Starring Anya Taylor-Joy, Gabriel Bateman, Jim Gaffigan, and Daniel Radcliffe
Directed by Lino DiSalvo
Music and Lyrics by various
When The Lego Movie was announced, everyone thought it would be a soulless advertisement for the building blocks. It turned out to be a thoughtful, well-written adventure that managed to discuss the importance of creativity and connection while not only advertising Legos, but a slew of other franchises as well. Playmobil, a German toy company that also created plastic figures and buildings, initially jumped on the bandwagon in 2014. The film didn't make it out until November 2019, by which time many imitations, including a second Lego Movie, had come and gone. How does this one fare? Let's begin in live action with Marla (Taylor-Joy) as she tells her brother Charlie (Bateman) about her desire to see the world and find out...
The Story: After their parents die, Marla gives up her dreams of travel to take care of her brother. He feels she's being too cautious and protective; she wishes he'd respect her. When Charlie runs away, she follows him to a toy museum with an exhibit of their favorite playthings, Playmobil. He grabs one of the Vikings; she grabs him.
The light of a towering lighthouse whisks them into the world of Playmobil. Charlie enters the body of the Viking he held. Marla, who just held her brother, remains herself in Playmobil form. Her brother is kidnapped first by Vikings who admire his incredible strength, then by pirates. She follows him across the world of Playmobil, joined by Del (Galligan), a figure with a bushy beard who lives out of his food truck and sells questionable pink hay. Marla goes on the adventure of a lifetime, from the Wild West to an enchanted forest to a Greek coliseum - to free her brother and finally find the new places she always wanted to see.
The Animation: On one hand, how they do the eyes in cartoony 2-D is kind of weird, and doesn't seem to match the rest of the obvious computer animation. On the other hand, those eyes are fairly expressive and move quite well. Wish the same could be said for their bodies. Marla has to get used to being stiff plastic when she falls into the Playmobil world...but then she has joins and moves normally for the rest of the film.
The Song and Dance: For all the complaints bout how derivative this is, they at least went for an original plot that doesn't rip off anything from Lego Movie but the general idea. Ratcliffe has so much fun as the egotistical super spy Dasher, you really wish he was either in more of the movie or would appear in a live-action spy caper pronto. Likewise, Adam Lambert has a ball as the whiny, makeup-sporting Emperor Maximus and Megan Trainor makes an adorable supportive Fairy Godmother. Some of the details are so creative. I love what the hay turns animals into (including a tyrannosaurus rex).
Favorite Number: We open in live-action with an eager Marla telling her brother how there's "So Much World" out there she intends to see. Charlie and the Vikings are enthusiastic "Brothers In Arms" after we enter the Playmobil world and they celebrate their victory. Adam Lambert explains why he "Gives the People What They Want" to the warriors he's captured. "Rex Dasher" has his own spoof theme that touts his ultra-cool and dangerous lifestyle. The Fairy Godmother shows Marla why she should "Run Like the River" and believe in herself and her dreams.
What I Don't Like: The plot may not directly rip-off Lego Movie, but it still drowns in a tidal wave of cliches. The story of orphans who bond while going on a fantastic adventure has been told many times before, and likely will be told again. Some details may be nifty to look at or bring a chuckle, but they more often than not don't serve the story. Rex Dasher and Emperor Maximus are barely in the movie, but are so funny in their parodies of British secret agents and demanding rulers you wish they were the ones the story revolved around.
And yeah, there's no getting around the fact that this was made to sell toys...and isn't even as subtle about it as Lego Movie.
The Big Finale: Not as bad as many critics claimed in 2019, but not great, either. Worth a watch once on a rainy afternoon if you or your kids are fans of Lego Movie or have played with the toys.
Home Media: Probably thanks to it being a major bomb on release, this can now often be found on DVD for around 5 dollars or less; it's currently streaming for free on Tubi.
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