LEGO animation is an art form that, in spite of being done seemingly over and over again, consumers can’t get enough of. Now, a talented fan has recreated the opening scene ofLionsgate’sMoonfallusing LEGO.
Much like anyRoland Emmerich film,Moonfallwill be large in terms of scale, serving as a visual spectacle for audiences to enjoy. Even though Emmerich has been making disaster movies like these since the ’90s, using LEGO animation to further invest his audience in anticipation of theLionsgatefilm is something we certainly have never seen in his previous films' ad campaigns.
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Yesterday, the film’s Twitter page released a clip of theMoonfallopening scene, but instead of its standard live-action format, they instead displayed the scene in LEGO animation. This choice may be odd at first, but the animation by “Onbeatman” does add some interesting dimensions to the scenery. Not to mention, for all the times the technique has been used, hardly ever have fans seen it adapted into the science-fiction film genre.
Again, even though LEGO animation has been done a thousand times over by now at minimum, this is a new, fun, and creative way to market a movie,particularly inMoonfall’s case. Disaster movies try to sell themselves on, well, living up to their label. So it is a welcome change of pace to see them take different avenues for advertising, especially in the digital age where creativity is demanded at a constant rate. Perhaps most encouraging is that this is a welcome creative turn from a film whose director has a reputation for having the same formula in his movies.
Emmerich’s films are renowned for being unforgettable visual spectacles as much as they are maligned for having weak stories, characters, and dialogue. Some of his films are regarded as classics,likeIndependence Day, because the spectacle trumps all while others are known for being downright terrible, like10,000 B.C., because everything else outweighed the special effects. Perhaps this decision in advertising could signify that Emmerich is improving his craft on top of what he usually brings to the table.
Given his history, it’s not likely. Emmerich has dabbled in science-fiction with his previous disaster movies - seeStargate- and since he’s been doing this for decades now, it’s hard to see him improve on his long-standing weaknesses. Then again, no one believed Todd Phillips, who previously directed exclusively comedies likeOld SchoolandThe Hangover, was capable of directinga live-action film about the Joker. Yet, not only did he pull it off, but he got nominated for best director. And, hey, if all else fails, this might be the first step towards doing a LEGO animated science-fiction movie. Whether that sounds cool or not, people would certainly pay to see that.
