LEGO Movie Easter Eggs

[Hapori Tohu]

Yahoo has an interesting story about some things you don't want to miss in The LEGO Movie. Be warned, there are spoilers ahead. The article, <a href='http://movies.yahoo.com/blogs/movie-news/lego-sets-to-look-out-for-in-lego-movie-200310801.html' target='offsite'>19 'Lego Movie' Easter Eggs to Look Out For</a>, may not all really be easter eggs, but it summarizes a lot of the neat little details the creators of the film added in. If you've seen the movie, check it out and see how many of them you spotted! If you haven't and don't mind spoilers, it'll help you make sure you don't miss any of these cool nods. Bionicle even makes the list!

 

View the full article

[Lyichir]

Ugh... another thing that alleges that the filmmakers had some sort of vendetta against Bionicle. Bionicle was glossed over in the movie (for good reason, seeing as it'd be extremely hard to integrate into the movie in a number of ways), but its description as "not worth mentioning" seemed in context to just refer to the fact that if Wyldstyle listed every Lego theme, she'd be there all day. It doesn't help that a lot of the interpretation of Bionicle being denigrated is coming from AFOLs projecting their disdain for Bionicle onto the movie itself, with that disdain being picked up on by the press as the majority opinion of Lego fans.

 

Other than that, this article's mostly just a laundry list of pop-culture references for the non-FOL to spot. There were much more significant and obscure easter eggs from a Lego fan's perspective, such as the "Heartlake City" marquee or the way Emmet's instructions matched a typical Lego instruction book (including a "0-99" recommended age range). I can't wait until the movie's out on DVD so that I can pause at random moments to truly take in all the details.

[Xaeraz]

Yeah, this...This wasn't "Easter Eggs" at all, considering pretty much every item on the list was more or less shoved in your face. Not sure why the author thought that was a good descriptor for them.

[Bfahome]

I heard there's also a character named "Emmet" who appears in a few scenes, so be sure to look for him.

[Takanuinuva]

Clearly whoever wrote the article only saw the trailers and not the entire movie.

[~Shockwave~]

Number 18 has some interesting wording... Someone mind filling me in on where that came from?

[Lyichir]

Number 18 has some interesting wording... Someone mind filling me in on where that came from

I can explain the scene in more detail, I suppose. Minor (not plot-related) spoilers ahead...

 

When Emmet is asking where he and Wyldstyle are after they've escaped to the Old West, Wyldstyle explains all the different Lego worlds. After going through the more mainstream ones (Castle, Pirates, Space, etc.), she finishes with "a bunch of others we don't need to mention" as images from Fabuland, Speed Racer, Bionicle, and other themes flash by onscreen.

 

A lot of fans (and some news outlets) have interpreted this as a slight against those themes (based on the fact that all three were cancelled, and an apparent dislike of them among AFOLs), but that's not very likely considering that both Bionicle and Fabuland were long-lasting and successful themes and both do in fact have large fan followings in certain niches of AFOLdom. A more likely interpretation is that this scene was largely included to give reference to themes that wouldn't fit so well into the story proper. Speed Racer was an obscure licensed theme based on an unpopular movie, so while he did appear in a later scene (as part of Metalbeard's original crew), he wouldn't be worth the emphasis given to other licensed characters. And Fabuland and Bionicle were out-of-scale with regular minifigs, with Bionicle in particular adding the complication of the setting not typically being brick-built.

 

[Voltex]

That was one of the most disappointing lists of not-really-easter-eggs that I have ever seen

I wanna read about the easter eggs I didn't see.

[~Shockwave~]

 

Number 18 has some interesting wording... Someone mind filling me in on where that came from

I can explain the scene in more detail, I suppose. Minor (not plot-related) spoilers ahead...

 

When Emmet is asking where he and Wyldstyle are after they've escaped to the Old West, Wyldstyle explains all the different Lego worlds. After going through the more mainstream ones (Castle, Pirates, Space, etc.), she finishes with "a bunch of others we don't need to mention" as images from Fabuland, Speed Racer, Bionicle, and other themes flash by onscreen.

 

A lot of fans (and some news outlets) have interpreted this as a slight against those themes (based on the fact that all three were cancelled, and an apparent dislike of them among AFOLs), but that's not very likely considering that both Bionicle and Fabuland were long-lasting and successful themes and both do in fact have large fan followings in certain niches of AFOLdom. A more likely interpretation is that this scene was largely included to give reference to themes that wouldn't fit so well into the story proper. Speed Racer was an obscure licensed theme based on an unpopular movie, so while he did appear in a later scene (as part of Metalbeard's original crew), he wouldn't be worth the emphasis given to other licensed characters. And Fabuland and Bionicle were out-of-scale with regular minifigs, with Bionicle in particular adding the complication of the setting not typically being brick-built.

 

 

 

Ah, thanks. I wasn't aware of any sort of AFOL Dislike though... I did see the reference. I must have missed the stuff during the scene mentioned in the article though.

[Aanchir]

 

 

Number 18 has some interesting wording... Someone mind filling me in on where that came from

I can explain the scene in more detail, I suppose. Minor (not plot-related) spoilers ahead...

 

When Emmet is asking where he and Wyldstyle are after they've escaped to the Old West, Wyldstyle explains all the different Lego worlds. After going through the more mainstream ones (Castle, Pirates, Space, etc.), she finishes with "a bunch of others we don't need to mention" as images from Fabuland, Speed Racer, Bionicle, and other themes flash by onscreen.

 

A lot of fans (and some news outlets) have interpreted this as a slight against those themes (based on the fact that all three were cancelled, and an apparent dislike of them among AFOLs), but that's not very likely considering that both Bionicle and Fabuland were long-lasting and successful themes and both do in fact have large fan followings in certain niches of AFOLdom. A more likely interpretation is that this scene was largely included to give reference to themes that wouldn't fit so well into the story proper. Speed Racer was an obscure licensed theme based on an unpopular movie, so while he did appear in a later scene (as part of Metalbeard's original crew), he wouldn't be worth the emphasis given to other licensed characters. And Fabuland and Bionicle were out-of-scale with regular minifigs, with Bionicle in particular adding the complication of the setting not typically being brick-built.

 

Ah, thanks. I wasn't aware of any sort of AFOL Dislike though... I did see the reference. I must have missed the stuff during the scene mentioned in the article though.

 

Yeah, a lot of AFOLs loathed BIONICLE, and a number still regard it as garbage. It, and constraction themes in general, are radically different than traditional LEGO in a number of ways, like having extremely specialized, detailed designs for the majority of pieces and introducing lots of brand-new but functionally identical parts like masks.

 

Even its elaborate story was a far cry from other LEGO themes, and while that was obviously part of what made it so special for us, it also seems a bit constraining to people who are used to more open-ended play themes inspired by the modern day, history, or popular culture.

 

And in fact, the amount of hate BIONICLE got from the mainstream LEGO community is part of the reason sites like BZPower exist — established sites like Lugnet were not exactly welcoming to BIONICLE fans. Today, part of what makes BZPower unique among LEGO sites is that it sprung up around BIONICLE, and thus attracted a unique demographic. Story themes, and ESPECIALLY constration themes, are still not very widely accepted on sites like Brickset. But BZPower looks back on themes like Knights' Kingdom II and Exo-Force somewhat fondly, and embraces themes like Hero Factory and Ninjago. It's part of the reason I stick around.

[LordofBionicles]

I told all my friends that I wished there was a BIONICLE reference or cameo in the movie and it actually was! I did catch it when I saw the movie and I cheered so enthusiastically that the whole room heard me.

[fishers64]

I think I will be easter-egg hunting somewhere else, if you all don't mind...

[iPenguin]

This article was laaaaaaaame

[Makaru]

12. Old man wizards Dumbledore and Gandalf rep the "Harry Potter" and "Lord of the Rings" sets, respectively. (You can spot them running around in the background below.)

 

They could also be seen 10 minutes prior where they had a 30 second scene including a gag on Dangledore's name.

 

A+ 9 stars promising journalism 10/10 would read again

Edited February 13, 2014 by Makaru

[dviddy]

Really poorly researched article even in the "informative sections". Star Wars is not a theme that saved TLG from bankruptcy, it actually contributed to TLG's financial woes. (Indeed, independent researchers [like the guy who wrote that "How Innovation Nearly Killed LEGO" book] all point to BIONICLE as the only properly profitable line in the early 00s, and the one that rode them through that terrible period of malaise and over-specialization.

 

Ugh. And she doesn't say "themes we pretend don't exist" she says "a bunch of others we don't need to mention" which comes across more as "these are less important to the story and there are a ton of themes out there". Duplo didn't get mentioned in her exposition either- but it gets a cameo in the film.

[Relapse]

This article seems to confuse "easter egg" with "literally the main cast." Benny the 1980-something Space Guy and Batman shouldn't be missed! Probably because they play a prominent role in the movie's plot.

 

Also did you guys see the Millennium Falcon? It went by so fast, I wouldn't have seen it had this article not been written by such observant movie-goers. Even more obscure a cameo was The Old West, which had totally blown over my head. Maybe they should've introduced Emmett to an important character here to make it more memorable? By the way, did anyone else catch the Construction and Technic stuff a good third of the movie was based around? Geez, I sure didn't.

 

Thanks Yahoo Movies!

[J46 Nui]

Yeah, the only thing I missed on the list was the Speed Racer cameos. It is pretty obvious that this was written before the author saw the movie, since half of these "Easter eggs" are not nearly as hidden as he seems to think. Everything wrong with the misquote about Bionicle has already been pointed out by others, so I won't dwell on that further.

[Toatapio Nuva]

Question: What's an AFOL?

[Black Six]

Question: What's an AFOL?

An Adult Fan Of LEGO.

[Aanchir]

Really poorly researched article even in the "informative sections". Star Wars is not a theme that saved TLG from bankruptcy, it actually contributed to TLG's financial woes. (Indeed, independent researchers [like the guy who wrote that "How Innovation Nearly Killed LEGO" book] all point to BIONICLE as the only properly profitable line in the early 00s, and the one that rode them through that terrible period of malaise and over-specialization.

 

Ugh. And she doesn't say "themes we pretend don't exist" she says "a bunch of others we don't need to mention" which comes across more as "these are less important to the story and there are a ton of themes out there". Duplo didn't get mentioned in her exposition either- but it gets a cameo in the film.

Well, Star Wars did help in some respects... after all, BIONICLE was in part a reaction to the popularity of LEGO Star Wars and an attempt to craft something with the same sort of multimedia, story-driven appeal. Except, you know, one that allowed them complete creative freedom, and didn't require them to give up a significant portion of their revenue in royalties. It's entirely possible that without the sales strength of LEGO Star Wars, later constraction themes might have been as thin on story as Slizer and Roboriders, without a lot of unique characterization or solid media tie-ins. After all, the LEGO Group didn't really think of themselves as being in the storytelling business before that.

 

(I'm still upset that em dashes don't work on the forums. I'm gonna have to open a tracker ticket for that).

[Canis Lycaon]

The only thing I learned from this article was the little bit about how old helmets (Like Benny's) cracked easily, but that was it. The only thing that was actually an easter egg was the Speed Racer one, and I saw that when I watched the movie.

Edited February 13, 2014 by Canis Lycaon

[dviddy]

According to the author I mentioned above, LEGO Star Wars was a big hit, but the investment in licensing fees, ads, new moulds especially, and overall poor set design, regardless of perceived popularity, actually sunk the company further in debt. So while perhaps it was the idea behind BIONICLE, it was not financially successful that first few years, regardless of AFOL legend.

[Black Six]

According to the author I mentioned above, LEGO Star Wars was a big hit, but the investment in licensing fees, ads, new moulds especially, and overall poor set design, regardless of perceived popularity, actually sunk the company further in debt. So while perhaps it was the idea behind BIONICLE, it was not financially successful that first few years, regardless of AFOL legend.

Actually Pat, the book states that Star Wars did great the first year, and every year there was a new movie. The Harry Potter line was a big hit as well, and the two of them helped keep the company afloat. The problem was in 2003 when there was not a new Star Wars or Harry Potter movie. Bionicle was the most profitable line that year and allowed the company to keep going while it restructured and trimmed down the excess and got back to its roots.

[dviddy]

 

According to the author I mentioned above, LEGO Star Wars was a big hit, but the investment in licensing fees, ads, new moulds especially, and overall poor set design, regardless of perceived popularity, actually sunk the company further in debt. So while perhaps it was the idea behind BIONICLE, it was not financially successful that first few years, regardless of AFOL legend.

Actually Pat, the book states that Star Wars did great the first year, and every year there was a new movie. The Harry Potter line was a big hit as well, and the two of them helped keep the company afloat. The problem was in 2003 when there was not a new Star Wars or Harry Potter movie. Bionicle was the most profitable line that year and allowed the company to keep going while it restructured and trimmed down the excess and got back to its roots.

 

I remember the movie part, but I could have sworn that he'd said the other bits too. The graph he showed had a giant down movement for Star Wars that I distinctly remember he said ended up contributing negatively to the company's overall health, regardless of the perceived success.