The Billion Brick Race (2019 film)

The Billion Brick Race is a 2019 computer-animated comedy, action and adventure film produced by Warner Animation Group and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is the fifth film in the LEGO Extended Universe (LEU) as well as the third spin-off of The Lego Movie. It was directed by Jorge R. Gutiérrez, written by Drew Pearce and starring Elijah Wood as Brody Reyes, Emma Stone as Jane Dangerburger, Anika Noni Rose as Frankie Reyes, Kristen Wiig as Jane Alabama, Dwayne Johnson as Mr. Wonderful and FBI Agent, Steve Buscemi as Mark Reyes and David Schwimmer as Timon.

In March 2015, Warner Bros. announced that it was developing a third Lego spin-off movie, titled The Billion Brick Race. In July 2016, Jason Segel and Drew Pearce signed on to the project as co-directors and co-authors, with Jason Segel leaving shortly thereafter. In August 2017, the hiring of Jorge R. Gutiérrez as director was announced, leaving Pearce only as writer. At that time, the film was scheduled to premiere on May 24, 2019. But for February 2018, Gutiérrez confirmed that there was talk of a possible delay, which finally left The Billion Brick Race for August 25, 2019.

In July 2018, Pearce announced that the film's plot would be a Lego racing movie, inspired by pre-existing racing movies, including The Cannonball Run.

The Billion Brick Race had its world premiere in Los Angeles, California on August 11, 2019 and released in the United States on August 25, 2019, as part of Wave One of the LEU. The film was a commercial success, grossing more than $ 438 million worldwide, becoming LEU's second-highest grossing film for 2019. It received positive reviews from critics, who praised its humor, animation, soundtrack, and performance by voice, setting, and script.

As a result of this, a sequel, The Billion Brick Race Chapter 2, distributed by Warner Bros. and Universal Pictures was scheduled for may 16, 2024 but was eventually canceled.

Synopsis
After several frustrated attempts to enter as the Official National Racing Championship, a dream he shared with his father, the belligerent runner Brody Reyes, unknowingly participates in a strange governmental "internal affair" that leads him to embark on the pursuit of his life. alongside his sister Frankie Reyes and the neglected stranger Jane Dangerburger.

In a Media Credits Scene a "1 month later" title is seen after the events of the film, showing Frankie and Brody celebrating "Taco Tuesday" in downtown L-City while a small tremor occurs in the center.

In a Post-Credits Scene They give us a shot of nothing, an empty space outside of time, when a portal opens from where a confused and sore Rex Dangervest comes out, who sees how many other portals, identical to his, begin to open loudly that give images of how a conflict of worlds looms, which, even for those who defeated it, is impossible to win.

Cast

 * Elijah Wood as Brody Reyes
 * Emma Stone as Jane Dangerburger
 * Anika Noni Rose as Frankie Reyes
 * Kristen Wiig as Jane Alabama
 * Dwayne Johnson as Mr. Wonderful and an FBI agent
 * Steve Buscemi as Mark Reyes
 * David Schwimmer as Timon

Additionally, Jorge R. Gutiérrez makes a cameo as "The Little Big Man" in the scene between credits and Elizabeth Banks makes an invisible cameo as the voice on the run.

Connections and References

 * You see a movie poster about a wizard with a large white beard, presumably Vitruvius, with his Lego Movie design.
 * Brody makes a sarcastic joke to Frankie referencing the popular The Lego Movie show: "What do you want me to do? Ask him where my pants are?"
 * Mr. Wonderful says the lines: "I'm not rich, I don't like the color black either, it can make you a smoothie, not save you from a bridge" in reference to Batman, the Dark Knight.
 * Jorge R. Guitierrez confirmed that the scene between middle credits is parallel to the final battle of The Lego Movie that caused seismic activity in other dimensions.
 * The above is supported by the fact that Brody when entering the finals, it is seen that the Camponate is the ONRC 2014, the year in which The Lego Movie is confirmed.
 * The name of the main city in which the film is set, L-City, is a reference to LEGO City.
 * The first plastic LEGO set is seen in the background of the L-City.

Production
In March 2015, Warner Bros. announced that it was developing a third Lego spin-off movie, titled The Billion Brick Race. In July 2016, Jason Segel and Drew Pearce signed on to the project as co-directors and co-authors, with Jason Segel leaving shortly thereafter. In August 2017, the hiring of Jorge R. Gutiérrez as director was announced, leaving Pearce only as writer. At that time, the film was scheduled to premiere on May 24, 2019. But for February 2018, Gutiérrez confirmed that there was talk of a possible delay, which finally left The Billion Brick Race for August 25, 2019.

In December 2019, the film's director, Jorge R. Gutiérrez, revealed early concept art for the film's main characters, along with confirmation that there could be a sequel.

Release
The world premiere of The Billion Brick Race took place on August 11, 2019 at the Regency Village Theater. The film also screened at San Diego Comic-Con International on August 21, 2019 and opened in theaters (and on IMAX) on August 25, 2019.

Marketing
More than twenty-three Lego sets inspired by scenes from the movie were released, including a collectible minifigure set and a digital app. Official Lego brand stores also scheduled events. Each week of January 2019, a new special one-of-a-kind character minifigure came with every purchase. By July, McDonald's released eight collectible hard tickests on Happy Meals to promote the film.

A video game based on the movie, The Billion Brick Race: A Unusual Videogame, by TT Fusion for Xbox, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Windows, was released on August 22, 2019.

Domestic media
The Lego movie was released in digital HD on October 31, 2019. It was released by Warner Home Video on DVD and Blu-ray (2D and 3D) on December 17, 2019.

Critical response
The Billion Brick Race was rated with "positive reviews." Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports an 86% approval rating, with an average rating of 7.9-8 / 10, based on 330 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads: "With beautiful animation, jaw-dropping color palette, innovative cast and design, pranks, shocking backgrounds, and a surprisingly thoughtful but somewhat clichéd story, The Billion Bric Race is welcoming to all ages." . Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, has given the film a score of 83 out of 100 based on 52 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim." Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average rating of "A" on an A + scale, naming it another hit of 2019.

Sequel
A direct sequel to the film was screened for release on May 16, 2024, but was canceled.

One-Shot
In September 2025, the One-Shot, A New Race, a direct sequel to the film, was released.