Actor Arnett Mitchell talks about how the film is relatable not only to kids but also to parents who can relive their memories of childhood through it. By Team Viva
Directed by Mike Mitchell, The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part is a sequel to The LEGO Movie based on popular children’s toys.
Actor Will Arnett talked about how it was “gratifying” to see the response when the film’s first part was released. He said, “I saw the audience react so positively and continue to watch it in other forms like streaming at home.”
He thinks that one of the great things about LEGO is that it’s a franchise. “What’s worked so well is that it works on different levels. Parents like it because a lot of jokes are built in for them and kids like it for obvious entertainment reasons. Also, as a toy ‘LEGO’ has been such a staple as a toy, it is almost like a part of the fabric of our culture. It’s not just because of the jokes that parents like it, but also because they can relate to it as it takes them back to when they were kids,” he said.
Talking about his character, Arnett said, “The character is so iconic and always bending the rules. We have continued that in the second part of the film. As he goes on this next journey, it seems like they keep feeding Batman real life experiences that everybody goes through and see how he would deal with it. He is so eliquate to deal with real life usual relationship-based situations, whether it is a family relationship or a romantic one.”
The actor feels as if he had never really left the film, now that the release of the second part of the franchise is round the corner.
He said, “I kind of feel like I really never left. It wasn’t that long after LEGO Movie, that LEGO Batman came out. So, we went right from LEGO movie to LEGO Batman and now this. I have been working on these films from the past eight years. It’s been crazy. It feels like a big part of my life and seeing all these people whom I work with at various stages of production. It’s really a cool process. It is very rare to have a long-term relationship with the people you work with.”
Talking about the film’s director, Mike Mitchell, he said that when one does these animated films, one is often in the booth with just the director. “Most of the times he is the one feeding you lines on the other characters as you don’t usually meet the other actors. Director usually controls the tone and flow of a movie and they get to do it even more in animation as they tell you the lines the way they have imagined them. It becomes back and forth doing a scene with the director but Mike is so great, he is one of those people who wants everybody to be the best version of themselves,” he said.
Continuing that, “Mike understands that putting you in the best position to deliver the funniest lines or create the funniest moment is going to be better for the film and he is always looking to create that environment.”
He believed that one of the greatest things about this film is the “notion that we all should be able to play together and get along.”
He added, “This is the theme that comes out and was born out of the first movie. Ofcourse, it is about a son’s relation with his father and we have continued that even in this part. It is about people getting along, family members, especially siblings and their ability to get along. It’s a more universal idea of ‘we are in this together and we have to work and play together.’ This is such a great and positive message that comes through, which people will take away with themselves too.”