Summary

Lego Batman
has been adapted in various ways, from block-shaped to familial, leading to box office success and critical acclaim.

The Lego Batman Movie
features Batman, Robin, Batgirl, and other WB-owned characters in a humorous, Lego-filled Gotham City adventure.
A forgotten precursor,
Lego Batman: The Movie – DC Super Heroes Unite
, focuses solely on comic book characters in a down-to-earth story.

At this point, Batman has been adapted for the screen in so many different ways. Besides the trademark stylized and gritty cartoon from the ’90s, there’s the futuristic Batman Beyond, which sees the Bats as a Victorian-era vigilante, as well as another small screen iteration that transforms him into a Ninja within feudal-era Japan. We also can’t forget about the wave-riding, ice-cream-eating, super family-friendly version found in the spin-off Batwheels.

Arguably, the one version that was much more successful than any of the aforementioned saw The Dark Knight become a miniature version of himself and block-shaped. We will never forget about the hilarious but also heartwarming animated feature that was The Lego Batman Movie.

The Lego Batman Movie Was Another Success in the Lego Franchise

Released in 2017, the Warner Bros. Pictures superhero comedy featuring Batman, Robin, Batgirl, and all sorts of other various WB-owned properties saw a great turnout at the box office. The call-back-filled movie not only managed to make over triple its budget in worldwide revenue but also won numerous cinematic awards. Seeing Batman and his new family take back Gotham City from the Eye of Sauron, Voldemort, and the Gremlins (as well as the Joker, of course) was exciting for people of all ages. Not to mention that Batman himself exhibited a brash humor akin to Marvel’s Deadpool.

Lego Movies Release Date Box Office Total The Lego Movie February 7, 2014 $468,266,122 The Lego Batman Movie February 10, 2017 $312,136,671 The Lego Ninjago Movie September 22, 2017 $123,164,177 The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part February 8, 2019 $199,603,202

We also can’t forget that the entire environment within the movie was made out of Lego pieces – from the Batcave to the various Batmobiles to Gotham itself. In the usual Lego fashion, all the heroes and villains have to chain-link with each other in the climax to reattach the plates of the city back together. But by no means should you think this was the first Lego Batman movie. One must look further back to see where this animated spectacle possibly originated from.

A Forgotten Lego Batman Movie

Two years before anything Lego-related came to the big screen, the ever-popular toy franchise was busy with the release of Lego Lord of the Rings and Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes video games. While they were both successes, WB decided to take the latter property one step forward and make a full-fledged direct-to-video adaptation called Lego Batman: The Movie – DC Super Heroes Unite, which came out in May 2013.

It would be made up of cutscenes from the game as well as all-new clips that help to make the story flow better. While this obscure title didn’t open the floodgates like The Lego Batman Movie did years later with lots of other franchises, it did boast plenty of comic book characters. Let’s look at some of these names and, more importantly, how Lego Batman: The Movie stacks up against The Lego Batman Movie.

Related We Would Love to See LEGO Versions of These Movies LEGOs are no longer just collector items or fun building toys. Here are a few beloved films that we would love to see take on a LEGO film version.

After losing the “Man of the Year” award to Bruce Wayne, Lex Luthor breaks Joker out of Arkham Asylum using his new deconstructor weapon (which uses the power of kryptonite to take brick structures apart). Lex believes that Joker’s laughing gas will help him get elected as the President of the United States. After a swift car chase involving the Batmobile being destroyed, Joker and Lex invade Batman’s hideout to steal the caped crusader’s stash of the green crystals.

The dastardly duo uses the power from this surplus to control a giant Joker robot. With the actual Joker foolishly leaving a huge painting of his face in all the places he’s been, the Martian Manhunter alerts the rest of the Justice League to this fight: The Flash, Cyborg, Green Lantern, and Wonder Woman.

Justice League Against a Giant Joker

Seeing how any hopes of a presidency were stumped when Joker’s gas made the public infatuated with only the clown prince of darkness, Luthor chooses to fight, but he is easily outmatched and arrested. Wayne Tower is speedily repaired by The Flash, and Batman finally concedes that he wouldn’t have been able to save the day without his friends.

As you can see, Batman’s family and friend’s dilemma remained pretty much the same (substitute Robin, Alfred, and Barbara Gordon for the Justice League), but Lego Batman: The Movie – DC Super Heroes Unite was a much more down-to-earth story that exclusively involved comic book characters. Names like The Riddler, The Penguin, Harley Quinn, and Bane even show up – albeit unsuccessfully taking down Batman at the award show.

Related Lego: All Theatrically Released Movies, Ranked Full of stunning animation, A-list voice casts, and laugh out loud humor appealing to adults and children alike, here are the Lego movies, ranked.

Surprisingly, many of the original voice cast members from the making of the game, such as Troy Baker (Batman), Charlie Schlatter (Robin), Travis Willingham (Superman), Christopher Corey Smith (The Joker), and Clancy Brown (Lex Luthor), returned to reprise their roles in this feature. While the humor presented in Lego Batman: The Movie neither breaks the fourth wall nor references any pop culture sentiments, there seems to be a cult status growing towards this film over on Google Reviews: only four or five-star ratings, nothing less!

With over 5000 ratings, Rotten Tomatoes also rates this film high at 79%. This early rendition of Batman in a Lego space may not boast a story that travels across different dimensions, but it will surely entertain audiences of all ages. Lego Batman: The Movie – DC Superheroes Unite is available to rent on Prime Video.