Ties with How to Train Your Dragon 2 as the best animated film of the year (so far)

Rating: 9/10 (4 September 2014)

There was the initial worry to whether a film based on a popular (and timeless) children's toy merchandise would work, as results have been mixed on that front, but the trailer did look amusing and the reviews and ratings were great and I as a huge animation fan saw it anyway. The good news is that it does work, yes it is a little rushed at times, especially towards the end, and the last half hour got a touch complicated (if the pacing had slowed down then it would have helped). But what was so brilliant about The Lego Movie was how it took this merchandise and managed to make such a colourful, clever, imaginative and enormously entertaining film out of it when it could have easily been the opposite. The animation is really first rate, the vibrant yet dynamic colours are remarkably vivid and a lot of the visuals especially in the action are very inventive. There is a bright and breezy soundtrack that compliments The Lego Movie beautifully, wasn't that "Awesome" song catchy or what? The Lego Movie's chief selling point is that it is an outstandingly well-written film with snappy dialogue and thick and fast jokes that all hit their mark, by far the funniest film I've seen in a while. The action is also block-busting in the very best of ways. It's not all hilarious though, because there is a lot of heart in The Lego Movie and the message will be an inspiration to anybody. The characters have their entertaining quirks and personalities yet the film really allows you to properly care for them as well, the most colourful being the villain President Business. And what a fine voice cast too, with Will Ferrell stealing the show, he is a hoot, but Morgan Freeman's dignified blind seer and Will Arnett's splendidly dour Batman are worthy of note too. Chris Pratt is a likable, chirpy protagonist but not quite as memorable as the supporting roles. To conclude, a brilliant and near-perfect film, animated or otherwise, that people of all ages and the whole family can enjoy. 9/10 Bethany Cox