The Lego Movie

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"Lego Movie" redirects here. For the franchise, see The Lego Movie (franchise). For stop-motion films made using Lego bricks, see Brickfilm. For other Lego films, see List of Lego films and TV series.

The Lego Movie
Lego construction worker Emmet is running away from a bright light with other Lego characters running alongside him.
Theatrical release poster
Directed by
  • Phil Lord
  • Christopher Miller
Screenplay by
  • Phil Lord
  • Christopher Miller
Story by
  • Dan Hageman
  • Kevin Hageman
  • Phil Lord
  • Christopher Miller
Based onLego Construction Toys
Produced by
  • Dan Lin
  • Roy Lee
Starring
  • Chris Pratt
  • Will Ferrell
  • Elizabeth Banks
  • Will Arnett
  • Nick Offerman
  • Alison Brie
  • Charlie Day
  • Liam Neeson
  • Morgan Freeman
CinematographyPablo Plaisted (live-action sequences)
Edited by
Music byMark Mothersbaugh
Production
companies
  • Warner Animation Group[1]
  • Lin Pictures[2]
  • Lego System A/S[2]
  • Vertigo Entertainment[2]
  • Village Roadshow Pictures[2]
Distributed by
  • Warner Bros. Pictures (Worldwide)
  • Roadshow Entertainment
    (Australia)[3]
Release date
  • February 1, 2014 (2014-02-01) (Regency Village Theater)
  • February 6, 2014 (2014-02-06) (Denmark)
  • February 7, 2014 (2014-02-07) (United States)
  • April 3, 2014 (2014-04-03) (Australia)
Running time
100 minutes[4]
Countries
LanguageEnglish
Budget$60–65 million[6][7]
Box office$468.1 million[8]

The Lego Movie is a 2014 computer-animated adventure comedy film written and directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller from a story by Lord, Miller, and Dan and Kevin Hageman. Based on the Lego line of construction toys, its story focuses on Emmet, an ordinary Lego minifigure who helps a resistance movement stop a tyrannical businessman from gluing everything in the Lego world into his vision of perfection. Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Nick Offerman, Alison Brie, Charlie Day, Liam Neeson, and Morgan Freeman provide their voices for the film's characters. The film was dedicated to Kathleen Fleming, the former director of entertainment development of the Lego company, following her death in Cancún, Mexico, in April 2013.[9][10]

The first film produced by the Warner Animation Group, a new theatrical film division of Warner Bros. Animation, following the box office failure of 2003's Looney Tunes: Back in Action from Warner Bros. Feature Animation, The Lego Movie was released on February 7, 2014 by Warner Bros. Pictures. It became a critical and commercial success, grossing $468.1 million worldwide against its $60–65 million budget, and received praise for its animation, acting, story, and humor. The film won the BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film, the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Animated Feature, and the Saturn Award for Best Animated Film; it was also nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song for "Everything Is Awesome".

The film has expanded into a major franchise which ties into the Lego brand, such as the sequel The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019); two spin-off films The Lego Batman Movie (2017) and The Lego Ninjago Movie (2017); the 4D film The Lego Movie: 4D – A New Adventure; and the 2-D animated television series Unikitty!

Plot[]

In a Lego universe populated by anthropomorphic minifigures, the wizard Vitruvius attempts to protect a superweapon called the "Kragle" from the evil Lord Business. He fails to do so, but prophesies that a person called "the Special" will find the Piece of Resistance capable of stopping the Kragle. Lord Business then kicks Vitruvius off of a cliff while saying the prophecy was fake.

8 and a half years later, in the city world of Bricksburg, a construction worker named Emmet Brickowski comes across a woman named Wyldstyle, who is searching for something after hours at Emmet's construction site. When he investigates, Emmet falls into a pit and finds the Piece of Resistance. Compelled to touch it, Emmet experiences vivid visions and passes out. He awakens with the Piece of Resistance attached to his back in the custody of Bad Cop, Business's lieutenant. Emmet learns of Business's plans to freeze the world with the Kragle, a tube of Krazy Glue with the label partially rubbed out; the Piece of Resistance is the tube's cap. Wyldstyle rescues Emmet, believing him to be the Special. They escape from Bad Cop and travel to the Western world "The Old West" where they meet up with a blind Vitruvius. Emmet learns that he and Wyldstyle are Master Builders—people capable of building anything they need without instruction manuals—who oppose Business's attempts to suppress their creativity. Though disappointed to find Emmet is not a Master Builder, Wyldstyle and Vitruvius are convinced of his potential when he recalls visions of a human named "the Man Upstairs".

Emmet, Wyldstyle, and Vitruvius evade Bad Cop's forces with the aid of Batman. They escape to a flying cloud paradise called Cloud Cuckoo Land, where all the master builders have been in hiding, and attend a council of the Master Builders, who are unimpressed with Emmet‘s cowardliness and refuse to help him fight Business. Bad Cop's forces attack and capture everyone except for Emmet and his friends. After being rescued from drowning by pirate Metal-beard, Emmet devises a team plan to infiltrate Business's headquarters and disarm the Kragle. As the plan unfolds, Emmet learns that Wyldstyle's real name is Lucy. The plan is almost a full success until Emmet and his friends are all captured and imprisoned, and Vitruvius is killed by Lord Business, who throws the Piece of Resistance into an abyss and sets his headquarters to self-destruct, leaving all present to die. Vitruvius shows he made up the prophecy as he dies, but reappears to Emmet as a ghost and tells him it is his self-belief that makes him the Special. Strapped to the self-destruct mechanism's battery, Emmet flings himself off the edge in the tower and saves his friends and the Master Builders. Inspired by Emmet's sacrifice, Wyldstyle rallies the Lego people across the universe to use whatever creativity they have to build machines and weapons to fight Business's forces.

Emmet finds himself in the real world, where the events of the story are being played out in a basement by a boy, Finn, on his father's Lego set. The father—known as "the Man Upstairs"—chastises his son for creating hodgepodges of different playsets, and proceeds to permanently glue his perceived perfect creations together. Realizing the danger his friends are in, Emmet wills himself to move and gains Finn's attention. Finn returns Emmet and the Piece of Resistance to the set, where Emmet possesses the powers of a Master Builder and confronts Business. In the real world, Finn's father looks at his son's creations, and quickly sees that the villainous Business is based on him. Through a speech Emmet gives Business, Finn tells his father that he is very special and has the power to change everything. Finn's father reconciles with his son, which plays out as Business having a change of heart, capping the Kragle with the Piece of Resistance, and ungluing his victims with mineral spirits. Lucy and Emmet become boyfriend and girlfriend. As a result of the father allowing Finn's younger sister to join them in playing with his Lego sets, Duplo aliens arrive in the Lego universe and threaten destruction.[N 1]

Cast[]

See also: List of The Lego Movie characters
  • Chris Pratt as Emmet Brickowski, an everyman and construction worker from Bricksburg who is initially mistaken for the Special.
  • Will Ferrell as Lord Business, an evil businessman and tyrant of Bricksburg and the Lego Universe who is the company president of the Octan Corporation under the name President Business.[11][12]
    • Ferrell also plays "The Man Upstairs", a Lego collector and Finn's father in the live-action part of the film.
  • Elizabeth Banks as Lucy / Wyldstyle, a "tough as nails" and tech-savvy fighter who is one of the Master Builders.[13]
  • Will Arnett as Bruce Wayne / Batman, a DC Comics character who is a Master Builder.
  • Nick Offerman as Metal Beard, a pirate and Master Builder seeking revenge on Lord Business for taking his body parts following an earlier encounter and causing him to remake his body from bricks.[12]
  • Alison Brie as Princess Unikitty, a unicorn-horned cat and Master Builder who lives in Cloud Cuckoo Land.[12][14]
  • Charlie Day as Benny, a "1980-something space guy" who is one of the Master Builders and is obsessed with building spaceships.[11]
  • Liam Neeson as Bad Cop / Good Cop / Scribble Cop, a police officer with a two-sided head and a split personality who serves Lord Business as the commander of the Super Secret Police. The character's name and personality are based on the good cop/bad cop interrogation method which is briefly shown in the film.
    • Neeson also voices Pa Cop, a police officer who is Bad Cop/Good Cop's father and Ma Cop's husband.
  • Morgan Freeman as Vitruvius, a blind old wizard who is one of the Master Builders.
  • Channing Tatum as Superman, a DC Comics character who is one of the Master Builders
  • Jonah Hill as Green Lantern, a DC Comics character who is one of the Master Builders
  • Cobie Smulders as Wonder Woman, a DC Comics character who is one of the Master Builders.
  • Jadon Sand as Finn, an eight-and-a-half-year-old boy who is the son of "The Man Upstairs" in the live-action part of the film.

In addition, Anthony Daniels and Billy Dee Williams reprise their Star Wars roles as C-3PO and Lando Calrissian respectively, with Keith Ferguson voicing Han Solo (whom he previously voiced in Robot Chicken and Mad). Shaquille O'Neal portrays a Lego version of himself who is a Master Builder alongside two generic members of the 2002 NBA All-Stars. Will Forte plays Abraham Lincoln (whom he had previously voiced on Clone High, another Lord/Miller production).

Director Christopher Miller voices as a TV announcer for the Octan comedy show Where Are My Pants?

Production[]

Creators of the film at the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con International: Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, writers and directors; Chris McKay, co-director; and Dan Lin, producer.

Development[]

Dan Lin conceived of the idea for the film and began discussing it with Roy Lee before leaving Warner Bros. to form his own production company, Lin Pictures, in 2008.[15] Meanwhile, Warner Bros. home entertainment executive Kevin Tsujihara, who had recognized the value of the Lego franchise by engineering the studio's purchase of Lego video game licensee Traveller's Tales in 2007, thought the success of the Lego-based video games indicated a Lego-based film was a good idea, and reportedly "championed" the development of the film.[15][16] By August 2009, Dan and Kevin Hageman were writing the script described as "action adventure set in a Lego world".[17] Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009) directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were in talks in June 2010 to write and direct the film.[18] Warner Bros. green-lit the film by November 2011, with a planned 2014 release date. The Australian studio Animal Logic, the same studio that did the animation for other Warner Bros. films such as Happy Feet and Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole, was contracted to provide the animation, which was expected to comprise 80% of the film. By this time Chris McKay, the director of Robot Chicken, had also joined Lord and Miller to co-direct.[19] McKay explained that his role was to supervise the production in Australia once Lord and Miller left to work on 22 Jump Street (2014).[20] In March 2012, Lord and Miller revealed the film's working title, Lego: The Piece of Resistance, and a storyline.[21] In April 2012, Warner Bros. scheduled the film for release on February 28, 2014, a date that subsequently changed.[22]

"We wanted to make the film feel like the way you play, the way I remember playing. We wanted to make it feel as epic and ambitious and self-serious as a kid feels when they play with LEGO. We took something you could claim is the most cynical cash grab in cinematic history, basically a 90 minute LEGO commercial, and turned it into a celebration of creativity, fun and invention, in the spirit of just having a good time and how ridiculous it can look when you make things up. And we had fun doing it.'"

 —Animation supervisor Chris McKay[20]

Casting[]

By June 2012, Chris Pratt had been cast as the voice of Emmet, the lead Lego character, and Will Arnett voicing Lego Batman; the role of Lego Superman was offered to Channing Tatum.[23] By August 2012, Elizabeth Banks was hired to voice Lucy (later getting the alias "Wyldstyle")[11] and Morgan Freeman to voice Vitruvius, an old mystic.[23][24] In October 2012, Warner Bros. shifted the release date for the film, simply titled Lego, to February 7, 2014.[25] In November 2012, Alison Brie, Will Ferrell, Liam Neeson, and Nick Offerman signed on for roles. Brie voices Unikitty, a member of Emmet's team; Ferrell voices the antagonist President/Lord Business; Neeson voices Bad Cop/Good Cop; and Offerman voices MetalBeard,[26] a pirate seeking revenge on Business.[25]

Animation[]

LEGO Design byME set designed with Lego Digital Designer, the same software used to create The LEGO Movie.

The film is strongly inspired by the visual aesthetic and stylistics of Brickfilms and qualities attributed to Lego Studios sets. The film received a great deal of praise in the respective online communities who saw the film as appraising nod to their work.[27] Many Brickfilm-Fans and AFOLs (Adult Fans of Lego) praised the painstaking amount of detail in the production. Animal Logic tried to make the film's animation replicate a stop motion film although everything was done through computer graphics, with the animation rigs following the same articulation limits actual Lego figures have. The camera systems also tried to replicate live action cinematography, including different lenses and a Steadicam simulator. The scenery was projected through The Lego Group's own Lego Digital Designer (created as part of Lego Design byME, which people could design their own Lego models using LDD, then upload them to the Lego website, design their own box design, and order them for actual delivery), which as CG supervisor Aidan Sarsfield detailed, "uses the official LEGO Brick Library and effectively simulates the connectivity of each of the bricks". The saved files were then converted to design and animate in Maya and XSI. At times the minifigures were even placed under microscopes to capture the seam lines, dirt and grime into the digital textures.[28] Benny the spaceman was based on the line of Lego space sets sold in the 1980s, and his design includes the broken helmet chin strap, a common defect of the space sets at that time.[29] Miller's childhood Space Village playset is used in the film.[30] In July 2012, a Lego-user contest announced on the film's Facebook page would choose a winning Lego vehicle to appear in the film.[31]

Post-production[]

The Lego Movie was the first theatrical feature film produced by Warner Bros. Animation's new feature film division Warner Animation Group, and was released over 10 years after the box office failure of Warner Bros. Feature Animation's final film Looney Tunes: Back in Action in 2003. The film's total cost, including production, prints, and advertising (P&A), was $100 million.[7] Half of the film's cost was financed by Village Roadshow Pictures, and was the only film in the franchise that Village Roadshow ever had involvement working on.[7] The rest was covered by Warner Bros., with RatPac-Dune Entertainment providing a smaller share as part of its multi-year financing agreement with Warner Bros.[32] Initially Warner Bros. turned down Village Roadshow Pictures when it asked to invest in the film.[7] However, Warner Bros. later changed its mind, reportedly due to lack of confidence in the film, initially offering Village Roadshow Pictures the opportunity to finance 25% of the film, and later, an additional 25%.[7]

Music[]

The Lego Movie: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Soundtrack album by
Mark Mothersbaugh, various artists
ReleasedFebruary 4, 2014
Recorded2013
Trackdown Studios (Sydney)
GenreFilm soundtrack, film score
Length58:10
LabelWaterTower Music
ProducerMark Mothersbaugh, Shawn Patterson, Bartholomew
Mark Mothersbaugh chronology
Last Vegas
(2013) 		The Lego Movie: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
(2014) 		22 Jump Street
(2014)
Singles from The Lego Movie: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
  1. "Everything Is Awesome"
    Released: January 27, 2014

The film's original score was composed by Mark Mothersbaugh, who had previously worked with Lord and Miller on Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009) and 21 Jump Street (2012). The Lego Movie soundtrack contains the score as the majority of its tracks. Also included is the song "Everything Is Awesome" written by Shawn Patterson (El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera and Robot Chicken), Joshua Bartholomew,[33] and Lisa Harriton,[34] who also perform the song in the movie under the name, Jo Li. The single, released on January 27, 2014, is performed by Tegan and Sara featuring The Lonely Island (Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, and Jorma Taccone) who wrote the rap lyrics, and is the first song played in the end credits of the movie. The soundtrack was released on February 4, 2014 by WaterTower Music.[35]

Chart positions
Chart (2014) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[36] 82
UK Independent Album Breakers (OCC)[37] 8
US Billboard 200[38] 37
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[38] 8
US Top Soundtracks (Billboard)[38] 2

Theme song[]

The film's theme song, "Everything Is Awesome", has been critically praised and has undergone some close analysis. In an interview with Fox News, producer Mark Mothersbaugh says the song "was supposed to be like mind control early in the film. It's totally irritating, this kind of mindless mantra to get people up and working. It's like the whip crack on their back, but then by the end of the movie it morphs into, instead of being just a mindless, go-to-work song it becomes about co-operation and people working together to do bigger things."[39]

Release[]

Theatrical[]

The Lego Movie premiered at the Regency Village Theatre in Los Angeles on February 1, 2014, and was released in theaters on February 7, 2014.[40] The film was released in Australia by the film's co-producer, Roadshow Films.[3]

Marketing[]

Over twenty Lego sets inspired by scenes from the film were released for the film including a set of collectible minifigures. A website was opened up so fans could make minifigure versions of themselves, and later, put that in the film's official trailer. The company recruited a roster of global partners to a broad, multi-category licensing program to support the film.[41][42] Official Lego Brand Stores also scheduled events. Each week of January 2014, a new character poster (Wyldstyle, Batman, Emmet, Lord Business) came with every purchase.[43] By building a creative model in-store, people received a free accessory pack. Barnes & Noble hosted a themed event in January, February, and March.[44]

In February 2014, ITV released the world's first Lego ad break, featuring ads from British Heart Foundation, Confused.com, BT, Premier Inn, and ended with a trailer for the film itself.[45][46] That same month, McDonald's released eight collectible holographic/3D cups in Happy Meals to promote the film.[47]

A video game based on the film, The Lego Movie Videogame, by TT Fusion for Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Wii U, Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation Vita, and Windows, was released on February 4, 2014.[48] An exclusive "Wild West Emmet" minifigure was released with preorders of the game at GameStop.[49]

Home media[]

The Lego Movie was released on Digital HD on May 20, 2014. It was released by Warner Home Video on DVD and Blu-ray (2D and 3D) on June 17, 2014. A special Blu-ray 3D "Everything is Awesome Edition" also includes an exclusive Vitruvius minifigure and a collectible 3D Emmet photo.[50]

Reception[]

The film's live-action set as publicly exhibited at Legoland California during 2014.

Critical response[]

The Lego Movie was met with "nearly unanimous positive reviews".[51] The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports an approval rating of 96%, with an average rating of 8.20/10, based on 253 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Boasting beautiful animation, a charming voice cast, laugh-a-minute gags, and a surprisingly thoughtful story, The Lego Movie is colorful fun for all ages."[52] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, has assigned the film a score of 83 out of 100 based on 43 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[53] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.[54] Filmmaker Edgar Wright, and Time film critic Richard Corliss, each named The Lego Movie as one of their favorite films of 2014.[55][56]

Michael Rechtshaffen of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "Arriving at a time when feature animation was looking and feeling mighty anemic...The LEGO Movie shows 'em how it's done",[57] with Peter Debruge of Variety adding that Lord and Miller "irreverently deconstruct the state of the modern blockbuster and deliver a smarter, more satisfying experience in its place, emerging with a fresh franchise for others to build upon".[58] Tom Huddleston of Time Out said, "The script is witty, the satire surprisingly pointed, and the animation tactile and imaginative."[59] Drew Hunt of the Chicago Reader said the filmmakers "fill the script with delightfully absurd one-liners and sharp pop culture references",[60] with A. O. Scott of The New York Times noting that, "Pop-culture jokes ricochet off the heads of younger viewers to tickle the world-weary adults in the audience, with just enough sentimental goo applied at the end to unite the generations. Parents will dab their eyes while the kids roll theirs."[61]

Claudia Puig of USA Today called the film "a spirited romp through a world that looks distinctively familiar, and yet freshly inventive".[62] Liam Lacey of The Globe and Mail asked, "Can a feature-length toy commercial also work as a decent kids’ movie? The bombast of the G.I. Joe and Transformers franchises might suggest no, but after an uninspired year for animated movies, The Lego Movie is a 3-D animated film that connects."[63] Joel Arnold of NPR acknowledged that the film "may be one giant advertisement, but all the way to its plastic-mat foundation, it's an earnest piece of work—a cash grab with a heart".[64] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone called the film "sassy enough to shoot well-aimed darts at corporate branding".[65] Michael O'Sullivan of The Washington Post said that, "While clearly filled with affection for—and marketing tie-ins to—the titular product that's front and center, it's also something of a sharp plastic brick flung in the eye of its corporate sponsor."[66] Moira MacDonald of The Seattle Times, while generally positive, found "it falls apart a bit near the end".[67] Alonso Duralde of The Wrap said the film "will doubtless tickle young fans of the toys. It's just too bad that a movie that encourages you to think for yourself doesn't follow its own advice."[68]

Other response[]

Conservative political commentator Glenn Beck praised the film for avoiding "the double meanings and adult humor I just hate".[69]

Oscar host Neil Patrick Harris referenced The Lego Movie not being nominated Best Animated Feature, which many critics considered a snub, saying prior to the award's presentation, "If you’re at the Oscar party with the guys who directed 'The Lego Movie,' now would be a great time to distract them."[70]

U.S. Senator Ron Johnson criticized the film's anti-corporate message, saying that it taught children that "government is good and business is bad", citing the villain's name of Lord Business. "That's done for a reason", Johnson told WisPolitics.com, "They're starting that propaganda, and it's insidious". The comments were criticized by many, and Russ Feingold brought up the comments on the campaign trail during his 2016 Senate bid against Johnson.[71]

Box office performance[]

The Lego Movie grossed $257.8 million in the United States and Canada, and $210.3 million internationally, for a worldwide total of $468.1 million.[8] Calculating in all expenses, Deadline Hollywood estimated that the film made a profit of $229 million placing it 3rd on 2014's list of most profitable films.[72]

In the United States and Canada, the film opened at number one in its first weekend with over $69 million, which was the second-highest weekend debut in February, at the time, behind The Passion of the Christ (2004) ($83.8 million).[73] The movie retained the top spot at box office in its second weekend by declining only 28% and grossing $49.8 million.[74] The Lego Movie was number one again in its third weekend while declining 37% and grossing $31.3 million.[75] In its fourth weekend, the film dropped to number three grossing $20.8 million.[76]

Accolades[]

List of accolades
Award / film festival Category Recipient(s) Result
AACTA Awards Best Visual Effects or Animation Chris McKay, Amber Naismith, Aidan Sarsfield and Grant Freckelton Won
Academy Awards Best Original Song "Everything Is Awesome" written and lyrics by Shawn Patterson Nominated
American Cinema Editors Best Edited Animated Feature Film David Burrows, Chris McKay Won
42nd Annual Annie Awards[77] Best Animated Feature The Lego Movie Nominated
Animated Effects in an Animated Feature Production Jayandera Danappal, Matt Ebb, Christian Epunan Hernandez, Danielle Brooks, and Raphael Gadot Nominated
Directing in an Animated Feature Production Phil Lord and Christopher Miller Directors;
Chris McKay, Co-Director 		Nominated
Production Design in an Animated Feature Production Grant Freckelton Nominated
Writing in an Animated Feature Production Phil Lord and Christopher Miller Won
Editorial in an Animated Feature Production David Burrows, Todd Hansen, Doug Nicholas, Jonathan Tappin and Courtney O'Brien-Brown Nominated
Austin Film Critics Association Best Animated Film The Lego Movie Won
BAFTA Awards[78] Best Animated Film The Lego Movie Won
Black Reel Awards[79] Best Voice Performance Morgan Freeman Won
45th Annual British Academy Children's Awards[80] Kid's Vote — Film in 2014 The Lego Movie Nominated
Children's Feature Film in 2014 The Lego Movie Won
Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Animated Feature The Lego Movie Won
Best Song "Everything Is Awesome" Nominated
Chicago Film Critics Association Best Animated Feature The Lego Movie Won
Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Best Animated Film The Lego Movie Won
Dublin Film Critics Circle Top Ten Films The Lego Movie 4th Place
Empire Awards Best Comedy Nominated
Florida Film Critics Circle Best Animated Film Won
Golden Globe Awards Best Animated Feature Film Nominated
Golden Tomato Awards 2014 Best Animated Film Won
Best Wide Release 2014 2nd Place
Grammy Awards Best Song Written for Visual Media "Everything Is Awesome" Nominated
Heartland Film Festival 2014[81] Truly Moving Picture Award Phil Lord and Christopher Miller Won
Houston Film Critics Society Best Animated Feature Film The Lego Movie Won
Best Original Song "Everything Is Awesome" Won
Hollywood Music in Media Awards Best Original Song in an Animated Film "Everything Is Awesome" Won
Best Original Score in an Animated Film Mark Mothersbaugh Nominated
Kerrang! Awards Best Film The Lego Movie Won
Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Animated Movie The Lego Movie Nominated
Favorite Movie Actor Will Arnett (also for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) Nominated
National Board of Review Best Original Screenplay Phil Lord and Christopher Miller Won
Top Ten Films The Lego Movie Won
New York Film Critics Circle Awards[82] Best Animated Film The Lego Movie Won
New York Film Critics Online Best Animated Film The Lego Movie Won
Online Film Critics Society Best Picture The Lego Movie Nominated
Best Animated Feature The Lego Movie Won
People's Choice Awards[83] Favorite Family Movie The Lego Movie Nominated
Producers Guild of America[84] Best Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures Dan Lin Won
San Diego Film Critics Society Best Animated The Lego Movie Nominated
San Francisco Film Critics Circle[85] Best Animated Feature The Lego Movie Won
Satellite Awards[86] Best Motion Picture Animated or Mixed Media The Lego Movie Nominated
Best Original Screenplay Phil Lord and Christopher Miller Nominated
Best Original Song "Everything Is Awesome" Nominated
Saturn Awards Best Animated Film The Lego Movie Won
St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Best Animated Film The Lego Movie Won
16th SXSW Film Festival[87] SXSW Film Design Award
(Special Jury Recognition) 		Brian Mah (Designer) Won
Teen Choice Awards[88] Choice Movie: Animated The Lego Movie Nominated
Choice Movie: Voice Chris Pratt
Toronto Film Critics Association Best Animated Feature The Lego Movie Runner-Up
13th Visual Effects Society Awards[89] Outstanding Animation in an Animated Feature Motion Picture Chris McKay, Amber Naismith, Jim Dodd, David Williams Nominated
Outstanding Effects Simulations in an Animated Feature Motion Picture Carsten Kolve, Jayandera Danappal, Matt Ebb, Miles Green Nominated
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association[90] Best Animated Feature The Lego Movie Won
Best Original Screenplay Phil Lord and Christopher Miller Nominated

Video game[]

Main article: The Lego Movie Videogame

The Lego Movie Videogame is the first video game in the franchise, and is loosely based on the 2014 film. The game was developed by TT Fusion, TT Games, and Feral Interactive (for macOS), and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. It was released alongside the film in 2014 for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Xbox One,[91] and on 16 October 2014 for Mac OS X by Feral Interactive.[92]

Todd Hansen is the only actor to reprise his role from the film as Gandalf, but Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Nick Offerman, Alison Brie, Charlie Day, Liam Neeson, and Morgan Freeman were credited for their film voices. It features over 100 playable characters.[93]

Franchise[]

Main article: The Lego Movie (franchise)

Because of its critical and commercial success, The Lego Movie has been turned into a franchise and a shared fictional universe.

Sequel[]

Main article: The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part

The direct sequel to the film, titled The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, was released on February 8, 2019 with Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, and Will Arnett reprising their roles of Emmet, Wyldstyle, and Batman, respectively, and Tiffany Haddish joining the cast.[94]

Spin-offs[]

Main articles: The Lego Batman Movie and The Lego Ninjago Movie

There are two spin-off films, The Lego Batman Movie and The Lego Ninjago Movie, which were both released in 2017.[95]

Theme park attraction[]

Main article: The Lego Movie: 4D – A New Adventure

The 4-D movie featuring in-theatre effects, based on the film itself, titled The Lego Movie: 4D – A New Adventure, opened at select Legoland theme parks across the globe in 2016.[96]

Television series[]

Main article: Unikitty!

On May 10, 2017, Warner Bros. and Lego announced that the character Unikitty would receive a spin-off television series on Cartoon Network, with Tara Strong voicing the character. The series premiered January 1, 2018[97] and concluded on August 27, 2020.[98]

Notes[]

  1. ^ As depicted in The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019).

References[]

  1. ^ McNary, Dave (May 6, 2014). "Warner Bros. Sets Two New Animation Releases for 2017 and 2018". Variety. Archived from the original on June 15, 2018. Retrieved May 20, 2018. "Lego," the first film to go out as a Warner Animation Group title, has overperformed with $457 million worldwide and set a sequel for release on May 26, 2017.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "The Lego Movie". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Archived from the original on May 20, 2018. Retrieved May 19, 2018.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b "Lego Movie tops Aussie box office for its opening week". MediaDay. April 11, 2014. Archived from the original on December 13, 2014. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
  4. ^ "The Lego Movie (U)". British Board of Film Classification. January 17, 2014. Archived from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
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