Although it has been 10 years since, I am still angry at the Oscars for snubbing The Lego Movie. Released in 2014, The Lego Movie was a brilliantly clever and hilarious addition to animation, as it utilised various Lego characters to create a movie that resembled stop motion. The film followed ordinary Lego minifigure Emmet Brickowski (Chris Pratt) as he grappled with his destiny as “the chosen one” to stop a tyrannical businessman (Will Ferrell) from gluing the entire Lego world. Grossing $470.7 million at the box office worldwide, The Lego Movie was a critical and commercial success.

Many critics praised the Warner Bros. film for its refreshing animation, story, and unique humor. As a result, The Lego Movie kickstarted a franchise, with three more Lego Movies released in the years following. Over 10 years on, The Lego Movie still holds up and has been regarded as one of the greatest animated films of all time due to its clever approach and successful execution. However, despite its widespread success, The Lego Movie was also subject to one of the most shocking Oscar nomination snubs, as the film scored a nomination in a category that no one expected.

The Lego Movie Was Nominated For One Oscar (The One It Didn’t Deserve)

The Lego Movie Was Nominated For Best Original Song

The Lego Movie received many accolades when it was released, scoring 77 nominations and 40 wins in total. However, while The Lego Movie was nominated for an Oscar award, it was not in the category that everyone expected. The Lego Movie was nominated for Best Original Song (“Everything Is Awesome”) at the 87th Academy Awards, but was snubbed for Best Animated Feature. This is surprising considering it was nominated for the Best Animated Film categories at the BAFTAs, Critics’ Choice Awards, and Golden Globe Awards. Therefore, many feel it was snubbed, and the movie should have won Best Animated Feature.

There are many reasons why The Lego Movie should have been nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Oscars. Considering how long it took to make The Lego Movie, the refreshing and novel artistic style, and the decent storyline making the movie more than just a company cash grab, the film has earned a lot of praise and cemented its place in the history of animated movies. Therefore, it is unbelievable how The Lego Movie was nominated for a Best Original Song Oscar for the song “Everything Is Awesome,” when it was supposed to be a purposely bad song.

I was going through a very ugly divorce when I wrote that song […] I wrote pages and pages and pages of lyrics, trying different concepts. There were definitely elements of darkness seeping into my lyrics — sarcasm, heavy f—ing sarcasm.

In 2015, The Hollywood Reporter interviewed Oscar song nominees, including “Everything Is Awesome” songwriter Shawn Patterson. Shockingly, Patterson admitted, “I was going through a very ugly divorce when I wrote that song,” saying that the song stemmed from “heavy f—ing sarcasm.” The overly bright tones of the song fit within Lego’s aesthetic, making it perfect for a kid’s movie, but the darker tones fit The Lego Movie’s underlying messages. That being said, “Everything Is Awesome” is still a purposely bad, sarcastic song, so it makes no sense that The Lego Movie was nominated for that instead of Best Animated Feature.

2015 Was A Compeтιтive Year For Best Animated Feature

The Lego Movie Faced Stiff Compeтιтion From Traditional Movies

While The Lego Movie was snubbed, unfortunately, 2015 was a compeтιтive year for the Best Animated Feature Film. Those nominated for Best Animated Feature Film at the Oscars that year included Big Hero 6 (which won), as well as The Boxtrolls, and How to Train Your Dragon 2. As a result, there wasn’t enough room for The Lego Movie’s nomination, and even if it had made the list, the stiff compeтιтion wouldn’t guarantee a win. In fact, Variety unpacked The Lego Movie’s Oscar snub in 2015.

Considering the vast number of animated features available in 2014, there were “20 Oscar-qualifying submissions fighting for five slots,” which meant some films just didn’t make the cut. Furthermore, with more traditional films and stories from typical Oscar-nominated studios like Disney and DreamWorks, as well as Oscar-favorite handmade stop motion animated movies like The Boxtrolls, all releasing in the same year, sadly, The Lego Movie did not stand a chance with its brand-new format and stop motion parody. That is not to say that critics disliked the film, but rather, as Variety puts it, “they respected five films more.”

The Lego Movie Still Deserved This Recognition

The $1 Billion Franchise Proves The Lego Movie’s Worth

Yet, despite everything, The Lego Movie still deserved recognition at the Oscars for Best Animated Feature Film. By venturing into unknown territory, The Lego Movie created something that audiences hadn’t seen before on a large scale, and it was all done without taking itself too seriously. The three years that went into creating the film showcased how much pᴀssion went into the project, with the entire movie meticulously following Lego mechanics. Furthermore, The Lego Movie also had an impressive list of hidden voice cameos, and considering the names attached, it only makes it stranger that there wasn’t proper Oscar recognition.

Although it was snubbed at the Oscars, The Lego Movie franchise earned over $1 billion at the box office worldwide, spawning short films, a TV series, video games, and even a theme park attraction. When The Lego Movie franchise suddenly flopped at the box office, Universal Pictures bought the rights in 2020, and there are various unтιтled films seemingly still in the works. As a result, over 10 years later, the franchise is still somewhat going strong, despite a recent lull, showing that The Lego Movie earned a Best Animated Feature Film Oscar nomination even if it didn’t get one.

Sources: The Hollywood Reporter, Variety.