The Lego Movie was a massive surprise box-office hit in 2014. Competing with the likes of Big Hero 6, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, it was almost shocking to see how well the Lego Movie performed. Well, not so shocking when you look at the star-studded cast which it boasted featuring the likes of Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Morgan Freeman, and Liam Neeson, just to name a few. Loved by critics and fans alike, it made a whopping $469.2 million worldwide with $229 of that being profit. It was so successful in fact that afterwards it spawned a number of spin-offs that we know and love today. The Lego Batman Movie (another smash hit), The Lego Ninjago Movie, and The Lego Movie Sequel which is planned for a 2019 release.
When really considered, the reason for the franchise's success is quite simple. Everyone remembers playing with Legos as a child. Building ships, towns, mazes, or even the age old classic thingy-ma-jig. Be it at your grandparents, with friends, or by yourself, most everyone played with or interacted with Legos in some fashion during their youth. When the movie was announced a large majority of us were baffled. After all what would a movie about Lego’s even be about? Alas, almost all of us went to go so it and thanks to nostalgic effect and the magic of Warner Bros. it turned out amazing. So, without further ado, here are 20 Mind-Blowing Things You Didn’t Know About The Lego Movie.
20 Robert Downey Jr. and Emma Stone Were Both Considered for the Main Roles
Just imagine that for a moment. Iron Man and Gwen Stacy leading the charge as Emmet and Wyldstyle. Sounds kind of weird doesn’t it? Alas, then rising star Chris Pratt and Hollywood stalwart Elizabeth Banks were ultimately chosen to bring those two beloved characters to life on the screen. And perhaps for the better! Since The Lego Movie, Robert Downey Jr. has starred in multiple Marvel flicks, as well as an uncredited cameo in The Nice Guys. It seems like his Marvel schedule wouldn’t allow for a foray into the world of Legos. Meanwhile, Chris Pratt's' career has absolutely taken off! From starring in both The Lego Movie and Guardians of the Galaxy in 2014, Pratt has gone to become a certified A-list leading man.
19 First Time Wonder Woman has Appeared in a Theatrical Film
That’s right, before there was Wonder Woman starring Gal Gadot and directed by Patty Jenkins, the first time America’s golden girl graced the silver screen was in The Lego Movie. Previously Wonder Woman has been portrayed in the 1970s by Lynda Carter on television and she has been seen in countless cartoons, but it was not until Cobie Smulders voiced her that she made it to the big screen. In many ways, this paved the way for the 2017 release of Wonder Woman and the upcoming release of Captain Marvel starring Brie Larson, subtlety ushering in the idea of female heroes on the silver screen. Way to go Lego Movie! But Wonder Woman isn’t the only superhero to make their silver screen debut in The Lego Movie…
18 It’s Also the First Time The Flash Appears in a Theatrical Film
Again, you read that correctly. While he may have only had a small role, The Flash, the fastest man alive (depending on which iteration of the flash we’re talking about) first appeared on the big screen in 2014 in The Lego Movie. In fact, The Lego Movie premiered in February of 2014 while the CW show The Flash did not get going until October of the same year. While many of us enjoyed Ezra Miller’s interpretation of the character in the divisive film, Justice League, and are looking forward to his solo flick Flashpoint, let us not forget who brought The Flash to the big screen first!
17 They Never Say "Lego"
Just think about it. Re-watch it if you have to, but no one utters the word Lego during the entire 101-minute runtime of the film. This make sense really, as all of the primary characters are Legos and view themselves as sentient beings, so they really wouldn’t refer to themselves as Legos. In their world, they are simply who and what they are, which to them is people. What’s more interesting is the fact that during the small live action portion of the film, the writers and directors avoided using the term. The next time you watch The Lego Movie, you’ll try your hardest to find a moment when they say it, but that moment never comes. It’s almost sad, as everyone loves when the title of a film is said during the film.
16 The Movie's Inspiration
While watching his five-year old son playing with none other than the famous Lego bricks themselves, producer Dan Lin realized how creative the toys were and that they could potentially make an excellent movie, How many times when playing with the Legos as a child did we all come up with stories and plots to accompany our haphazard creations? Well, Dan Lin took that game of make believe to the next level and made a film out of it. Now, I wish I could tell you that the plot of The Lego Movie also spawned from the mind of a five-year old. Unfortunately, professional Hollywood writers were the ones who took Dan Lin’s idea and translated it into a script. Still, we all must offer thanks to Dan’s young son!
15 Batman and Superman Together At Last
Back to DC comics we go. Before there was Zack Snyder’s 2016 Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice, The Lego Movie brought two of DC’s beloved trinity together on the silver screen. Voiced by Will Arnett and Channing Tatum respectively, this version of Batman and Superman, full of Batman swagger and the iconic Superman hair curl, was an absolute hit. The Lego Batman Movie is proof to that, as Superman and the entire Justice League make an appearance in the film. While The Lego Movie did not center on a conflict or relationship between Bats and Superman, many would say that it gave a much better showing than the hated Batman V. Superman, which only featured about eight minutes of actual Batman on Superman crime.
14 Where Does Vitruvius Come From?
Vitruvius, voiced by none other than Morgan Freeman, is actually a play on words for one of the major motifs of the film. The film essentially centers around the idea of becoming a Master Builder, what it takes to become one, and who is capable of the ability. Among the community of Master Builders, there is perhaps none other held in higher regard than Vitruvius. When the etymology of Vitruvius is broken down, it turns out that the people at Warner Bros, or perhaps at Lego, were being quite clever as they used a bit of ancient Greek, as Vitruvius means master and builder. At least, I really hope they were being clever, I find it hard to believe that a coincidence as large as that is possible. But that’s not the only Vitruvius related bizarre fact…
13 Vitruvius Was An Actual Historical Person
Marcus Vitruvius Pollio was a Roman architect and author. Born between 80 BCE and 70 BCE and dying in 15 BCE, during the reigns of both Julius Caesar and Augustus Caesar, he made many innovations which greatly helped the Roman Empire. Among his many writings and creations was the Vitruvian Man, which inspired Leonardo Da Vinci in later centuries. Some would say that Marcus Vitruvius Pollio was a Master Builder, like a certain other Vitruvius we know. This just goes to show how much time and research was put into the making of The Lego Movie. While I’m sure the real Vitruvius had hopes of advancing the human race and inspiring future generations, I’m sure he never thought he’d be in a movie about toys.
12 Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill Make Cameos
At first, this may seem random. However, upon further research, it makes sense. The directors of The Lego Movie, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, are also the directors of 21 Jump Street and have developed a bit of a rapport with the actors. Jonah Hill voices the Green Lantern (perhaps better than Ryan Reynolds in 2011) and Channing Tatum voices Superman himself. It’s great when actors and directors form a type of work relationship as they know each other’s strengths and tend to make better films together. As we know, both Hill and Tatum would go on to star in 22 Jump Street later that year, also directed by Lord and Miller, which suggest that during the filming of both, the stars just hopped on over to record their lines.
11 Most of the Legos are Digitally Rendered in the Film, Resulting in 3,863,484 Digital Legos.
Shocking isn’t it? All the Legos look so real for the entire film that it’s almost impossible to tell. They achieved the real and rustic look by adding scuff marks, fading, scratches, and purposely broken pieces to make them seem more real. In the early stages, they attempted to make it all stop motion, but soon realized that would take upwards of 15 million Legos! Instead, they used a combination of stop motion and digital rendering to give the most realistic look possible. The digital effects team was certainly hard at work making sure the final product was as good as it could possibly be. While the actors always get the top billing sand the fame, we can’t forget how hard those members behind the scenes work to bring a film to the theater.
10 Lando and C-3P0 ae Voiced by Their Original Star Wars Actors
We all loved seeing our favorite Star Wars characters in The Lego Movie. You know what makes it feel even better? The fact that Billy Dee Williams and Anthony Daniels reprised their roles as the famed smuggler and obvious fact spewing robot. While many of us are extremely excited to see Donald Glover’s turn as Lando Calrissian in the upcoming Solo: A Star Wars Story, the original character by Williams will always be beloved. Christian Bale, George Clooney, and Michael Keaton were also approached in hopes of reprising their role as Batman, but declined. Which turned out for the best, as Will Arnett may just have the role of his career as Lego Batman.
9 It's Morgan Freeman's First Animated Film
While Morgan Freeman is famous for his voiceover work, it comes as a surprise to many that The Lego Movie is his very first animated feature film. Not only was it his first, but as of the time of writing this article, it’s his last as well! When he first came in to work on The Lego Movie, Morgan Freeman thought that he would be in a room with other actors, like a typical film. He was extremely surprised when he learned that he had to record his lines alone in a room. For a tried and tested thespian like Morgan Freeman this must have come as a shock to him. He’s used to playing off of his co-stars, but instead he was stuck reading from a script by himself.
8 Morgan Freeman Had An Issue With How Many Times The Script Changed
Being his first animated feature, Morgan Freeman was not completely familiar with all that goes into making an animated film. Namely, all the line changes and edits. During regular films, many directors give their top actors free reign to ad-lib and improve, allowing them to play off one another during filming. That’s harder in an animated film when the actors aren’t in the same room. When a change is needed, everyone must re-record. There were so many line changes in fact that Freeman improved this line of Vitruvius, “Ah, we gotta write all that down ‘cause I’m not gonna remember any of it, but here we go.” Somehow, some way, Morgan Freeman managed to add his own bit of flair to the character which was already quite entertaining.
7 Chris Miller Dres Some Of The Artwork That Characters Use In The Movie
That’s right. Not only is Chris Miller an extremely talented director, but he is also an accomplished artist. Much of the art in the film is drawn by his own hand. Unlike other directors who let others do the dirty work, Chris Miller jumped in and gave a helping hand (pun entirely intended). Much of the work in Emmet’s apartment is drawn by Miller, including the poster referencing 21 Jump Street. It only makes sense that Mr. Miller would feel the need to help in any possible as clearly the effects team had their hands entirely full making and animating nearly four million Legos, so it was the least he could do. Now the only question is what did Phil Lord do to lighten the load and give a helping hand?
6 President Business' Company, Octan
Some of the very astute and aware readers of this list may have noticed this small fact. In the early days of Lego sets, Octan can be seen quite often on the side of Lego Trucks and on the boxes of the small brick toys. Now obviously President Business (voiced by none other than Will Ferrell) has taken the company far beyond its humble beginnings as simply an energy company. This is just one of those things that is cool to see. The fact that the makers of The Lego Movie were so diligent in their work that they added in actual Lego pieces and sets to make the film seem more real to the casual viewer is awesome.
5 Dan Lin’s Initial Pitch Was Turned Down
Back in 2008, after his initial spark of creativity by watching his son play with Legos, Dan Lin made his way to the Lego headquarters in Denmark in order to pitch his idea of creating a movie based off of Legos. Upon making it to Lego HQ, Lin was given an excellent reception. He received a grand tour of the facilities. He took a look through the Lego archives, from all the old toys to the current, visited the Lego factory, and even got a chance to peek into the highly secretive design lab. With such a great visit, Lin was positive that his pitch would be met with a resounding yes. However, when he initially brought it up, they said no, citing that they were already exceedingly successful, so why risk it with a movie? Luckily, they eventually came around and gave us the instant classic.
4 Master Builder is an Actual Title at Lego
The Lego Movie and the real world are so connected it almost puts Marvel’s Cinematic Universe to shame. That right, you heard it here first, all those years of playing with Legos weren’t a waste, as you can actually get paid to play with them. Being a Master Builder in the real world is slightly different than the type of Master Builder we see in The Lego Movie, but they do have their similarities. To become a Master Builder most start at the lowest rung of the ladder as a Model Gluer Trainee and work your way up. While the pay isn’t that spectacular for a Master Builder, my research indicates just south of $40,000 a year, but you get to play with Legos all day. As of 2018, there are speculated to be only about 50 Master Builders in the entire world.
3 First Since Who Framed Roger Rabbit to Feature Multiple Different Licensed Brands
Now that is something truly special. Who Framed Roger Rabbit brought together many beloved characters in a mash up of animation and live action that became an instant classic, much like The Lego Movie. Instead of bringing together the likes of Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny, The Lego Movie brought other timeless classics to the screen. We may take it for granted, but just think about how rare and amazing it is that fictional icons such as Wonder Woman, Batman, C-3P0, Lando Calrissian, and Lord Voldemort shared screen time with real life icons such as Shaq and Abraham Lincoln. Aside from making an excellent movie for both children and adults to enjoy, The Lego Movie succeeded in creating a homage to American culture as a whole.
2 The Song Everything is Awesome Was Composed by The Lonely Island
That smash hit, the song that you couldn’t get out of your head until at least 2016 (and let’s be honest it’s likely still stuck in there somewhere) was composed by the musical comedic trio of Jorma Taccone, Akiva Schaffer, and none other than Andy Samberg. The song is the perfect combination of comedy, catchiness, irony, and a sprinkle of cynicism that highlights some of Samberg’s comedy. “Everything is Awesome” is easily the theme song of The Lego Movie and quite possibly the song of 2014 entirely. We all woke up the next morning singing the catchy tune, humming it under our breath, and slightly unhappy that we actually liked the song. What can I say, everything is cool when you’re part of a team!
1 The Lego Movie is Arguably the Most Successful Film of All Time Based Off a Toy
As we stated earlier, many were terribly confused when they heard that a Lego Movie was coming out. What would it even be about? We were tentative about movies based on toys and for good reason, as the movies we’d gotten beforehand based off toys were underwhelming to say the least. Battleship in 2012, GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra in 2009, and the Transformers franchise (excluding the first entry) just to name a few. Yes, the Transformer franchise may have made a ton of money since their first film, but none of them have been as loved and adored by critics and fans alike. The Lego Movie paved new ground for movies like Trolls to make headway in 2016. The money made and the high quality of the film shows that even a movie about toys with no pre-determined mythos whatsoever can be successful.