National Film Vault

FILM NOTES

Phil Lord and Christopher Miller's The Lego Movie arrived from Warner Bros. Pictures in February 2014, a rare studio production that managed to function simultaneously as sharp corporate satire and genuinely affecting family storytelling. Built on a foundation of stop-motion-influenced computer animation, it became both a critical and commercial landmark, reshaping expectations for what licensed properties could achieve cinematically.

This 35mm cell, titled Emmet Brickowski Ascends, captures a pivotal sequence in which Emmet and the ancient Master Builder Vitruvius are surrounded by the film's signature dense brick architecture, illuminated by the broad light bursts that accompany moments of transformation and revelation. Three consecutive frames preserve the sweep of that environment, making this a particularly complete window into the sequence.