Every kid knows the joy of Lego and, to be honest, we’re jealous of today’s youngsters. Not only do they have multi-colored bricks to play with, but they also have dozens of video games and films. So, we set out to find the best Lego movies. (Sorry, we’re not doing the straight-to-DVD stuff.)
If we’re honest, we had low expectations for The Lego Movie in 2014. It seemed like a corporate cash-in with no creative merit, but we were wrong. In the years since, Lego adventures have been among the best animated movies, balancing great gags, creative animation, and imaginative worlds. The brick-based flicks have parodied some of the best superhero movies and the best action movies, earning their due.
What’s the best Lego movie?
- The Lego Ninjago Movie
- The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part
- The Lego Movie
- The Lego Batman Movie
4. The Lego Ninjago Movie (2017)
Every franchise has its weak link, and unfortunately, in Lego, the title of the ‘worst of the bunch’ goes to Ninjago (sorry, ninja fans). This is probably because, whereas the other Lego movies tend to be heart-warming and self-aware satires, Ninjago presents itself as a more contained and ‘serious’ homage to the best adventure movies.
The story follows the teenage green ninja Lloyd (Dave Franco), the leader of the Secret Ninja Force and son of a mega supervillain. Ninjago already had a TV series before it hit the big screen, but even with its fanbase and established world, it didn’t have the same punch and charm as other Lego movies.
Don’t get us wrong; we aren’t saying Ninjago is bad – it’s still an enjoyable kids’ movie at the end of the day, but just not as enjoyable as the rest of the entries on our list.
- The Lego Ninjago Movie Rotten Tomatoes: 55%
- The Lego Ninjago Movie IMDb: 6.0
3. The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019)
The Lego Movie 2 may not be as good as its predecessor, but it’s pretty close. It has the same innovative animation, visionary universe, and humor that works well for both kids and adults alike.
In the first Lego Movie, we learned that the cinematic world was actually a real-life toy with the action coming from players’ imaginations. In this sequel, a brother and sister are struggling to play together, resulting in the plastic world turning into a post-apocalyptic scene.
In short, everything is no longer awesome and things are only set to worsen unless the siblings can set aside their differences.
The storyline is relatable, especially for close families. The message of growing up and cohabitation is super cute – and, before you ask, yes, I did end up sending my brother a cheesy message when the credits began to roll — but unfortunately, The Lego Movie 2 doesn’t offer enough new material to outrank the best movies further down this list.
- The Lego Movie 2 Rotten Tomatoes: 84%
- The Lego Movie 2 IMDb: 6.6
2. The Lego Movie (2014)
The film that started it all. The entire cinematic Lego franchise would be nothing without the adventures of the optimistic plastic construction worker Emmet (Chris Pratt).
The Lego Movie was one of the most surprising films in years. No one expected that a movie based solely around a toy with no character or story in its history would be a surprise hit. But, The Lego Movie blew expectations out of the water, receiving acclaim and numerous awards.
As we mentioned above, the world in The Lego Movie is shown to be a meta take on playtime, where the universe is actually Lego builders’ imaginations coming to life.
It’s an adorable concept that also allows the film to insert tons of pop culture references and craft striking mismatched worlds – since it’s a movie that literally shows fans being in control of the narrative.
I also can’t stress enough how fun it is to watch the animation physically being built in front of you. From start to finish, The Lego Movie is a great time.
- The Lego Movie Rotten Tomatoes: 96%
- The Lego Movie IMDb: 7.7
1. The Lego Batman Movie (2017)
When you think of the best Batman actors in history, Will Arnett has to be in your top three picks because, yes, his voice acting in The Lego Batman Movie is just that good. The Lego Batman Movie is by far the best Lego entry because it achieved a major thing: it gives us everything that the breakout hit, The Lego Movie, did and more.
While the 2014 film touched on this same quality, Lego Batman fully captures the essence of what has made the Lego toy sets and video games so successful after all these years – it revels in its homage and fanservice to the full degree.
The film references plenty of DC lore, the best cartoon characters, and is packed with long-running jokes that any followers of the Batman movies in order and comics will split their sides at.
The Lego Batman Movie is the epitome of self-referential joy, holding the same stylistic and impressive tone as the original Lego Movie while presenting a more focused and hilarious take on one of the best figures in fiction.
- The Lego Batman Movie Rotten Tomatoes: 89%
- The Lego Batman Movie IMDb: 7.3
Why don’t they make Lego movies anymore?
Following the release of The Lego Movie 2, Warner Bros. lost the rights to distribute future Lego movies to Universal. This means that the studio can no longer produce Lego movies, but the studio still retains the rights to all the characters it created, including Emmet, Wyldstyle, and Lego Batman.
This means Universal can’t use any of the pre-established Lego movie characters and has to start again from scratch. In 2022 it was reported that a new Lego movie was in development with Aaron and Adam Nee, who made the very entertaining comedy-adventure movie The Lost City, set to direct.
That’s not the only connection between the Lego movies and Warner Bros. though: the wild success of Barbie in 2023 came after the previous script was canceled partly because of The Lego Movie.
We’ll keep you updated on the development of that film when we have more news.
Canceled Lego movies
When Warner Bros. lost the Lego license, they had to cancel several projects, including a Lego Batman sequel, tentatively called Lego Superfriends, and a third Lego Movie spin-off titled The Billion Brick Race.
Changes in licensing can be destructive to franchise plans, and Lego’s on-screen plans for the future proved this to be true.
Ah well. We’ve explored more iconic toys we think deserve a film to see what might be next. Ghostbusters fan? Check out our Lego Ghostbusters Ecto 1 and 2 review.
For more brick-based fun, here are our best Lego sets based on movies and TV to add to your collection, the rarest Lego minifigures, and a list of the most expensive lego sets.