The Lego Movie Videogame

Lore & Background

The game continues the trend of gameplay from previous Lego video games by TT Games, putting players in control of various characters from The Lego Movie. Players utilize Lego pieces to make their way through several open levels, with footage from the film used as cutscenes. For the first time in the series, all environments except the bonus area are made entirely of Lego pieces. The game introduces two main new character types: Regular Builders, who require instruction pages to construct objects, and Master Builders, who can grab Lego pieces from the environment to create new things. Other abilities include using switches, fixing machinery, hacking computers, destroying gold bricks with lasers, destroying silver bricks with rockets or dynamite, starting fires, and putting out fires. Todd Hansen is the only actor to reprise his role from the film as Gandalf, while other actors such as Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Nick Offerman, Alison Brie, Charlie Day, Liam Neeson, and Morgan Freeman are credited for their archival film voices, as cutscenes are sourced directly from the film.

Reader's Guide

The Lego Movie Videogame received positive reviews from critics, with Metacritic scores ranging from 69/100 to 71/100 across platforms. Reviewers noted its faithful adaptation of the film's story and its use of film clips for cutscenes, though some found the gameplay familiar and lacking the creative reimagining of other Lego titles. Andrew Hayward of IGN gave it a 6.5/10, calling it 'Okay' and noting that diverse backdrops and heroes devolve into tedium. Game Informer's Andrew Reiner gave it an 8/10, praising it as a 'visual marvel.' Destructoid's Ian Bonds scored it 7.5/10, stating it does a decent job telling the movie's story. GamesRadar's Giancarlo Saldana awarded it 4/5, calling it one of the better movie tie-in games, though he disliked the smaller amount of content and noted glitches. VideoGamer.com's Christopher Bratt scored it 6/10, criticizing its familiarity and lack of original gags. GameSpot's Jason Venter gave it 7/10, calling it a faithful take with added interaction. Game Revolution's Blake Peterson scored it 3.5/5, citing great comedy and replay value but criticizing technical issues and platforming. Electronic Gaming Monthly's Marc Camron gave it 8.5/10, calling it great fun for fans. Common Sense Media's Chad Sapieha gave it five out of five stars, highlighting that every object is visibly constructed of Lego elements. A sequel, The Lego Movie 2 Videogame, was announced on 27 November 2018 and released on 26 February 2019.

Did You Know?

• The game introduces two new character types: Regular Builders and Master Builders.
• A downloadable 'Wild West Pack' add-on included four new characters and four new pants.

From Boardroom to Brick: The Long Road to Production

The journey to bring a Lego feature film to life began in 2008, sparked by a conversation between producers Dan Lin and Roy Lee. That early discussion set the wheels in motion even before Lin departed Warner Bros. to establish his own studio, Lin Pictures. By August 2009, screenwriters Dan and Kevin Hageman were already shaping the script, and the project received its official green light from Warner Bros. in November 2011 with a target release in 2014. Directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller brought a distinctive vision to the table, insisting that the animation mimic the tactile feel of stop-motion brickfilms while being rendered entirely through computer graphics. Their animation rigs were constrained to match the limited joint articulation of real Lego minifigures, a choice that gave the film its signature look. Animal Logic handled the bulk of the animation work, responsible for roughly eighty percent of the final picture. Most of the voice cast committed in 2012, and the finished film carries a dedication to Kathleen Fleming, Lego's former entertainment development director, who passed away in Cancún in April 2013.

An Everyman's Journey and a Meta-Story About Creativity

At its core, the film follows Emmet Brickowski, a cheerful but unremarkable construction worker in Bricksburg who stumbles upon the Piece of Resistance and is mistaken for a prophesied savior. His quest to stop Lord Business from sealing the entire Lego universe in permanent glue with the Kragle pulls him alongside Master Builders like Wyldstyle, who can create anything without instruction manuals. Yet the story's most striking layer is its meta-narrative: the Lego world is actually being played in a basement by a boy named Finn, whose father—the "Man Upstairs"—keeps gluing his son's creative hodgepodge builds back into orderly sets. When Emmet finally reaches the real world, his plea to Finn mirrors the boy's own realization that his father is stifling his imagination. The reconciliation between father and son plays out in the Lego universe as Business capping the Kragle and undoing the damage with mineral spirits. The film ends with Finn and his sister granted free rein to play, immediately followed by a playful invasion from the Duplo realm.

A Box-Office Triumph and Critical Darling

The Lego Movie hit theaters in the United States on February 7, 2014, after a Los Angeles premiere on February 1. The financial results were extraordinary: the film collected $470.8 million in global box-office receipts against a production budget estimated between $60 and $65 million, making it a massive commercial hit. Critics were equally enthusiastic, praising the film across nearly every dimension—its animation style, screenplay, narrative structure, comedic timing, musical score, and the ensemble voice performances from stars like Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, and Morgan Freeman. The National Board of Review selected it as one of the top ten films of 2014, and it earned a nomination for Best Original Song at the 87th Academy Awards, alongside numerous other industry honors. In the years since its release, the film has been repeatedly cited by critics and audiences alike as one of the greatest animated features ever made, cementing its place in the canon of family cinema.

Sparking a Franchise and a Lasting Legacy

The 2014 film proved to be far more than a one-off success; it launched an entire franchise bearing the same name. Three sequels followed: The Lego Batman Movie and The Lego Ninjago Movie, both released in 2017, and The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part in 2019. Each of these entries expanded the universe established in the original, drawing on the same playful aesthetic and meta-humor that made the first film resonate. The original's influence extends beyond the screen as well. Its visual language—rooted in the look of brickfilms and the physical constraints of actual Lego minifigures—set a new benchmark for how toy-based properties could be adapted into cinema without losing their handmade charm. The voice cast, featuring Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Nick Offerman, Alison Brie, Charlie Day, Liam Neeson, and Morgan Freeman, became closely associated with the franchise's identity. Today, the film is widely regarded as one of the finest animated films of all time, a testament to how a simple construction-toy premise could be elevated into a story about imagination, self-belief, and the joy of creative play.