LEGO opens its global Holiday Workshop with 74-second film

By Sophie Lindqvist

LEGO Group has launched a global holiday campaign built around a 74-second hero film and seven 15-second companion films, extending “The LEGO Holiday Workshop” into flagship stores in New York and London and a holiday playground in Sydney.

Created by Our LEGO Agency (OLA), the campaign film was directed by Australian director Michael Gracey. His films The Greatest Showman and Better Man have earned Oscar and Golden Globe nominations.

What does this change for LEGO’s holiday marketing?

The campaign gives LEGO one narrative across a 74-second hero film, seven 15-second department films and physical holiday installations. The film follows one 2×4 LEGO brick from a glowing workshop door to a gift bag.

Michael Gracey, director, said:

“I loved the concept that behind this secret door, there might be an entire world you never knew existed. And with LEGO bricks, that world really could be anything.

“We decided to tell the story through the eyes of one little LEGO brick, following its journey through this extraordinary workshop as it passes from one character to the next.

“I love that something so small connects so many iconic characters from completely different universes as they each contribute to a single creation.

“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.”

Set to Daft Punk’s “One More Time,” the film opens with Daft Punk minifigures, wearing their trademark helmets, racing through snow toward a tiny glowing yellow LEGO door. LEGO F1 Academy driver Esmee Kosterman and Yeti minifigures are late for work. The door opens into a swirling neon portal and the workshop.

As the brick moves through the Northern Lights, Heroes, Vehicles and Music departments, the sequence turns its journey into a series of concrete actions:

• Yetis send icy blasts flying.
• Thor, Doctor Doom and Mystique infuse the brick with their powers.
• Engineer minifigures and two unicorns give it race-car acceleration.
• The brick dances above a Daft Punk concert on an LED pyramid stage, disappears into a vortex and lands inside a LEGO gift bag.

The crew reluctantly sends its creations into the world. ET, Derpy Tiger from K-Pop Demon Hunters and the NINJAGO Twin Titans are among the figures bidding a tearful farewell.

In a festive living room, a young girl starts to unwrap her gift. A thump at the window interrupts her. The workshop crew’s faces are squished against the glass because it cannot part with its bricks. As “One More Time” returns, the crew joins the family to build together.

Genevieve Hoey, Senior Director, Global Creative, Our LEGO Agency, the LEGO Group, said:

“Finding the perfect gift isn’t easy. But that’s the beauty of LEGO creativity. So many worlds, so many passions, and something for everyone. The only hard part? Giving it away.

“Trust us, we get it. 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.

“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.”

Seven 15-second companion films take viewers into seven named departments:

• Adventure
• Discovery
• Gaming
• Nature
• New Stories
• LEGO Pokémon
• Vehicles

LEGO stores worldwide have been transformed into Holiday Workshops. Flagship stores in New York and London feature immersive storefront displays. In Australia, fans can visit a festive LEGO holiday playground at Sydney’s Pitt Street Mall, featuring a giant brick-built Christmas tree.

The measurable campaign spans 74 seconds of hero film, seven 15-second films and holiday installations in flagship and public locations, ending with the workshop crew and a family building together.