On the abstract, The LEGO Movie is a terrible concept for a film.  Understandably, when the film was announced, the project was met with confusion and cynicism even from the most devout fans of the plastic building block.  But Warner Bros had a secret weapon. Phil Lord and Chris Miller, a duo designed to spin gold out of the most ridiculous of ideas.

A high school full of historical clones. A full-length film based on a twelve page children’s book about raining food. A goddamned film adaptation of 21 Jump Street. And yet, they made it work, and once again, with adversity and a $60 million budget on their back, they turned The LEGO Movie into something great.  This isn’t the glorified commercials that made up the He-Man and Transformers cartoons - this is arguably one of the finest family features in years.

The story is simple - Emmet (a wonderfully clueless Chris Pratt) is a construction worker by trade. His life is simple - wake up, get dressed, get coffee, build things, and always to the instructions. Lather, rinse, repeat.  And then in the Campbell-esq tale that it is, Emmet finds his purpose.  Upon finding the laughably titled Piece of Resistance, Emmet is made “The Special”, making him the finest master builder of all of the LEGO universe - including dozens of characters from such diverse pop-culture realms as Harry Potter, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the DC Comics Universe, and yes, the 2002 NBA All-Stars. And with this magical piece, it’s his job to restore order to the world before the evil Lord Business freezes the world on the fateful day known as Taco Tuesday.

The plot is, appropriately, pieced together from other building blocks of film making - The Matrix, Brazil, Idiocracy - but much how LEGO has handled licensed characters in their sets, the concepts are exaggerated, over blown, and yet made even more universal. And in a twist wonderfully yet to be ruined, the third act builds to a turn that speaks to not only a universal truth of LEGO, but of art overall.  It’s a commercial turned philosophical, yet it keeps you laughing and smiling along the way.  The medicine is delivered with incredible amounts of sugar, and while your teeth may be grinding at the end, you’re better for it.

After seeing The LEGO Movie, you may wonder - how did they pull it off? While the writing and direction from Lord and Miller can certainly be thanked, a diverse and wonderful cast pulls you through even the most saccharine of moments. A who’s-who of comedic talent, you have Elizabeth Banks (Pitch Perfect) as the Trinity-spoof Wyldstyle, Allison Brie (Community) as the adorable Uni-Kitty, Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation) as half pirate, half boat robot Metal Beard, and Charlie Day (It’s Always Sunny…) as, appropriately, hyperactive 80’s Space Man Benny. But the peak of the cast? Will Arnett’s Batman. Brooding, self-involved, and even a musician, this may be the greatest interpretation of Batman on film ever. It’s exactly what we needed after the great, but super-serious Nolan saga.  And while the acting is wonderful, prepare to be amazed by the animation skill of Australia’s Animal Logic studio, who turn a CG project into something conceivably stop-motion, making everything - and I mean everything - appear to be made from LEGO itself.

The LEGO Movie is a combination of risks - an unfilmable concept, a mixture of impossible licenses working together in a way not seen since Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and an incredibly gutsy third-act turn that, in any other film, may have come off as schmalzy. But with Lord and Miller, they stuck the landing, and given us an animated film that can hang among the modern greats.

For children of any age, or those adults who loved LEGO and one day let them go - this is the film for you. See it as soon as you can. My highest possible recommendation.