The LEGO Movie is an adventure tale based on a children’s toy. As such, it is filled with outlandish characters, a chaotic series of plot events and wayward cultural references. This may seem to be an unfavorable feature of the film, but it is surprisingly intentional. Despite being geared toward younger audiences, The LEGO Movie is both funny and intelligent enough to be appreciated by those of all ages.
In a world of LEGO buildings and people ruled by a villainous LEGO figure by the name of Lord Business (Will Ferrell), following the instructions is the key to success. Emmet Brickowski (Chris Pratt), an average LEGO minifigure who is used to following the instructions, is suddenly taken on an adventure when a prophecy made by the Wizard Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman) deems him the “Special.”
With the help of other “Masterbuilders,” such as Lucy (Elizabeth Banks) and Batman (Will Arnett), he or she can use creativity to build any LEGO object.
Chris Miller and Phil Lord directed the film. Both Miller and Lord have produced and written well-known movies such as Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009) and 21 Jump Street (2012). Like Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, The Lego Movie is an animated adventure tale geared toward a childhood audience.
Even though The LEGO Movie seems similar to its animated counterpart, the humor of the film is actually more similar to that of 21 Jump Street, whose targeted audience is much older. Each has a pungent, satirical twist. One movie is a spoof of the game of LEGO bricks, and the other is of Hollywood portrayals of high school. In this way, the two films share an underlying intelligence behind their comedy that is easy for an adult viewer to appreciate.
What first strikes the eye during The LEGO Movie is its unique animation style. Though it was made to look like the classic stop-motion films popular in the 1960s, much of the film was made using CGI animation techniques. The stop-motion look of the film brings the LEGOs to life. It genuinely appears as if the viewer is zooming in on a LEGO structure filled with moving characters.
This tangible imagery adds a whimsical and nostalgic feel to the film’s spectacle.
The offbeat storyline of The LEGO Movie is meant to express the bizarre things a real child might create when stuck with a pile of LEGO bricks in a basement.
This is especially apparent toward the end of the film, when it suddenly shifts from CGI animation to real people. In this change, audiences explore the topic of parent-child dynamics and how becoming overly entangled in structure and organization can lead to a lack of creativity and understanding.
This might go straight over the heads of many of the children who will be seeing this film, but for adults, it is a compelling and thoughtful theme that honestly strikes a chord.
On a broader level, the purpose of the film is to show the potential we all have to be creative. Even an average minifigure named Emmet, whose ideas are consistently unhelpful throughout much of the film, becomes creative and significant through a new found belief in himself.
Unexpectedly, these moral intentions turn the game of LEGO bricks into a profound symbol of imagination and inventiveness.
Besides its surprisingly philosophical themes, The LEGO Movie is actually quite hilarious for any viewer, young and old. The film is filled with subtle gags made by many of its corky characters that will have children and adults laughing long after.
Also, what is perhaps most appealing of the film is that it doesn’t take itself too seriously. Like 21 Jump Street, it is quick to make fun of its own storyline and characters because, after all, it is quite a ridiculous and fantastical plot.
With a combination of a serious, overarching purpose and laugh-a-minute humor, The LEGO Movie may be this year’s top competition for other animation companies.
