‘The LEGO Movie Sequel’ Now In The Hands of ‘Trolls’ Director Mike MitchellPosted on Friday, February 3rd, 2017 by Ethan AndertonEven though The LEGO Movie hit theaters back in 2014, the sequel isn’t arriving until 2019. It was expected to arrive sooner, but Warner Bros. Pictures decided to fast track The LEGO Batman Movie and The LEGO Ninjago Movie in the meantime to hold over building block fans.Plus, it sounds like it may be taking some more time than initially thought to get The LEGO Movie Sequel off the ground. Just last summer the script was slated to get a rewrite from Raphael Bob-Waksberg, the creator of Bojack Horseman, and now the film is replacing previously-set director Rob Schrab with someone who has more animation experience, but not as promising comedy experience.Variety reports Mike Mitchell, fresh off being at the helm of Trolls, is The LEGO Movie Sequel director now that Rob Schrab has left the project due to unspecified creative differences. Along with this news comes word that Matt Fogel (Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son) wrote the most recent draft, which doesn’t sound all that promising.
It’s not clear if the most recent draft is the reason for Rob Schrab’s departure, but it does create some concern. Schrab’s previous work included directing episodes of Community, The Mindy Project, The Sarah Silverman Program and an episode of Parks and Recreation, just to name a few. He was also the director of The LEGO Movie 4D: A New Adventure, a theme park attraction at LEGOLAND. That’s a great resume for someone to have, especially considering the kind of humor employed by The LEGO Movie.As for Mike Mitchell, he certainly has experience in animation with Trolls and Shrek Forever After in his past, as well as family friendly comedies like Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water and Sky High. Not many of those inspire confidence, and only more disappointing is the fact that Surviving Christmas and Deuce Bigelow: Male Gigolo were directed by him as well.Now this doesn’t necessarily mean The LEGO Movie Sequel is in trouble. Phil Lord and Chris Miller wrote the first draft of the script and they’re still producing the movie along with Dan Lin and Roy Lee.
But these creative shuffles are a little worrisome. Here’s hoping that Mike Mitchell sticks with The LEGO Movie Sequel and he can bring some of the creativity that he brought to Trolls with him.Sky and Warner Bros. Pictures have joined forces to bring none other than Lego Batman on board to promote Sky’s new Broadband Tech Team.Ad of the Day: Sky Broadband Taking time out of his schedule ahead of the 10 February release of the Lego Batman Movie, the film’s star appears in the ad alongside the company’s newly recruited and trained Tech Team (who also appear in Lego form).Running from late-December, the WCRS-led campaign includes four 40” brand TV spots with Will Arnett voicing Lego Batman alongside real Sky employees as the Tech Team Minifigures.Of the spots, Danni Murray, vice president, media, digital and marketing partnerships at Warner Bros. UK, commented: “We are delighted to be working with our partners Sky and Lego along with WCRS…our teams have worked together to push media and creative boundaries in ways that will excite and engage our respective audiences.”
Lyssa McGowan, brand director, communications products at Sky, added that partnering with Warner Bros. to turn the Tech Team into animated Lego Minifigures was “a fantastic way” to inform customers of the brand-new team.Taking 1,600 animation hours WCRS worked with director Jon Saunders on the campaign. “The combined genius of the animators, Will Arnett’s voice work and WCRS’s creative teams has brought to life the perfect foil for Sky’s Tech Team, who restore harmony to anxious one-liners everywhere, leaving Lego Batman to save the world,” said Leon Jaune, executive creative director at WCRS.The campaign will run across radio, digital, press and out of home in addition to the four TV spots – Epic Trailer, Bat Bored, Bat Fix and Bat Fans.Just because Black Friday has become a shopping season that runs nearly the entire month of November does not mean that major retailers won't be rolling out the big guns during the traditional kickoff to the Christmas sales push. Of course, even the term Black Friday no longer rings entirely true because what once kicked off on the Friday after Thanksgiving now starts on the holiday itself for many of the biggest players.
That's true for Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT), Target (NYSE:TGT), and Best Buy (NYSE:BBY), three of the major retailers that will lead the way this holiday season. All three companies have announced their Black Friday plans. And while the day after Thanksgiving may no longer be quite as important to fourth quarter results as it once was, it's still a big deal, and Wal-Mart, Target, and Best Buy will all be big participants. Target gets aggressiveBlack Friday will be part of what Target is calling "10 Days of Deals" a promotion offering deep daily discounts on electronics, kitchenware, toys, and more from Nov. 22 through Dec. 1. As part of the "10 Days of Deals," guests will have access to a Black Friday presale on Wednesday, Nov. 25. "Black Friday continues to kick off the holiday shopping season for many guests. This year Target will open our doors at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving for the millions of families who make Black Friday in-store shopping part of their tradition. ," said Chief Stores Officer Tina Tyler in a press release.
where the deals below will be offered (as they will in the stores later that night). Some of the offers include: In addition any customer who spends $75 or more on Friday, Nov. 27, will receive a 20% discount to use toward a future purchase on any day between Dec. 4 and Dec. 13. Stores will remain open until 11 p.m. or midnight on Black Friday and many locations will offer increased hours during the holiday season. Best Buy has big plans tooThe electronics retailer actually jumped the competition this year by offering Black Friday-like savings from early November on. That does not mean Best Buy plans to ignore the big day. Nearly 1,000 Best Buy stores in 47 states will open at 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving with "doorbuster" deals. Nearly all stores will remain open until 1 a.m. local time on Friday, Nov. 27, and reopen for a second round of "doorbuster" deals at 8 a.m. Thanksgiving evening 5 p.m. "doorbusters:" Black Friday 8 a.m. "doorbusters:" Best Buy will also have extended hours throughout the weekend opening Saturday from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
throughout Thanksgiving Day, with additional deals available all weekend long. The company is offering free shipping throughout the holiday season with no minimum order required and convenient in-store pickup options. Wal-Mart is playing it differentlyIn past years Wal-Mart has been one of the symbols of Black Friday excess. Picture too many people squeezing through too small a door and customers pushing ahead to grab limited quantity sale items. The company took steps to stop that last year by offering rain checks and guaranteeing people certain deals even after stock ran out, but this year the company is pledging an overall better shopping experience. "I know that shopping can make the holidays anything but simple and enjoyable," said COO Judith McKenna in a blog post. "It's become a chaotic, frustrating, complicated game of figuring out how to get what you want at the best price. And for many people it's just not fun anymore. That's why we're making holiday shopping easier for you every day."
She went on to explain that the company has made investments this year designed to improve the customer experience: In February, we pledged to raise wages for our associates, along with new career opportunities, training, scheduling and benefits -- that's a commitment of $2.7 billion over two years. Then, we began hiring an additional 8,000 department managers. What does this mean for you? More engaged associates with specific training who will take better care of you. After all, our people make the difference. That does not mean that the company won't be offering Black Friday deals, which the company explained in a press release: -- including many of the top items such as televisions, video game consoles, and small home appliances -- beginning at 12:01 a.m. PT on Thanksgiving morning. Then, Black Friday will begin in stores at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day. The company released a full list of Black Friday deals it will be offering, but here are some of the highlights: