Publications
Partners
(Warner Bros)
What it's about:
Emmet, an ordinary, rules-following, perfectly average LEGO minifigure, is mistakenly identified as the most extraordinary person and the key to saving the world. He is drafted into a fellowship of strangers on an epic quest to stop an evil tyrant, a journey for which Emmet is hopelessly and hilariously underprepared.
What we thought:
Probably one of the most important toys of anyone’s childhood, Lego not only builds dreams, but let’s your imagination go absolutely wild. And you don’t necessarily grow out of the Lego phase either. YouTube is peppered with short stop-motion animations made with Lego from adaptations to original story lines. And then some genius, somewhere in the movie industry, thought it would be a good idea to make a feature length movie out of Lego.
And it was amazing.
Animation has been a bit stuck in limbo the past few years, but the animators on this masterpiece really rewrote the handbook. Despite having the look of stop-motion, most of it was done through CGI. But when even the smoke from explosions is made up of Lego then you know the animators not only thought out of the box but also redesigned it.
Not only are the visuals stunning, but it has a kickass story line that completely fits with the Lego universe. A tyrant wants everyone to follow instructions exactly and the Westerners stay in the West and the Pirates in the seas. Alas, some want to build outside of these constrictions and work to overthrow him. Sounds pretty much like every sibling fight in the history of Lego sharing.
But surprisingly this goes deeper than that, especially when the twist about what is behind the forced order happens and it rings true for all ages. It is hard for any creators of an animation to appeal to not just kids but adults as well, and The Lego Movie wins on that front.
And be prepared for little giggles of delight every time something very Lego-y happens. My favourite is the 90s something Astronaut guy and his obsession with space rockets. What a legend. Anyone who has played with Lego has seen or owned this blue-helmet dude. All the superheroes, sci-fi and fantasy characters all had amazing cameos and the fact that Batman was one of the main characters just shows how much power the Lego company has over copyright.
Apart from an amazing cast and animation, there was also the music. Weird thing to point out, I know, but there were two original songs that I just couldn’t get out of my head. The first is the Lord Business-propaganda radio song Everything is Awesom. And indeed it is. I dare you to listen to it and not hum it on the way to work. Which is also sad how easily we fall into that popular culture trap. But then it goes the complete opposite direction with Batman’s self-composed underground ditty which goes on about darkness and no parents.
Enough said.
I know generally all those deep Oscar-movies get the 5 out of 5 stars, but The Lego Movie just hits you in your child-shaped heart and will keep you laughing and reminiscing about days building forts and robots with your Lego. Kids will like it too, I guess.
Emmet, an ordinary, rules-following, perfectly average LEGO minifigure, is mistakenly identified as the most extraordinary person and the key to saving the world. He is drafted into a fellowship of strangers on an epic quest to stop an evil tyrant, a journey for which Emmet is hopelessly and hilariously underprepared.
What we thought:
Probably one of the most important toys of anyone’s childhood, Lego not only builds dreams, but let’s your imagination go absolutely wild. And you don’t necessarily grow out of the Lego phase either. YouTube is peppered with short stop-motion animations made with Lego from adaptations to original story lines. And then some genius, somewhere in the movie industry, thought it would be a good idea to make a feature length movie out of Lego.
And it was amazing.
Animation has been a bit stuck in limbo the past few years, but the animators on this masterpiece really rewrote the handbook. Despite having the look of stop-motion, most of it was done through CGI. But when even the smoke from explosions is made up of Lego then you know the animators not only thought out of the box but also redesigned it.
Not only are the visuals stunning, but it has a kickass story line that completely fits with the Lego universe. A tyrant wants everyone to follow instructions exactly and the Westerners stay in the West and the Pirates in the seas. Alas, some want to build outside of these constrictions and work to overthrow him. Sounds pretty much like every sibling fight in the history of Lego sharing.
But surprisingly this goes deeper than that, especially when the twist about what is behind the forced order happens and it rings true for all ages. It is hard for any creators of an animation to appeal to not just kids but adults as well, and The Lego Movie wins on that front.
And be prepared for little giggles of delight every time something very Lego-y happens. My favourite is the 90s something Astronaut guy and his obsession with space rockets. What a legend. Anyone who has played with Lego has seen or owned this blue-helmet dude. All the superheroes, sci-fi and fantasy characters all had amazing cameos and the fact that Batman was one of the main characters just shows how much power the Lego company has over copyright.
Apart from an amazing cast and animation, there was also the music. Weird thing to point out, I know, but there were two original songs that I just couldn’t get out of my head. The first is the Lord Business-propaganda radio song Everything is Awesom. And indeed it is. I dare you to listen to it and not hum it on the way to work. Which is also sad how easily we fall into that popular culture trap. But then it goes the complete opposite direction with Batman’s self-composed underground ditty which goes on about darkness and no parents.
Enough said.
I know generally all those deep Oscar-movies get the 5 out of 5 stars, but The Lego Movie just hits you in your child-shaped heart and will keep you laughing and reminiscing about days building forts and robots with your Lego. Kids will like it too, I guess.
