As part of Fan Expo Canada, Lego held a special screening of the documentary, only the second place it’s screened after its premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival.
Directed by Daniel Junge and Kief Davidson, and narrated by (of course) a Lego minifigure, Beyond the Brick delves deep into the world of Lego from every possible angle. From its humble beginnings in Denmark under Ole Kirk Christiansen in 1949 to the launching of three aluminum Lego figurines into space, this documentary leaves nothing out.
While the documentary being hosted by an animated figurine may initially suggest it’s aimed at kids, there’s plenty of focus on adult fans of lego (or AFOLs, as they’re known in their respective community). Throughout the documentary, the audience will meet people who build life-size models to a man who creates Lego art to a duo who are filming the ultimate “brick film.”
One of the main points the film brings up (that also prevents it from being a Lego cheerleader, so to speak) is the company’s gradual embrace of its fanbase. The film goes over a few rough patches in the company history, notably in 2003 when it almost went bankrupt. Ignoring fans, the company began releasing Lego toys that didn’t sit well with consumers.
That changed partially with Mindstorms, a Lego-based robotics kit that hackers took apart and wrote new software for. Rather than crack down, the company realized that people outside its office could help the company grow.
Fan collaboration is perhaps most notable with Cuusoo, a platform in which anyone can upload ideas for a new Lego set. Once an idea reaches 10,000 fan votes, the Lego company will review it. The documentary follows the creator of the fifth such Cuusoo idea to come to fruition — the Mars Rover.
As it turns out, Lego is for a ton more than just play. One autism therapist uses it with his clients and finds it helps them communicate better. Others use Lego to figure out how to solve traffic problems worldwide. One mathematics professor actually calculated how many ways one could connect six Lego bricks (spoiler: over 900 million ways).
It’s truly a global phenomenon, and the documentary mounts compelling evidence that it’s not simply making this up — people are finding new ways to “connect” with this iconic toy with every passing day.
