| The Lego Batman Movie | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Chris McKay |
| Screenplay by | |
| Story by | Seth Grahame-Smith |
| Based on |
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| Produced by | |
| Starring | |
| Edited by |
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| Music by | Lorne Balfe |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
Release dates | |
Running time | 104 minutes[2] |
| Countries |
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| Language | English |
| Budget | $80 million[3] |
| Box office | $312 million[4] |
The Lego Batman Movie is a 2017 animatedsuperherocomedy film, based onDC Comics characters and theLego Batman toy line. It was directed byChris McKay from a screenplay that is based on aSeth Grahame-Smith story. The film is acollaboration betweenproduction houses from the United States, Australia, and Denmark, the firstspin-off inThe Lego Movie franchise and the second installment overall. The film featuresWill Arnett reprising his role asBatman fromThe Lego Movie alongsideZach Galifianakis,Michael Cera,Rosario Dawson andRalph Fiennes. The story follows Batman as he attempts to overcome his greatest fear while saving theGotham City from theJoker's latest scheme.
Development ofThe Lego Batman Movie started in October 2014, after Warner Bros. announced several Lego films, following the critical and commercial success ofThe Lego Movie. Chris McKay was hired to direct after being replaced byRob Schrab as director of the sequel toThe Lego Movie, who then cited bothThe Naked Gun and theAirplane! as his main inspirations while casting calls began in July to November 2015. The film pays homage to previousBatman media and also features characters from other notable franchises and film series with them. LikeThe Lego Movie, the animation was provided byAnimal Logic.Lorne Balfe composed the musical score.
The Lego Batman Movie had its world premiere in Dublin, Ireland on January 29, 2017, and was released byWarner Bros. Pictures in U.S. theaters on February 10. The film received generally positive reviews from critics for its animation, voice acting, music, visual style and humor, and was also commercially successful, having grossed $312 million worldwide against a budget of $80 million. A sequel,Lego Superfriends, was announced in 2018, but was cancelled afterUniversal Pictures acquired the film rights to theLego brand in 2020.
Within the DC-centric portion of theLego universe,Batman protectsGotham City and fights crime. During his latest mission to stop theJoker and his cronies from destroying the city, Batman succeeds, but additionally hurts the Joker's feelings when he deems him a perfunctory presence in his life, leading the villain to develop a plot forrevenge.
The following day, Batman'salter ego Bruce Wayne attends a gala celebrating both the retirement of Police CommissionerJim Gordon and the ascension of his daughter,Barbara, to replace him. Wayne is smitten by Barbara and this distraction results in him unwittingly agreeing to adopt enthusiastic orphanDick Grayson. Wayne is then infuriated by Barbara's plans to restructure the police to function without Batman. The Joker crashes the party with his cronies, but abruptly surrenders himself, exceptHarley Quinn, to the police. With so many villains incarcerated, Batman becomes despondent as Gotham no longer requires his crime-fighting skills.
Believing the Joker is up to no good, Batman plans to stealSuperman'sPhantom Zone projector, a device that can banish anyone to the Phantom Zone, which houses some of the most dangerous villains in the Lego universe, only forAlfred Pennyworth to intervene and advise him to care for Dick. Batman initially refuses, so Alfred allows Dick to enter theBatcave. Appearing as Batman before Dick, Batman states that he is also adopting him, now christened asRobin. Batman and Robin recover the projector from the Atomic Cauldron in theFortress of Solitude, break intoArkham Asylum and successfully send the Joker to the Phantom Zone. Suspecting that the Joker wanted to be sent there, Barbara detains Batman and Robin.
While the projector is being seized as evidence, Harley steals it back as part of the Joker's plan and frees him, allowing him to return to Gotham with all the villains he had recruited in the Phantom Zone, includingSauron, who informs the Joker that Batman is Bruce Wayne, which the latter interprets as them being roommates. The criminals ravage Gotham and conquerWayne Manor. Realizing that Gotham does need Batman after all, Barbara releases him and Robin and teams up with them and Alfred to stop the new threat. Although his teammates achieve some success in fighting the villains, Batman forcibly sends them away and confronts the Joker alone, fearing that he might lose them just like his parents.
Believing that Batman is incapable of changing his ways, the Joker sends him to the Phantom Zone before stealing the Batcave's stash of confiscated bombs to destroy Gotham. Meanwhile, Phyllis, the Phantom Zone'swarden, shows Batman his constant mistreatment of those closest to him; he finally accepts his greatest fear of being part of a family and decides to change. Batman's teammates return to the fight to help him, but are endangered themselves. Batman makes a deal with Phyllis to temporarily return to Gotham to retrieve the Zone's escaped villains and arrives in time to save his teammates, apologizing to them for leaving them and requesting their help to defeat the Joker. They agree, with Barbara taking on the mantle ofBatgirl.
With help from the Joker's former team, Batman and his team defeat the escaped villains and send them back to the Phantom Zone. Unfortunately, the Joker's bombs detonate, causing the plates below Gotham to divide in half and tear apart. Batman convinces the Joker to help him by telling him he gives him purpose to be the hero he is. With the help of every civilian and villain, they manage to save Gotham, chain-linking themselves to reattach the plates.
Batman reveals to Robin that he is Wayne, then goes to return to the Phantom Zone to face the consequences of his earlier behavior. However, Phyllis prevents him from doing so after realizing he is a hero and seeing how he changed to save everyone. Afterward, Batman gives their adversaries a head start, knowing they will be no match for his team.
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Several actors voice the various villains from Batman'srogues gallery, includingBilly Dee Williams asTwo-Face (as a nod to his role as Harvey Dent, Two-Face's former identity, in the 1989Batman film),[16][17]Riki Lindhome asPoison Ivy,Conan O'Brien as theRiddler,Jason Mantzoukas as theScarecrow,Zoë Kravitz asCatwoman (she would later portray Catwoman inThe Batman),Matt Villa asKiller Croc,Kate Micucci asClayface,Doug Benson asBane (Benson's performance is a nod toTom Hardy's portrayal of the character inThe Dark Knight Rises), John Venzon as thePenguin (the character's appearance is a nod toDanny DeVito'sportrayal of the character inBatman Returns), David Burrows asMr. Freeze (Burrows also voices an anchorman) andLaura Kightlinger asOrca (Kightlinger also voices a reporter). The film also features villains from other franchises, includingSauron fromMiddle-earth mythos (voiced byJemaine Clement), theWicked Witch of the West fromThe Wizard of Oz (also voiced byRiki Lindhome),Lord Voldemort fromHarry Potter (voiced byEddie Izzard; Fiennes did not reprise his role despite starring in the movies),King Kong fromthe franchise of the same name, theSwamp Creature fromLego Monster Fighters (both voiced bySeth Green),Medusa fromLego Minifigures (also voiced by Lauren White)[15] and theDaleks from theDoctor Who franchise (voiced byNicholas Briggs, reprising his role from said franchise).
The voice of theBatcomputer (credited as 'Puter), depicted here as anartificial intelligence controlling all of Batman's gadgets and vehicles, is courtesy ofSiri the digital assistant service fromApple Inc.[18]
In October 2014, following the success ofThe Lego Movie,Warner Bros. greenlit multiple Lego films, includingThe Lego Batman Movie, a spin-off starringBatman.[20] Warner Bros. scheduled the release ofThe Lego Batman Movie for May 26, 2017, moving the release date forThe Lego Movie 2 (later titled asThe Lego Movie 2: The Second Part) to May 25, 2018.[21][22] Chris McKay, who co-directedThe Lego Movie, was brought on board to direct the film, making it his solo directorial debut.Will Arnett returned to voice Batman, with the story written bySeth Grahame-Smith, and the film produced byDan Lin,Roy Lee,Phil Lord and Christopher Miller.[23][24] On April 20, 2015, Warner Bros. moved upThe Lego Batman Movie to a February 10, 2017, release.[25]
According to Lin, he convincedThe Lego Batman Movie to be a family-friendly version ofDeadpool, although he describedThe Lego Movie asThe Matrix for children.[26] In an interview about his work on the film, McKay stated that working on the film was "a very mixed blessing" owing partly to the film's hectic time schedule for its production, remarking that the two-and-a-half years allocated to the film made it difficult to fit in everything that he wanted for the movie, considering his earlier work onThe Lego Movie.[23][27] His work onThe Lego Batman Movie was influenced by the comedy portrayed in bothThe Naked Gun andAirplane! film series, with hispitch for the film to the studios being described as like "Jerry Maguire as directed byMichael Mann". His proposal to combine all the Batman eras featured in the comic book series and various media formats, including movies and comic series, despite a couple of issues—the total inconsistency inherent to such a task, and Lego rejecting some of the characters he proposed to include in the film—was based on his desire of how to portray Robin within the film's setting. In an interview regarding his version of the superhero duo, McKay stated:[27]
I was thinking that we were basically taking theBurt WardRobin and sticking him in the Batmobile with theZack Snyder/Ben Affleck Batman, or theFrank Miller Batman. And putting these two different energies together. Somebody who's like the grumpiest, dark grittiest, broodiest Batman with the most positive, indefatigable kid.
In 2019, prior to the release ofThe Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, Chris Miller stated that all of theLego movies are based on the imagination of a child character, withThe Lego Movie events happening in young Finn's mind. Miller affirmed thatThe Lego Batman Movie was also from the imagination of Finn and Bianca, though the characters did not appear within the film.[28]
In July 2015, Arnett'sArrested Development co-starMichael Cera was cast to voiceRobin.[29] In August 2015,Zach Galifianakis entered final negotiations to voice theJoker.[30] In October 2015,Rosario Dawson was cast to voiceBarbara Gordon, the daughter of police commissionerJames Gordon who later becomes the crime-fighting heroineBatgirl.[31] The following month,Ralph Fiennes was cast asAlfred Pennyworth,[32] Bruce Wayne's butler. Initial reports indicated thatMariah Carey was playing Commissioner Gordon.[33] However, she was actually cast as Mayor McCaskill.[34]
Animation was done byAnimal Logic,[35]Autodesk Maya andSoftimage was used to animate the movie.Lego Digital Designer was used for LEGO model design.[36][37]
As part of its production, the film was designed to make numerous references to previousBatman media. In two distinct scenes where Barbara Gordon depicts Batman's long history of services for the police and Alfred quotes Batman's previous films (as previous moments of emotional crisis), they mention: the 1940sBatman serials, the filmsBatman (1966),Batman (1989),Batman Returns (1992),Batman Forever (1995),Batman & Robin (1997),Batman Begins (2005),The Dark Knight (2008),The Dark Knight Rises (2012),Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) andSuicide Squad (2016); the television showsBatman (1960s),Batman: The Animated Series (1990s),Batman Beyond (2000s) andThe Batman (2000s); and the comicsDetective Comics#27 (Batman's introductory story),The Dark Knight Returns (1986) andGotham by Gaslight (1989).[38] Other references include previous costumes worn by Batman and Robin and the various Batmobiles used. In most cases, their appearances in the film are done in a Lego style, with the exception being footage from a live-action shot ofAdam West's depiction of Batman in the 1960sBatman series and a picture of Batman's suit fromBatman & Robin. Climactic events from past Batman films involving the Joker have been mentioned, including "that time with the parade and thePrince music" (1989'sBatman) and "the two boats" (The Dark Knight).[38]
Alongside Joker, the main antagonist of the film's story, and Superman, who features heavily and has notable links to theChristopher Reeve filmsSuperman (1978) and its sequelSuperman II (1980), many other DC characters, both villains associated with Batman and other DC superheroes, feature in the film. The film's villains who have been featured in Batman comics, films and cartoons include:Man-Bat;Captain Boomerang;Egghead;Crazy Quilt;Eraser;Polka-Dot Man;Mime;Tarantula;King Tut from the 1960s series;Killer Moth;March Harriet;Zodiac Master; theMutant Leader fromThe Dark Knight Returns;Doctor Phosphorus;Magpie;Calculator;Hugo Strange; an unidentified version ofRed Hood; the Kabuki Twins fromThe Batman;Orca;Gentleman Ghost;Clock King;Calendar Man;Kite Man;Catman;Zebra-Man; and a variation ofCondiment King fromBatman: The Animated Series.[38] The other DC heroes who feature, both from the Justice League andSuper Friends, include:Wonder Woman;Aquaman;The Flash;Cyborg;Green Arrow;Black Canary;Hawkman;Hawkgirl;Martian Manhunter;Apache Chief;Black Vulcan;El Dorado;Samurai;Wonder Dog; theWonder Twins andGleek. Although not part of the DC franchise,Iron Man fromMarvel Comics is referenced in the film as part of a small joke about Batman's password for entering the Batcave, referencing the famous rivalry between DC and Marvel.[38]
The film also features characters from other notable franchises and film series with them following the same narrative ofThe Lego Movie in that they came from worlds that co-exist alongside others of the Lego universe, which are made up of Lego playsets of the various media franchises. These additional characters include:Medusa fromLego Minifigures; the Swamp Creature,Mummy and Lord Vampyre fromLego Monster Fighters;King Kong; theDaleks from theDoctor Who franchise; theWicked Witch of the West and herflying monkeys fromThe Wizard of Oz;Clash of the Titans'sKraken;Agent Smith and his clones fromThe Matrix franchise;Jaws'shark;Harry Potter's Lord Voldemort;Sauron from theMiddle-earth mythos; theTyrannosaurus andVelociraptors fromJurassic Park;Jason and the Argonauts'Skeleton Warriors andthe Gremlins.[38][39] The scene where the Gremlins attack the Batwing is a homage toThe Twilight Zone episode, "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet",[40] which in turn is a nod to their origins asfictional creatures of the same name infamous for causing malfunctions. There are also two more references in this scene, one being the origins of the term when 1920sRoyal Air Force pilots introduced a superstition that "gremlins" were sabotaging doomed planes, a popular achievement duringWorld War II, and the other being the 1943Looney Tunes cartoon,Falling Hare, in whichBugs Bunny battles a mischievous gremlin as it terrorises him at an airfield and in a plane.[41] Originally,The Lego Batman Movie was going to include more villains such as the eponymous main antagonist from theKill Billduology, the Butcher fromGangs of New York andAnnie Wilkes fromMisery, but those ideas never came into fruition.[42]
The film also includes Batman watching the scene fromJerry Maguire whereTom Cruise says "You complete me" (which makes Batman laugh out loud); this line had previously been quoted byThe Joker inThe Dark Knight.[38] In the scene where Batman discusses possible team names he mentionsFox Force Five, which is the name ofMia Wallace's failed television pilot mentioned inPulp Fiction.[43] The Winged Avenger suit also pays homage to anepisode of the same name fromThe Avengers.[41] The airplane in the film's opening scene, known as McGuffin 1138 has two references, one being the 1930 novel,The Maltese Falcon, and the other being the 1971George Lucas film,THX 1138.[44] The X-ray security machine found in Arkham Asylum largely resembles the one used inTotal Recall.[45] The scene involving Alfred losing his grip and falling off the edge of a plane is a reference to 1988'sDie Hard.[46] Speaking of Alfred, he mentions the Marvel superheroUnion Jack as he fights off one of the villains.[41] The film's use ofCutting Crew's "(I Just) Died in Your Arms" is a nod to the 1999'sNever Been Kissed.[43] Other references in the film includeBad Boys,Gleaming the Cube andGymkata.[41][40]
The casting ofBilly Dee Williams as Two-Face references the 1989 Batman film, in which Williams played District AttorneyHarvey Dent, before his transition toTwo-Face.[citation needed] This was the second Lego film that Williams had a role in, afterThe Lego Movie, in which he voiced theStar Wars characterLando Calrissian fromThe Empire Strikes Back andReturn of the Jedi.[47] DirectorChris McKay said the film's depiction of Gotham City was inspired byChicago partly due toChristopher Nolan having filmedThe Dark Knight Trilogy in Chicago.[48]
The film also referencesArrested Development,[49] which Arnett and Cera starred in together as an uncle and nephew.
The Lego Batman Movie is the first in the franchise not to be composed byMark Mothersbaugh; the film score is composed byLorne Balfe.[50][51] The soundtrack album was released byWaterTower Music on February 3, 2017, through two-disc CD and for digital download, while the vinyl version was released on May 19, 2017.[52]
The firstteaser trailer forThe Lego Batman Movie was released on March 24, 2016, and features the song "Black and Yellow" byWiz Khalifa.[53] It was attached to showings ofBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in theatres. A second teaser trailer was released on March 28, 2016, and features references to all live-action iterations of Batman, from the1960sBatman TV series toBatman v Superman.[54] A third trailer was released on July 23, 2016.[55][56] A fourth trailer was released on November 4, 2016.[57][58] Over twenty Lego sets inspired by scenes from the film were released for the film including two sets of Collectible Minifigures. A Story Pack for the toys-to-life video gameLego Dimensions based onThe Lego Batman Movie was released on February 10, 2017, alongside the film. The pack adds a six-level story campaign adapting the events of the film, and includes playable figures of Robin and Batgirl, a driveable Batwing, and a constructible gateway model based on theBatcomputer. A Fun Pack including Excalibur Batman and his Bionic Steed was also released the same day.[59]
On January 14, 2017, at theNorth American International Auto Show in Detroit,Chevrolet unveiled a life-sized LegoBatmobile inspired by the design featured in the film, constructed from around 350,000 Lego pieces. As a related promotion, aBat-Signal (alternating between Batman's emblem and the Chevrolet logo) was projected on theRenaissance Center over the weekend, and Chevrolet released a new television commercial tying into the film, featuring the Batmobile as a crossover with its ongoing "Real People, Not Actors" campaign.[60][61]
Warner Bros. released several promotional tie-ins on the week of the movie's release. LEGO billboard versions of several TV shows were shown outside of the studio lot, that took 300 hours to make out of 10,000 bricks.[62] At this time,McDonald's began sellingHappy Meal toys based on the movie itself.[63]The Big Bang Theory included a LEGO version of the opening sequence in the episode "The Locomotion Reverberation" that first aired onCBS. In addition, the network aired two LEGO commercials featuring Batman and the cast.[64]
The CW featured LEGO end cards forSupergirl,The Flash,Legends of Tomorrow, andArrow, respectively, on the week of the movie's release. All four DC shows also include a special variant of the Berlanti Productions logo that featured Batman's cameo and a new recording fromGreg Berlanti's real-life father who says "Batman, move your head." instead of the usual "Greg, move your head." In addition, the network aired two commercials where Batman interacts with the characters from each show.[65]
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The film'sworld premiere was conducted inDublin,Ireland on January 29, 2017,[1] whereupon it went into general release from February 8; it was released in Denmark on February 9, and in the United States and the United Kingdom on February 10.[66] Its overall release saw movie theatres displaying the film in3D,RealD 3D,Dolby Cinema,IMAX 3D and4DX. though the latter format was restricted to 3D for North America, while international countries were able to view it inIMAX.[67]
The Lego Batman Movie was released on Digital HD on May 19, 2017. The release included the theatrical short filmThe Master: A LEGO Ninjago Short, as well as four new short films:Dark Hoser,Batman is Just Not That Into You,Cooking with Alfred andMovie Sound Effects: How Do They Do That?.[68] There is also an audio commentary, along with behind-the-scenes featurettes and deleted scenes.[69]The Lego Batman Movie was released onDVD,Blu-ray (2D and 3D), andUltra HD Blu-ray byWarner Bros. Home Entertainment on June 13, 2017.[68] The film debuted at No. 3 on the NPD VideoScan overall disc sales chart behindBeauty and the Beast andJohn Wick: Chapter 2.[70] Selling 1.9 million units and generating a revenue of $41 million, it was the sixth-highest-selling animated title of 2017, afterMoana,Trolls,Sing,Despicable Me 3 andCars 3, as well as the fourteenth-highest-selling title of that year overall.[71]
The Lego Batman Movie grossed $175.8 million in the United States and Canada and $136.2 million in other territories for a worldwide gross of $312 million, against a production budget of $80 million.[4]
In the United States and Canada,The Lego Batman Movie opened alongside two other sequels,Fifty Shades Darker andJohn Wick: Chapter 2, and was projected to gross around $60 million from 4,088 theaters in its opening weekend.[72] It earned $2.2 million from Thursday-night previews and $14.5 million on Friday.[73] It went on to open with $53 million, finishing first at the box office.[74] In its second weekend, the film grossed $32.7 million (a small drop of 38.4%), again topping the box office;[75][76] with the additionalPresident's Day holiday on Monday, it made a total of $42.7 million for the weekend.[77] In its third weekend of release, the film dropped to second at the box office, behind newcomerGet Out, grossing $19.2 million (a drop of 41.2%).[78]
Outside North America, the film was simultaneously released in 61 countries, and was expected to gross around $40 million over its first three days.[72] It ended up grossing $37 million in its opening weekend, including $9.3 million in the United Kingdom, $2.6 million in Mexico, $2.3 million in Germany and $2.2 million in Russia.[79] In the United Kingdom, the film topped the box office for three weeks until it was dethroned byLogan in its fourth weekend.[80] Meanwhile,The Lego Batman Movie opened in China with $3.7 million and ranked in fourth place behind the latter film,A Dog's Purpose andResident Evil: The Final Chapter.[81]
On review aggregation websiteRotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 89% based on 313 reviews, with an average rating of 7.5/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "The Lego Batman Movie continues its block-buster franchise's winning streak with another round of dizzyingly funny—and beautifully animated—family-friendly mayhem."[82] It was ranked the 23rd best superhero movie of all time on the site. As of January 2025, it has fallen to 30th.[83] OnMetacritic, the film has a score of 75 out of 100, based on 48 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[84] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.[85]
Mike Ryan ofUproxx gave the film a positive review, praising its comedy, and saying: "The Lego Batman Movie isn't the same experience as watchingThe LEGO Movie, but I also don't think it's trying to be. It's trying to be a fun superhero movie with clever callbacks to previous Batman films (every single Batman movie all the way back to the 1940s serials are referenced) that can, at least, provide DC superhero fans with a taste of fun amidst all the doom and gloom. (That can either be a reference to 'the real world' or the currentDC Cinematic Universe films, you can choose either one you want or both.) And at that,The Lego Batman Movie succeeds."[86] Chris Nashawaty ofEntertainment Weekly gave the film a "B+" and wrote, "Lego Batman revs so fast and moves so frenetically that it becomes a little exhausting by the end. It flirts with being too much of a good thing. But rarely has corporate brainwashing been so much fun and gone down with such a delightful aftertaste."[87] Tara Brady ofThe Irish Times earned a 4 out of 5 rating, saying, "Under the direction ofRobot Chicken's Chris McKay, Arnett relentlessly prods at Batman with a welcome helping ofBoJack Horseman-brand misery and narcissism."[88] In a 3 out of 4 review, Moira MacDonald ofThe Seattle Times said, "Kids will enjoy the vivid colors and clever use of Lego shapes (the characters shake hands by interlocking their pieces), as well as the dialogue, which has the cheery, slapdash feel of having been written by extremely clever 12-year-olds."[89]
Tom Huddleston ofTime Out earned a 4 out of 5 score and wrote, "The inept egomaniac is a time-honoured comedy archetype - thinkJack Sparrow,Daffy Duck orDonald Trump - but thanks to razor-sharp writing and Will Arnett's snarling, impossible-to-hate vocal performance, this Batman is fresh and fun."[90]Owen Gleiberman ofVariety said, "Your averagePixar comedy thumbs its nose at a great many things, butThe Lego Batman Movie is a helter-skelter lampoon in the daftly exhilarating spirit ofMad magazine and theNaked Gun films."[91]David Ehrlich ofIndieWire gave it a "B+", describing it as "2017's only good story about a self-obsessed cartoon billionaire who gets money fromSteve Mnuchin."[92]Robbie Collin ofThe Daily Telegraph earned a 4 out of 5 scoring and said, "While it never achieves, or even reaches for,The Lego Movie's unexpected profundity and emotional bite, in purely logistical terms,The Lego Batman Movie is a thing of wonder. There are around four (great) films' worth of action and jokes here, crammed into a story so streamlined it might have been assembled in theLockheed wind tunnel."[93]
Justin Chang of theLos Angeles Times was positive in his review, saying, "In its best moments, this gag-a-minute Bat-roast serves as a reminder that, in the right hands, a sharp comic scalpel can be an instrument of revelation as well as ridicule."[94] J. R. Jones of theChicago Reader wrote, "A movie of endlessly hurtling momentum, this isMad Max: Fury Road for five-year-olds, and not nearly as much fun as snapping those bricks together."[95] Peter Howell ofThe Toronto Star gave the film 2.5 out of 4 stars, saying, "First-time director Chris McKay, late of theCartoon Network'sRobot Chicken, throws at the screen seemingly everything his committee of screenwriters scripted."[96] Michael O'Sullivan ofThe Washington Post praised the film for its heart, humor, and action which "snap together, with a satisfying click."[97]
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AACTA Awards | December 6, 2017 | Best Sound | Gregg Landaker, Rick Lisle, Wayne Pashley, Fabian Sanjurgo and Michael Semanick | Nominated | [98] |
| Best Visual Effects or Animation | Rob Coleman, Damien Gray, Miles Green, Amber Naismith and Craig Welsh | ||||
| Annie Awards | February 3, 2018 | Directing in a Feature Production | Chris McKay | [99] | |
| Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production | Zach Galifianakis | ||||
| Editorial in an Animated Feature Production | David Burrows, Matt Villa andJohn Venzon | ||||
| American Cinema Editors | January 26, 2018 | Best Edited Animated Feature Film | Nominated | [100] | |
| Art Directors Guild | January 27, 2018 | Excellence in Production Design for an Animated Film | Grant Freckelton | [101] | |
| Cinema Audio Society Awards | February 24, 2018 | Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Motion Picture – Animated | Jason Oliver, Michael Semanick, Gregg Landaker, Wayne Pashley, Stephen Lipson and Lisa Simpson | [102] | |
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards | January 11, 2018 | Best Animated Film | Chris McKay | Nominated | [103] |
| Detroit Film Critics Society | December 7, 2017 | Best Animated Film | The Lego Batman Movie | Won | [104] |
| Empire Awards | March 18, 2018 | Best Animated Film | Nominated | [105] [106] | |
| Florida Film Critics Circle | December 23, 2017 | Best Animated Film | [107] | ||
| Georgia Film Critics Association | January 12, 2018 | Best Animated Film | [108] | ||
| Golden Tomato Awards | January 3, 2018 | Best Animated Film | 2nd Place | [109] | |
| Golden Trailer Awards | June 6, 2017 | Best Animation/Family | Won | [110] | |
| Most Original Trailer | Nominated | ||||
| Golden Reel Awards | February 18, 2018 | Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Feature Animation | Wayne Pashley, Rick Lisle, Fabian Sanjurjo, Andrew Miller, Mario Gabrieli, Jared Dwyer, Emma Mitchell, Nigel Christensen, Terry Rodman, Christopher S. Aud, F. Hudson Miller, Beth Bezzina, Sonal Joshi, Derryn Pasquill, Linda Yeaney, John Simpson and Will Kaplan | [111] | |
| Hollywood Music in Media Awards | November 16, 2017 | Best Original Score – Animated Film | Lorne Balfe | [112] | |
| Houston Film Critics Society | January 6, 2018 | Best Animated Film | The Lego Batman Movie | [113] | |
| Heartland Film Festival | October 22, 2017 | Truly Moving Picture Award | Chris McKay | Won | [114] |
| IGN Awards | December 19, 2017 | Best Animated Movie | The Lego Batman Movie | Runner-up | [115] |
| Kids' Choice Awards | March 24, 2018 | Favorite Animated Film | Nominated | [116] | |
| Movieguide Awards | March 2018 | Best Movie for Families | [117] | ||
| MTV Movie & TV Awards | May 7, 2017 | Best Comedic Performance | Will Arnett | [118] [119] | |
| Online Film Critics Society | December 28, 2017 | Best Animated Film | The Lego Batman Movie | [120] [121] | |
| Producers Guild of America Award | January 20, 2018 | Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Picture | Dan Lin,Phil Lord and Christopher Miller | [122] | |
| Satellite Awards | February 10, 2018 | Best Animated or Mixed Media Feature | The Lego Batman Movie | [123] | |
| St. Louis Film Critics Association | December 17, 2017 | Best Animated Feature | Chris McKay | [124] | |
| Teen Choice Awards | August 13, 2017 | Choice Movie Actor: Comedy | Will Arnett | [125] | |
| Visual Effects Society | February 13, 2018 | Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Feature | Rob Coleman, Amber Naismith, Grant Freckelton and Damien Gray | [126] | |
| Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association | December 8, 2017 | Best Animated Feature | The Lego Batman Movie | [127] | |
| Best Animated Voice Performance | Will Arnett | ||||
| Michael Cera |
Based onThe Lego Batman Movie, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment released theendless-runner game coinciding with the release of the film. It was released forAndroid andiOS.[128]
On December 5, 2018, McKay announced a sequel toThe Lego Batman Movie was in the works, with him returning to direct.[129] The film was set to be released in 2022.[130] However, following the disappointing box office returns ofThe Lego Movie 2: The Second Part in 2019,Universal Pictures acquired the film rights to the Lego brand in April 2020, effectively cancelling the sequel due to Warner Bros. owning the rights toDC Comics.[131][132][133]
In June 2021, McKay revealed that the script was being written byMichael Waldron andDan Harmon. It would have focused on Batman's relationship with the Justice League, particularly Superman, and the main villains would have beenLex Luthor andOMAC.[134] Waldron revealed that the film was tentatively titledLego Superfriends.[135]
after releasing a new trailer on Nov. 4.
