The LEGO Batman Movie is packed with all sorts of Easter eggs and references, and while some are obvious, there’s a surprising amount of deep cuts you might have missed. Warning: this article contains full spoilers for The LEGO Batman Movie! Alfred recalls Batman’s history by referring to all of the live-action Batman movies: Batman v Superman, The Dark Knight Rises, The Dark Knight, Batman Begins, Batman and Robin, Batman Forever, Batman Returns, and Batman (1989). All get LEGO-ized as Alfred lists them off, save for 1966’s Batman: The Movie which shows live-action Adam West. Speaking of Adam West’s Batman, Robin finds the Bat-Shark Repellant while exploring the cave. When Batman and Robin fight together, they hit the bad guys so hard that words describing the impact materialize in the air, a throwback to the signature onomatopoeia used during fight scenes. When the Joker hijacks the plane (humorously called "McGuffin Airlines," a plot device used to move the story forward), the pilot brings up how Batman always beats him by mentioning the “two boats” from the end of The Dark Knight and “the time with the parade and the Prince music?” from the Joker parade float sequence in Batman (1989).
There’s a couple more Tim Burton Batman references. Batman’s playlist is titled "Let's Get Nuts,” referencing what Michael Keaton’s Bruce Wayne said to Jack Nicholson’s Joker. LEGO Joker uses a line borrowed from Jack Nicholson's Joker, "Where does he get all those wonderful toys?" When Batman and Robin are speeding around in the Batmobile and screech to a halt to avoid hitting an elderly lady crossing the street, it’s a nod to a hijacked Batmobile almost doing the same thing in Batman Returns. The Penguin is modeled after Danny DeVito's appearance and he rides the same Duck-mobile seen in Batman Returns. And Shreck’s Department Store from Batman Returns can be glimpsed in the city. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice gets a nod when Batman names Superman as his greatest enemy. When Batman remarks that recruiting a group of criminals to fight other criminals is a stupid idea, he’s taking a swipe at Suicide Squad. Another Suicide Squad dig comes when Killer Croc swims underwater to simply push a button, a joke about how there wasn’t much point to his role in the movie.
There are a lot of custom Batmobiles and other Bat-vehicles in the cave, but there’s also recreations of movie Batmobiles like the Tumbler from Christopher Nolan movies and the Batmobiles from Batman (1989) and Batman Forever. While talking about crime in Gotham City, Barbara Gordon’s presentation includes images of Batman: The Animated Series and one of its animated movies, The Mask of the Phantasm, not to mention an image from Frank Miller’s iconic The Dark Knight Returns comic, the cover to Batman’s first comic appearance in Detective Comics #27, and even the Lewis Wilson serials, Batman’s first-ever on-screen appearance You’ll notice that when Alfred suits up, he first wears Adam West’s Bat-suit and then switches to the same domino mask that Alan Napier’s Alfred would wear when he went on missions during the show. And continuing the Adam West Batman love, we hear the theme song a couple times like when we hear the Batmobile’s horn and when Batman beatboxes. There’s also the inclusion of the villain Egghead, a bad guy created for the show played by Vincent Price.
Commissioner Gordon's partner is named O'Hara, a nod to Chief O'Hara in the show. The back of a magazine has an ad for "Barris Automotive" which is a tribute to the show's Batmobile designer George Barris. When starting up the Batmobile we hear "Atomic batteries to power, turbines to speed!" which is the same thing Burt Ward's Robin would say in the show. The Batcave has racks full of alternate Batsuits, including the Batman Beyond suit. And the show’s bad guy Blight can also be seen among the villains. The family picture of Bruce and his parents is taken in front of the Monarch theater, the same place as in the comics. Iron Man is a genius-billionaire-superhero just like Batman, and so the film’s one dig at Marvel comes when Batman shouts “Iron Man sucks!” as the voice command to enter the Batcave. The Bat-team shouts it together later in the film, too. The depiction of all Superman elements pull from the Christopher Reeve Superman movies, including the crystallized Fortress of Solitude, Jor-El resembling Marlon Brando, Zod resembling Terence Stamp, and Superman’s doorbell playing the John Williams movie score.
Keep reading for the Justice League, villains, and more!LEGO Friends: Feminist Frequency responds Feminist Frequency on LEGO Friends In several recent posts, I’ve addressed the issues that are brought up in the gender stereotyping promoted through the LEGO Friends line being developed and marketed as “for girls.” One post shared the thoughts of a 10 year old girl about how she felt limited by the new line. While another connected the vast research about stereotype threat to the promotion of gender stereotypes through this type of marketing. I wanted to share this brilliant video by Anita Sarkeesian of Feminist Frequency in which she does a thorough job of responding to the issues with the LEGO Friends line and the gendered marketing that LEGO has consistently engaged in for many years. Podcast ↑ Grab this Headline Animator Subscribe to Podcasts Subscribe to Dr. Jennifer W. Shewmaker » Podcasts: Gender and Media Talk by Email See It & Be It Talking with Kids about Sexuality
What’s out There That’s Good For Teens and Tweens Podcasts: Gender and Media Talk Creating a Space for LearningA feminist group has identified the enemy, and it is ... The Danish company behind the interlocking plastic building blocks loved by children since 1949 has a meeting set for Friday with a Brooklyn group ticked off with LEGOs product line designed to appeal to girls. The new “LEGO Friends” rolled out in December featuring LadyFigs, curvier takeoffs on the traditional boxy LEGO men. Construction sets include a hot tub, a splash pool, a beauty parlor, an outdoor bakery and a “cool convertible," as well as an inventor's workshop. But the SPARK Movement objects to the "LadyFigs," the female version of the little figures who man the spaceships, trucks and forts children create. "Ladyfigs" are somewhat anatomically correct, which hypersexualizes girls, according to the group."And it just disturbs us that this is the image that they want girls to see."
Let kids and parents, not advocates, decide on LEGO Friends dolls Are toys that foster gender identity inappropriate? Edell also objects to what she calls stereotyping of preferred pastimes for girls. "What it's doing is telling girls that this is what's important to you," Edell said of the beauty parlor and hot tub sets. "Girls aren't building space shuttles, they're getting their nails done." But not everyone thinks LEGOs for girls should have parents ready to snap. Dr. Leonard Sax, author of "Why Gender Matters: What Parents and Teachers Need to Know About the Emerging Science of Sex Differences," said gender differences are natural, and that while some girls may prefer traditional LEGOs, there is nothing wrong with the company offering what it sees as a girl-friendly version. According to Sax, even animals in the wild show differences along gender lines from the earliest ages."The sexualization of children is indeed an important issue, but this is not a part of that."
Edell's group has gotten 55,000 signatures as of Thursday decrying the gender-specific LEGO sets. That was enough to leverage a meeting with top LEGO executives in Manhattan at 10:30 a.m. Friday."We value external perspectives -- critical or complimentary -- as inspiration for exploring development of the LEGO brand." But the company may listen more closely to customers than critics. McNally said the girl-targeted line is selling well, and generating positive feedback from parents. they were puzzled why some oppose the toymaker's decision to provide a more diverse product line. ", regularly takes on issues like gender, politics and economics. "SPARK seems to oppose any expression of traditional, old-fashioned femininity, but why? Shouldn't parents have the option of purchasing toys that express traditional masculinity, traditional femininity, and everything in between?" LEGO isn't suggesting that girls be limited to playing with traditionally-feminine toys, but is instead giving parents options, Ciandella said.