The latest set to be announced from LEGO® Ideas, 21360 Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, is based on the 1971 movie of the same name and will be released on 15 September 2025.
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You can sample all the tasty new elements and minifigures in set 21360 in our first article along with background on the original Ideas submission, while this article dives like Augustus Gloop straight into the delicious building process.
Products in this article were gifted by The LEGO Group; the author's opinions are their own.
This article contains affiliate links to LEGO.com; we may get a small commission if you purchase.
21360 Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
- Release date: 15 September 2025
- Pieces: 2025
Price:
- US$ 219.99 on LEGO.com US
- CA$ 279.99 on LEGO.com Canada
- GB£ 199.99 on LEGO.com UK
- AU$ 349.99 on LEGO.com Australia
- NZ$ 399.99 on LEGO.com New Zealand
- DE€ 219,99 on LEGO.com Deutschland
- NL€ 219,99 on LEGO.com Nederland
- FR€ 219,99 on LEGO.com France
- PLN 949.99 on LEGO.com Polska
- NOK 2699,90 on LEGO.com Norge
- DKK 1699.95 on LEGO.com Danmark
We were able to speak to both the original fan designers and the LEGO designers to garner more insight into the design decisions and set development, so their comments are sprinkled throughout the review.
Packaging
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There are 16 bags of parts in the box, one instruction booklet supplied in its own wrapping and a sticker sheet that I discussed last time.
The base
It will come as no surprise to hear that we start by building the chunky base.
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There's a nice angle to the base comprised of reflected triangles using wedge plates and hinge plates. The new recoloured reddish brown 6 x 12 wedge plates left (6564875 | 30355) and right (6564874 | 30356) have a starring role here.
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We played around with where the chocolate river is. Is it flowing side to side, front to back? I did try a version that was more linear. It's just a lot of the principles of composition and design; what is aesthetically beautiful; what makes this universe.
– Laura Perron, Senior Product Designer
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There's a nice little 180° stud-reversal technique that is used a few times in the build. I've seen this technique used before, but it's worth highlighting since it may be new to some readers.
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The technique is used twice in the main base to allow the tan lamppost bases to be neatly connected studs down.
Chocolate waterfall
The main play feature in the set is the chocolate waterfall, something that the fan designers were keen to retain in the final model. The waterfall moves via LEGO® Technic elements: link treads (88323, 75903) and tread sprocket wheels (75903, 42479).
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The waterfall is rotated using the comically chunky red levers, which in turn rotate the yellow Technic knob wheels (32072, 49135). While the original submission did have a motor, it was felt that the manual method worked better for the final set.
I don't think the motor was essential to giving this experience, and the compromise of having the motor but cutting out other things was just too much. You can still activate the waterfall, and so much of this film's universe is cool contraptions and wacky levers. It's a very tactile universe, so I do think there is something nice about having this chunky rotating mechanism.– Jordan David Scott, LEGO Ideas Design Manager
The 'gloopy' texture of the waterfall was also specifically designed to show movement, although the nature of the small turning handle at the rear means it's tricky to get a smooth flow rate with your hand angled around the back.
We did try a few different versions. We did have a flat version at one point, but because the main chocolate river is primarily studded, it wasn't quite feeling right... very static. So we tried this globbier version and we found that this was working really well to give the illusion that it's dripping down... even if it's not moving.
– Laura Perron, Senior Product Designer
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While I understand why the large area of reddish brown river has been left with studs exposed, it doesn't quite have the same smooth melted chocolate feel as the original submission. To tile this large an area would have meant losing elements elsewhere, but on the plus side it's possible to tile the river area afterwards if you really want to.
There's always a question of balance, where do you want to put your parts? Having the studded plates worked well for the river... like the churning nature of the chocolate... and then we don't have to take away plant details to smooth out the chocolate. We play with the texture; for example we have some smooth areas and then the gloopiness of the waterfall coming in.
– Laura Perron, Senior Product Designer
The boat
The boat trip on the S.S. Wonkatania is noted for being a rather scary sequence in the 1971 movie. Although the original submission did not include the boat, the space created with the angled base and the bridge meant the S.S. Wonkatania was a perfect way to break up the section of brown chocolate river.
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Once we angled the base to make it more dynamic, we wanted to keep the bridge as well... and if we're going to have a bridge, let's bring the Wonkatania in this negative space, a beautiful boat. It fits really well.
– Jordan David Scott, LEGO Ideas Design Manager
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The boat is a more complex build that it may first appear. It is 5 wide and manages to fit 7 minifigures in, while also capturing the curves and angles of the source material.
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While "everything is eatable" in the film, the LEGO versions are not. That is called "choking", my dear children, and is in fact frowned upon.
A full props to Markus [Rohlbüller, Senior Designer] for putting this boat together. It was a challenge. He worked on LEGO® Speed Champions, so this is almost a LEGO Speed Champions boat, if you will, because it's built 5 modules wide and with crazy, weird connection points.– Laura Perron, Senior Product Designer
"Everything is eatable"
One of the key aspects of the scene in the movie is the whimsical world with the edible treats that surround the children.
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The LEGO version uses a variety of colours and elements to achieve the same colourful wonderland. There's a lot to enjoy when building the little plants, trees and bushes that represent the edible trees and candy within Wonka's magical world. You can tell the designers had fun with these models.
We did a little mini-Boost [a LEGO® Design department building brainstorm] for how to build different plants. We printed out all the reference images for all the plants and things that you see in the movie, and then we just said to the Design team in LEGO Ideas, 'hey, if you've got 20 minutes, just try and build some'. I think that's how we got the little cherry bush.
– Laura Perron, Senior Product Designer
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In the image above, the three differently sized lampposts are a clever way to give the impression of distance within a smaller scale.
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When it came to the lampposts, I had all the different radar dishes in front of me and I was selecting which size to use, when the idea kind of came about organically. What if we did a bit of forced perspective? We know that the the Wonka factory really skews your perception of space and time, so I thought that was a really cool way to elongate the space and just play with that space perception.
– Laura Perron, Senior Product Designer
Wonka's office
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The rear of the model shows Willy Wonka's office space, the back of the waterfall, and some storage area for containers: a wheelbarrow cart and the Wonkavision display monitor.
Inside there are quite a few more movie references; the half a seat, half a picture and a half-sink; the contract that Charlie signs; and the lickable wallpaper. There is also a small play feature with the little steps that lead to a door – a nod to the door that the Oompa Loopas emerge from in the movie sequence.
Final model
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The final model definitely looks best from the front but the rear view has some fun details to enjoy. At 19 x 52 x 26 cm, it is shallow enough to fit on a shelf, while still feeling substantial thanks to that angled base. It's sturdy too – you can hold it from the base in one hand.
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The rear view also reveals a little Easter egg: a ridiculously oversized Everlasting Gobstopper is tucked under the bridge.
Conclusion
Despite not being a box office success at the time of its release in 1971, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory has become a much-loved film. The original movie is tied up with a lot of nostalgia, especially for adults who are often voting on the LEGO Ideas platform.
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| © 2005 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. |
One issue potentially affecting this set's appeal is the Tim Burton 2005 remake, Charlie & the Chocolate Factory with its different look and character appearances. Younger fans of Tim Burton's version may not have the same affinity to the 1971 original.
In any event, this set is certainly a fun one to build. There's a notable play feature with the waterfall; there's a lot of whimsical, colourful little builds to enjoy; the boat is a lesson in building techniques and there's lots of key characters in minifigure form to enjoy.
On the negative side for me, it's hard to love the lumpy chocolate and the gloopy waterfall. I feel that Wonka needs to get his chocolate recipe checked as it is not meant to be lumpy! I realise that there are many folks who love LEGO studs on show and will be happy with this style of chocolate river in a set, however this is also an easy fix with the application of tiles.
While the characters are fun, there's a few discrepancies. I would have loved Charlie to have some exclusive printing somewhere, but sadly his outfit is appropriately as plain and drab as in the movie. I also feel a little sad that Wonka's leg printing only has his frock coat on the front as it doesn't look as good from the sides or back view. Maybe dual-moulded legs in dark purple and tan would have worked? A printed Wonka chocolate bar would have been nice too but I am glad we got five golden tickets.
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Of course we all wanted a bloated Violet Beauregarde. My photoshopped rendition above is a recolouring of the inflated Aunt Marge figure in 76451 Privet Drive: Aunt Marge's Visit. I imagine that was not within budget, plus Violet is still a normal size in the scene depicted in this set.
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In terms of value, the price per part comes in at 9.9p/10.9c/10.9c. There's some very nice new prints; I can see the Oompa Loompas being sought after to make an army; and there's some lovely elements that have been in less than 3 sets (over 20 in this category).
READ MORE: Parts & minifigures review: 21360 Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory from LEGO® Ideas
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