Two Worlds

Hi everyone!

Today's class, between the short Lego film (awesome, by the way) and Tchou-Tchou, made me think of The Lego Movie.

While watching Tchou-Tchou, one can feel the presence of the 'player', the one moving all of the blocks. It is almost as if, instead of watching a block boy and girl fight an evil dragon in their city of building blocks, we are witnessing an invisible child create this story.

It was this atmosphere that reminded me of The Lego Movie. The hints are subtle at first, what with cats actually saying "meow" and the engines of cars sounding like people buzzing their lips. However, as the movie progresses, the mention of human objects (kragle) and the 'man upstairs' make it more and more evident that Emmet and his friends are not alone. And then, finally, the scene with Will Ferrell and his T.V. son happens, and we're all like "Ohhhh, I get it!" Except, leaving it at that would have made for a really crappy movie. Instead we see Emmet flopping around on a table in the 'human world' trying desperately back to his world, and it works.

In both of these films, we understand that two world are colliding; the world of the player and the world of the played-with. What is so significant about these films (more blatantly so in The Lego Movie) is that neither of these worlds trumps the other. Both are equally real and valid; they just coexist.  In my opinion, this demonstrates beautifully that the power of a child's imagination is so strong that its products can become a reality.

I also love that at the end of The Lego Movie, the dad is right there with his son, finally using legos the way they are supposed to be used, which goes back to the idea that children's literature (and legos!) doesn't have to just appeal to children, and that no one is ever 'too old'.

P.S. Is the plural of lego really lego? Or is that just a myth?