Live-action fever in Hollywood is good news for LEGO fans
A number of recent LEGO sets are based on live-action movies and, with film studios not slowing down on that front, that could be good news for LEGO fans.
Disney, and other movie studios besides, have been going all in on live-action remakes recently, using the fresh style as a way to pull in fans of classic movies, from its original princess films to animated TV shows. Dreamworks has all been following suit, although to a lesser degree, and these fresh movies are trickling through to LEGO sets.
Between a rumoured How To Your Dragon set coming to LEGO Icons, finally getting Lilo and Stitch minifigures in March 1’s 43268 Lilo and Stitch, and 43242 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’ Cottage seemingly meant to time with the live-action Snow White’s original release date, the LEGO Group is seemingly fully on board with the live-action hype. We’ve only named a few there, with plenty more examples either already out or coming soon.
You might think that animated styles lend themselves better to minifigures and brick-built creations but it seems that the LEGO Group wants to tap into the inevitable re-interest in a franchise that will come with a new movie. In the case of How To Train Your Dragon, for example, hardcore fans have been calling for LEGO sets for years but it’s only now that a new movie is coming out, sure to bring in a new pool of fans, that the LEGO Group is prepared to offer one.
It’s a sensible strategy – and also offers some clues as to what might be in the pipeline. Over at Disney, for example, future live-action remakes include Hercules, Robin Hood, The Aristocats, Bambi, and Tangled. All of those films are still in early development and, as is always the way in Hollywood, could be subject to change. However, if they do come to fruition, they would also all make for interesting concepts for LEGO sets.
Hercules in particular would have wide appeal for a brick-built visit to Ancient Greece, while The Aristocats would present an interesting challenge character-wise. Would the sets be populated largely with cats, or would the LEGO Group focus on buildable creatures, as with the recent Lion King sets, like 43247 Young Simba the Lion King?
Outside of Disney, there are plenty of other possibilities in the works. The LEGO Group already has an established relationship with Netflix and is rumoured to be bringing one live-action anime adaptation to life with One Piece – could more anime works get the same treatment down the line?
The one area it seems will be unlikely to be impacted by the live-action craze is Pixar movies, with Pixar’s chief creative officer Pete Docter maintaining that the studio won’t be doing live-action remakes of classics like Ratatouille and Up.
“This might bite me in the butt for saying it, but it sort of bothers me,” Docter told Time. “I like making movies that are original and unique to themselves. To remake it, it’s not very interesting to me personally.
“If you have a human walk into a house that floats, your mind goes, ‘Wait a second. Hold on. Houses are super heavy. How are balloons lifting the house?’ But if you have a cartoon guy and he stands there in the house, you go, ‘Okay, I’ll buy it.’ The worlds that we’ve built just don’t translate very easily.”
Of course, we already have an Up LEGO set in the form of 43217 ‘Up’ House? – but if the pattern of focusing on sets based on current releases holds true, it’ll mean Pixar will need to bring out a sequel before we see another model based on the film.
All in all, while some people might be tired of the seemingly never-ending stream of live-action remakes, it does offer a renewed chance to return to well-loved properties in LEGO form. 2025 is certainly a license-packed year for the LEGO Group and, if the speculative Disney remakes continue, we might well see many, many more.
Featured image: Dreamworks
Support the work that Brick Fanatics does by buying your LEGO sets using our affiliate links. Thank you!
