Earlier this year, LEGO released a 2,523 piece The Simpsons house, and they’ve now released Simpsons minifigures.  And next month, the long-running animated TV series will be going LEGO on the show’s 550th episode “Brick Like Me”.  In the episode, Homer wakes up in a LEGO Springfield, and he must figure out how he got there and how to get back to the safe confines of his 2D world.  I can’t remember the last time I tuned in to watch The Simpsons, but I’ll definitely be watching this episode.

Hit the jump to check out the LEGO Simpsons images and TV spot.  “Brick Like Me” will air on May 4th.

LEGO has officially revealed their summer sets for Star Wars, X-Men, The LEGO Movie, and Guardians of the Galaxy.  Most of the Star Wars stuff is original trilogy material, and it’s very cool stuff like Mos Eisley Cantina, and AT-AT, and an Imperial Star Destroyer.  Most of The LEGO Movie sets are also awesome, and I’m already setting money aside for “Benny’s Spaceship, Spaceship, SPACESHIP!”  Finally, the Guardians of the Galaxy sets might provide a few spoilers from the movie, or they may not.  For example, I don’t remember this scene being in Iron Man 3.  But just to be safe, I’ve put the Guardians images at the end after the ­X-Men set.

Hit the jump to check out the images, and click here to see our Toy Fair coverage of the sets.

LEGO collectors, rejoice!  LEGO’s line of minifigures has been a source of great joy for fans of a number of properties, and the next beloved IP to get the LEGO minifig treatment is The Simpsons.  The minifigures from the animated Fox series have been unveiled in full, giving us a look at the complete 16-character collection that includes favorites like Ralph Wiggum, Krusty the Clown, Mr. Burns, Ned Flanders, and of course Scratchy.  The series is being released in celebration of the 25th Anniversary of The Simpsons, and the entire line will launch in May for just $3.99 each.

But that’s not the end of the LEGO/The Simpsons partnership, as May 4th will also see the premiere of a special LEGO episode of the animated series on Fox, and a full construction set is also poised to be released.  For now, though, hit the jump to take a look at the minifigure line.

As The LEGO Movie is nearing a $200 million worldwide box office with no signs of slowing, a sequel is pretty much a given.  However, a direct sequel to Phil Lord and Chris Miller‘s animated family adventure film might have to wait until another LEGO sub-franchise has had its time to shine.  A little while back, we reported that Warner Bros. was developing a Ninjago film to feature the ninja-themed title world.  The studio will soon decide whether to move forward with both the LEGO sequel and the stand-alone Ninjago films, along with which film will come first.  Hit the jump for more.

A few weeks ago, we reported that LEGO chosen the Ecto-1 from Ghostbusters as the next LEGO CUUSOO, a line based on submissions from fans.  The previously released images were mock-ups, but the company has now released official images along with info on the upcoming set.  The “LEGO Ghostbusters Ecto-1″ will have 508 pieces, retail for $49.99 (US), and go on sale this June.

Speaking of LEGO CUUSOO movie vehicles, their Back to the Future DeLorean is now on sale at Amazon for $27.98, which is 20% off the retail price.  I picked this up at Comic-Con last year, and it’s a good set, especially because you can make alterations to turn it into the DeLorean from the original, Part II, or Part III.  Hit the jump to check out images of the Ghostbusters LEGO, and click here to buy the LEGO DeLorean.

Early this morning Collider had the pleasure of checking out the Lego display prior to the start of Toy Fair.  The company is rolling out its largest collection yet, 246 new products in total with a number of standouts in the mix.

We’ve got photos of all 17 The LEGO Movie products including the Toy Fair exclusive reveal, Metal Beard’s (voiced by Nick Offerman) pirate ship, the Sea Cow.  The Star Wars line welcomed pieces from the new Rebels television show as well as the Microfighters, a series that offers smaller versions of much larger ships like the Millennium Falcon and the X-Wing Fighter. Also in the spotlight at the event was the LEGO Ghostbusters Ecto-1 set and the house from The Simpsons, a design that folds open, letting you check out the iconic living room, kitchen and more inside. But then of course there were also some hot ticket items that weren’t ready just yet so couldn’t be photographed, but you can catch full descriptions of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Guardians of the Galaxy products after the jump.

The LEGO Movie was massive hit with both audiences and critics when it opened last weekend, and deservingly so given that the film is an absolute joy to take in.  I’ll be shocked if it doesn’t make the Best Animated Feature shortlist for next year’s Oscars, but before we start talking about the 2015 ceremony, we’ve got this year’s Academy Awards to take care of.  In a bit of zeitgeist synergy, the posters for all nine of this year’s Best Picture nominees have been recreated in LEGO form, making for a pretty amusing series of one-sheets.  It’s shaping up to be one of the closest Best Picture races in years, with Gravity and 12 Years a Slave in a virtual tie for first and American Hustle playing the very possible spoiler.  We’ve still got a few weeks to go before the awards season comes to a close, but for now take some delight in seeing LEGO-fied versions of the nominees, complete with American Hustle’s plunging necklines.

Hit the jump to take a look at some of the posters.  The 2014 Oscars will be hosted by Ellen Degeneres on Sunday, March 2nd.

As I have said many times, director Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s The LEGO Movie exceeded my lofty expectations.  Loaded with great animation, a fun story, humor for both kids and adults, and an insanely addictive song (“Everything is Awesome”), The LEGO Movie is truly something special and I strongly recommend checking it out this weekend.  If you’re not familiar with the movie, it’s been made using a mix of stop-motion and CG animation and the pic revolves around Emmett (voiced by Chris Pratt), an ordinary construction worker who finds himself anointed “The Special”, a master builder who will lead a band of rebels to save the world from the evil President Business (Will Ferrell).  The film also features the voices of Elizabeth Banks, Morgan Freeman, Liam Neeson, Will Arnett, Nick Offerman, Charlie Day, Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Alison Brie, and many others.

At the recent press junket, I landed an exclusive video interview with animation-co-director Chris McKay.  He talked about the positive critical reaction, whether they have any jokes for adults that went too far, how much of the film is CG vs. stop-motion, story changes during production, whether they’re thinking about a sequel, character cameos, the LEGO sets being made for the movie, getting to incorporate Space LEGOs, what will be on the Blu-ray, and more.  Hit the jump to watch.

While I often get to speak with all sorts of people in the entertainment industry, it’s rare that I get to talk with a VP of a toy company.  But with The LEGO Movie opening this weekend, a few days ago I got to speak with LEGO VP of Design Matthew James Ashton.  During our wide ranging conversation, we talked about LEGO’s involvement with directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller on the film, and we also touched on the LEGO sets based on the movie.  Additionally, Ashton discussed the inner-workings of how LEGO sets are created, including how long it takes from the inception of the idea to having the product on the shelves, the popularity of the brand, determining what licenses to pursue, the difficulty of making sets for secretive films like The Avengers 2 and Star Wars: Episode VII, and more.  Getting into specifics, Ashton addressed the just announced Ghostbusters Ecto 1 LEGO, the Cuusoo platform (which helps determine which fan-created LEGO sets get made), The Simpsons sets, retired sets, and a lot more.

As I have said a few times, The LEGO Movie exceeded my lofty expectations.  Loaded with great animation, a fun story, humor for both kids and adults, and an insanely addictive song (“Everything is Awesome”) that you’ll be singing again and again, The LEGO Movie is truly something special and I’m beyond confident both audiences and critics are going to fall in love with the film.   I strongly recommend checking it out this weekend.  Hit the jump for the interview.

There has been some pretty good news for Lego fans today, with the news that Warner Bros. is already developing a sequel to The Lego Movie. The Phil Lord and Chris Miller film, which opens this weekend, is set to bring an even bigger spotlight to the colorful building blocks.  Some fans recently took Legos into their own hands to make their own cut of the Dawn of the Planet of the Apes trailer, matching it frame for frame.  Even if some of the original trailer’s menace is lost in translation, the new version is certainly a fun watch.

Hit the jump to watch the Lego-style trailer.  Dawn of the Planet of the Apes stars Andy Serkis, Jason Clarke, Keri Russell, Gary Oldman, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Kirk Acevedo, Toby Kebbell, Enrique Murciano, and Judy Greer, and opens in 3D on July 18, 2014.

One of LEGO’s cooler branches is the LEGO CUUSOO branch, which invites fans to submit their own designs in the hopes of creating mass production.  As long as a project receives 10,000 votes, it will be eligible for consideration by the LEGO team.  There are numerous hurdles to clear, but they do find a way to make fans’ dreams come true like last year when they released the Back to the Future DeLorean.  Today, the vote for the next CUUSOO project came down to seven finalists, and the winner was the “Ghostbusters 30th Anniversary” set, or at least part of it.  While the submitted set also included the firehouse, this build will only contain the Ecto-1, which is nothing to scoff at.  Although the image above doesn’t represent the final build, it will be along these lines.  The set should be on shelves later this year.

Hit the jump to see the announcement video and more images of the Ecto-1.

A few days ago we posted a few leaked images of LEGO’s The Simpsons House.   While I figured LEGO would ask us to remove the images, they’ve surprised me by providing us with a number of high-resolution images of the upcoming set and also a press release detailing LEGO’s partnership with 20th Century Fox for The Simpsons branded merchandise.  The big news in the press release is:

• The Simpsons House is scheduled to launch February 1st  in LEGO stores and via the LEGO Shop at Home catalog and website for $199.99 (USD). The Simpsons house consists of the entire family: Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie along with neighbor Ned Flanders.

• The line of LEGO The Simpsons minfigures will launch in May 2014 in all major toy retailers for $3.99 (USD) each.

• FOX is scheduled to air a special LEGO episode of The Simpsons in May 2014 featuring Springfield and its cast of characters in LEGO form.

Hit the jump for high-resolution images of the upcoming LEGO set.

If you’re a fan of Lego and The Simpsons, start saving your money.  That’s because later this year, Lego will be releasing playsets and minifigures based on the popular cartoon, and if they sell, you can expect plenty of additional ways for Lego to get your money.

With the first Simpsons playset, The Simpsons House, being released in April, two pictures of the set have leaked online.  While many collectors wondered about the size and price point, the box reveals it’s 2,523 pieces and it comes with six minifigures (Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, Maggie, and Ned Flanders), which means it should range between $150-$200 retail.  Hit the jump to check out the set.

As we saw earlier this year with a 150,000-brick Helm’s Deep, the Lord of the Rings movies have lent themselves to elaborate LEGO recreations.  Now another piece (no pun intended) of LEGO Middle-earth has arrived with a 200,000-brick model of Rivendell.  Alice Finch, who you may recall did the amazing LEGO model of Hogwarts, teamed up with David Frank to create this marvel, which ended up winning the People’s Choice Award at BrickCon.  The size and scale is incredibly impressive, and it must have been ridiculously expensive to get all the pieces.  I wonder if anyone will go truly crazy and try to build Gondor.

Hit the jump to check out images of LEGO Rivendell.

Black Friday is almost here, and like most people who love a good deal, you’ve mapped out your plan of attack (make sure this attack doesn’t involve trampling).  You know what you want, where to get it, and Thanksgiving dinner be damned, you’re going to camp out in front of a store or in front of your computer.  While we admire your enthusiasm, we have some suggestions for items you might want to add to your wish list.  And they don’t necessarily have to be for you; they could also be for someone you know.

Adam, Dave, and I have nine items we’d like to recommend: three small items (“Stocking Stuffers”), three moderately priced items (“Under the Tree”), and three expensive items (“Extra Nice”).  More importantly, we each have a charity to recommend since we truly believe it’s better to give than to receive (unless you’re receiving a trip to outer space; nothing beats a trip to outer space).  Hit the jump to check out our 2013 Gift Guide.

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