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View Full Version : The Lego Movie vs. Mage: the Ascension



gom jabbarwocky
2014-10-22, 08:24 PM
I'm probably not the first person to note this, but while watching The Lego Movie, I couldn't help but note uncanny similarities between the film and the plot of the old White Wolf game Mage: the Ascension. I can only assume that these correlations are completely coincidental, but it's driving me crazy and I had to get this out of my system and share this with people. Be warned, major spoilers for The Lego Movie below - also for Mage, but that was a game that came out more than twenty years ago.

I mean, I'm not bonkers for thinking this, right? Let me break it down, first some of the superficial stuff:

- The Awakened = Master builders
- The Technocracy = Lord Business and co.
- The Technocracy creating the Gauntlet and blocking off Earth from the spirit worlds = Lord Business creating walls to separate all the different Lego worlds
- The Technocracy blows up Horizon = Bad guys blow up Cloudcuckooland

Okay, so that's not too out there. Lots of narratives have analogous components. So, let's dig a little deeper...

Alright, so in the movie the bad guys capture the master builders and hook them into a giant machine and uses their creative power to design Lord Business' stuff.... just like the Technocracy captures mages and sticks them in MECHA to use their magic juice to build their stuff! Also, doesn't Lord Business' evil plan with the glue really gel with the Technocracy's stated tie to the forces of Stasis? At the climax of the movie, Emmet goes through a mystic portal and realizes the true nature of his reality before returning to his world with tremendous insight and incredible powers, i.e., like a Seeking or Ascension or something. And in the end, the master builders and Lord Business manage to be cool with each other.... and then the Marauders attack! This is just like the canonical ending of Mage, when the Traditions and the Union have to work together to stop the Marauders from running roughshod over what is left of Earth.

I'm pretty sure that the filmmakers didn't do this intentionally, but I think this is awfully interesting, so I leave it to the forums... is there something to this thesis, or am I just seeing what I want to see?

...
2014-10-22, 10:03 PM
I'm probably not the first person to note this, but while watching The Lego Movie, I couldn't help but note uncanny similarities between the film and the plot of the old White Wolf game Mage: the Ascension. I can only assume that these correlations are completely coincidental, but it's driving me crazy and I had to get this out of my system and share this with people. Be warned, major spoilers for The Lego Movie below - also for Mage, but that was a game that came out more than twenty years ago.

I mean, I'm not bonkers for thinking this, right? Let me break it down, first some of the superficial stuff:

- The Awakened = Master builders
- The Technocracy = Lord Business and co.
- The Technocracy creating the Gauntlet and blocking off Earth from the spirit worlds = Lord Business creating walls to separate all the different Lego worlds
- The Technocracy blows up Horizon = Bad guys blow up Cloudcuckooland

Okay, so that's not too out there. Lots of narratives have analogous components. So, let's dig a little deeper...

Alright, so in the movie the bad guys capture the master builders and hook them into a giant machine and uses their creative power to design Lord Business' stuff.... just like the Technocracy captures mages and sticks them in MECHA to use their magic juice to build their stuff! Also, doesn't Lord Business' evil plan with the glue really gel with the Technocracy's stated tie to the forces of Stasis? At the climax of the movie, Emmet goes through a mystic portal and realizes the true nature of his reality before returning to his world with tremendous insight and incredible powers, i.e., like a Seeking or Ascension or something. And in the end, the master builders and Lord Business manage to be cool with each other.... and then the Marauders attack! This is just like the canonical ending of Mage, when the Traditions and the Union have to work together to stop the Marauders from running roughshod over what is left of Earth.

I'm pretty sure that the filmmakers didn't do this intentionally, but I think this is awfully interesting, so I leave it to the forums... is there something to this thesis, or am I just seeing what I want to see?

I've never played Mage, but this seems too much to be a coincidence. Some of the people at LEGO are hardcore geeks, after all.

Illogictree
2014-10-22, 11:12 PM
I've never played Mage, but this seems too much to be a coincidence. Some of the people at LEGO are hardcore geeks, after all.

Well, it's probably not a coincidence, but not for the reasons you think.

The Lego Movie very clearly draws upon The Hero's Journey and spirit quest narratives, similar to Mage. It's also got a very similar creativity vs. stasis theme.

The example given of the movie's climax is very strongly tied in with the Hero's Journey.

Emmett 'dies' when he throws himself off the tower, receives his revelation about the nature of his world, then is 'reborn' and completes his transformation into The Special - the Abyss stage of the Hero's Journey. It's immediately followed by the Atonement stage, where he's reconciled with the father figure, Lord Business, and he uses his newfound wisdom to set the world right again (the Return and Gift of the Goddess stage).

That's essentially the structure of a spirit quest, such as what a mage would go on to gain their powers in the game.

The invasion at the end isn't part of the Journey, but it is a pretty good joke. :smallwink:

So, yeah, there is a connection, but it's far more likely because of shared themes and story structure, not because someone involved played Mage.

CarpeGuitarrem
2014-10-23, 02:48 PM
The dichotomy between structure and pure chaotic creativity didn't originate in Mage, I can tell you that much. :smallsmile:

Galen
2014-10-24, 12:46 PM
I'm probably not the first person to note this, but while watching The Lego Movie, I couldn't help but note uncanny similarities between the film and the plot of the old White Wolf game Mage: the Ascension.


Well, it's probably not a coincidence, but not for the reasons you think.

The Lego Movie very clearly draws upon The Hero's Journey and spirit quest narratives, similar to Mage. It's also got a very similar creativity vs. stasis theme.

You may find this relevant.

http://static.neatorama.com/images/uploads/2007/05/61074_harrypotterstarwars.jpg