I’m a sucker for animation . I’m drawn to the humor, the evocative nature of the storytelling, and of course — the oodles upon oodles of hilarious pop culture references cleverly scattered throughout!
Few films, if any, have done this more brilliantly than The Lego Movie . It’s a cinematic achievement in so many incredible ways.
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Have a look at what I’m talking about with these 10+ random facts about The Lego Movie that fans didn’t know!
1. What’s in a name?
Let’s take a look at the name Vitruvius for a moment, shall we? The etymology is of Greek origin, and it comes from the words “Master” and “Builder.”
Coincidence? I think not. But if you need some more convincing, here’s food for thought.
Vitruvius was also a master architect in the early Roman Empire.
He served under Emperor Augustus as both a military engineer and an architect.
Vitruvius most notably helped engineer the Roman aqueducts, and he based his designs on three things: aesthetic value, stability, and purposefulness.
2. Liam Neeson did the voices of Good Cop and Bad Cop simultaneously.
In most cases, you’d look to record the dialogue separately — so as to not put too hard a strain on the actor’s voice. But Liam wouldn’t hear it.
He selected to perform both parts at once, in order to really drive home the manic nature of the character.
3. Vitruvius’ staff is really a delicious candy treat!
A fun little fact from my days spent putting together Lego: a lollipop stick will fit perfectly into any character’s hand!
If you take a look at the staff in Vitruvius’ hand, you’ll be able to notice the teeth marks at the top!
4. Morgan Freeman believes that this is the greatest portrayal of Batman in any film.
When asked how Will Arnett compared to Christian Bale, Morgan Freeman was quick to heap praise upon his co-star.
He said that Will was not only more dynamic but more dangerous as well!
5. *The Lego Movie* was the theatrical debut of Wonder Woman!
There have been a ton of Wonder Woman direct to video features, as well as a Wonder Woman TV series.
But prior to 2014, Diana Prince had never once graced the silver screen.
6. At no point in the movie is the word “Lego” mentioned.
I didn’t believe this at first, so of course, I had to re-watch to see if this claim held true. It turns out, fans were right.
Which is bonkers to me. Wouldn’t saying the word Lego be the greatest title drop in history?!
7. This was the first time that Superman and Batman ever appeared on the big screen together.
Just as was the case with Wonder Woman, Superman and Batman have technically appeared in several animated features together.
But since all of those were home releases, they don’t count! The Lego Movie even beat Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice to the punch!
8. The original actors from *Star Wars* voiced their own pieces!
Billy Dee Williams is most well-known for playing Lando Calrissian in the Star Wars universe. Likewise, Anthony Daniels is best remembered for playing the talkative droid, C-3PO.
The Force is strong with this cameo.
9. There’s a reason why Batman hates Cuckoo Land.
I mean, aside from the obvious. Do you notice how there’s a clown as well as a crocodile beating on Batman for seemingly no reason at all?
It’s an allusion to two of Batman’s most well-known rogues: Killer Croc and The Joker.
10. Benny the 1980-something Space Guy was inspired by a real-life defect.
In the film, Benny appears with a broken chinstrap on his helmet. The original Lego helmets were incredibly thin at the chinstrap and would break easily.
This is a clever ode to Lego’s untold history.
11. The entire movie is a low-key *21 Jump Street* reunion party.
Phil Lord and Christopher Miller directed both films.
The Lego Movie also boasts the vocal talents of Dave Franco, Nick Offerman, Channing Tatum, and of course — Jonah Hill.
12. *The Lego Movie* was Morgan Freeman’s first animated feature.
You’d think that with a voice like Morgan’s, he’d be the hottest commodity working in animation!
Morgan said that what most surprised him was when he learned that he’d be recording all of his lines by himself.
13. *The Lego Movie* inspired a TV show.
Hosted by Lego Batman himself, Lego Masters is a competition style show wherein different aspiring Lego enthusiasts compete against one another for the ultimate prize: a chance at being crowned the next Lego Master!
14. Everything is awesome!
One of the greatest things to come out of The Lego Movie is the undeniably infectious song ” Everything Is Awesome .”
It was co-written/features Andy Samberg of The Lonely Island as well as Canadian indie/pop-rock legends Tegan and Sara!
