"Everything is awesome!" So says the song the citizens of Bricksburg listen to on a loop and in the hands of Phil Lord and Christopher Miller ("Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs", "21 Jump Street"), everything certainly is awesome. Just as America is starting to come down from the high of "Frozen", Lord & Miller already have the next big animated BLOCK-buster on their hands. (Get it?)
LEGOs have been so successful for so long because they appeal to a wide demographic: both boys and girls delight in assembling buildings and towns out of nothing; many kids continue enjoying the toys into their adults lives; the lovers of structure can follow the instruction manuals; the free-thinking can come up with their own designs. "The LEGO Movie" accomplishes the deceptively difficult feat of appealing to every one of these groups. The bright colors and fast pace will keep children engrossed while their adult companions laugh at the random humor and the subversive plot. Both the followers of instructions and the free-form builders will love the ways in which the movie obeys the hero's journey...and then creatively undermines it.
The voice cast is a veritable who's-who of comedic talent. Chris Pratt ("Parks And Recreation") as Emmet is a wonderfully accessible protagonist with a guileless tone. Morgan Freeman does what he does best as Vitruvius, Emmet's magical guide. Elizabeth Banks ("The Hunger Games") is a feisty presence as Wyldstyle (no, she's not a DJ). Will Ferrell (as Lord Business), Liam Neeson (as Good Cop/Bad Cop), Channing Tatum (as Superman), Jonah Hill (as Green Lantern), Charlie Day (as Benny), Alison Brie (as Unikitty), and Shaquille O'Neal (as himself) round out the superb cast of colorful characters.
Perhaps the most exciting thing about the film are its eye-popping visuals. "The LEGO Movie" is the first animated film since the original "Toy Story" in 1995 to craft a wholly unique visual style. Using a blend of stop-motion and CGI to build an entire world (including fire, clouds and water) out of LEGO blocks and pieces, the animators have succeeded in making their film truly feel like something we've never seen before. It's a welcome change in a time when studios continue to crank out the same formulaic digital junk food. (Did anybody's children beg to be taken to see "The Nut Job"?) The cleverly constructed visuals have the sheer kinetic feel of a child's playroom, where anything can happen -- and it does. Nestled within this chaotic, constantly shifting world is a surprisingly tender message about imagination, creativity, and embracing whatever it is about us that makes us special.
Pay heed, Michael Bay and Peter Berg, "The LEGO Movie" proves that a film based off a children's toy doesn't have to be a soul-suckingly dull affair. It may be too late for the "Transformers" and "Battleship" franchises, but here's praying that Lord & Miller have paved the way for a marked increase in the quality of our toy/game-based films in the future. All you actually have to do is take the time to craft a story and characters that you're truly passionate about, instead of hurrying to the bank to cash your check.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZ_JOBCLF-I[/youtube]
