Star Wars Characters to Appear in LEGO Movie

[Hapori Tohu]

Earlier today, <a href='http://variety.com/2013/film/news/star-wars-characters-to-appear-in-lego-movie-1200860648/' target='offsite'>Variety reported</a> that Star Wars characters will appear in the upcoming LEGO Movie in their minifig forms. Which characters they'll be was not revealed, but it's certainly an interesting development all the same. Personally, I want to know how LEGO was able to get Disney and Warner Bros. to agree to it!View the full article

[PeabodySam]

So, if Disney and Warner Bros. are both agreeing to put aside their differences and let classic iconic characters appear on-screen together in an animated film featuring a normal city guy caught up in the cartoonish and crazy antics of a massive crossover cast of characters (including the aforementioned iconic characters from Disney and Warner Bros.) who represent the embodiment of imagination and creativity in a Cloud Cuckoo Land that is threatened by a hammy Boomerang Bigot villain...

 

Then I need to find some way to work a Who Framed Roger Rabbit? joke into this.

[Brappy Hour]

Product placement. Obviously.

 

Let's see. It'll probably be Darth Vader, Yoda, R2-D2 and C3PO. Perhaps Chewbacca and Luke as well.

[Vorahk1Panrahk2]

You know, I think all these licensed cameos are really cool and all, but for a movie that's supposed to be a celebration of all things LEGO (or, at least that's what I assumed it would be), I think it'd be nicer if classic non-licensed characters/themes were featured instead. Johnny Thunder/Adventures, Ninjas (classic or otherwise), Exo-Force characters, Rock Raiders, are all fairly iconic themes for LEGO. I think it would be so much cooler to see them on the big screen as opposed to Star Wars and comic book characters which are already given enough attention in other movies and forms of media.

 

But just my two cents. Or maybe classic characters will be prominently featured and I'm complaining about nothing.

Edited November 22, 2013 by Vorahk1Panrahk2

[fishers64]

The Lego Movie seems to be a real big deal, and if they're doing licensed cameos, makes sense not to ignore Lego and Star War's big partnership. Leaving it out would be noticeable.

 

Also, free press for the new SW sequel. That's probably why it was okay'd.

You know, I think all these licensed cameos are really cool and all, but for a movie that's supposed to be a celebration of all things LEGO, I think it'd be nicer if classic non-licensed characters/themes were featured instead. Johnny Thunder/Adventures, Ninjas (classic or otherwise), Exo-Force characters, Rock Raiders, are all fairly iconic themes for LEGO. I think it would be so much cooler to see them on the bigscreen as opposed to Star Wars and comic book characters which are already given enough attention in other movies and forms of media.

 

But just my two cents. Or maybe classic characters will be prominently featured and I'm complaining about nothing.

 

Well, there are some classic characters featured, from my understanding, like the "1980's-something space guy." And Johnny Thunder is supposed to be there, from my understanding.

 

Mostly I think the focus is on licensed characters because they have more interesting backstory and stuff and thus make for a more interesting story on screen. Classic characters sorta rarely have a story behind them, thus making them somewhat generic. It's hard to do a film with generic characters. (What I mean by that is having a character named "Cowboy" or "Bad Cop" or "Space Guy" is harder to relate to than a specific character like "Batman" or "Wyldstyle" or "Emmet".)

 

Also they might have put the licensed characters in the trailers because people know them and might go watch the movie just to see Batman or Wonder Woman in action again. The Batman ref in the trailer seems to refer to an older Batman TV show, which makes in a parental bonus type-deal. It's a bit more attractive than a vague character trailer.

 

Anyway, with all that character stuff said, this film begs for a Bionicle reference (still ). Although I can see why that didn't make the trailer, as it would be a possible turn off.

Edited November 22, 2013 by fishers64

[Aanchir]

You know, I think all these licensed cameos are really cool and all, but for a movie that's supposed to be a celebration of all things LEGO, I think it'd be nicer if classic non-licensed characters/themes were featured instead. Johnny Thunder/Adventures, Ninjas (classic or otherwise), Exo-Force characters, Rock Raiders, are all fairly iconic themes for LEGO. I think it would be so much cooler to see them on the bigscreen as opposed to Star Wars and comic book characters which are already given enough attention in other movies and forms of media. But just my two cents. Or maybe classic characters will be prominently featured and I'm complaining about nothing.

I think the effort is to get a good cross-section of themes that will be familiar to a lot of LEGO fans. Johnny Thunder DOES appear in the movie as a cameo, much like the Green Ninja from LEGO Ninjago, though I don't think either of them plays a major role.The advantage of characters like Batman and Superman is that they don't need a whole lot of introduction for either LEGO fans or casual moviegoers, whereas characters like the Rock Raiders will be complete strangers to anyone who wasn't collecting LEGO in the late 90s. That includes not only young kids but also a lot of AFOLs, since the late 90s are generally regarded as a low point in LEGO design due to using lots and lots of large, specialized pieces.There IS at least one major classic minifigure character: Benny, the 1980-something space guy. Naturally, he's not from a heavily story-driven theme, which offers another advantage: like the new characters created specifically for the LEGO Movie, he's a blank slate when it comes to characterization. Plus, he's from an era of LEGO design that a lot of people remember extremely fondly (in other words, an era OTHER than the late 90s).

[TheSkeletonMan939]

I wonder if Jillian Michaels was invited to do a few lines for the Green Ninja. That'd be cool to Ninjago fans.

 

It'd also be fun to see Greg Cipes, Townsend Coleman, or Wayne Grayson voice Michelangelo from TMNT, but I doubt we'll see any lines from him.

[Sir Kohran]

You know, I think all these licensed cameos are really cool and all, but for a movie that's supposed to be a celebration of all things LEGO (or, at least that's what I assumed it would be), I think it'd be nicer if classic non-licensed characters/themes were featured instead. Johnny Thunder/Adventures, Ninjas (classic or otherwise), Exo-Force characters, Rock Raiders, are all fairly iconic themes for LEGO. I think it would be so much cooler to see them on the big screen as opposed to Star Wars and comic book characters which are already given enough attention in other movies and forms of media.

 

But just my two cents. Or maybe classic characters will be prominently featured and I'm complaining about nothing.

 

Problem is, it's only been since the 1990s that any recognisable characters have emerged. To begin with, most of those were just individual minifigs given names in the odd catalogue; there were no deep storylines or complex worlds for them to inhabit (Alpha Team and Rock Raiders possibly excepted). And on top of that, nearly all their themes were pretty brief and are long discontinued, leaving their recognisability to most people questionable (even Johnny Thunder hasn't had a proper line in ten whole years). Until the relatively recent arrival of Ninjago, Hero Factory and Chima, it was only really Bionicle that had any developed characters in a long-running theme.

 

On that note, do we know if any constraction figures will be appearing? I know they aren't 'iconic' in the way System is, but I think kids and young adults would be far more familiar with them than stuff from the 80s.

Edited November 22, 2013 by Sir Kohran

[Lyichir]

 

You know, I think all these licensed cameos are really cool and all, but for a movie that's supposed to be a celebration of all things LEGO (or, at least that's what I assumed it would be), I think it'd be nicer if classic non-licensed characters/themes were featured instead. Johnny Thunder/Adventures, Ninjas (classic or otherwise), Exo-Force characters, Rock Raiders, are all fairly iconic themes for LEGO. I think it would be so much cooler to see them on the big screen as opposed to Star Wars and comic book characters which are already given enough attention in other movies and forms of media.

 

But just my two cents. Or maybe classic characters will be prominently featured and I'm complaining about nothing.

 

Problem is, it's only been since the 1990s that any recognisable characters have emerged. To begin with, most of those were just individual minifigs given names in the odd catalogue; there were no deep storylines or complex worlds for them to inhabit (Alpha Team and Rock Raiders possibly excepted). And on top of that, nearly all their themes were pretty brief and are long discontinued, leaving their recognisability to most people questionable (even Johnny Thunder hasn't had a proper line in ten whole years). Until the relatively recent arrival of Ninjago, Hero Factory and Chima, it was only really Bionicle that had any developed characters in a long-running theme.

 

On that note, do we know if any constraction figures will be appearing? I know they aren't 'iconic' in the way System is, but I think kids and young adults would be far more familiar with them than stuff from the 80s.

 

It's an interesting question. Traditional constraction figures probably wouldn't be visually or thematically compatible with the feel of the movie, being colossal and towering over the regular minifigures. That leaves a few options: either constraction lines could get a shout-out without appearing (like the Heartlake City marquee we've seen in trailers), or perhaps some of the few constraction minifigures could appear (my hope is that the upcoming Hero Factory minifigs might make an appearance).

[Mr. Cup of Fail]

This is great that they are having DC and Star Wars character in the LEGO Movie and we know that it going to have Batman, Superman and Wonder woman. I hope the Star Wars character are Dark Vader, clone trooper and/or yoda.

 

I still hope they have a Bionicle (Tahu) and a Hero Factory (Furno or Stormer).

[Lyichir]

This is great that they are having DC and Star Wars character in the LEGO Movie and we know that it going to have Batman, Superman and Wonder woman. I hope the Star Wars character are Dark Vader, clone trooper and/or yoda.

 

I still hope they have a Bionicle (Tahu) and a Hero Factory (Furno or Stormer).

I doubt we'll see Tahu, since he'd tower over all the minifigures. If we see any Bionicle characters, I expect them to be the minifigs from '05 to '07.It's nice to see Star Wars represented, since it's Lego's oldest licensed theme. So far that makes three licenses included: Ninja Turtles, Star Wars, and DC. I'm not sure whether we can expect any more. Indiana Jones, Toy Story, Cars, Marvel Super Heroes, and Pirates of the Caribbean are perhaps more likely than previously expected if Disney agreed to Star Wars, but they're far from a sure bet. I wouldn't count on themes like Minecraft or Ben 10 that lacked minifigure scale sets (at least, prior to the movie). Licenses based on adaptations (Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings) are possible, but unlikely since the actual property owners have a lot of control over what movies can feature the characters. Licenses like Lone Ranger, Prince of Persia, and Speed Racer that were based on disappointing movies (at least as far as the box-office is concerned) are unlikely to show. I don't know what the chances of Spongebob or Avatar are (technically the Ninja Turtles figs are based on a Nickelodeon property, but I think WB has the film rights for the brand) All in all, I think Star Wars and DC Superheroes are the brands that will be most worth the licensing, so if nothing else is represented I wouldn't be surprised.

[Sir Kohran]

 

 

I doubt we'll see Tahu, since he'd tower over all the minifigures. If we see any Bionicle characters, I expect them to be the minifigs from '05 to '07.

 

Only dedicated Bionicle fans would remember the playsets or recognise their minifigs. When people think of Bionicle, they think of the big figures, so if there's to be a constraction appearance it'll have to be them. A case of all or nothing.

[Mr. Cup of Fail]

 

This is great that they are having DC and Star Wars character in the LEGO Movie and we know that it going to have Batman, Superman and Wonder woman. I hope the Star Wars character are Dark Vader, clone trooper and/or yoda.

 

I still hope they have a Bionicle (Tahu) and a Hero Factory (Furno or Stormer).

I doubt we'll see Tahu, since he'd tower over all the minifigures. If we see any Bionicle characters, I expect them to be the minifigs from '05 to '07.It's nice to see Star Wars represented, since it's Lego's oldest licensed theme. So far that makes three licenses included: Ninja Turtles, Star Wars, and DC. I'm not sure whether we can expect any more. Indiana Jones, Toy Story, Cars, Marvel Super Heroes, and Pirates of the Caribbean are perhaps more likely than previously expected if Disney agreed to Star Wars, but they're far from a sure bet. I wouldn't count on themes like Minecraft or Ben 10 that lacked minifigure scale sets (at least, prior to the movie). Licenses based on adaptations (Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings) are possible, but unlikely since the actual property owners have a lot of control over what movies can feature the characters. Licenses like Lone Ranger, Prince of Persia, and Speed Racer that were based on disappointing movies (at least as far as the box-office is concerned) are unlikely to show. I don't know what the chances of Spongebob or Avatar are (technically the Ninja Turtles figs are based on a Nickelodeon property, but I think WB has the film rights for the brand) All in all, I think Star Wars and DC Superheroes are the brands that will be most worth the licensing, so if nothing else is represented I wouldn't be surprised.

 

I see what you mean with the size but i still like to see something like that in the movie that Tahu and Furno or Stormer having a argument. But then again ya maybe it a good idea to use the Bionicle minifigs from 07 and the Hero Factory Minifigs.

 

Well i think Ninja Turtles, Star Wars, and DC are good enough, if they add one more, it maybe Marvel (that i think the character are going to be Deadpool, Hulk or Spider-man (i think sony owns the rights to Spider-man)) but i don't think that will work because they already have TMNT, Star Wars and DC. I do like to see Pepper Roni from the old lego island games in the Lego Movie.

Edited November 23, 2013 by ShadowWolfHount

[fishers64]

I doubt actual Bionicle characters will show. There probably will be some vague, between-the-lines thing that only avid fans will catch. (Like the HF refrence in the recent Marvel shorts. Although the creativity emphasis makes me think if they were going to reference Bionicle, they would refer to the Great Beings.)

 

HF figs might - maybe that's why they're doing them, I don't know.

 

There's an entire setting dedicated to the Wild West, but that might reference more classic western themes instead of licensed ones.

[Just A Dot]

I wanna see Kardas rampaging around and destroying all the minifigures and the city and stuff.

 

Of course, Darth Vader making the movie would be pretty darn awesome.

[Sir Kohran]

One concern I have about the use of licensed characters is that if there's too many and they're too prominent, the movie will become less about Lego and more about the characters' background franchises, like a crossover in everything but name.

[Hexann]

I'd imagine Disney and Lego's agreement went something like this...

 

Lego: "Alright then we have a deal!"

 

Disney: "Just remember one of the characters HAS to sing, THEY MUST."

 

Lego: *Slowly walks then runs away hysterically*

 

Disney: *sings evil laugh*

[Sir Kohran]

I'd imagine Disney and Lego's agreement went something like this...

 

Lego: "Alright then we have a deal!"

 

Disney: "Just remember one of the characters HAS to sing, THEY MUST."

 

Lego: *Slowly walks then runs away hysterically*

 

Disney: *sings evil laugh*

 

What was the last Disney movie to have any characters singing in it?

[Mr. Cup of Fail]

I'd imagine Disney and Lego's agreement went something like this...

 

Lego: "Alright then we have a deal!"

 

Disney: "Just remember one of the characters HAS to sing, THEY MUST."

 

Lego: *Slowly walks then runs away hysterically*

 

Disney: *sings evil laugh*

Ya i can 100% see that happening... now sing

[Toa Smoke Monster]

I have a feeling that two of these characters will be Darth Vader and Yoda. I also wouldn't be surprised if C-3PO and R2-D2 made appearances as well.

 

 

 

I'd imagine Disney and Lego's agreement went something like this...

 

Lego: "Alright then we have a deal!"

 

Disney: "Just remember one of the characters HAS to sing, THEY MUST."

 

Lego: *Slowly walks then runs away hysterically*

 

Disney: *sings evil laugh*

I can see it now: Batman, Darth Vader, The Green Ninja, and bunch of other characters all breaking out into song together. It doesn't matter what it would be about, it would be awesome regardless.

[Hexann]

I have a feeling that two of these characters will be Darth Vader and Yoda. I also wouldn't be surprised if C-3PO and R2-D2 made appearances as well.

 

 

 

I'd imagine Disney and Lego's agreement went something like this...

 

Lego: "Alright then we have a deal!"

 

Disney: "Just remember one of the characters HAS to sing, THEY MUST."

 

Lego: *Slowly walks then runs away hysterically*

 

Disney: *sings evil laugh*

I can see it now: Batman, Darth Vader, The Green Ninja, and bunch of other characters all breaking out into song together. It doesn't matter what it would be about, it would be awesome regardless.

Now that I think of it...yeah, that would be pretty cool...