It’s been dubbed ‘the greatest commercial in history’, coming in at an impressive 100-minutes and directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. The Lego Movie, initially released at the start of this month, is already a blockbuster hit, bringing in $69 million in its opening weekend.
Image: thelegomovie.com
As one of the most popular toy manufacturers in the world, Lego has come a long way since humble founder Ole Kirk Christiansen started the company in 1932 (check the full Lego story here). Today, the Danish manufacturer of children’s’ plastic bricks is an empire, running the Lego Land theme parks and being ubiquitous in the homes of almost every kid, keeping them occupied for hours with intricate designs of skyscrapers or mansions. In fact, Lego’s already prepared ‘The Lego Movie’ sets, including 17 new building sets and 16 new characters. Yup, the Lego brand is iconic, and that’s why, even before seeing the film, almost every child and manchild worldwide is getting excited about.
Image: thelegomovie.com
The film, a kind of master class on how to brand entertainment, is a faux stop-motion 3D animation. It follows the story of Emmet (voiced by Chris Pratt from Parks and Recreation), an ordinary and smiley-faced construction worker who is mistakenly identified by Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks) as the most extraordinary person and the key to saving the world. This takes Emmet on a journey for which he is hopelessly and hilariously underprepared. The film throws in beloved and recognizable characters such as Batman, Superman and C-3PO and includes the famous voices of Morgan Freeman (voicing a God-like wizard to mock his history of movie mentorships), Will Ferrell as President Business and Liam Neeson as Good Cop/Bad Cop.
Critics are giving the film a rating of awesome (cue the theme song by Tegan & Sara ft. The Lonely Island ‘Everything is Awesome’), with an 8,4/10 rating on IMBD and 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. While we have to be a little more patient on our South African shores as the film is only being released on 14th March 2014, we’re all pretty excited. How can the sight of a teeny tiny Batman grabbing a ride on the Millennium Falcon piloted by mini Han Solo not make you smile? This clearly ain’t child’s play no more.
Words Gosia Podgórska
Image: thelegomovie.com
Image: thelegomovie.com
