Dixit: Disney Edition board game review

When I originally heard that a Disney Edition of Dixit was coming, I was instantly intrigued. Dixit has always been a family favourite board game. In general, my entire family and my weekly gaming group are not huge fans of party games. But something hits different when we put Dixit on the table. We enjoy how the mechanisms work, and how quickly it plays. We also really enjoy that, even when you are trailing behind in score, there is always laughs to be had.

As a huge Disney fan, the new Disney edition seemed like the perfect mash-up to me. That being said, Dixit works so well using abstract images to inspire creativity. Would focusing on specific Disney movie franchises ruin that creativity? Let’s take a look at Disney Dixit and whether or not it’s a good game to include in your board game library!

Getting Disney Dixit to the table: the set up

One reason why Disney Dixit became a popular game in our home is because of how easy it is to get to the table. It also looks absolutely fantastic. Included in the box are 6 player pieces—Mickey, Genie, Cheshire Cat, Red, Tinker Bell, and Mike Wazowski. Each player piece has an associated dial which will be used when the voting round begins. The deck of 84 cards is shuffled and each player is dealt 6 cards (7 in a three player game). With that all finished, it’s time to play!

How to play Dixit Disney Edition

The goal of Dixit is to reach 30 points, and points are earned in a few different ways. How points are earned does require a basic understanding of how to play, so let’s take a look at that first.

Disney Dixit and regular Dixit work in the exact same way. Each round, one player at the table will be the storyteller. They will choose one of their cards, and either tell a short story, a single sentence, or even a single word to describe that card, before placing it face down on the table. All the other players around the table will then look at their own cards. Based on the clue provided by the storyteller, they will also pick a card they hope might be chosen by other players. When all players have chosen a card, the small pile is shuffled and laid out around the board below the numbered slots.

After all the cards are on the table, players will use their dials to attempt and guess the card played by the storyteller. After everyone has picked the number they believe is correct, everyone shows their dials and scoring for that round begins. Scores are provided as follows:

1. If some players, but not all, guess the storytellers card correctly, the active players and those who guessed correctly each earn 3 points.
2. If everyone guessed the storytellers card, or no one guessed the storytellers card, each other player receives 2 points, and the active player receives none.
3. Each other player receives one point per player who guessed their card instead of the storytellers card.

When one person reaches 30 points, the game ends.

What I love about the Dixit Disney Edition board game

If you slap Disney onto a board game, there is a good chance I’m personally going to love it. As a big Disney fan, what’s not to like! As we will discuss below, I think that Disney Dixit works best when mixed with other versions of Dixit. Over the years, more and more Dixit expansions have come out. Consumers have always been encouraged to mix all their cards together for the best possible gameplay experience. I love to see so much extra room in the box for storing a few expansions worth of cards. I have the base version of Dixit plus one expansion, and all of those cards, plus the Disney cards, fit into the Dixit Disney Edition box.

Another feature I enjoy are the voting dials. In the original version of Dixit, players were given square tokens numbered one through six. Instead of turning a wheel to select which number you were guessing, players would have to look through their stack of tiles to find the correct number. With younger players, often they will accidentally reveal their tile prematurely as they fumble with their stack. The inclusion of dials in Disney Edition is a huge gameplay improvement, and a fantastic design choice as well.

The artwork on the cards is phenomenal. While this also ends up being a little bit of a negative—more on that below—any Disney fan will love to look at each card as it passes through their hands. A lot of care and dedication from passionate Disney artists brought this game to life. I’ve seen a lot of Disney art in my lifetime, and this is honestly some of the best.

What I think some may not like about Disney Dixit

One of the reasons my family loves Dixit so much is because the abstract art is wacky and can be described in many different ways. This makes playing the Disney Edition of Dixit a very approachable game for players of all ages. With Disney Dixit, the cards are much less abstract. They always point to a specific franchise. I know when a card is for Turning Red, or Cinderella, or any other film. The artwork is also not that abstract, but rather art I would probably want hanging in my house.

When it came to giving clues, it generally boiled down to people giving rare and obscure references to a specific movie. This was often done instead of doing anything fun and exciting based on what was actually printed on the card. For example, I had a Toy Story card which I ended up playing, and my clue was, “I love wearing a skull t-shirt.” It had nothing to do with the card, but those who knew Sid from the films knew that obviously my card was Toy Story related. When played with other hardcore Disney fans, this approach might be fine. With casual fans, I think the experience can be very deflating.

That being said, you are always encouraged to mix different versions of Dixit together for the ultimate experience. I think I would do that here. In fact, my Disney copy of the game is already mixed with regular Dixit. The games we have played with this mixed combination have been loads of fun.

Is the Dixit: Disney Edition worth getting?

The Dixit franchise is definitely a game I would recommend. I would say Dixit’s Disney Edition will probably be more enjoyable to those who are fans of the various franchises. However, that doesn’t mean it cannot be enjoyed by others as well. Even with little to no knowledge of Disney, the artwork on the cards is phenomenal and the ability to give clues based on what you are looking at shouldn’t be an issue.

In fact, I would argue that the Dixit Disney Edition as a standalone game is probably best played with limited knowledge of the franchise. But it’s also a game built for fans. All around, you could easily argue that everyone wins with this release!