'Playmobil: The Movie' Trailer: It's Like 'The LEGO Movie' With Fewer Bricks
It was only a matter of time before the makers of Playmobil took a look at those LEGO Movie box office numbers and said: "Why not us?" The figures, which originated in Germany, are kind of like LEGOs, but with a lot fewer pieces. And now they have their own movie! In Playmobil: The Movie, a pair of siblings end up being turned into the tiny plastic toys, and getting sucked into their world. Watch the Playmobil: The Movie trailer below.
Playmobil The Movie Trailer
I was never that into LEGOs as a child – I didn't have the patience to deal with so many pieces. I was a fan of Playmobil figures, though – a kind of LEGO knock-off that required very little assembly. Despite my childhood affection for the brand, I can't say I was chomping at the bit for a Playmobil movie, but here we are.
Featuring the voices of Anya Taylor-Joy, Gabriel Bateman, Daniel Radcliffe, Jim Gaffigan, Meghan Trainor, and Adam Lambert, it's clear that Playmobil: The Movie is trying to cash-in on the popularity of The LEGO Movie and its various spin-offs and sequels. Rather than lift the LEGO Movie plot, Playmobil: The Movie is instead borrowing from Pleasantville, telling the story about two siblings from the real world sucked into a fantastical world where they're out of their element. Here's the synopsis:
When her younger brother Charlie (Gabriel Bateman) unexpectedly disappears into the magical, animated universe of PLAYMOBIL®, unprepared Marla (Anya Taylor-Joy) must go on a quest of a lifetime to bring him home. As she sets off on a fantastic journey across stunning new worlds, Marla teams up with some unlikely and heroic new friends – the smooth-talking food truck driver Del (Jim Gaffigan), the dashing and charismatic secret agent Rex Dasher (Daniel Radcliffe), a wholehearted misfit robot, an extravagant fairy-godmother (Meghan Trainor) and many more. Through their vibrant adventure, Marla and Charlie realize that no matter how life plays out, you can achieve anything when you believe in yourself!
It's pretty clear that Playmobil: The Movie is skewing to a young audience – younger even than the intended audience of The LEGO Movie. And while this may seem like a cynical cash-grab, many people felt the same way before the first LEGO Movie came out, until the final results proved to be surprisingly enjoyable. Maybe Playmobil will manage to do the same. Stranger things have happened.
Playmobil: The Movie unpackages itself on August 16, 2019.