Why The Lego Movie’s Oscar Snub Still Infuriates Fans a Decade Later!

Even after a decade has passed, I’m still upset about the Oscars overlooking “The Lego Movie”. Released in 2014, this film stood out as an ingenious and side-splitting contribution to animation by mimicking stop motion. The story revolved around an ordinary Lego minifigure named Emmet Brickowski (Chris Pratt), who was on a mission to prevent a ruthless businessman (Will Ferrell) from cementing the entire Lego universe. With earnings of $470.7 million at the global box office, “The Lego Movie” was both critically and financially successful.

The Warner Bros. movie, The Lego Movie, was lauded by many for its innovative animation, compelling storyline, and distinctive humor. Consequently, this movie paved the way for a franchise, with three additional Lego Movies being produced in subsequent years. A decade later, The Lego Movie continues to impress and is often hailed as one of the best animated films ever made due to its intelligent narrative style and flawless execution. However, despite its massive popularity, The Lego Movie was also a victim of a surprising Oscar nomination oversight, as it received a nomination in an unexpected category.

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

The Lego Movie Was Nominated For Best Original Song

In a turn of events that left many of us quite baffled, the acclaimed “The Lego Movie” garnered an impressive 77 nominations and 40 wins across various prestigious awards when it first hit the screens. Among these accolades was a nomination for an Oscar award, but not in the category that we all anticipated. To our surprise, while the film was nominated for “Best Original Song” (“Everything Is Awesome”) at the 87th Academy Awards, it missed out on the much-desired “Best Animated Feature” nod. This is rather peculiar since it had been nominated in this category at the BAFTAs, Critics’ Choice Awards, and Golden Globe Awards. Consequently, many of us feel that the movie was overlooked, and it truly deserved to win the Best Animated Feature award.

It’s surprising that “The Lego Movie” wasn’t nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Oscars, given the amount of effort put into its creation, its unique artistic style, and its compelling storyline that made it more than just a commercial venture. The film has garnered significant acclaim and solidified its position in animated movie history. However, it’s hard to understand why “The Lego Movie” was nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Song for the song “Everything Is Awesome,” especially since it was intended to be a deliberately unremarkable tune.

While navigating a painful and distressing divorce process, I penned that track, filling multiple pages with various lines and ideas. A good deal of gloom and sarcastic undertones found their way into the lyrics.

In 2015, The Hollywood Reporter interviewed Oscar-nominated songwriters, among them Shawn Patterson who wrote “Everything Is Awesome.” Surprisingly, Patterson confessed that he was going through a challenging divorce while composing the song, and it was filled with heavy sarcasm. The cheerful melody of the song aligned well with Lego’s visual style, making it suitable for a children’s film. However, the underlying messages in The Lego Movie were deeper, and the sarcastic tone of “Everything Is Awesome” seemed more appropriate for recognition as Best Animated Feature rather than an Oscar nomination for the song itself.

2015 Was A Competitive Year For Best Animated Feature

The Lego Movie Faced Stiff Competition From Traditional Movies

2015 was an exceptionally tough year for animated films at the Oscars, with “Big Hero 6” (the winner), “The Boxtrolls”, and “How to Train Your Dragon 2” among the nominees. Unfortunately, this left no space for “The Lego Movie” to be nominated, and even if it had been, the strong competition wouldn’t have ensured a victory due to the high level of competition that year. This is further explained in an article by Variety discussing the Oscar snub of “The Lego Movie”.

87th Academy Awards – Best Animated Feature Film
Movie Result
Big Hero 6 Won
The Boxtrolls Nominated
How to Train Your Dragon 2 Nominated
Song of the Sea Nominated
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya Nominated

Looking at the numerous animated features released in 2014, there were “twenty contenders vying for five nominations,” which meant several films missed out on being nominated. Additionally, that year saw a mix of traditional animations from well-known studios like Disney and DreamWorks, along with stop motion favorites such as The Boxtrolls. Unfortunately, The Lego Movie, with its innovative format and stop motion spoof, struggled to compete due to its unique nature. However, this doesn’t mean critics didn’t appreciate the film; rather, they admired five other films more, as Variety puts it, “they respected five movies more.

The Lego Movie Still Deserved This Recognition

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

Regardless of other factors, The Lego Movie merited consideration at the Oscars for Best Animated Feature Film. By daring to explore uncharted territories, The Lego Movie produced something unique and grand-scale, all while maintaining a lighthearted tone. Over a span of three years, the film demonstrated the dedication poured into its creation by intricately adhering to Lego mechanics. Additionally, The Lego Movie boasted an impressive roster of hidden voice cameos from notable personalities. Given these factors, it seems unusual that The Lego Movie did not receive appropriate Oscar recognition.

Despite not winning an Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film, the Lego Movie franchise has thrived, earning over $1 billion globally and leading to short films, a TV series, video games, and theme park attractions. Even though its box office performance dipped in 2020, Universal Pictures acquired the rights, hinting at multiple upcoming projects. Consequently, more than a decade later, the franchise remains active, albeit experiencing a brief downturn, proving that an Oscar nomination for The Lego Movie was well-deserved, even if it wasn’t awarded one.

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2025-05-24 19:48