LEGO Minecraft movie sets beat internet to the punch twice

The LEGO Minecraft movie sets have successfully beaten the internet to the punch with memes from the film as news of a sequel dawns.

The LEGO Group is no stranger to memes, but for what seems to be the first time in sets based on a licensed film, they've beaten the internet to the punch twice. For those who have been living under a rock since the release of A Minecraft movie, the internet has latched on to two specific moments in the film.

The Chicken Jockey's introduction in the Woodland Mansion is the most iconic of the two new memes, in which moviegoers will react strongly to the scene. While some have inevitably taken the meme too far, it has still inspired cinema chains worldwide to run specialised screenings specifically based on the meme.

Somehow, the LEGO Group seems to have known this moment would become a meme and released 21272 Woodland Mansion Fighting Ring before the film released. This set is based on the scene and includes a specifically-named Chicken Jockey figure.

Whether this is a coincidence or the result of a successful plan by Warner Bros. Pictures and the LEGO Group, it's still one of the most notable LEGO meme sets for recreating the specific moment before it became a meme. LEGO sets usually capitalise on memes long after they've been around, such as in Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings and LEGO Marvel.

One such set is already an impressive effort from the LEGO Group, beating the memes in an incredibly specific way. The LEGO Minecraft movie sets have done this twice, though.

21273 The Ghast Balloon Village Attack includes the market stall for Steve's Lava Chicken, which has similarly become a meme remixing the unusual song following the release of the film. It's not surprising to see that the full song has even been officially uploaded online before the animated film is released outside of cinemas.

By somehow managing to mix in two of the biggest memes from A Minecraft movie into the tie-in LEGO sets, and having these models on shelves as soon as the memes were born, the LEGO Group is arguably more in-tune with the internet than ever before. Whether it's intentional or not, the LEGO Group does not need to reference these memes in future sets – they beat the internet to the punch for once.

The timing of these memes couldn't be better for all parties involved as a Minecraft movie sequel is all but confirmed at this point, according to a co-chairman of Warner Bros. Pictures.

"Imminently. The ink might not be dry on the deals yet, but imminently," said Warner Bros. Pictures co-chairman Mike De Luca to Deadline when asked about a Minecraft movie and Beetlejuice sequels, following the promising box office results.

Both 21272 Woodland Mansion Fighting Ring and 21273 The Ghast Balloon Village Attack are available now alongside A Minecraft movie. You can read our reviews of the sets by clicking here for the Chicken Jockey set and here for the Steve's Lava Chicken model.

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