How LEGO got Daft Punk to swap beats for bricks

Everyone knows LEGO is the best thing to find under the tree, but when you're creating a Christmas ad for such a beloved brand, what's the main objective? Showing off the breadth of the range, championing hands-on play in an increasingly digital world, or something else entirely?

For us, the Holiday season is about bringing people together and LEGO bricks have a role as champions of that. There’s nothing better than building together, whatever your age or passion. And if our objective is to get all kinds of people building, we need to show our breadth of LEGO sets, to prove there really is something for everyone. What makes the gift of LEGO bricks special is that the joy really starts with the unwrapping.

This year, we wanted to show the origin story of the LEGO Bricks.

This year, we wanted to show the origin story of the LEGO Bricks – where the magic starts. We are showing the love and creativity that goes into every single brick. And why they're so hard to part with, because deep down, we all want to get in on the fun.

The Daft Punk partnership, including the LEGO Ideas set, was announced only recently. Were the duo always intended to be central to the Christmas campaign, or did that develop alongside the wider collaboration?

Yes! Having the iconic Daft Punk track One More Time for the Holiday Workshop campaign was always the intention. 

The idea and role for the Daft Punk Robot minifigs in the story evolved alongside the wider brand partnership and the release of the LEGO Ideas set. 

We know our shared fans are thrilled with the output.

One More Time gives the whole film a wonderfully infectious energy. How much did the track influence the storytelling, pacing and visual approach, and was it always the soundtrack you had in mind?

We always want our Holiday films to bring people together. In story development, One More Time was always part of that plan. It has that infectious energy that gets every generation dancing. 

Our story lifts the curtain on the magical, chaotic LEGO Holiday workshop, where LEGO minifigures pour their heart and soul into every single brick. And the highs and lows of the track perfectly capture both the pain of parting with those bricks and the joy of being reunited with them.

The LEGO Group has an extraordinary number of IPs at its disposal. How do you decide which characters and worlds belong in a film like this?

We wanted a good mix of characters that reflect all the different passions and interests of our fans, with plenty of familiar faces people would love to see. But it was equally important to bring in our own LEGO characters too. 

We start with the brick. It’s what brings all these different worlds and stories together. 

That’s really the magic of LEGO play, bringing all these different characters and worlds together in ways you wouldn’t normally expect.

Amid all those famous faces and fantastical worlds, the film follows a single red LEGO brick. How important is it to keep something so simple and recognisable at the heart of the storytelling?

We have so many amazing characters in the film, but really the LEGO brick is our core icon. 

We start with the brick. It’s what brings all these different worlds and stories together. So keeping that single red brick at the heart gave us a simple way to connect the whole journey and unite the breadth of LEGO characters and sets, around the heart of the LEGO brand – the brick.

Michael Gracey certainly knows his way around a musical spectacle. What did he bring to the project, and how did his involvement shape the final film?

We were honoured to work with an accomplished award-winning filmmaker of the calibre of Michael Gracey. He comes from an impressive VFX background, plus as a director he has a great instinct for bringing music and storytelling together. He brought so much energy and creativity to the whole film, and the individual journeys of each character in the Holiday Workshop. What I love about his work is that even with all the spectacle, he never loses sight of the emotion and heart of the story. He stayed very hands-on through the 30 weeks of the creative process. And he’s a generous and quite hilarious collaborator.

With Our LEGO Agency, external creative partners, Michael Gracey and Framestore all involved, how did the creative collaboration work? Was there room for the idea to evolve once production was underway?

It was a very respectful, energetic and collaborative process, and one of the things I enjoyed most about making this film. We had a strong idea from the start, but everyone brought something different to it. Michael and Framestore really pushed the creativity and helped us take the idea further than we first imagined. For me, that’s what makes these projects so rewarding. Working with people you trust, challenging each other, and seeing the work get better along the way.

The distinctive, slightly stepped, stop-motion-inspired animation style has become synonymous with LEGO. Is there ever a temptation to try something completely different, or does that aesthetic just fit the brand too perfectly?

We’re always up for trying something new, and there’s definitely room to play with different styles. But there’s something about that stop-motion feel that just works so well for LEGO creativity. It gives the characters so much charm and personality, but more importantly, it feels authentic to how people experience the brand. 

You can almost imagine someone moving the bricks by hand, bringing their own creations to life. That connection to play and creativity is what makes the style so special to us.

LEGO is unusual in that its appeal crosses both age and gender lines, from young children to adult collectors. Does having such a broad audience make the creative process easier, or does trying to speak to everyone bring challenges of its own?

I think that’s what makes the LEGO brand so special. There’s something universal about the LEGO brick and its connection to our primal human instinct to create something with our hands. 

There’s something about that stop-motion feel that just works so well for LEGO creativity.

We find ways to connect with all the different things people are passionate about, which often crosses age and gender lines. That’s the fun part creatively. There are so many stories we can tell, but they all come back to that simple human joy of building and creating.

And finally, what LEGO set are you hoping to unwrap this Christmas?

I have to keep my LEGO collection in check so there’s still room for me at home. But the LEGO K Pop Demon Hunters Derpy set is amazing and I’m determined to get it.