“The Lego Movie” is every bit as clever and imaginative as the small bricks that served as its inspiration.  The movie, which premiered on Feb. 7, received nearly unanimous praise from everyone, casual moviegoers and critics alike, and for good reason. Directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the film surprised many for its combination of clever humor, stunning animation and heartwarming message.

The movie, which features an all-star cast, follows average construction worker Emmet (Chris Pratt) who only plays by the rules, but desperately wants to be seen as special. He lives in a land called Bricksburg, which is governed by control freak President Business (Will Ferell) who secretly wants to freeze everyone in an attempt to get people to “stop messing with his stuff.”

In a serendipitous accident, Emmet comes into contact with “the piece of resistance” which is the only thing that can stop Business’ plans. Along the way he gains the support of a strange group of characters including a unicorn-kitty hybrid (Alison Brie) and wizened wizard Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman). Together they must use their combined skills and wit to bring down the evil tyrant Business.

The film has a lot going for it including fantastic computer animation that fooled me into thinking the entire move was made through stop-motion. The locations that it portrayed made excellent use of the versatility of Lego blocks and many of the worlds were real life Lego sets. The voices of the cast were instantly recognizable and the excellent voice acting definitely lent the film a wow-factor.

The most impressive part of the film was its incredibly endearing ending which pieces the movie together for an inspiring message about the spirit of creativity and individualism.

“The Lego Movie” was initially seen as yet another attempt of a toy brand at making more money, but it exceeded all expectations with its vivid animation and witty pop-culture references. This film is a must watch for all ages and everything about it is awesome.