Mickey and the Beanstalk Game: A Fantastically Fun Board Game For The Whole Family!
The only thing better than board game night is Disney board game night! And Mickey and the Beanstalk is the perfect addition to any gamer’s repertoire. The adorable, interactive gameplay is a combination of luck and strategy, so, there’s never a dull moment, and no two games will be the same!
Win or lose, it’s a thoroughly enjoyable experience for young and old. The kiddos will enjoy the constantly moving pieces, and grown-ups will enjoy the wholesome distraction from everyday worries.
Whimsical and nostalgic, Mickey and the Beanstalk is a callback to the original Disney days, breathing new life into an old but wonderful tale.
Mickey and the Beanstalk: Beware of Willie!!!
If you’re like me, then memories of watching Mickey and the Beanstalk, Disney’s animated short from 1947, elicits a shiver of terror; for nothing, and I mean nothing, will ever be as scary as confronting Willie the Giant at four years of age.
However, in board game form, shrunken down to about an inch high, he’s not quite so scary anymore.
For me, playing Mickey and the Beanstalk has provided much needed closure. I finally overcame my deepest fear. Willie will haunt me no more.
But even if you’ve never had the pleasure (or horror) of watching Mickey and the Beanstalk, you can still enjoy the board game without feeling lost or like you’ve been left out of an inside joke. The game doesn’t require any outside context; it’s merely a bonus if you have some memories to mingle with the gameplay. (Though I do recommend watching the 30-minute short at some point in your life – it’s fun, and you get to hear Mickey voiced by Walt himself!1)
Castles Made of Cardboard
Unboxing this stunning board game is honestly half the fun! Game pieces are colorful and bright (the bubble gum pink Minnie piece is my favorite), and the board itself is a three-dimensional model of Happy Valley, the beanstalk, and Willie’s castle in a cloud.
The inside of the box becomes the base of the valley, while cloudy, cardboard cutouts hold Willie’s dining table up above the board. Lastly, a swirly, plastic beanstalk connects the two planes. Snapping it all together is a breeze, especially with the helpful guide on the back of the gaming instructions.
The best part of the whole set-up is how your Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Goofy player-pieces will actually twirl down the beanstalk! (It gave me big “Mouse Trap” vibes, which is just too fun!)
Beat Willie. Please.
With everything set up, there’s just one thing left to do:
Beat. Willie.
You see, this greedy giant has stolen food and the singing, golden harp from Happy Valley! (Which means the valley isn’t so happy anymore.) It’s up to you – as Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, or Donald – to take back food to the starving village and save your homeland! Oh, and you’ll want to grab that harp, too – its singing brings joy to the land.
Working together with 2 to 4 players, you’ll be battling against the game itself – or rather, Willie.
Starting with the youngest player, each turn begins with a flick of the spinner. This tells you how many spaces you can move, but beware – it also dictates what Willie is up to.
As you move around Willie’s dining table, you’ll collect food to take to the village. (Specially shaped food tokens include tasty-looking cheese, bread, potatoes, beef, and more – let’s just say I don’t recommend playing on an empty stomach!) Each player is only able to hold 3 food tokens at one time, so, you also need to plan ahead for trips down the beanstalk to deliver your stash!
Despite being famished, the village is kind of picky about what it wants. You have to collect exactly one of each food. “Sorry, we don’t want just cheese.” (Although, there are 3 wild options out of the 12 food-deposit-spaces so you can unload a double! “You’ll take this second tomato and like it!”)
As you make your moves, Willie is stomping around, too.
“Fee, fi, fo, fum…”
If he lands on your space, he’ll see you (eek!) and lock up one food from a token draw pile in his lockbox! (He doesn’t take food from you. How kind.) His infamous lockbox also contains the golden harp. To open it, you’ll need to collect a key from one of the stops on Willie’s table. If you land on the lockbox space with key in hand, you can collect one item from his box. Now run like the wind before he takes back the harp!!
I recommend looting the lockbox even after you’ve rescued the harp – if all 8 lockbox spaces get filled, Willie wins! And we can’t have that.
(Sadly, he won the first time I played. And maybe the second time, too.)
If you manage to feed the village and rescue the harp before Willie has filled his box, then YOU WIN!! Congratulations!
Courageous Hearts
It takes some nerve to battle Willie the Giant in Mickey and the Beanstalk, but thankfully, in an added variation of the game, there’s something to help with that!
Once you’ve gotten the rules down, you can add in an element called “Courage Hearts.” After you have fully fed a section of the village, a player can collect a courage heart. Whenever Willie tries to lock something up – even if it’s not your turn – you can stand up to him by playing that courage heart! This means he doesn’t get to lock anything up, which is seriously a game changer. Especially with spaces on the spinner that just let him lock stuff up, no questions asked!
Once a courage heart is played, it is out of the game; but just one heart can change the tide. This clever mechanic adds another layer to the game, but if you like things as challenging as possible, then you can skip over it and face Willie with nothing but your own wits to guide you.
(If you want to make it really hard, don’t read the directions thoroughly, and let Willie take food directly from you instead of the draw pile. LOL!)
While the spinner leaves a lot to chance, you can still strategize with your moves. You don’t have to use the full amount of moves granted on your spin – you might spin a 4 but choose to move only one space so you land on the kind of food token you want to draw or to a spot you know Willie can’t stomp on next.
Mickey and the Beanstalk is simple enough for little kiddos to enjoy, but the game can also exercise your noggin if you want to get serious about your gameplay! Either way, you’re sure to enjoy your time in Happy Valley! I know I did!
Have you played Mickey and the Beanstalk? Who’s your go-to player piece? Slide down the beanstalk and let us know in the comments below!
Cover Image
Photo: Disney/Funko Games
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