The Lego Movie Information

The Lego Movie is a 2014 American computer animated family comedy film directed and co-written by Phil Lord and Chris Miller, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, and starring the voices of Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Nick Offerman, Alison Brie, Charlie Day, Liam Neeson, and Morgan Freeman. The film is based on the Lego line of construction toys and was released on February 7, 2014.

A sequel is scheduled to be released on May 26, 2017.

Plot

The wizard Vitruvius attempts to protect the "Kragle", a superweapon, from the evil Lord Business. He fails to do so, but warns Lord Business of a prophecy where a person called the "Special" will find the Piece of Resistance capable of stopping the Kragle.

Years later, Emmet Brickowski, an ordinary construction worker, comes across a woman, Wyldstyle, who is searching for something after hours at Emmet's construction site. When he investigates, Emmet falls into a hole and finds the Piece of Resistance. Compelled to touch it, Emmet experiences vivid visions and passes out. He awakens elsewhere, with the Piece of Resistance attached to his back, in the custody of Bad Cop, Lord Business' lieutenant (whose head sometimes turns around to reveal his other side, Good Cop). There, Emmet learns Business' plans to destroy the world with the Kragle. Wyldstyle rescues Emmet and takes him to Vitruvius, who explains that he and Wyldstyle are "Master Builders" capable of building anything they need, both with great speed and without instruction manuals. When Lord Business rose to power, his disapproval of such anarchic creativity resulting in him capturing many of them. As the "Special", Emmet is destined to defeat him, yet Wyldstyle and Vitruvius are disappointed to find Emmet displays no creativity.

Lord Business plans to use the Kragle (a tube of Krazy Glue with some of the logo's letters rubbed out) to freeze the universe perfectly in place. Bad Cop tracks down Emmet and Wyldstyle, who are rescued by her boyfriend, Batman. He takes them to a meeting of the remaining Master Builders. Unimpressed with Emmet, they refuse to fight Lord Business. Bad Cop and his forces attack and capture all the Master Builders except for Emmet and a few others. Emmet believes the Master Builders' weakness is that their individual creativity prevents them from working together. He devises a team plan to infiltrate Lord Business' headquarters. As Emmet and his allies are captured and imprisoned, Vitruvius attempts to fight back but is killed; with his dying words he admits the prophecy was made up. Business throws the Piece of Resistance off the edge of the universe, sets his headquarters to self-destruct, and leaves with the Kragle while leaving Bad Cop behind. Vitruvius' ghost tells Emmet that even if the prophecy isn't real, Emmet can still save the world. Emmet, tied to the self-destruct mechanism's battery, sacrifices himself for his friends, flinging himself off the edge of the universe.

Inspired, the Master Builders escape and rally with the help of Bad Cop. Soon, Lego people across the universe are building creative weapons. The Master Builders lead the charge against Business.

Emmet finds himself in the real world, where the events of the story are being played out within the imagination of a boy, Finn. His father "The Man Upstairs" chastises his son for ruining his father's Lego set by mixing characters with the wrong playsets, and originating hodgepodge creations. Finn argues that Lego are for children, but his father prefers to Krazy Glue his perceived perfect creations together permanently, as this is how adults play with Lego. In the Lego world, Lord Business' forces gain the upper hand. Realizing the father will glue all the Lego in place, Emmet wills himself to move and falls off the table, gaining Finn's attention. Finn returns Emmet to the Lego set, where Emmet builds a massive robot to assist his friends before confronting Lord Business. In the real world, Finn's father looks at his son's creations again and finds himself impressed. Realizing his son based the evil Lord Business on him, the father has a change of heart and allows his son to play with his Lego however he sees fit. In the Lego world, Emmet convinces Lord Business that Business, too, is special, as is everyone. Moved by Emmet's speech, Business destroys the Kragle and unfreezes his victims.

With the world saved, Emmet celebrates with his friends, and Wyldstyle, whose real name is Lucy, becomes his girlfriend. However, alien Duplo beings beam down, announcing their intentions to invade, due to the father allowing Finn's little sister to play with his Lego set as well.

Cast

• Chris Pratt as Emmet Brickowski, an ordinary construction worker minifigure who is mistaken for the "Special."
• Will Ferrell as Lord Business, an evil businessman who is the company president of the Octan Corporation under the name President Business and tyrant of Bricksburg.
  • Ferrell also plays "The Man Upstairs," a Lego collector in the live-action part of the film.
• Elizabeth Banks as Wyldstyle/Lucy, a "tough as nails" and tech-savvy female fighter who is one of the Master Builders.
• Will Arnett as Batman, a DC Comics superhero and Master Builder.
• Morgan Freeman as Vitruvius, an old wizard who is one of the Master Builders.
• Liam Neeson as Bad Cop/Good Cop, a police officer with a split personality who is a member of the Super Secret Police.
  • Neeson also voices Pa Cop, Bad Cop/Good Cop's father.
• Nick Offerman as Metal Beard, a pirate and Master Builder seeking revenge on Lord Business for taking his body parts and has made his new body by scratch.
• Alison Brie as Princess Unikitty, a unicorn/anime kitten hybrid that lives in Cloud Cuckoo Land.
• Charlie Day as Benny, a "1980-something space guy".
• Channing Tatum as Superman, a DC Comics superhero who is one of the Master Builders.
• Jonah Hill as Green Lantern, a DC Comics superhero who is one of the Master Builders.
• Cobie Smulders as Wonder Woman, a DC Comics superhero who is one of the Master Builders.
• Jadon Sand as Finn, a boy who is the son of "The Man Upstairs" in the live-action part of the film.
• Melissa Sturm as Gail, a female construction worker.
  • Sturm also voices Ma Cop, Bad Cop/Good Cop's mother.

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 (who also voiced the character in some episodes of Robot Chicken).

Shaquille O'Neal portrays a LEGO version of himself who is a Master Builder. The cast is rounded out by Will Forte as Abraham Lincoln (who is a Master Builder), Dave Franco as Wally, Jake Johnson as Barry, Keegan-Michael Key as Foreman Jim, and Jorma Taccone as William Shakespeare (who is a Master Builder). Co-director Chris Miller cameos as a TV Presenter.

Production

The film had been in development at Warner Bros. since 2008. By August 2009, Dan and Kevin Hageman were writing the script described as "action adventure set in a Lego world." Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller were in talks in June 2010 to write and direct the film. Warner Bros. green-lit the film by November 2011, with a planned 2014 release date. The Australian studio Animal Logic 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. In March 2012, Lord and Miller revealed the film's working title, Lego: The Piece of Resistance, and a storyline. In April 2012, Warner Bros. scheduled the film for release on February 28, 2014, a date that subsequently changed.

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. By August 2012, Elizabeth Banks was hired to voice Lucy (later getting the nickname Wyldstyle) and Morgan Freeman to voice Vitruvius, an old mystic. In October 2012, Warner Bros. shifted the release date for the film, simply titled Lego, to February 7, 2014. 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 with the powerful secret of getting an angry temper, Ferrell voices a villain named President/Lord Business, Neeson voices a foe called Bad Cop, and Offerman voices Metalbeard, a pirate seeking revenge on Business.

In July 2012, a Lego-user contest announced on the movie's Facebook page would choose a winning Lego vehicle to appear in the film. 17 Lego building sets based on the film's scenes and characters were released, including Lord Business' Evil Lair, and Cloud Cuckoo Palace, along with a set of 16 Minifigures (William Shakespeare, Gail the Construction Worker, Panda Guy, Abraham Lincoln, Taco Tuesday Guy, Larry the Barista, President Business, Calamity Drone, Marsha: Queen of the Mermaids, Wild West Wyldstyle, Scribble-Face Bad Cop, Velma Staplebot, Hard Hat Emmet, "Where are my Pants?" Guy, Mrs. Scratchen-Post, and Wiley Fusebot). Miller's childhood Space Village playset is utilised in the film.

Release

Marketing

The Lego Movie received many forms of marketing from both Warner Bros. and The Lego Group. Seventeen building play sets inspired by scenes from the film were released, 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 has recruited a roster of global partners to a broad, multi-category licensing program to support the film.

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. By building a creative model in-store, people received a free accessory pack. Barnes & Noble will host a themed event in January, February, and March. On February 7, 2014, McDonald's released eight collectible holographic/3D cups in Happy Meals to promote the film.

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

Theatrical release

The first teaser/theatrical trailer was released on June 18, 2013. The second was released on October 31, 2013, preceded by a series of teasers featuring main characters. The Lego Movie premiered at the Regency Village Theatre in Los Angeles, California on February 1, 2014, and was released in theaters on February 7, 2014.

Reception

Critical response

The LEGO Movie has received overwhelming critical acclaim. The Los Angeles Times said The Lego Movie has received "nearly unanimous positive reviews". On Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 based on reviews from critics, the film has a score of 82 (indicating "universal acclaim") based on 39 reviews. According to CinemaScore polls conducted during the opening weekend, the average grade cinemagoers gave The Lego Movie was A on an A+ to F scale.

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," 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." Tom Huddleston of Time Out said, "The script is witty, the satire surprisingly pointed, and the animation tactile and imaginative." Drew Hunt of the Chicago Reader said the filmmakers "fill the script with delightfully absurd one-liners and sharp pop culture references", 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."

Elizabeth Weitzman of the New York Daily News said the filmmakers "don't sink into cynicism. Their computer animation embraces the retro look and feel of the toys to both ingenious and adorable effect." Claudia Puig of USA Today called the film "a spirited romp through a world that looks distinctively familiar, and yet freshly inventive." 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." 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." Peter Travers of Rolling Stone called the film "sassy enough to shoot well-aimed darts at corporate branding." 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."

On the negative side, Kyle Smith of the New York Post called the film "more exhausting than fun, too unsure of itself to stick with any story thread for too long." Moira MacDonald of The Seattle Times, while generally positive, found "it falls apart a bit near the end." 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."

Box office

As of February 23, 2014, The Lego Movie has grossed $183,160,000 in North America, and $51,200,000 in other countries, for a worldwide total of $234,360,000. In North America, the film opened at number one in its first weekend, with $69,050,279, which is the second highest weekend debut in February behind The Passion of the Christ ($83.8 million). The movie retained the top spot at box office in its second weekend by declining only 28% and grossing $49,846,430.

Soundtrack

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 and 21 Jump Street. 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 and Lisa Harriton (Jo Li) and performed by Tegan and Sara featuring The Lonely Island, which has also been used in the film's marketing campaign. The soundtrack was released on February 4, 2014 by WaterTower Music.

Track listing

Chart positions

Chart (2014)	Peak position
UK Independent Album Breakers (OCC)	8
US Billboard 200	48
US Independent Albums (Billboard)	9
US Top Soundtracks (Billboard)	2

Sequel

On February 3, 2014, Jared Stern was hired to write a sequel, along with Michelle Morgan. On February 21, 2014, it was announced that the sequel will be released on May 26, 2017.