Coraline's Pink Palace Apartments

The finished house weighs in at just under the 3,000 part limit. I tried to make every part count without sacrificing the charming details. As you could probably guess, not all of these parts were available via Pick-A-Brick. It took about 50 different online orders from various sources to accumulate the parts needed to build this thing. Fortunately, I used LDD to design most of the model and had a pretty good idea of parts needed before I dove into starting the practical build. There were still some substitutions and modifications along the way, but having spent a *lot* of time tweaking the digital design made for a pretty smooth build. I probably spent more time sorting than building.

Here are some photos of the work in progress:

Oh Boy, Time to Start Sorting...

But first, we must do a little inventory check:



That's Better:



Now, Let's Get to Work!



 

I was fortunate enough to see Coraline's house on set as it was being filmed. A friend was giving me a tour and introducing me to some of the awesome animators. He pulled back the curtain, and there was this giant dollhouse, in front of a starry backdrop, raised up on a platform, beautifully illuminated with a bunch of handmade little lights. It was breath-taking. That image has stuck with me all these years. I don't think it was long after that I considered recreating the house in LEGO parts; I knew that if I ever did, I would be compelled to light it. Thanks to the wonderful Rob at Brickstuff, it's now illuminated. Also included in this update are some close-ups of some of the interior details.

The original house on set!

Neon lights suggesting the entrance to Ms. Spink and Ms. Forcible's apartments. There were some limitations that prevented me from building out their apartment below, but we couldn't forget about them completely! I would love to design an add-on at some point in the future.

The wall with the bookshelf swings open to reveal the secret door.

Did anyone notice the painting?

Why yes, the cotton candy cannon does shoot cotton candy!

When I first started planning and designing this, I asked the original builders of the practical house if they could provide any sort of floorplans. They so graciously supplied me with a basic layout, but it quickly became confusing as I tried to place doors and windows. Turns out that Henry Selick was not too concerned about continuity between interiors and exteriors or any specific floorplan. They were designed as film sets afterall, so it made for some interesting challenges. It's not quite the same as trying to recreate a real world landmark. I had to watch the film over and over again, sketching and making notes and adjustments until I finally had a plan that would work for a Lego model.

Here are the drawings I received:

In addition to the dollhouse style opening, I also designed the build to easily come apart compartmentally. I took a couple of photos of the first and second floor from the top down, similar to how the Advanced Modulars' levels lift off.

First Floor (staircase is on a hinge so it can be lifted up and out of the way, allowing more space to place figures):

Second Floor: