The Lego Movie (franchise)

The Lego Movie is a media franchise based on Lego construction toys. It began with the 2014 film of the same name, which was directed and written by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. The success of the film led it to receiving two licensed video games, a theme park film ride attraction, two spin-off films which were released in 2017 and an animated series among other pieces of media. A sequel is scheduled to be released in 2019 along with a sequel to The Lego Batman Movie in development.

The majority of the films have been a success commercially and critically.

The Lego Movie (2014)
The film was released theatrically on February 7, 2014, through Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures to near-unanimous acclaim; critics praised its visual style, humor, voice cast and heartwarming message. It earned more than $257 million in the U.S. and Canada and $210 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of over $469 million. The film won the BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film, the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Animated Feature, and the Saturn Award for Best Animated Film. It was also nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film. The film also received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song for "Everything Is Awesome".

The Lego Batman Movie (2017)
In October 2014, Warner Bros. scheduled the release of The Lego Batman Movie, a spin-off starring Batman, for 2017, moving the release date for The Lego Movie 2 (later titled as The Lego Movie Sequel) to 2018. Will Arnett returned to voice Batman, with Chris McKay, who was earlier attached to the sequel, directing the film, the story written by Seth Grahame-Smith, and the film produced by Dan Lin, Roy Lee, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. On April 20, 2015, Warner Bros. scheduled The Lego Batman Movie for a February 10, 2017 release. In July 2015, Arnett's Arrested Development co-star Michael Cera was cast to voice Robin. In August 2015, Zach Galifianakis entered final negotiations to voice the Joker. In October 2015, Rosario Dawson was cast to voice Barbara Gordon, the daughter of police commissioner James Gordon who later becomes the crime-fighting heroine Batgirl. The following month, Ralph Fiennes was cast as Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce Wayne's butler. Mariah Carey, although initial reports indicated she was playing Commissioner Gordon, was actually cast as Mayor McCaskill. The first trailer for the film was released on March 24, 2016, followed by a second on March 28 the same year. The film was released in the United States on February 10, 2017.

The score was composed by Lorne Balfe, making it the first film in the franchise to replace Mark Mothersbaugh.

The Lego Ninjago Movie (2017)
Brothers Dan and Kevin Hageman, who wrote Lego Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu and co-wrote the story of The Lego Movie, penned the film adaptation of Lego Ninjago, which features a new take that diverges from the TV series. Charlie Bean, who produced Disney's Tron: Uprising, directed the film, produced by The Lego Movie team of Dan Lin, Roy Lee, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. The spin-off movie was scheduled to be released on September 23, 2016. On April 20, 2015, the film was delayed until September 22, 2017 as Storks took over the original release date of the movie. In June 2016, the cast was announced to include Jackie Chan, Dave Franco, Michael Peña, Abbi Jacobson, Kumail Nanjiani, Zach Woods and Fred Armisen respectively.

The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019)
Before the critical acclaim and blockbuster success of The Lego Movie, talks for a sequel were already in motion. On February 3, 2014, Jared Stern and Michelle Morgan were tasked to write a screenplay. On February 21, 2014, the studio scheduled the sequel for a May 26, 2017, release. On March 12, 2014, Deadline reported that the first film's animation co-director Chris McKay would direct the sequel with Phil Lord and Christopher Miller as producers. Warner Bros. did not invite co-producer of the first film, Village Roadshow Pictures, to return as a participant in the sequel, due to Warner Bros. having now more confidence in the film and trying to keep as much profit as possible for itself. On April 10, 2014, McKay expressed that he would like to introduce more women in the sequel than men. On July 28, 2014, it was reported that on the internet, Chris Pratt expressed interest in reprising his role as Emmet for the sequel. It was also reported that Will Arnett might return as Batman, but had not decided yet.

In October 2014, Warner Bros. scheduled The Lego Batman Movie for 2017, and The Lego Movie 2 for 2018. By October 25, 2014, Lord and Miller had signed on to write The Lego Movie 2. The writers have implied that the sequel will take place four years after the events of The Lego Movie. In February 2015, Warner Bros. announced that the title of the sequel had been changed to The Lego Movie Sequel, and that Rob Schrab, co-writer of Monster House replaced McKay as director since McKay went to direct The Lego Batman Movie. According to an interview at the Santa Barbara Film Festival, the sequel will focus on Emmet and his sister, taking place in "weird, dystopian version of Bricksburg." On April 20, 2015, Warner Bros. scheduled The Lego Movie Sequel for a May 18, 2018 release date. On June 17, 2016, the film's release was delayed until February 8, 2019. By July 2016, Raphael Bob-Waksberg had been hired to do rewrites of the script. By February 2017, Schrab had been replaced by Mike Mitchell, reportedly due to "creative differences". On September 6, 2017, it was announced that production of The Lego Movie Sequel would begin in Canada on October 2, 2017. It was also announced that Lord and Miller have returned to re-rewrite the script to tackle with gender issues on how a girl plays vs. how a boy plays.

On March 23, 2018, it was confirmed that Tiffany Haddish was cast in the film as a new lead character while returning actors would be Pratt as regular guy turned Master Builder Emmet Brickowski, Elizabeth Banks as Wyldstyle, Arnett as Batman, Channing Tatum as Superman and Jonah Hill as Green Lantern. On May 21, 2018, Warner Bros. officially renamed the film The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part along with releasing the first teaser poster.

The Lego Brick Race (TBA)
In March 2015, Warner Bros. announced that a third Lego Movie spin-off, titled The Lego Brick Race, was in development. Jason Segel and Drew Pearce were signed on to co-direct and write the film. On August 2, 2017, it was announced that Jorge R. Gutierrez had signed on as director, with Pearce stepping down. At that time, the film was scheduled to be released on May 24, 2019. But on February 8, 2018, it was announced that Gutierrez had left the project. On July 16, 2018, the film's plot was announced by Pearce who confirmed it would be a LEGO racing movie inspired from pre-existing racing films including The Cannonball Run. The original working title was The Billion Brick Race.

Untitled Lego Batman Movie sequel (TBA)
On December 5, 2018, Chris McKay, director of the original Lego Batman Movie, confirmed that a sequel to the film was in development with himself returning to helm the project.

The Lego Movie Videogame (2014)
The Lego Movie Videogame is the first video game in the franchise, and is loosely based on the 2014 film. The game was developed by TT Fusion, TT Games, and Feral Interactive (for macOS), and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. It features over 100 playable characters.

Lego Dimensions (2015)
Lego Dimensions includes characters from various franchises, including The Lego Movie and The Lego Batman Movie. The game's Starter Pack includes Wyldstyle, while Emmet, Benny, Bad Cop, and Unikitty are included in Fun Packs. From The Lego Batman Movie, Robin and Batgirl are included in a Story Pack while Excalibur Batman is included in a Fun Pack.

The Lego Batman Movie Game (2017)
Based on The Lego Batman Movie, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment released the endless-runner game coinciding with the release of the film. It was released for Android and iOS.

The Lego Ninjago Movie Videogame (2017)
Based on The Lego Ninjago Movie, and developed by TT Fusion and TT Games, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment released the game coinciding with the release of the film.

The Lego Movie 2 Videogame (2019)
Based on The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, the next videogame in the series was announced on November 27, 2018 and will be released on February 26, 2019 for the PS4 and Xbox One and for the Nintendo Switch on March 26, 2019. The game will also be available for Microsoft Windows.

Short films
Short films based on the films were created to promote the franchise. Some were released individually, specifically on the internet and/or theatrically. Others were included on the home media releases of the films.

Enter the Ninjago (2014)
Enter the Ninjago is a short film included on the DVD release of The Lego Movie. The president of Hollywood sits down with Emmet and changes up the plot of The Lego Movie to prominently feature Ninjas for marketing purposes. This was the only short film based on the first film.

The Master (2016)
The Master is a 2016 computer animated short film written and directed by Jon Saunders, co-written by Ross Evans, Carey Yost and Remington D. Donovan and produced by Ryan Halprin. The short film was released on September 23, 2016, with Warner Animation Group's Storks, as well as early showings of The Lego Batman Movie in the United Kingdom. It stars Jackie Chan as Master Wu, Abbi Jacobson as The Chicken, and Justin Theroux as Narrator. The short follows Wu and an annoying chicken. This is the first Lego short film to be released in theaters, and is also the first theatrical short film from The Lego Movie franchise.

Batmersive VR Experience (2017)
Batmersive VR Experience is a virtual reality short film, released on the internet in April 2017. Batman takes the viewer on a tour of the Batcave and other places of Gotham City to show the ways of being his sidekick.

Dark Hoser (2017)
Dark Hoser is a short film included on the DVD release of The Lego Batman Movie. Batman attends a tryout to apply to be a member of the Justice League of America, but only finds out he might be Canadian.

Batman is Just Not That Into You (2017)
Batman is Just Not That Into You is a short film included on the DVD release of The Lego Batman Movie. Harley Quinn hosts a talk show and helps The Joker break up with Batman.

Cooking with Alfred (2017)
Cooking with Alfred is a short film included on the DVD release of The Lego Batman Movie. Alfred hosts a Cooking show with Batman and Robin as his guest stars.

Movie Sound Effects: How Do They Do That? (2017)
Movie Sound Effects: How Do They Do That? is a short film included on the DVD release of The Lego Batman Movie. Bane, The Riddler, Poison Ivy and Catwoman are brought into a Sound Booth to help record sound effects for The Lego Batman Movie.

Shark E. Shark in "Which Way To The Ocean?" (2017)
Shark E. Shark in "Which Way To The Ocean?" is a short film included on the DVD release of The Lego Ninjago Movie. The short follows a baby Shark who tries make its way back the Ocean after getting shot out of Garmadon's Shark cannon. The short is animated in the style of the artwork seen in Lego instruction booklets.

Zane's Stand Up Promo (2017)
Zane's Stand Up Promo is a short film included on the DVD release of The Lego Ninjago Movie. The short itself is a humorous promo for a Stand-up comedy DVD starring Zane.

Turkish Airlines: Safety Video with The LEGO Movie Characters (2018)
On August 1, 2018, a short film marketed as a promotional tie-in and teaser to The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part unofficially titled Turkish Airlines: Safety Video with The LEGO Movie Characters was released. It is an Airline safety video featuring characters from The Lego Movie franchise and was devoloped as part of a partnership between Warner Bros. and Turkish Airlines. It is presented by Emmet and Lucy while featuring cameo appearances from multiple characters all across the different area's of the franchise.

Emmet's Holiday Party (2018)
On December 10, 2018, Waner Bros. released a Christmas-styled promotion for The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, titled Emmet's Holiday Party. In Apocalypseburg (the name for Bricksburg in its post-apocalyptic condition), Emmet uses his Master Builder skills to throw a big Christmas Party to make everything awesome again.

Batman Saves Bricksburg (2019)
On January 5, 2019, Lego's official YouTube channel released a short film, Batman Saves Bricksburg. The film depicts a short reenactment of The Lego Movie, prominently and mostly focusing on Batman. Similar shorts starring the rest of the other main characters including Lucy, Benny, Unikitty and Emmet were released upon this one.

"Everything is Awesome" Dance Together Music Video (2019)
On January 8, 2019, one month before the release of The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, the Lego channel released another short film, a music video, "Everything is Awesome" Dance Together Music Video. Using the titular song, the video depicts characters from the original film and sequel dancing to the song. A 360° version was released one week and a day later (January 16).

Attraction
On December 16, 2015, a promo video for a new 4D film at Legoland Florida based on The Lego Movie called The Lego Movie: 4D - A New Adventure was posted onto Lego's YouTube channel. The short subject premiered at Legoland Florida on January 29, 2016 before being rolled out to all other Legoland Parks and Legoland Discovery Centers later that year. It sees many of the original cast returning including Elizabeth Banks as Lucy "Wyldstyle", Nick Offerman as MetalBeard, Alison Brie as Princess Unikitty and Charlie Day as Benny while Emmet is voiced by A.J. Locascio (due to Chris Pratt being unavailable at the time). The film is titled The Lego Movie: 4D - A New Adventure, and introduces a new character called Risky Business (voiced by Patton Oswalt) who is Lord Business' older brother.

Television series
On May 10, 2017, Warner Bros. and Lego announced that Unikitty, a character from The Lego Movie, would get a spin-off animated television series on Cartoon Network. For the show, she is voiced by Tara Strong. The premiere date was January 1, 2018 and the show's executive producers are Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Dan Lin, Roy Lee, Jill Wilfert and Sam Register. Ed Skudder (creator of Dick Figures and co-creator of Dogsnack) and Lynn Wang (co-creator of Dogsnack) are signed as producers while Aaron Horvath serves as supervising producer. The series aired a Halloween special/sneak peek titled "Spoooooky Game" on October 27, 2017. The series aired a second sneak peek "Sparkle Matter Matters" on November 17, 2017 and a third and final sneak peek/Christmas special titled "No Day Like Snow Day" aired December 1, 2017.

Cast and characters

 * Note: Grey cells indicate that the character does not appear in that medium.