastic LEGO stop-motion film, bringing some of the movie’s most memorable musical numbers to life with this very set.
Naturally, a set of this magnitude comes with a generous collection of extra pieces. Each of the 16 bags included well over a dozen additional bricks, primarily the smaller elements that are easy to misplace during construction. These vibrant surplus pieces, however, offer a delightful opportunity to creatively enhance the factory’s already whimsical gardens – in a world as fantastical as Wonka’s, nothing ever truly looks out of place.
Truly, in a world crafted by imagination, nothing feels out of place within this enchanting set.
While many LEGO movie franchise adaptations aim to recreate a single iconic setting or moment, much like the recent Shire set from The Lord of the Rings, the essence of Roald Dahl’s original story and the Willy Wonka film lies entirely within its extraordinary setting – it’s literally in the title! This LEGO rendition brilliantly encapsulates that spirit, delivering an experience that feels like building and exploring an entire movie, both during construction and in the final breathtaking display.
While tackling this intricate build solo might present a delightful challenge (I can’t imagine how one would even attempt to divide the work!), the process of uncovering each new element as you go unfolds like a grand tour through Wonka’s eccentric world. It truly feels as if you, the builder, are experiencing the factory’s wondrous mysteries and dazzling reveals firsthand.
The LEGO Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory set, designated #21360, is priced at $219.99 and boasts an impressive 2,025 pieces. While this might seem like a significant investment, it works out to a fairly standard rate of about 10 cents per brick. My personal journey through the build spanned roughly 10 hours, spread comfortably over several days, and I’m utterly thrilled with the vibrant burst of imagination now gracing my display shelf.
You can find this enchanting set available directly at the LEGO Store. For LEGO Insiders, there’s also an exciting ‘Golden Ticket’ sweepstakes, offering a chance to win both the Willy Wonka set and a generous $1,000 LEGO gift card.
Blythe (she/her) is a content enthusiast who loves diving deep into character customization and the thrill of tracking down every last collectible.