Neeson, Ferrell lead voice cast of Lego

MANILA, Philippines - Joining Chris Pratt in the voice cast of the first-ever, full-length theatrical Lego adventure The Lego Movie are Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman, Will Ferrell and Elizabeth Banks.

The latter plays the female master builder Wyldstyle. Banks says, “I enjoyed being an action hero. Wyldstyle is trying to live up to her name. She has a nice rebellious streak in her, which is something I think most kids can relate to, and she’s pushing the envelope a bit to establish her own way in life and her own look. What I loved about the character is that she’s smart and strong. She has kick-butt powers and a lot of sass and she’s no damsel in distress. She’s there to save the day.”

While recording her dialogue, “I rarely wore shoes,” Banks reveals. “I was usually barefoot because I like to jump around and move. You can’t make noise over your vocals, so I have to take my shoes off, especially in an action movie. There’s a lot of punching and jumping and running, and I did all of that behind the microphone.”

Ferrell, who plays Lord Business, calls his character “a real control freak. Lord Business runs everything and doesn’t want any creative expression or anyone building anything that’s not on the instruction worksheet. He’s built the entire universe just the way he wants it, just perfect, and it drives him crazy that people come around and dare to change things.”

Lord Business is also remarkably tall for a Lego minifigure, notes Ferrell. “In his public persona as President Business he has a more pleasant look, very corporate, three-piece-suit and a tie and not a hair out of place. However, when he reveals his true self, the maniacal Lord Business, he wears an impressive cape and 20-foot-tall boots — or, the 20-foot equivalent in LEGO terms — so he can look even more evil and terrifying.”

Lord Business’s No. 1 enforcer is the alternately intimidating and wacky Bad Cop/Good Cop, a swivel-headed minifigure with a split personality, each of which is voiced by Neeson.

Neeson and Ferrell acted out some of their interactions and improvised together, via headphones, while Neeson was in a recording studio in New York and Ferrell was in Los Angeles.

Longtime fans of Freeman’s work will be surprised that this is the first time he has applied his resonant voice to an animated movie.

Opening across the Philippines today, The LEGO Movie is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.