The Lego Story

Last updated
The Lego Story
Directed byKim Pagel
Written byAnia de Sá Madsen
Helene Schjøtt
Kim Ace Nielsen
Produced byKim Pagel
Thomas Pagel
Edited byJimmi Johansen
Music byAndrew McKenna
Production
company
Lani Pixels
Distributed by YouTube
Release date
  • August 13, 2012 (2012-08-13)
Running time
17 minutes
CountryDenmark
LanguageEnglish

The Lego Story is a 2012 Danish 3D computer-animated short film directed by Kim Pagel. The 17-minute animation was produced by Kim Pagel and The LEGO Group to celebrate its 80th anniversary. [1] [2]

Contents

Plot

The short film is first set in Denmark and explores the origin and history of Lego through the experiences of the Kirk Kristiansen family. This includes Ole Kirk Christiansen, Godtfred Kirk Christiansen and Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen. They all took significant roles in changing and shaping the Danish Lego company to be what it is today. The short film conveys the significance of family, inspiring and supporting one another during tribulations and adversity. The company of Lego was founded by Ole Kirk Christiansen and his son Godtfred back in 1932. The word "Lego" derives from two Danish words, "leg godt", which translates to "play well" and in Latin translates to "I put together". The product of Lego was very different from what it is today. In the short film, the company started out making wooden toys in 1932. It was during this time Godtfred saved time and money by putting less work into making the toys. Ole Kirk Christiansen was not impressed and was in fact disappointed. Ole Kirk Christiansen got his son Godtfred to work on the toys again. That day they learnt an important lesson that the high quality of the toys and honesty of the customers were important. This led to the central idea that "Only the best is good enough". It was in 1946 when the plastic block was introduced which was later iterated and improved during the mid-1950s to become the modern Lego brick. This was also around the company introduced the Lego system. [3] [2] [4] [5] [6]

Voice cast

Production

The production costs of the film were between DKK 5 and 10 million (Danish Krone) which approximately equaled to $0.85 and $1.7 million. Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen himself had involvement in the production for one year. [1]

Release and reception

Released in 2012, The LEGO Story' won the Gold Award for animation at the Cannes Media and Television Awards. [7] [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lego</span> Plastic construction toy

Lego is a line of plastic construction toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. Lego consists of variously coloured interlocking plastic bricks made of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) that accompany an array of gears, figurines called minifigures, and various other parts. Its pieces can be assembled and connected in many ways to construct objects, including vehicles, buildings, and working robots. Assembled Lego models can be taken apart, and their pieces can be reused to create new constructions.

A brickfilm is a film or Internet video made by either shooting stop motion animation using construction set bricks like Lego bricks or using computer-generated imagery or traditional animation to imitate the look. They can sometimes also be live action films featuring plastic construction toys. Since the 2000s The Lego Group has released various films and TV series and brickfilms have also become popular on (social-) media websites. The term “brick film” was coined by Jason Rowoldt, founder of the website brickfilms.com.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ole Kirk Christiansen</span> Danish businessman and founder of The Lego Group

Ole Kirk Christiansen was a Danish carpenter. In 1932, he founded the construction toy company Lego, later known as The Lego Group. Christiansen transformed his small woodworking shop, which initially sold household products, into a manufacturer of wooden toys. By 1934, he had officially named the company Lego and established its fundamental principles. The business shifted to producing plastic bricks after the acquisition of a plastic moulding injection machine in 1947. Following his death in 1958, the company's management was handed over to his son, Godtfred.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billund, Denmark</span> Town in Southern Denmark, Denmark

Billund is a town in Jutland, Denmark. With a population of 7,049, Billund is the second largest town in Billund Municipality, behind the municipal seat of Grindsted. It is located approximately 13 kilometers east of Grindsted and 27 kilometers west of Vejle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen</span> Danish billionaire and businessman

Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen is the former President and CEO of The Lego Group (1979–2004). According to Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Kristiansen is the third richest Dane, with a net worth of $6.75 billion as of April 2021. He is the grandson of Lego founder Ole Kirk Christiansen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lego timeline</span> Timeline of notable events in the history of the Lego Group

This article lists notable events and releases in the history of the Lego Group.

The history of Lego began in 1932 in the carpentry workshop of Ole Kirk Christiansen, a Danish carpenter who initially produced furniture but later started making wooden toys. The company was named "Lego" in 1934, a contraction from the Danish phrase "leg godt", meaning "play well".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Lego Group</span> Danish multinational toy production company

The LEGO Group is a Danish construction toy production company based in Billund, Denmark. It manufactures Lego-branded toys, consisting mostly of interlocking plastic bricks. The LEGO Group has also built several amusement parks around the world, each known as Legoland, and operates numerous retail stores.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Legoland Billund Resort</span> Original Legoland park

Legoland Billund Resort, the original Legoland park, opened on 7 June 1968 in Billund, Denmark. The park is located next to the original Lego factory and Billund Airport, Denmark's second-busiest airport. Over 1.9 million guests visited the park in 2011, and 50 million guests have visited the park since it opened. This makes Legoland the largest tourist attraction in Denmark outside Copenhagen. The Legoland parks that have since been built are modelled upon Legoland Billund, most noticeably the Miniland area, which is made up of millions of plastic Lego bricks.

Godtfred Kirk Christiansen was the managing director of The Lego Group from 1957 to 1973. He was the third son of company founder Ole Kirk Christiansen and took over as managing director in 1957, eventually becoming the sole owner. Godtfred is credited with playing a pivotal role in the development of the Lego brick design and patented it in 1958. He also created the Lego System in Play, the cornerstone of the Lego construction toy. Godtfred stepped down as Leader of the company in 1973. His son Kjeld Kirk Christiansen became president in 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jørgen Vig Knudstorp</span> Danish businessman

Jørgen Vig Knudstorp is a Danish businessman who is the current executive chairman of The Lego Group. He succeeded Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen as president and CEO of the company in October 2004, holding the position for over 12 years until January 2017, when he stepped down to become executive chairman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lego clone</span> Childrens Lego-style construction blocks

A Lego clone is a line or brand of children's construction blocks which is mechanically compatible with Lego brand blocks, but is produced by another manufacturer. The blocks were originally patented by The Lego Group in 1961 as "toy building bricks", and the company has since remained dominant in this market. Some competitors have moved to take advantage of Lego brand recognition by advertising their own products as compatible with Lego, with statements such as "compatible with leading building bricks".

Agnete Kirk Thinggaard is a Danish Olympic dressage rider. Representing Denmark, she competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro where she finished 26th in the individual and 6th in the team competition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hilary Page</span> English toy maker

Hilary "Harry" Fisher Page was an English toy maker and inventor of Self-Locking Building Bricks, the predecessor of Lego bricks. He founded the Kiddicraft toy company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lego Produktions AG Schweiz</span>

Lego Produktions AG Schweiz was a major producer in Baar (ZG), Switzerland for the Lego toy company, from 1974 to 2004. At the time its closing was announced in 2001, 30% of the world production of Lego was produced at the Baar facility. The Baar facility eventually closed in 2004 and Lego's remaining Swiss production facilities closed in 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bilofix</span> Construction toy

Bilofix is the name of a Danish construction toy product primarily consisting of wooden beams and plastic screws and bolts. It was produced and marketed primarily in the 1960s first by the Lego company and then by a separate Bilofix company. The name Bilofix is usually written stylized as "BILOfix".

Sofie Kirk Kristiansen is a Danish fourth-generation owner of The Lego Group. Together with her father Kjeld, sister Agnete and brother Thomas, they split ownership of a 75% stake in the company.

Thomas Kirk Kristiansen is a Danish fourth-generation owner of The Lego Group. Together with his father Kjeld, and sisters Agnete and Sofie, they split ownership of a 75% stake in the company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kirkbi</span> Family office of the Kristiansens

Kirkbi A/S (Kirkbi) is a Danish investment management company headquartered in Billund, Denmark that serves as a family office to manage the fortune of the Kristiansen family, the current owners of The Lego Group. It owns 75% of The Lego Group and 47.5% of Merlin Entertainments.

References

  1. 1 2 Schwass, Joachim; Glemser, Anne-Catrin (18 August 2016). Wise Family Business: Family Identity Steering Brand Success. Springer. ISBN   9781137586001 via Google Books.
  2. 1 2 "Portsmith Company - The Lego Story Animated Short Film – Iconic Bricks and Craftsmanship". portsmithco.com.
  3. "How Lego became everyone's brick supplier of choice - Geek.com". 14 August 2012. Archived from the original on 4 April 2018. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  4. "The LEGO Story, An Animated Short That Tells the LEGO Group History". 13 August 2012.
  5. "Watch The History Of Lego In 17 Minutes In New 80th Anniversary Film". 13 August 2012.
  6. "Brick Empire: The History Of LEGO". 29 January 2013.
  7. "Lani Pixels - Ominto, Inc".
  8. "Lani Pixels » About Lani Pixels". lanipixels.com.