This Is My Favorite Part in the Lego Batman Movie Trailer

It’s a tiny “blink and you’ll miss it” moment that’s a great example of why I love animation as a medium.
Lego Batman Movie

With most of the recent Batman-related news focusing on the newly released Batman v Superman movie, it might be easy to overlook the fact that we got, not one, but two teasers for next year’s Lego Batman Movie. They’re both gems, with Will Arnett once again voicing the Caped Crusader. But there’s one moment in the second “Wayne Manor” trailer that I get a special kick out of.

It’s not Arnett striking the right balance between pathos and arrogance for the World’s Greatest Detective or the hilarious exasperation of Ralph Fiennes’ Alfred. No, it actually occurs during Batman’s intro to the teaser, at approximately the 0:13 mark when he’s explaining why The Lego Batman Movie is “vastly superior” to The Lego Movie: Batman strikes a classic “hero” pose and his cape billows out behind him.

It’s a tiny “blink and you’ll miss it” moment, but it’s a nice comedic touch because it’s perfectly in-line with how we picture Batman (as a hero among heroes) but the context in which it appears gently tweaks and deconstructs such a heroic image. (Just as Arnett’s voice tweaks the gravelly voice we now associate with the Dark Knight, for better or worse.)

It’s also a great example of why I love animation as a medium; because animators have so much control over what appears in every single frame, they can throw in little details like this one — details that can add just that extra little bit of wit, whimsy, or emotion. I can practically guarantee you that detail wasn’t a happy accident. Somebody thought it’d be cool to include that little cape moment, and considered the best way to include it for just a second. Which is just a sign of excellence and creativity on the filmmakers’ part.

Obviously, since this is just a trailer, the actual movie could still turn out to be a stinker. But the trailer is a sign that so far, the filmmakers’ heads seem to be in the right place. The Lego Batman Movie comes out February 10, 2017.

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