Everything You Need to Know About the Lego Movie Franchise

In 2014, movie theatres and homes around the world were excited by The Lego Movie franchise. Following the iconic and beloved Lego brand, the animated movies bring Legos to life in new and exciting ways.

It chronicles a story of unlikely heroes, humorous and absurd adventures, and heartwarming stories woven in between the laughs.

A Blockbuster Debut

When The Lego Movie was released in 2014, expectations were uncertain. Could a 100-minute commercial for Lego toys succeed as a feature film? The answer turned out to be ‘yes’!
The Lego Movie grossed more than $470 million globally against a production budget of $60-65 million (it was co-financed by Virgin and Warner Bros), outperforming such more cosmopolitan movies to 2014’s roaring box-office party such as The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies and American Sniper.
Using a frenetic animation style, ditto meta-humor, and a fair whack of heart, The Lego Movie won over critics and ordinary moviegoers alike – or, at least, many of them. It was even nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song, winning the category of Best Original Song for ‘Everything is Awesome’.
The Lego Movie demonstrated that you really could turn a toy brand into a critically and commercially successful film – opening the way for further franchise expansion.

Spin-Offs, Sequels, and More

Emboldened by the success of The Lego Movie, Warner Bros signed off on a few spin-offs and sequels:

1. In The Lego Batman Movie, one of the most popular characters from the first film gained his own spinoff, and his voice actor Will Arnett returned to provide Lego Batman’s voice. The second film made $310 million in the global box office on a $80 million budget.
2. Lego Ninjago, the film (2017) was inspired by the Lego Ninjago line of toys with a $70 million budget. The film grossed $122 million worldwide.
3. The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019) reunited many of the original characters, including Emmet, Lucy and Batman, taking in $190 million worldwide on a $99 million budget.

There have been spin-off series in the form of theatrical films, but also video games, books, theme park attractions and more. In 2017, there was the series Unikitty! Starring a main Lego Movie character from the Cartoon Network.

Critical Reception

Critics lauded The Lego Movie on the whole, praising it for being funny, well-told, and visually appealing. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, and went on to win several other awards, including the BAFTA for Best Animated Film. 5.
And there’s plenty of fast-paced humour and a brilliant voice cast to make reviews for the Lego Batman Movie strong, too. For instance, Will Arnett is hailed for a comedic take on Dark Knight.
But franchise sequels later in the series got more mixed reviews; spin-offs such as The Lego Ninjago Movie (2017) brought the usual Lego entertainment, but gave the premise a stale smell in the opinion of some critics.

Massive Appeal

Part of the franchise’s box-office success lies in the way it is able to satisfy different kinds of pleasure in both children and adults. Kids can enjoy the vibrant characters, action and humour, while adults relish in the incongruous cultural allusions and the strangely moving revelations of its movies.
These films lend themselves well to family viewing, with parents and children laughing side-by-side, which adds a multi-generational dimension to the brand.

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