Molouk Y. Ba-Isa

Saudi Gazette

 

If you’re familiar with the colorful interlocking plastic bricks that children have played with for decades, then it might be quite a surprise to see that Lego bricks are popping up far from toy chests. According to BoxOfficeMojo.com, “The LEGO Movie,” which opened in theaters in February has earned more than $224 million. And “The Art of the Brick,” the world’s largest display of Lego art is exhibiting at Discovery Times Square in New York City.



“The LEGO Movie” tells an original 3D computer animated story about Emmet, a perfectly average LEGO minifigure who is mistakenly identified as the most extraordinary person and the key to saving the world. He is drafted into a fellowship of strangers on an epic quest to stop an evil tyrant, a journey for which Emmet is hopelessly and hilariously underprepared.



Please don’t think “The LEGO Movie” is just for kids. It relies heavily on CGI and stop motion animation techniques. At YouTube.com there’s a video showing the technology behind the film, www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOUYIZghgNo and it seems that the movie has been inspirational for many adults. Dozens of websites are offering instructions on how to make “brick” movies.



There’s a dedicated website for the film itself where you can insert yourself into the movie and even make your own Sigfig - or virtual Lego minifigure representation. At www.thelegomovie.com, also play games, meet the movie characters and download posters, FB covers and printables.



To watch the official movie trailer go to Warner Bros. Pictures’ YouTube channel. Warner Brothers, the film’s distributor, has also posted a featurette, “Behind the Bricks,” which imagines what went on when the cameras weren’t rolling on the movie set. It features animated interviews with the film’s minifigure cast. View it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cH4tMSd3QJY    



But Lego bricks don’t need to be virtual to be incredible. To see some amazing Lego brick sculptures click to brickartist.com, Nathan Sawaya’s website. Sawaya is a New York-based artist who since 2004 has been working full-time creating art with Lego bricks. Although not an employee of the Lego Group, he has been recognized by the company as both a LEGO Master Builder and a LEGO Certified Professional. He builds sculptures and mosaics, some of which are based on traditional paintings and sculptures. Prices for Sawaya’s commissioned pieces can range into six figures. 



Sawaya claims to use a use a computer only to help in determining body positioning and assist with the scaling of some of the sculptures that he creates. Lego Group is more encouraging in the use of technology to build models using Lego Bricks. At http://ldd.lego.com/en-us/ download the free Windows PC & Mac OSX LEGO Digital Designer 4.3. The application allows anyone to build their dream model with Lego bricks. It offers an extended mode with unlimited color options and an expansive brick library. There are also other Lego sculpture programs including LSculpt and Sawaya has competition from other Lego artists including Paul Hetherington and Bram Lambrecht. Plus, there’s more Lego animation to come. Warner Bros. has just confirmed that the next Lego Movie is already on the drawing board, scheduled for release in 2017.