The LEGO Batman Movie × TBS — Magic Feather Films

Batman hosts movie night

“Okay, LEGO Batman was awesome.” That’s how John Davidson opens his breakdown of the job: digital and traditional interstitials for TBS and Warner Bros., promoting The LEGO Batman Movie.

01The brief: a month of LEGO on TBS

The LEGO Movie made its broadcast debut on TBS in June 2016. For January and February 2017, the network brought it back as a month-long viewing event across VOD and on-air, timed to the release of The LEGO Batman Movie in theaters on February 10. TBS teamed with Warner Bros. to plant custom Lego Batman content throughout the stunt.

The gist, in John’s words: “LEGO Batman was hosting a viewing of the LEGO Movie.”

From the breakdownLego Batman on the TBS On Demand set

02Scripts built for Batman

Adam McAllister, the supervising producer at TBS, wrote the scripts, and “he did such a fantastic job.” Batman blows his own secret identity on live TV, impersonates Vitruvius to call himself the best Master Builder, spoils the ending of the movie, and confesses that the most painful thing in his life was stepping on himself.

I once stepped on myself. Have you ever stepped on one of us? It hurts.Lego Batman, “Stepped On Us” content piece

“Will Arnett was able to take that and make it even funnier.”

From the breakdownBatman, mid-monologue

Lego Batman throwing batarangs as letters of a graphic break apart — **From the breakdown**The “And Now” billboard: “First try!”

03Every trick in the book

Warner Bros. provided “a great toolkit,” and the project used just about every trick in the book: 3D modeling, some animation, some rotoscoping and some puppet tool. “But the bulk of our work was done in the edit.”

Editing timeline with a Lego Batman shot in the viewer — **From the breakdown**In the edit

Lego Batman gliding with cape spread against a white background — **From the breakdown**Batman on the move

04The package

The work ran on TBS and on TBS On Demand. Everything below is in the slider at the top of this page:

Tune-In :20A tune-in for The LEGO Movie on TBS.
“And Now” :10Batman fires batarangs at an AND NOW graphic until one finally hits, revealing a special look at The LEGO Batman Movie.
VOD Open :10The open slate for The LEGO Movie on TBS On Demand.
Content :30 ×4Bruce Wayne, Master Builder, Save the Day and Stepped On Us: Lego Batman hosting from the break.

05The result

“I’m so proud that it won a Gold Promax Award,” John says. “I think it came out pretty great.”

Engraved PromaxBDA award plaque referencing Warner Bros. / The LEGO Batman Movie — **From the breakdown**The Promax plaque

Read the breakdown transcript

0:00Okay, LEGO Batman was awesome.
0:04We made digital and traditional interstitials for TBS and Warner Brothers promoting LEGO Batman.
0:10First try.
0:11The gist of it was LEGO Batman was hosting a viewing of the LEGO Movie.
0:15You’re watching the LEGO Movie with me, Bruce Wa… Cut. What? What do you mean we can’t cut?
0:21Adam McAllister was our supervising producer from TBS and he did such a fantastic job writing the script.
0:26Hey, it’s me, Bruce Wa… Superman is Clark Kent.
0:31Will Arnett was able to take that and make it even funnier.
0:34I’ll come bat-save your bat-butts after some commercials… [unclear] cable commercials.
0:41We had a great toolkit provided by Warner Brothers.
0:43This project used just about every trick in the book.
0:453D modeling, some animation, some rotoscoping, some puppet tool, but the bulk of our work was done in the edit.
0:51I’m so proud that it won a Gold Promax Award.
0:54Coming up, everything is awesome. Love it.
0:57I think it came out pretty great.

The LEGO Batman Movie

Breakdown + every spot