The LEGO Movie – The Messages Behind the Story

The LEGO Movie has been praised as the first “four-quadrant” success of 2014 – appealing to males, females, and the over and under 25 year-olds; but what messages are conveyed by the story that so many are compelled to watch? (Note the following review may contain spoilers)

A dystopian LEGO world?
The story starts out in a kind of 1984 Orwellian world with characteristics of both fascist and communist authoritarianism – in a LEGO block world governed by the tyrannical Lord Business.

The LEGO characters conform to a pre-moulded way of life, afraid to make any decision without consulting “the instructions”. This is coupled with being consumed by capitalism – they are brainwashed to be happy about drinking over-priced coffee and to have a preference for chain restaurants.

It feels as though the story is acknowledging the fascist elements in our capitalist society, and there’s a sense that the story will progress along these thought-provoking lines.

Having come from a fascist LEGO world where individual thoughts are suppressed, the “ordinary guy”, Emmet, is encouraged to come up with his own original ideas, and he’s made to feel special – Great; the film seems to be on an inspirational track for all four demographic groups in the audience.

A shift in the storyline?
However, later Emmet suggests that too many conflicting ideas are present under this individualist ideal, and perhaps following instructions is best – oh, where did this U-turn come from?

So is the message in fact that it’s far better and more efficient to live according to what you’re told and follow instructions, and that freedom is overrated?!

It turns out that the whole idea was to point out that when playing with LEGO, you can either use your creativity and produce something from your imagination, or you could choose to follow the instruction booklet.

So, a far more superficial message than suggested at the start. Although it is a LEGO film, and a focus on the toy should be expected, it was disappointing to feel the entire storyline was based on a marketing ploy.

Are messages harmonised?
There are some beneficial messages in the story – like everyone is unique. But it was as if having planned the marketing-based message, the producers tried to squeeze in some messages regarding values – oh those pesky values.

Team-working can achieve great results, and that was another positive message for kids. But the creative, charismatic individuals were persuaded to follow the instructions of Emmet – the guy who’s only just begun to think for himself and has had comparatively rubbish ideas – because it’s suggested that doing as you’re told is best, no matter who’s devised the plan.

Hmmm, a little bit of a mishmash of ideals, but let’s hope all those kids who are watching will pick out the more liberating ones.

The questioning of capitalism was another very enlightening and unexpected path for this film, and it’s a shame this trajectory wasn’t pursued further. However, the end of the film does once again encourage a move away from conformity. Of course, messages of ethics can and often are well infused into marketing-focused narratives, but this example has its downfalls. The mixing of several haphazard messages makes the story confusing, rather than complementing it.

How does it portray women?
Now, let’s see whether the story can join the limited number that pass the Bechdel test for not being sexist – I’m afraid not.

The Bechdel test analyses whether works of fiction feature at least two women who talk to each other about something other than a man. The Disney animation, Frozen, passed the test.

The main females in the LEGO Movie are Lucy (aka Wildstyle) and Unicat, and unfortunately they never have a conversation with one another. Other than them, there are few females in the film. Even Wonder Woman only gets two lines, while Batman is one of the stars of the show.

Lucy is at first portrayed as a strong character – certainly with more strength of character and self-recognition than Emmet. In fact, she was represented as the hero, but this was soon overrided.

Little hope for gender roles
As the story progresses, Lucy is depicted to have little self-esteem – apparently the reason for her being a bit feisty, which is suggested to be a negative trait. Her low self-esteem is implied in many scenes – most excruciatingly, a couple of scenes involving her boyfriend, Batman. In one of these, during a battle, Lucy tells Batman that she needs his support, and needs him to understand this, to which he becomes frustrated – how utterly condescending. In fact, this particularly juvenile representation of a couple is patronising to men too.

Later it gets worse, as when Batman suggests he can’t cope with her neediness and goes in search of some freedom, she is apparently distraught. How sickening that the main female character in the LEGO story – one that is supposed to be modern – started off as a confident hero but is downgraded to insecure girlfriend of Batman.

Humour and a twist in the story
It cannot be overlooked that this animation is unique, and at times ironic and very funny. The story takes an interesting twist when the evil tyrant, Lord Business – who is voiced by Will Ferrel – takes on human form as the father of a little boy. The young boy has been playing with his father’s LEGO, not following any structure, and his father is furious, saying he shouldn’t be playing with the LEGO. My faith in the film was somewhat restored by this scene, with which I’m sure many families can resonate to some degree, making it even funnier. The boy points out that LEGO is in fact a child’s toy, to which his father replies that the age on the box is just a suggestion.

This is probably the most relatable relationship throughout the film, where the father eventually realises that he should not be hogging the LEGO for himself, but should be playing with his son and encouraging his creativity – So, the moral of the story is somewhat brought together in the end.

Innovative animation
The animation style of this film is also unique and attractive. In between engaging computer graphics and special effects there’s a hint at a rudimentary animation style, which it later becomes clear relates to the fact that the entire story has been created by the young boy with his father’s LEGO. The detached style does play a hand in making the story a little stilted at times, but it is certainly original, and the tying in of animation styles with the story is clever.

Our affection for the product
Kids – and adults too – will surely be captivated by this animated tale told through LEGO pieces, as the toy has played its part in many of our lives. Despite being confusing and sometimes disappointing, the storyline is stimulating and though-provoking; the somewhat provocative and fragmented aspects mentioned above will hopefully inspire debate. Let’s hope that gender roles are improved significantly if there’s a second LEGO Movie. The film ended with the boy’s sister playing with the LEGO, which is a good sign.

About the author
Marianna Keen is content and script writer at Qudos Animations a London-based studio that produces engaging motion graphics and whiteboard explainer animations for businesses. Follow Marianna on Linked In and Google Plus.