Creatively out of control, The Lego Movie revives Warner Brothers Animation and gives them a film with Chuck Jones quality

Rating: 10/10 (11 February 2014)

Now, read the upcoming phrase carefully, because it might come as a bit of a shock.
The Lego Movie is the best animated film, and the best overall family film since 2010's Toy Story 3.
Pick up your jaw, and hear me out. The Lego Movie screams, embellishes, breathes creativity, heart, and soul that has been lacking severely in most animated movies in recent years. It is a skillfully directed movie that has so much detail you might need multiple viewings to catch all the fun. This movie hits on every single aspect of filmmaking, and took everything that worked on the Disney Renaissance and the Pre-Cars 2 Pixar era and gave it a nice whimsical spin thanks to the concept of the building block toys that stand out in American culture.
Where do I start? The Lego Movie is the perfect blend of kids, adult, and nostalgic entertainment that will keep everyone's eyes glued to the screen regardless of age. Whether it's the fun, joyful sounds and colors and visual jokes that will make the kids happy, or all the fun subtle pop culture and nostalgic jabs that will entertain adults, there is something for anyone involved. The animation was astounding and easily has some of the best meticulous visuals since Ratatouille.
The best kinds of stories for animated movies are those that start out simple for the tykes, but secretly contain layers of content for the more established minds. This is what made your earlier Pixar movies so appealing for a vast audience; it never talks down to the viewer but doesn't overwhelm the kiddies. In The Lego Movie, what starts out as a simple tale about a prophesy defeating a tyrannical villain from taking over the environment morphs into a beautiful story about finding your voice and being original.
Like previously stated, all aspects of this movie work. The voice acting was phenomenal, especially Elizabeth Banks as the lead female, Liam Neeson as Good Cop/Bad Cop, and Will Arnett as Batman (he does a better Batman than Christian Bale—seriously). The musical score was on-point, the humor and action run plentiful, and there's plenty of heart and soul that will tug the heartstrings. Just wait until you arrive at the final act. Unlike practically every movie nowadays, you won't see it coming.
It might be hard to believe that a movie with serious marketing and product placement implications becomes the best around since this past summer with Before Midnight. It might be even harder to believe that Warner Brothers has managed to surpass the usual suspects of Pixar (notice all the movies I've referenced in the review) and Dreamworks at their very own game. Nonetheless, this shocker of a gem is the perfect family cinematic package. From top to bottom The Lego Movie delivers. If this isn't one of the best films of 2014, then we are in for a spectacular year of cinema because this movie is seriously a work of kinetic brilliance.
Recommend to the highest degree, no matter who you are or how old you are.