When identifying the most wallet-destroying product pairings ever devised, the LEGO + movie paradigm rates right up there. We all have our favourite films, and many of us yearn for a means to make those paltry 2-to-3 hour experiences "live" a little longer. Back in the day, we had crappy video game tie-ins for this. Not sadly, they went the way of the dodo, thanks to ludicrous modern game budgets and the need to sell a billion copies or it's bye bye developer.
Nowadays, if you want to own a lovely companion piece to a film, the best you're going to get is several hundred pieces of companionship. They'll all be in conveniently numbered bags alongside an instruction manual. Better yet, even if the culturally significant flick of your heart debuted in the '70s, '80s or '90s, there's still a decent chance LEGO has a set to sell you. Adults with disposable incomes pay big for nostalgia. LEGO knows this very well.
Case in point: today's build, the McCallister family's ridiculously large abode from Home Alone. Armed with an incredibly flimsy excuse—Australia's forthcoming Christmas in July season—I'm going to knock this iconic set location together. Then, I'm going to test your personal budgeting resolve by highlighting a host of other (modern and available) movie inspired LEGO sets. Best of luck with those…
Turning your inner Kevin up to eleven
Let's address the red-bricked elephant in the room from the get-go. The subject matter for this build is proper huge. Looking back from 2022, it's insane that a married couple with five kids who hate a jetset, could ever plausibly afford a McMansion this big. The plastic version of said suburban castle is quite chonky, too, weighing in at 3,955 pieces and a final footprint of 27cm (11") x 34cm (14") x 37cm (15").
The build begins with everybody's favourite lunkheads, the Wet Bandits, followed by their Oh-Kay getaway van (complete with stolen goods). Not long after, you're onto the boring stuff—the bloody great foundations of what is (in real-life) a Georgian-style colossus of 4,200 square foot living space. You'll find that the actual five bedroom, four-room master suite and three bathroom beast has been down-sized considerably by LEGO. For example, you'll not be getting that detached double garage. Reasonable, cost-lowering cuts, I think.
As the construction continues and the hours mount up, it's hard to feel shortchanged by LEGO's superdeformed take on this house. The foundations soon become laced with a clever cog system which will twirl the objects in Kevin's “I'm not livin' alone” subterfuges. In no time, you've got walls and generous bay windows in place, plus some family photos and the lower section of that iconic staircase/toboggan track. The Kev minifig appears soon after, as if to tempt you into a few test runs.
Rather than make you build a whole basic dollhouse structure first and then fill that with furniture and crap, the designers ask you to populate individual rooms as you go. In a jiff, you'll have a living room replete with a hearth, hung stockings, prezzies, landmine-like decorations and a legal-friendly Michael Jordan cutout on rails. That's adjacent to a fully decked out dining room with a grandfather clock, a fan for roosterfying intruders, some delicious Mac and Cheese dinner and a four-seater table. My only gripe with the ground level of this house: those chairs aren't anchored well, at all. They keel over quicker than Harry and Marv on black iced stairs.
Settling in for second storey time
With the groundwork laid, it's time to clip together a fresh base, followed by the master bedroom and ensuite. Honestly, it's the most boring section of the house, aside from the big four-post bed/trampoline and a shower for those (Frankly) kinda creepy encounters between Kev and his uncle. Buzz's room is where the real action is at. In the movie, it's portrayed as an off-limits goldmine of stuff Kev wants, and that's well realised with extra objects here. Expect a hilarious picture of Buzz's girlfriend, plus a collapsable set of treasure laden shelves which stand between you and access to that sweet, sweet BB gun.
The last sections of this delightful build include a generously stocked attic, a tree house and a kitchen/basement combo. The latter hooks onto the back of the house in a way that makes little dimensional sense, though that cheatery doesn't detract much from the overall charm too much. Indeed, once all of the structures come together, you'll probably be impressed by how modular and accessible all the internal spaces are. The potential to get “hands in” and have a play through the house is very much a thing.
Aside from confirming that you get Old Man Marley and Kevin's mum as minifigs, I'd rather not spoil too much more of this Easter Egg packed build. (You can, of course, dig through that embedded slideshow if you're still curious.) What I will say is this: it's blatantly obvious that the designers of this set were apex level Home Alone fans who sought to fill every studded inch of this thing with head nods to either Home Alone or Home Alone 2.
If you're looking for a piece of movie memorabilia that shrieks authenticity at a decibel range reserved for kids trying aftershave, then this is it. LEGO's Home Alone House 21330 doesn't come cheap—in fact, its target demo appears to be cashed up mobsters like Johnny, Acey or Snakes. That being said, this house ain't no sans-toppings cheese pizza—it's fully laden, prepared with love, and worth every penny stolen from an older sibling.
Other great movie inspired LEGO
Adam’s our Aussie deals wrangler. You can watch him game on YouTube.
