The Lego Movie parents guide

The Lego Movie Parent Guide

Kids will be entertained, but, surprisingly, adults will probably have the most fun in this film.

Overall A

The kid's toy LEGO assembles itself into an animated movie, featuring an ordinary LEGO man (voice of Chris Pratt) who is mistaken for an extraordinary action figure by a group of super heroes. These "Master Builders" are hoping he will help them dismantle an evil villain's diabolical plans.

Release date February 7, 2014

Violence B-
Sexual Content B+
Profanity A-
Substance Use A

Why is The Lego Movie rated PG? The MPAA rated The Lego Movie PG for mild action and rude humor.

Run Time: 101 minutes

Official Movie Site

Parent Movie Review

The Lego Movie uses building blocks to pose an interesting dilemma: When do you follow the instructions and when do you disregard them?

When builders first started snapping the colorful blocks together in the 1950s, there weren’t a lot of instructions—or a lot of options when it came to the pieces. Things have changed dramatically in the last 60 years. Now Lego blocks come in kits with specific instructions for constructing the item shown on the outside of the box. For those who like order in their lives, this marketing approach is perfect. Unfortunately, those who want to use their own imaginations may find the instructions to be a little stifling.

In The Lego Movie, Emmett Brickowoski (voice of Chris Pratt) is one of those construction minifigures who follows the instruction booklet religiously. As a result of their coordinated efforts, he and the other construction characters are able to assemble impressive structures for their leader President Business (voice by Will Ferrell).

However, everything is not well in the Lego universe. And one day after Emmett mistakenly falls down a hole in the ground, he discovers an entire group of Master Builders. Among them are ninja fighter WyldStyle (voice of Elizabeth Banks), Batman (voice of Will Arnett), Superman (Channing Tatum) Unikitty (voice of Alison Brie), Gandalf (voice of Todd Hansen) and their leader Vitruvius (voice of Morgan Freeman). Vitruvius tells Emmett he is the chosen one—the Special Master Builder who will save everyone from the diabolical deeds of President Business and his Bad Cop (voice of Liam Nesom). But being called “special” is a pretty heady experience for this average guy.

We’ve seen plenty of toy-inspired movies lately like Transformers and G.I. Joe, although most of these franchises are aimed at an older crowd. So parents will be pleased to know The Lego Movie will likely be suitable for the slightly younger 8-and-up crowd. They won’t get all of the jokes, yet there are enough explosions, action and peril to keep the majority of kids entertained.

Surprisingly, it is adults who will probably have the most fun in this film, especially if they’ve played with Lego. It’s apparent someone behind this script knows his or her way around the toy. The items in the Hall of Relics are the kind of objects that mysteriously show up in the bottom of every Lego storage box: discarded bandages, misplaced game pieces, even a 9-volt battery. And the parade of Lego characters in this story includes a whole new set of figures, along with resurrecting some old ones.

With a creative marketing team behind the release, Warner Bros. and The Lego Group are set to further promote the movie by releasing 17 building sets based on scenes from the movie. They are also launching 16 new collectable minifigures including Shakespeare, Abraham Lincoln, Taco Tuesday Guy and Scribble-Face Bad Cop.

Because they are made of plastic and plastic doesn’t bleed, there’s no gore in this film. Still, there are explosions, simulated fire, bullets and some moments of peril for the little figures. At least one character also dies.

Luckily the real message of this story is about embracing your own creativity. While following the instructions has its place, Emmett discovers the real joy of building when he finally tosses the booklet aside.

Directed by Phil Lord, Chris Miller, Chris McKay. Starring Morgan Freeman, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Chris Pratt. Running time: 101 minutes. Theatrical release February 7, 2014. Updated

The Lego Movie
Rating & Content Info

Why is The Lego Movie rated PG? The Lego Movie is rated PG by the MPAA for mild action and rude humor.

Violence: A character steals items. While the movie contains action violence, no blood is depicted. A man is kicked off of a cliff. Simulated explosions and gunfire are shown. One character is impaled on a Lego spear. In a torture scene, a character threatens to melt another character. Ninja-style fighting and other cartoon violence is shown. Cowboys engage in a bar fight. A character is beheaded with a coin. A man dies and others are tied up. A character uses a sharp blade to remove an object from another person’s body.

Sexual Content: A character comments about scratching his backside. Characters make photocopies of their buttocks. A couple falls in love.

Language: The script contains brief modified profanities including heck, dang and gosh.

Alcohol / Drug Use:None noted.

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The Lego Movie Parents' Guide

Why does Emmett want to believe he is special even though he is a very average guy? Why does Lord Business say that you don’t get a trophy for just showing up? How do he and other characters define someone who is not ordinary? What is your definition of special?

What does this film say about the importance of creativity? What have the master builders in this story done to hone their creative skills? When is following the instructions a better option? What are the limitations of only following the instruction booklet?

How are television and music portrayed in this movie? Why are they so “vanilla”? How can pop culture become so concerned with appealing to the masses that it loses all its imagination?

Learn more about the creative building blocks called LEGO.

Home Video

The most recent home video release of The Lego Movie movie is June 17, 2014. Here are some details…

Home Video Notes: The Lego Movie

Release Date: 17 June 2014

The Lego Movie releases to home video in three packages:

- The Lego Movie (DVD)

- The Lego Movie (Blu-ray + DVD + UltraViolet Combo Pack)

- The Lego Movie: Everything is Awesome Edition (Blu-ray + DVD + UltraViolet Digital HD + Vitruvius minifigure + Collectible 3D Emmet photo + Bonus 3D movie). Bonus extras in this package include:

- Feature Audio Commentary

- Batman: A True Artist

- Michelangelo and Lincoln: History Cops

- Enter the Ninjago

- Bringing LEGO to Life

- “Everything is Awesome” Sing-Along

- See it! Build it!

- Stories from the Story Team

- Fan-Made Films: Top Secret Submissions

- Outtakes and Deleted Scenes

- Alleyway Test

- Dream Job: Meet The LEGO Builders (Everything is Awesome Edition Exclusive)

Related home video titles:

The screenwriters for this film also penned the scripts of Hotel Transylvania, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs and Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2. LEGO action figures featured in this film include characters from other popular movies. Look for Batman, Jedi Knights from Star Wars and Gandalf from Lord of the Rings.

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