Brickfilm-maker David Pagano shares some of his personal creations, as well as notable brickfilms from other creators.–Ed.
In some ways, The Lego Movie is like one big love letter to brickfilmers everywhere. Based on interviews, it seems like that was the directors’ intention. With that in mind, here are 10 works of Lego animated art (in no particular order) that you should check out before heading to the theater this weekend …
The Magic Portal by Lindsay Fleay
The second-oldest known Lego fan film took four years to complete and was shot on 16mm back in the 1980s. Keep watch for a shout-out to this film in The Lego Movie.
The Nightly News at Nine by David Pickett
This episodic series details the zany adventures of a TV News team who live in a fantastical world made of plastic bricks.
Play Nice by Garrett Barati
Garrett, who has since worked on many official projects for TLG, started out with this sweet tale of a brother and sister who just can’t agree on what to build.
Lego Sport Champions
The oldest known official Lego stop-motion release, this series of 7 shorts uses all brick-built characters and was produced by Vianco Studio in Budapest in the late 1980s.
Robota by Marc Beurteaux
A wonderful, beautifully designed film about a down-and-out robot who’s just trying to get her legs repaired.
Greedy Bricks by Mirko Horstmann
This short uses only 10 Lego elements to tell its story; proving that it’s not how many bricks you have, but how you use them.
Spider-Man: The Peril of Doc Ock by Spite Your Face Productions
One of the earliest official Lego shorts of the modern era, this Spider-Man adventure was created by Spite Your Face Productions, perhaps best known for their Monty Python and the Holy Grail Lego tribute.
Little Guys! by Paganomation
What’s a list of brickfilms without some solid self-promotion? Little Guys! was my thesis film in college, and features giant brick-built characters. I’m working on the sequel as we speak.
8-bit Trip by Rymdreglage
A terrific homage to video games of yore by Rymdreglage, a musical duo from Sweden.
Dino Cop
This short from 2000 was released by TLG to coincide with the Lego Studios product line. A goofy, fun story of a cop who just happens to also be a dinosaur.
ADVERTISEMENT
