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We are very pleased to announce that the latest winner of our Film of the Month competition is The LEGO® Dimension made by Tomos in Yorkshire.
A charming and funny stop-motion animated adventure in which a boy named Joe plays with LEGO® figures instead of tidying his room as requested by his mum. This results in him being sucked into the LEGO® universe and emerging as a LEGO® character, leading him on an epic quest to find his way home to the real world.
A very confident and assured piece from this young filmmaker. There was a strong narrative which was made extra special by the hilarious voice-over which gave the film some great comedy value!
Film of the Month judge on 'The LEGO® Dimension'
We got in touch with Tomos to ask him more about his film.
How does it feel to win the Film of the Month competition?
Amazing - I didn't expect it at all.
How long have you been making films?
Since 2015, when I did an animation for the golden owls [a Leeds based film competition] with my friend. It was, compared to today, frankly rubbish. But then we were 8…
Where did you get the idea for The LEGO® Dimension?
I don't know… I was brainstorming, and it came in to my head and I thought "why not this?".
Did you write the whole story out first or did you work on it piece by piece?
A combination, actually. I did write out a script but then I often tweaked it a bit.
We know the film was made with a Smartphone, but how did you keep the phone so still and steady for all the animation?
Tripods, blu-tack and a lot of patience. Oh, and onion-skinning often helped when it did get knocked- an all to frequent occurrence in animation. LEGO® helped make makeshift stands and books helped raise the tripod.
What advice would you give to other young people who want to start making animated films? What should they be ready for?
Go for it. If it fails, take note of problems and move on. Resilience is very handy in animating. Oh, and do your homework. Research can help animation.
If you could make The LEGO® Dimension again, what would you do differently, and why?
Better speaking animations, better sound balance at the beginning. Better explanation - I did actually do a version two that solved these problems.
What are some of your favourite films, and why? Did any of these influence The LEGO® Dimension?
The Lego cinematic universe- The LEGO Movie, The LEGO Batman Movie and The LEGO Ninjago Movie because, well, LEGO!!!! (need I say more?) I also like Star Wars, particularly The Last Jedi. Lots of the minifigures that I used were originally Ninjago, movie or tv style or a mash-up of the two. So that could be counted. Possibly the bit where Emmet gets sucked into the real world had an influence on it too.
The LEGO® Dimension will now be showcased to over 300,000 film club members online and all of this month's films can be seen on our YouTube channel. Tomos has also won a £100 Amazon voucher and a DVD! If you've been inspired by this month's winner, find out more about how you can enter our ongoing Film of the Month competition.
If you enjoyed The LEGO® Dimension why not try these related films:
- A Town Called Panic (2009, PG, 75 mins) Engaging for 7+
French stop-motion animation in which three figures simply known as Horse, Cowboy and Indian embark on a frenzied adventure across incredible terrains.
- The LEGO® Movie (2014, U, 100 mins) Engaging for 5+
The first film to introduce us to the LEGO® universe sees an ordinary figure thought to be the Master Builder recruited to a team of superheroes.
- Tron (1982, PG, 92 mins) Engaging for 7+
A computer programmer is sucked into a virtual reality world in this richly designed, influential sci-fi featuring superb racing sequences.
- James and the Giant Peach (1996, U, 79 mins) Engaging for 5+
Based on Roald Dahl's seminal children's book, orphan James escapes his evil aunts and befriends the insects of a magical peach in this blend of live-action and stop-motion animation.
