The Lego Movie Set To Thaw Frozen's Box Office Grip

“The Lego Movie.“ That’s it. No “Lego, and the Temple of Doom,” or “Legos: Masters of The Universe.” It’s just “The Lego Movie.” Either you recognize LEGO as the 80 year old, uber-cool Danish toymaker that personally responds to children’s letters, with worldwide popularity for their toys, video games and cartoons, and you get it right off, or, you have a big fat question mark hanging over your head. Maybe it’s a bold statement of confidence in their brand, or maybe it’s just a first tip of the hat to the sense of humor screenwriter/directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller bring to the first official big screen treatment for Legos. It’s Legos, in a movie. Get it?

A Lego movie? Who thought that up? How much fun could it possibly be?

A Brief History of Legomation: If you have a child who’s Lego mania persisted beyond the age of 8, or if you’ve ever spent a sick day glued to Youtube, chances are good you’ve come across a few of these more correctly named ‘stop-motion Lego animations’ or ‘brickfilms.’ Lego movies have been an amateur hobby for countless enthusiasts, for years. Decades. The earliest is believed to be the wonderful homage En rejse til mÃ¥nen (A Trip to the Moon) by Lars C. Hassing and Henrik Hassing, in 1973. (You might remember another homage to the original A Trip to the Moon as a central plot element to 2011’s Hugo, with Ben Kingsely.) With just a few other videos documented over the next 15 years, it was a slow hobby to catch on. But 40 years later, a quick search on Youtube for “Lego” yields over 14 million videos.

One popular Lego animation subject is the comedy routines of British comedian Eddie Izzard. His older material is some of the funniest comedy ever, and it’s well suited to this unusual visual medium. It also translates well on small screens, and in small snippets, such as might be consumed on cell phones while riding the bus or the subway to work. Two of his very funny bits are “Cake or Death” and “Death Star Canteen.” Even without the lead-in, “Cake or Death” still kills:

Perhaps the most popular subject for Lego animations is Star Wars. This video has over 30 million views on Youtube:

Brickfilms aren’t just limited to comedy or science fiction. Reverend Menacer Studios released this reenactment of Colonel Andrew Jackson’s defense against the British incursion at Chalmette in 1814:

Children’s attention spans during history class might grow exponentially, if the material were more often presented in Lego format.

For anyone playing extensively with Legos in their free time, creating an animation of their work has become a natural extension of the hobby. Lego even encourages it, as described in an article from their website, by freelance writer Rosie Tremlett, who writes:

Type ‘LEGOÂ®’ into YouTube’s search engine and within seconds you will discover a plethora of clips of LEGO mini-figs dancing, singing, saving the world and even delivering soliloquies. LEGO stop motion animation has exploded; thanks to the internet, not only watching, but producing and sharing these films is becoming ever easier.

So easy, in fact, Lego released a line of products aimed specifically at amateur animators: Lego Studios. Available from 2000 to 2003, the product line included generic elements such as directors and cameramen, movie backdrops and studios, and specific themed kits such including Jurassic Park and Spider-man. SpiteYourFace, an animation team just happened to be working on a Lego parody of 2001: A Space Odyssey at the time. LEGO took notice, and SpiteYourFace found themselves making official LEGO animations to promote the line. One of their earlier works, “Camelot Song” is also included in the extras for the Monty Python and the Holy Grail DVD. Today, with Harry Potter and Minecraft as examples of the ever expanding Lego universe, any themed set is suitable for elaborate animations. Ms. Tremlett’s article includes a handy guide to getting started with making your own animations.

Whole websites are dedicated to the art of creating these “Legomations.” Brickfilm.com and BricksinMotion.com are probably the most popular. There’s also Eurobricks.com, Brickfilmersguild.com, and Lego’s own Rebrick.Lego.com. Aside from opportunies to promote your work, and learn from and collaborate with others, contests and even entire film festivals are dedicated exclusively to brickfilms.

A Google search on “Lego animation contest” returns over 2 million hits, and perhaps the biggest ever is Lego’s official Lego Rebrick Movie Conpetition. As reported at Collider.com, Warner Bros. Pictures announced the contest in a press release, stating:

LEGO fans registered worldwide on ReBrick.com will have a one-of-a-kind, hands-on opportunity to take part in the growing excitement for The LEGO Movie by creating a 15-30 second video clip based on its story, in the “LEGO ReBrick Movie Competition.” The winning video could be featured in the film, the first-ever, full-length theatrical LEGO adventure…

They leave us to wonder if it will actually be in the movie. Here’s the winning entry:

Keep an eye out for it in the film!

So, what’s it about? Is it funny? It’s almost a forgone conclusion, when you consider…

Warner Bros. Pictures is determined to convince you the answer is ‘yes.’ That’s Emmett in the background (above). He’s supposed to be the hero – at least, that’s what everyone keeps telling him. To summarize, the world is in jeopardy and only one man, “The Special,” can save it. Emmett, as is canon in these stories, refuses to believe he’s “The Special.” With tongue planted firmly in cheek, The Lego Movie takes us on its adventure.

Cleverly, WB introduces us to the film with marketing that doesn’t actually give much away. In this ‘behind the scenes’ featurette, we’re introduced to the most prominent characters from the film via face to face interviews. It’s worth the watch just for Morgan Freeman:

Hollywood seems to have an endless list of actors and celebrities clamoring to be part of the show as well. Anthony Daniels (the original C3PO) voices Lego C3PO.

Liam Neeson voices Bad Cop/Good Cop. (No official affirmation yet if that’s really Liam voicing Good Cop. Just listen to him! “Whoopsie?” Liam Neesen? I don’t think so.) Will Ferrell, Will Forte, and Will Arnet all have prominent rolls, bringing their comedy brawn. Jonah Hill voices Green Lantern. (Whaaa???) Elizabeth Banks voices Wildstyle, who’s way out of Emmet’s league, and Alison Brie voices Uni-Kitty. (Uni-Kitty: It’s a unicorn and a kitty! It’s pink and has a My Little Pony tail! To be any cuter, it would have to wear a locket holding a bit of Justin Bieber’s hair. And, it’s made of blocks! It may be the funniest thing I’ve ever seen. I’d almost buy one. Almost, meaning they don’t sell them yet. I looked. (I have an alert set.) Actually, I’m lying, they do sell them. $14.95 on Amazon. Plus shipping. Unless you have Prime – which I do… now.) Oh yeah, the movie: And of course, Shaq voices Shaq. In all, IMDB officially lists 35 voice actors for the film.

Praise for the film is already resoundingly positive. The critical aggregate at Rottentomatoes is at 98% with 58 critics counted, averaging a rating of 8.2 out of 10, and only 1 negative review. The movie also scores an 8.9 on IMDB among 450 users, while Metacritic is scoring the film at 80/100 from 23 critics. The common opinion among them is that The Lego Movie is enexpectedly funny, thoroughly entertaining, and surprisingly creative. Several critics were impressed at how thoroughly non-commercial the film felt despite obviously being steeped in commercialism. Phrases used include: ‘exhilarating,’ ‘an absolute blast,’ ‘outrageous and intoxicating,’ and ‘sheer joy.’

A Lego movie? Who thought that up? How much fun could it possibly be?

With Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and 21 Jump Street on their resumes, Lord and Miller have the pedigree. With the stop-motion Lego animation hobby practically its own ethos, the platform builds itself. And with a dynamic company like LEGO behind it, and half of Hollywood prying its way in, it’s surprising the movie hadn’t been made a long time ago.

The thing about Legos is: while they may be simple, plastic rectangles, they can unlock the wildest imaginations. It’s Legos, in a movie. ’nuff said.

Oh wait, the trailer!

DVD Extras:

If you haven’t had enough, here’s more video goodness from some of the talented film makers referenced above.

Eddie Izzard’s very funny ‘Death Star Canteen’ (Warning: not edited for sensitive ears):

Here’s Spite Your Face’s Monty Python parody:

Here’s a few comments from Will Ferrell on the film:

Finally, here’s some behind the scenes footage on the making of the film.

BOMBSHELL: It’s CGI !!! Oh, Nooooooo!!!! And you thought that herky-jerky motion was from hand made stop-motion animation? I’ll keep my mouth shut on the Easter Bunny.

If you still haven’t suffered from Lego information overload, you can click over to YouTube for 30 The Lego Movie videos including interviews with the voice actors, featurettes, and clips from the movie.

Ok, we’re really done now. Now Go See The Movie!

Phew!

The Lego Movie Set To Thaw Frozen’s Box Office Grip

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