LEGO is bringing a little more brick to the holiday season, enlisting Australian filmmaker Michael Gracey and electronic music duo Daft Punk for its latest global Christmas campaign.
Titled ‘The LEGO Holiday Workshop’, the 74-second film is set to Daft Punk’s iconic hit ‘One More Time’ and takes viewers behind the secret doors of a magical LEGO workshop, where some very familiar faces are getting into the festive spirit.
Created by Our LEGO Agency (OLA) and directed by Gracey, the filmmaker behind The Greatest Showman and Better Man, the campaign follows a single 2×4 LEGO brick on an epic journey through the workshop as it passes through a series of departments, each bringing their own creative powers to the tiny building block.
And the minifigure guest list is quite the brick-tionary of pop culture.
The film opens with Daft Punk minifigures racing through the snow towards a glowing yellow LEGO door, alongside LEGO F1 ACADEMY driver Esmee Kosterman and a crew of Yeti minifigures.
Once inside, the brick is passed between the workshop’s Northern Lights, Heroes, Vehicles and Music departments, encountering everyone from Thor, Doctor Doom and Mystique to E.T., K-Pop Demon Hunters’ Derpy Tiger and NINJAGO’s Twin Titans.
There are icy blasts, superhero powers, race-car acceleration and, naturally, a Daft Punk performance beneath a giant LED pyramid stage. Not exactly your average day at the office.
The musical connection follows LEGO’s collaboration with Daft Punk, with ‘One More Time’ providing the soundtrack as the minifigures put their heart, soul and little plastic hands into creating the ultimate holiday gifts.
The brick eventually finds its way into a gift bag and out into the world, but the workshop crew aren’t quite ready to let go. In a final festive twist, the gang presses its faces against a family’s living-room window as a young girl prepares to unwrap her present, before joining in to build together.
Because apparently, even LEGO minifigures struggle with the whole giving-away-your-creations thing.
Gracey said he was drawn to the idea of exploring the secret world behind the making of LEGO sets, telling the story through the journey of one little brick.
“I love that something so small connects so many iconic characters from completely different universes as they each contribute to a single creation,” he said.
“At its heart, it’s an idea I’ve always believed in — that there’s something incredibly joyful about making something with your own hands, but perhaps, an even greater joy in giving it to someone else.”
Genevieve Hoey, senior director of global creative at Our LEGO Agency, said the campaign was designed to capture the excitement of finding, giving and receiving the perfect gift.
“So together with incredible talents like director Michael Gracey and music legends DAFT PUNK™, we’ve brought a little extra magic to this year’s holiday season,” she said.
“We hope this film captures that feeling — the joy of giving, the excitement of receiving, and the temptation to keep the gift for yourself. One more time.”
