Making of 'The LEGO Movie' Animation

Making of 'The LEGO Movie' Animation

Despite the fact that the film doesn't hit theaters until Friday, Warner Bros. is already so confident in The LEGO Movie that the studio has already commissioned a writer to script a sequel. That's not a guarantee that it will get made until the actual box office receipts come in, but the film is tracking very well. In the meantime, why not check out how this stunningly animated film was made, complete with a mix of CG animation and practical stop-motion animation using real LEGO pieces. Despite the seemingly limited range of the LEGO minifig faces, Chris Pratt says the facial expressions are pretty dead on.

The LEGO Movie is a 3D animated film written and directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. The film follows Emmet, a completely ordinary, rules-following, LEGO minifigure who is mistakenly identified as the most extraordinary person and the key to saving the world. He is drafted into a fellowship of strangers on an epic quest to stop an evil tyrant, a journey for which Emmet is hopelessly and hilariously underprepared. Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Liam Neeson, Will Arnett, Nick Offerman, Alison Brie and Morgan Freeman all lend their voices to the film Warner Bros.

How to create a hit animated movie

1. CHOOSE A TOY
Since the success of the Transformers and G.I. Joe movies, it's no surprise Hollywood has been hunting for toys that can feature in film. But it took a clever take on the genre by US writer-directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs ) for Warner Bros and Denmark's Lego group to commit to The Lego Movie. ''Phil and Chris took the toy very seriously,'' says editor David Burrows. ''They really investigated what is it about the Lego toy that gives so much enjoyment and creative expression to people, and focused on that.''

2. FIND AN ANIMATION STUDIO THAT CAN MAKE IT
Sydney animation studio Animal Logic, which had worked with Warner Bros on Happy Feet and Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'hoole, created a Lego pirate ship sailing on a Lego ocean as a test scene. Then, at the directors' request, they sealed the deal with a test scene of Lego everyman Emmet auditioning for the movie.

3. WORK OUT HOW TO MAKE IT
With Lord and Miller, the Animal Logic team came up with a plan for creating a photo-real computer animation that resembled stop motion. The aim was to build the scenes brick by brick with a ''homemade'' feel. CG supervisor Aidan Sarsfield says what's called the animation pipeline covered design (sketches by the art department), building the ''assets'' (characters, sets and props) and shooting (with the layout team focusing on camera moves and the animation team focusing on the performances, effects, lighting and composition). ''Probably the most challenging part of the pipeline is having everyone work in parallel, yet still see their work together without stepping on each other's toes,'' he says.

4. BRING THE CHARACTERS TO LIFE
Throughout the process, the team worked hard to make sure the characters would appeal to the audience. As an old-style Lego character, Emmet had only basic facial features - dots for eyes - and limited movement. ''He's someone the animators really took to, so they were able to create some goofy walks for him and some wild expressions, while he goes through these amazing situations,'' says animation director Rob Coleman.

5. MAKE THE STORY STRONG
An Animal Logic team that peaked at almost 370 people created the movie over 28 months. During this time, Burrows says the attrition rate for ideas and jokes was huge. '''It had to absolutely nail it or it doesn't get a look in,'' he says. The result? Glowing reviews, worldwide box office of more than $430 million so far, and a sequel to be shot in Sydney.