Disney

Mini Disney Sleeping Beauty Castle

A pretty little Disneyland castle in sand blue and gold, with one caveat you can feel in your wallet.

Brick Rated Score

3.6/5

Set 40720 · 2024

Pieces528

Minifigs1

Year2024

Set number40720

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The verdict

This is the Sleeping Beauty castle from Disneyland California shrunk down to a shelf-friendly size, and in sand blue and pearl gold it genuinely looks lovely.

The catch is that it costs forty dollars for 528 pieces and a build that runs about an hour, and the older 40478 Mini Disney Castle did more with cleverer techniques. If you have a soft spot for the pink-and-blue Disneyland fairytale look, you will be charmed. If you want engineering to sink your teeth into, this one is more display piece than puzzle.

Best for: Disneyland fans who want the pink-and-blue fairytale castle on a shelf

The full review

What it is

The thing that got me about this set is the color. Sand blue walls with pearl gold turrets and spires is one of those combinations that just works, and it captures the soft fairytale feeling of the Sleeping Beauty castle at Disneyland California, the one you can actually walk through. LEGO put it out in May 2024 at 528 pieces, and it sits on a black-tile base with a little spot for the Sleeping Beauty mini-doll to stand out front in her pink dress and gold crown. On a shelf next to the older Disney castle sets it looks right at home, and if the pink-and-blue Disneyland look is your thing, you will fall for it the moment it is standing.

The catch

I do have to be straight with you about the price, though, because it is the part builders keep raising. Forty dollars US for 528 pieces and a build that takes roughly an hour to an hour and a half is not generous, and it stings more when you compare it to the 40478 Mini Disney Castle that came before it. That earlier model packed in more complex building, and even a hint of interior, where this one is a fairly straightforward stack of walls and towers. The other honest gripe is the proportions. The real castle has a tall, slightly top-heavy silhouette, and this mini version comes out looking a bit stocky and blocky, so it loses some of the elegance that makes the original recognizable.

Who it's for

So who should get this one. If you love Disneyland, if you already own a Disney castle or two and want the matching Sleeping Beauty version to sit beside them, or if you just want a pretty pink-and-gold castle that photographs beautifully, this will make you happy. If you are chasing a meaty, technique-heavy build, or you are counting pieces per dollar, you will feel a little short-changed and would be happier putting the money toward a larger set. Buy it for the display and the color, not for the challenge, and you will know exactly what you are getting.

The parts story

What the build is actually like, and the pieces worth knowing about.

Building this one is a calm, relaxed sit rather than a workout. You lay down the black-tiled base, work up the sand blue walls, and finish by adding all the towers and spires, which is the satisfying stretch where it finally looks like a castle. There is one neat detail worth flagging: the angled corner walls are held in place with droid arms, the same trick the earlier castle used, and just like before it leaves a few small gaps at the top if you look closely. Nothing here will stump an experienced builder, but the tower stage is genuinely pleasant and the footprint stays compact at 14 by 18 studs.

The real value here lives in the colors more than any rare mold. Sand blue is a lovely, slightly unusual shade to get in this quantity, and the pearl gold spires and accents lift the whole thing. You also get the Sleeping Beauty mini-doll, which is the printed piece most people will care about. It is not a set stuffed with new-mold showpieces, and at forty dollars the parts-per-dollar math is on the weaker side, so treat the good sand blue and gold elements as the takeaway rather than a parts-pack bargain.

Fun facts

01The model is based on the Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland in California, the park's original walkthrough attraction, rather than the taller Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World.
02It follows the earlier 40478 Mini Disney Castle, and many builders feel that predecessor used more inventive techniques despite being an older set.
03The angled corner walls are locked in using droid arm pieces, a small building trick carried over from the previous mini castle.
04Sealed copies have climbed well above the 39.99 dollar retail price on the aftermarket, a sign of how quickly these smaller Disney castles get snapped up.