Lego blocks out merchandise plans for ‘The Lego Movie’

Look out, block heads. Here comes the merch.

The Lego Group announced today new plans for merchandise to promote “The Lego Movie,” which will hit theaters Feb. 7, 2014.

The film is expected to be a hit among families, thanks to the relationship parents and children have with the brand, said Michael McNally, a spokesman for the Lego Group.

“Today’s parents are the ones who first grew up playing with Lego,” he said. “It appeals to generations of people, there’s a strong nostalgia factor.”

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Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures made the new film, which follows a Lego character named Emmet (voiced by Chris Pratt), an ordinary man misidentified as the person set to save the world. He and a group of Lego characters go on an adventure to stop an evil overlord.

Morgan Freeman, Will Ferrell and Elizabeth Banks also provide voices for some of the characters in the movie, directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (“21 Jump Street.”) This is the theatrical debut for Lego, which makes toys for children.

A collection of 17 Lego building sets will be made to promote the film and will feature characters and scenes from the movie. The first building set will be revealed during San Diego’s Comic-Con on Saturday.

The company is also revamping its collectible figurines, releasing new ones inspired by the characters in the film. All merchandise will roll out in stores in January.

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“We are thrilled to collaborate with our valued partners to build a varied compelling portfolio of products through which fans of all ages can celebrate this Lego brand milestone,” said Jill Wilfret, vice president of licensing and entertainment for the Lego group.

Other merchandise being released to promote the movie include apparel, a new videogame from TT Games and books published with partners that include Penguin and Scholastic.

Globally, products for the film will hit stores about a month before its theatrical release, which varies across the world.

“(The movie) is everything people understand of the brand,” McNally said. “It’s naturally tapping into this phenomenon that Lego already has.”

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Twitter:@DiangeleaMillar

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