Ten years later, everything is still awesome about “The Lego Movie.” What might’ve been seen as an obvious marketing ploy to build the Lego empire was instead a creative, hilarious film with more than enough heart to go around.

Inspired by the stop-motion Lego shorts that came before it, “The Lego Movie” is a love letter to everyone’s inner child who dove into a box of Legos and told whatever story they could imagine with whatever pieces they had.

The film was animated using CGI but was extensively stylized to resemble stop-motion. Everything from character models, environments and special effects were painstakingly recreated in 3D animation to look as close as possible to real Lego pieces. Character models even feature scratches, cracks and fingerprints to nail the Lego piece look. 

To fully capture the stop-motion aesthetic, the animators at times animated at the industry standard of 24 frames per second, but also used 12 or even eight frames per second to recreate the stiffness of real Legos.

In addition to being beautifully animated, “The Lego Movie” is gorgeously lit. Golden sunlight beats down on the bricky sands of The Wild West, murky waters surround the main characters’ eccentrically designed submarine and the viewer can practically hear the buzzing of the cold fluorescent lights in Lord Business’s lair.

“The Lego Movie” features creative shot after creative shot. Lord Business’s massive black boots dominate the frame as he stomps toward the viewer in an attempt to squash out the camera. When a character dangles off a racing train, the camera pulls back to emphasize that precariousness. Spaceships and cars zoom toward the camera at blistering speeds, making the viewer feel every twist and turn.

All of that would be for nothing if the film didn’t stick the landing on its message. Protagonist Emmet, who was voiced by Chris Pratt before it was cool, is a devout rule follower. He lacks any individuality, instead, he’s just one piece of the larger set.

As he uncovers the Piece of Resistance, the magic MacGuffin prophesied to stop Lord Business, Emmet learns to embrace his individuality and creativity, while inspiring the other characters around him. The film’s simple message of “everyone is special” works due to its timelessness and heartfelt performances from Pratt and Will Ferrell, who voiced Lord Business. 

While there are a few things that evoke a sense of second-hand embarrassment, notably Emmet and heroine WyldStyle’s beatboxing duet of the film’s almost annoyingly too popish song “Everything is Awesome,” they aren’t enough to detract from the film’s fun and lead into scenes that get the viewer laughing again.

“The Lego Movie” remains a timeless classic and is guaranteed to take any viewer, child or adult, on a fun and silly adventure. Its heartfelt story, great characters and incredible animation will lure anyone in, even after all this time. 

Official Score: 10/10

Categories: Arts & Entertainment