Why I Loved The LEGO Movie and Think Your Family Should See It, Too

B doesn't have any of The LEGO Movie building sets, but he made Lord Business
(in the middle) and Emmet (on the right) from LEGOs he already owned.  He also
made a mini-figure of himself (on the left) and brought it to the movie with us.

B has loooooong anticipated The LEGO Movie being released in theaters.  Creating with LEGOs is one of his favorite things to do and his builds amaze the hubs and me.  More than not, we rent children's movies but we knew that this movie had to be seen in a theater.

I have to be honest, I've not been thrilled with at least half of the movies geared towards children in the last 5 years or so.  They're quite entertaining for the kids but I've been unhappy with plots that don't capture my interest, character behaviors or inappropriate "bad"characters for G and PG ratings (I will never get over the fact that Charles Muntz in Up tried to kill Carl and Russell, a child!).  So, although I agreed to take B to see The LEGO Movie this morning, I didn't have high expectations.  Man, was I pleasantly surprised!

Don't worry; the movie was just released yesterday and I don't want to spoil the plot for anyone.  However, this movie was much more than just entertainment for my family and I want to share that and encourage y'all to see this movie, too.

During the opening credits, I was impressed that everything was built with LEGOs, including the Warner Bros. logo.  However, once the actual movie started, I viewed it as any other CGI'd movie of late.  Then a scene took place out on the open sea and while the waves were rolling, it hit me that this movie was not CGI'd; it was stop motion.  The time, patience and meticulousness in that scene alone just blew me away!  I can't imagine how long this movie took to create but I know it had to have been made with love by people who feel the same about LEGOs as my B does.

There were a couple of characters and celebrity voices who made cameo appearances in the movie that caught us completely off guard.  I'd not seen them in any trailer nor heard anything about them in reviews and I loved it!

Like all children's movies, there is a lesson to be learned, a moral.  And although I was aware of the lesson the movie was trying to teach, I felt the characters, the action and the humor were overshadowing the lesson and kids would leave just feeling happy and entertained, not focussed on the lesson.  And then the movie did something completely unexpected that brought its important lesson not only to the forefront, but also into a perspective that every child and adult in that theater could relate to. I have to say, Warner Bros., you impressed the socks off me with that one!

What was happening on that screen is something that happens in my own house.  I never would have gotten the symbolism and made the connection to my home if the writers and producers hadn't "focused the lens so sharply" for the audience and I'm so glad they did.  If it happens in my home, it happens in other homes, too.  The creators of this movie so eloquently opened the eyes of us parents to see things, see our children and ourselves, through our children's eyes.

And if this issue exists in your home, seeing this movie together will start a dialogue about it.  We saw the movie at 11am and B and I are still talking to each other about this movie at 7pm.  We're not only laughing at funny lines or marveling at the movie sets, but we're also analyzing characters, discussing the personality traits exhibited and listening to each others perspective on the symbolism we now realize was throughout the entire movie.  It reminds me of high school English class, dissecting a Shakespeare play, only I'm doing it with my son and we are both loving the conversations!

I hope y'all go see this movie and are as impressed as I was.  Once you've seen it, I'd love to hear what you thought of it, what you and your family got out of it and if this was an issue in your home or not.  You can tell me in the comments, below, or on my Facebook page.