question_text: when will the captain underpants movie be released on dvd

text: Plot[edit]

text: In Piqua, Ohio, George Beard (Kevin Hart) and Harold Hutchins (Thomas Middleditch) are two fourth-grade friends and next-door neighbors who often express their sense of humor at their school, bringing joy and laughter to Jerome Horwitz Elementary School. The duo frequently prank the cruel teachers at the school, especially the ill-mannered misanthropic principal, Benjamin "Benny" Krupp (Ed Helms), which puts them at odds with him. The duo also create comic books about Captain Underpants, a superhero who fights crime while wearing only underwear and a cape. They sell these to their schoolmates through a comic company called Treehouse Comix Inc, housed in their treehouse. George and Harold's pranks come to an apparent end after they tamper with a toilet invention called the Turbo Toilet 2000 made by the school's local snitch, intellectual Melvin Sneedly (Jordan Peele), who shows Krupp footage recorded by the Tattle Turtle 200, a stuffed turtle with a nanny cam hidden inside of its head. This causes Krupp to decide to put the boys in separate classes and annihilate their friendship.

text: To prevent this, George hypnotizes Krupp with a 3D Hypno Ring he received out of a cereal box. Seeing that that Krupp bears a resemblance to Captain Underpants without his toupee, they command him to be Captain Underpants. The boys soon learn the severity of their acts when Captain Underpants begins causing trouble around Piqua and take him to their treehouse. There they discover that they can turn Captain Underpants back into Krupp by splashing water on him and can turn him back by snapping their fingers. Believing that Krupp will continue with his plan to separate them, they decide to settle with Captain Underpants but insist that he be dressed up as Krupp under the pretense of a secret identity to which Captain Underpants agrees. His sudden personality change even manages to attract the attention and affection of the school's shy and clumsy lunch lady, Edith (Kristen Schaal).

text: Just when George and Harold believe that their troubles have ended, Jerome Horwitz Elementary School is visited by an odd, German-accented scientist named Professor P. (Nick Kroll). Captain Underpants (disguised as Krupp) immediately hires him to be a new teacher, but George and Harold are suspicious of him. As it turns out, his full name is Professor Pee-Pee Diarrheastein Poopypants, Esq., and he is seeking to get rid of laughter altogether, due to the fact that people have made fun of his name for years. He recruits Melvin to help him and soon finds out his brain is incapable of having fun.

text: George and Harold attempt to make the school fun by having Captain Underpants orchestrate a concert with whoopee cushions and reopen an art program shut down by Krupp long ago. Soon, the boys discover that Underpants ordered a carnival and put the teachers in detention. The boys try to keep Captain Underpants from getting splashed by water, but it starts to rain and Captain Underpants turns back into Krupp. He sees the chaos that occurred from the carnival, and finally separates the boys. Soon, Professor Poopypants tries to take over the town with a giant version of the Turbo Toilet 2000, fueled by the school cafeteria's rotten leftovers left out by Edith, and uses Melvin's brain to turn the children into glum, humorless zombies. Captain Underpants tries to stop the villain, but due to having no actual superpowers, is effortlessly defeated and thrown into the toilet. George and Harold are captured and turned into zombies, but begin laughing upon Professor Poopypants mentioning Uranus and gas giants as planets he would remove laughter from later. Due to this, they are able to break the trance and escape when their excessive laughter damages the Turbo Toilet 2000's computer. Upon consuming the mutated leftovers, Captain Underpants acquires superpowers. He manages to confiscate a shrinking and enlarging ray used by Professor Poopypants, and shrinks him, though he escapes shortly thereafter on a bee.

text: Knowing that they cannot control Captain Underpants, George and Harold destroy the Hypno Ring in an attempt to permanently change him back into Krupp and agree to maintain their friendship. Feeling that Krupp would be nicer if he had friends, the boys set him and lovesick Edith up on a date, thus making Krupp have a change of heart; he returns the comics he took away from George and Harold, and even admits their comics are funny. However, the toxic waste from the Turbo Toilet 2000 transforms all the toilets into vicious monsters that attack the restaurant at which Mr. Krupp and Edith are dining. Upon snapping his fingers, Mr. Krupp once again becomes Captain Underpants and flies away, carrying George and Harold away to help him fight them.

text: In a mid-credits scene, George and Harold realize that the secretary, Miss Anthrope (Grey Griffin), who they put on the phone earlier by faking a $1 billion contest has been on hold for the whole movie. After Miss Anthrope accidentally hangs up and gets mad, George and Harold make a new comic based on her reaction titled "Captain Underpants and the Attack of the Stuck On Hold Woman".

text: Voice cast[edit]

text:
Kevin Hart as George Beard, a fourth grade student. He is Harold's best friend and writes stories for the comics he and Harold make.[5][6]
Thomas Middleditch as Harold Hutchins, a fourth grade student. He is George's best friend and illustrates the comics he and George make.[5]
Ed Helms as Mr. Benjamin "Benny" Krupp / Captain Underpants, the mean-spirited principal of Jerome Horwitz Elementary School, who is hypnotized into becoming the superhero created by George and Harold.[5]
Nick Kroll as Professor Pee-Pee Diarrheastein Poopypants, Esq., a scientist angered after being constantly made fun of and not taken seriously for his name, who decides to take over the world to get rid of all laughter and destroy Captain Underpants.[5]
Jordan Peele as Melvin Sneedly, George and Harold's nemesis, a child prodigy inventor; he becomes Prof. Poopypants' unwitting sidekick.[5]
Kristen Schaal as Edith, the shy school lunch lady and the love interest of Mr. Krupp.[6]
Dee Dee Rescher as Ms. Tara Ribble, the 4th grade teacher (and George's new teacher when Mr. Krupp separates the boys).
Brian Posehn as Mr. Rected, the guidance counselor (and Harold's new teacher when Mr. Krupp separates the boys).
Mel Rodriguez as Mr. Morty Fyde, the science teacher who gets fired by Krupp and is replaced by Professor Poopypants.
David Soren as Tommy, a boy who is seen frequently throughout the movie climbing into his own locker and shutting the locker door behind him.
Susan Fitzker as Mrs. Dayken
Lynnanne Zager as Mrs. Beard
Tiffany Lauren Bennicke as Sad Girl
James Ryan as Mime
Leslie David Baker as Officer McPiggly
Sugar Lyn Beard as Goodie Two-Shoes Girl
Lesley Nicol as Nobel Moderator
Chris Miller as Nobel Audience Member
Coco Soren as Balloon Girl
Edie Mirman as Additional voices

text: Production[edit]

text: DreamWorks' interest in the film rights to the Captain Underpants series dates back to when the first installment was published in 1997, but creator Dav Pilkey did not want to sell them. Early pitches for an adaptation included video games, animated and live-action films, an animated series, and a live-action series. To persuade him, DreamWorks gave Pilkey a tour around the studio with everyone wearing underpants over their actual pants, which made him laugh.[7] In October 2011, his representatives indicated Pilkey was ready, and DreamWorks Animation won the rights in an auction.[8] In October 2013, Rob Letterman was announced as director and Nicholas Stoller as scriptwriter.[9] The two had previously worked together on the film Gulliver's Travels. In January 2014, the cast was announced. Ed Helms joined as Mr. Krupp a.k.a. Captain Underpants, Kevin Hart as George Beard, Thomas Middleditch as Harold Hutchins, Nick Kroll as the "insidious villain" Professor Poopypants, and Jordan Peele as George and Harold's "nerdy nemesis" Melvin Sneedly.[5]

text: In 2014, DreamWorks Animation announced a January 2017 release date.[10] Following DreamWorks Animation's reorganization in early 2015, the studio announced that the film would be produced outside of the studio's pipeline at a significantly lower cost.[11] It was instead animated at Mikros Image in Montreal, Canada, and therefore looks identical to Pilkey's artwork, as well as differently than most of DWA's films.[12] A month later, Letterman left the project but came back as an executive producer, and David Soren, the director of Turbo, entered talks to direct the film.[13] During production, Pilkey got to work closely with Soren. He was relieved that Soren was directing since he was a fan of Turbo. In an interview with Los Angeles Times, Pilkey said: "Once I met David, it was like a huge load fell off my back; I was like, 'I don't even have to think about this anymore. Just send me a couple of tickets to the premiere.'"[7] Commenting back, Soren said, "In a way, the controversy over the books ended up being liberating for the film. Normally on an animated movie you're trying to appeal to every possible demographic, and often that results in your content being watered down a little bit. Obviously we hope we get as wide of an audience as possible. But it's likely that if people have issues with the books they may have issues with the movie too, and we didn't feel like we needed to waste a lot of time trying to rope them in. It allowed us to make the purest version of the movie."[7] Although it is a CG-animated feature, the film includes scenes that are traditionally animated, flash animated, a short cutout animation segment, and a sock puppet sequence created by Screen Novelties.

text: Music[edit]

text: Soundtrack[edit]

text: "Weird Al" Yankovic wrote and performed the theme song for the film, which was featured in a lyric video. It currently stands at over 7 million views (as of September 17).[14] Andy Grammer wrote another original song for the film, titled "A Friend Like You".[15] The film also features music from Adam Lambert, Cold War Kids member Nathan Willett, and Lil Yachty.[15] An 11-track soundtrack album was released digitally on June 2, 2017, by Virgin Records.[16]

text: Track listing[edit]

text:
No.
Title
Artist
Length

1.
"Captain Underpants Theme Song"
"Weird Al" Yankovic
2:14

2.
"A Friend Like You"
Andy Grammer
3:40

3.
"Saturday (cast version)"
Kevin Hart and Thomas Middleditch
0:48

4.
"Think"
Adam Lambert
2:59

5.
"1812 Ofarture"
The Students of Jerome Horwitz Elementary School
1:08

6.
"Hallelujah"
Kevin Hart, Thomas Middleditch Ed Helms
0:39

7.
"Oh Yeah[Note 1]"
Lil Yachty
2:51

8.
"Saturday"
Nathan Willett
3:29

9.
"Comic Book Opening"
Theodore Shapiro
1:54

10.
"Saving the Day"
Theodore Shapiro
7:22

11.
"The Prank for Good"
Theodore Shapiro
5:38

Total length:
32:42

text: Score[edit]

text: The film score was composed by Theodore Shapiro.[15] A soundtrack for the score of the film was released on June 9. It features 24 pieces of music, and an exclusive digital booklet on iTunes. Three of the scores are also available on the soundtrack (those being "Comic Book Opening", "Saving the Day", and "The Prank for Good").

text: Track listing[edit]

text: All tracks written by Theodore Shapiro.

text:
No.
Title
Length

1.
"Comic Book Opening"
1:56

2.
"Treehouse"
1:03

3.
"Bromance Origin Story"
1:58

4.
"Annihilate the Friendship"
2:13

5.
"Tuna Casserole"
0:59

6.
"Snooping"
1:47

7.
"Power of the Hypno Ring"
1:57

8.
"A Hero is Born"
4:14

9.
"Mad Genius Inventor"
0:53

10.
"Bringing Krupp Home"
2:20

11.
"Two Blue Eyes"
2:10

12.
"Brain of a Child"
1:54

13.
"Hallelujah, His Name is Poopypants"
1:37

14.
"The Nobel Prize"
3:02

15.
"Anti-Humor Boy"
1:49

16.
"Art Class Liberation"
1:57

17.
"Carnival Conniptions"
2:17

18.
"Separation Anxiety"
1:32

19.
"Poopypants Has No Gas"
1:36

20.
"A World Without Laughter"
2:53

21.
"Flip-O-Rama!"
1:24

22.
"Really Silly Names"
1:23

23.
"Saving the Day"
7:24

24.
"The Prank for Good"
5:39

Total length:
55:44

text: Release[edit]

text: Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie was previously scheduled to be released on March 10, 2017,[13] but in September 2015, The Boss Baby took over its date.[17] The film was then moved to June 2, 2017, and was released by 20th Century Fox.[18][19] Other territories such as Europe and Asia will receive the film between July and October 2017. It premiered on May 21, 2017, at the Regency Village Theater in Los Angeles.[20]

text: Box office[edit]

text: As of September 12, 2017[update], Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie has grossed $73.8 million in the United States and Canada and $30.9 million in other territories, for a worldwide gross of $104.7 million.[3]

text: In North America, the film was released alongside Wonder Woman, and was projected to gross around $20 million from 3,434 theaters in its opening weekend.[21] It made $8 million on its first day and $23.9 million in its opening weekend, finishing second at the box office, behind Wonder Woman ($103.3 million).[22][23] The film would go on to gross $12.2 million in its second weekend, $7.2 million in its third and $4.3 million in its fourth.[24]

text: Critical response[edit]

text: On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 87% based on 105 reviews, with an average rating of 7/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "With a tidy plot, clean animation, and humor that fits its source material snugly, Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie is entertainment that won't drive a wedge between family members."[25] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 69 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[26] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.[22]

text: Matt Zoller Seitz of RogerEbert.com gave the film three-and-a-half out of four stars. Although Seitz pointed out that the film is hampered by "a rushed, jumbled quality" and has "tiresome" features that he says are common to DreamWorks, such as "frenetic action scenes... and the use of workhorse pop songs", he emphasized that "[t]hey've approached this compendium of elemental slapstick and unabashed childishness with the reverence that the Coen brothers brought to No Country for Old Men." He further added that the inclusion of the flip book interludes are the film's best parts, especially in having the pages accidentally be torn similar to the real books, stating that "[i]t's not often that a movie puts a spotlight on a mundane ritual in your own life that you never realized was profound and says, 'You probably forgot about this, but I want you to remember it and savor it, because it meant something.'"[27]

text: Home media[edit]

text: Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie was released on Digital HD on August 29, 2017, and on DVD, Blu-ray and Ultra HD Blu-ray on September 12, 2017, by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.[28]

text: Notes[edit]

text: Jump up ^ Half-cover of the Yello song of the same name


document_title: Three-point field goal

question_text: when was 3 point shot introduced in ncaa

root

text: Three-point field goal

text: History[edit]

text: The three-point line was first tested at the collegiate level in a 1945 NCAA game between Columbia and Fordham but it was not kept as a rule. At the direction of Abe Saperstein, the American Basketball League became the first basketball league to institute the rule in 1961. Its three-point line was a radius of 25 feet (7.62 m) from the baskets, except along the sides.[2] The Eastern Professional Basketball League followed in its 1963–64 season.

tag: p

text: The three-point shot later became popularized by the American Basketball Association after its introduction in the 1967–68 season. ABA commissioner George Mikan stated the three-pointer "would give the smaller player a chance to score and open up the defense to make the game more enjoyable for the fans."[3] During the 1970s, the ABA used the three-point shot, along with the slam dunk, as a marketing tool to compete with the National Basketball Association (NBA).

text: In the 1979–80 season, after having tested it in the previous pre-season, the NBA adopted the three-point line despite the view of many that it was a gimmick.[4] Chris Ford of the Boston Celtics is widely credited with making the first three-point shot in NBA history on October 12, 1979. Kevin Grevey of the Washington Bullets also made one on the same day.

text: The sport's international governing body, FIBA, introduced the three-point line in 1984, at a distance of 6.25 m (20 ft 6 in).

text: The NCAA's Southern Conference became the first collegiate conference to use the three-point rule, adopting a 22-foot (6.71 m) line for the 1980–81 season.[5][6] Ronnie Carr of Western Carolina University was the first to score a three-point field goal in college basketball history on November 29, 1980.[6][7][8] Over the following five years, NCAA conferences differed in their use of the rule and distance required for a three-pointer. The line was as close as 17 ft 9 in (5.41 m) in the Atlantic Coast Conference, and as far away as 22 feet in the Big Sky Conference.[9] Used in conference play, it was adopted by the NCAA for the 1986–87 men's season at 19 ft 9 in (6.02 m), and was first used in the NCAA Tournament in 1987.[10] In the same 1986–87 season, the NCAA adopted the three-pointer in women's basketball on an experimental basis, using the same 19 ft 9 in distance, and made its use mandatory beginning in 1987–88.[11] In 2007, the NCAA lengthened the men's three-point distance to 20 ft 9 in (6.32 m), with the rule coming into effect at the beginning of the 2008–09 season.[12] The NCAA women's three-point distance was moved to match the men's distance in 2011–12.[11] American high schools, along with elementary and middle schools, adopted a 19 ft 9 in (6.02 m) line nationally in 1987, a year after the NCAA.[13] The NCAA used the FIBA three-point line (see below) in the 2018 National Invitation Tournament.[14]

text: During the 1994–95, 1995–96, and 1996–97 seasons, the NBA attempted to address decreased scoring by shortening the distance of the line from 23 ft 9 in (7.24 m) (22 ft (6.71 m) at the corners) to a uniform 22 ft (6.71 m) around the basket. From the 1997–98 season on, the NBA reverted the line to its original distance of 23 ft 9 in (22 ft at the corners, with a 3 inch differential). Ray Allen is currently the NBA all-time leader in career made three-pointers with 2,973.[15]

text: In 2008, FIBA announced that the distance would be increased by 50 cm (19.69 in) to 6.75 m (22 ft 1 3⁄4 in), with the change being phased in beginning in October 2010. In December 2012, the WNBA announced that it would be using FIBA's distance, too, as of the 2013 season. The NBA has discussed adding a four-point line, according to president Rod Thorn.[16]

text: In the NBA, three-point field goals have become increasingly more frequent along the years, with effectiveness increasing slightly. The 1979-80 season had an average 2.2 three-point goals per game and 6.6 attempts (28% effectiveness). The 1989-90 season had an average 4.8 three-point goals per game and 13.7 attempts (35% effectiveness). The 2009-10 season had an average 6.4 three-point goals per game and 18.1 attempts (36% effectiveness). The 2016-17 season had an average 9.7 three-point goals per game and 27.0 attempts (36% effectiveness).[17]

text: Rule specifications[edit]

text: A three-point line consists of an arc at a set radius measured from the point on the floor directly below the center of the basket, and two parallel lines equidistant from each sideline extending from the nearest end line to the point at which they intersect the arc. In the NBA and FIBA standard, the arc spans the width of the court until it is a specified minimum distance from each sideline. The three-point line then becomes parallel to the sidelines from those points to the baseline. The unusual formation of the three-point line at these levels allows players some space from which to attempt a three-point shot at the corners of the court; the arc would be less than 2 feet (0.61 m) from each sideline at the corners if it was a continuous arc. In the NCAA and American high school standards, the arc spans 180° around the basket, then becomes parallel to the sidelines from the plane of the basket center to the baseline (5 feet 3 inches or 1.60 metres). The distance of the three-point line to the center of the hoop varies by level:

text:
Arc radius
Minimum distance from sidelines

National Basketball Association
23 feet 9 inches (7.24 m)
3 feet (0.91 m)
[18]

FIBA (also used by WNBA)
6.75 meters (22 ft 2 in)
0.90 meters (2 ft 11 in)
[19]

National Collegiate Athletic Association
20 feet 9 inches (6.32 m)
4 feet 3 inches (1.30 m)
[20]

American high school basketball
19 feet 9 inches (6.02 m)
5 feet 3 inches (1.60 m)
[21]

tag: table

text: A player's feet must be completely behind the three-point line at the time of the shot or jump in order to make a three-point attempt; if the player's feet are on or in front of the line, it is a two-point attempt. A player is allowed to jump from outside the line and land inside the line to make a three-point attempt, as long as the ball is released in mid-air.

text: An official raises his/her arm with three fingers extended to signal the shot attempt. If the attempt is successful, he/she raises his/her other arm with all fingers fully extended in manner similar to a football official signifying successful field goal to indicate the three-point goal. The official must recognize it for it to count as three points. Instant replay has sometimes been used, depending on league rules. The NBA,[22] WNBA, FIBA and the NCAA specifically allow replay for this purpose. In NBA, FIBA, and WNBA games, video replay does not have to occur immediately following a shot; play can continue and the officials can adjust the scoring later in the game, after reviewing the video. However, in late game situations, play may be paused pending a review.

text: If a shooter is fouled while attempting a three-pointer and subsequently misses the shot, the shooter is awarded three free-throw attempts. If a player completes a three-pointer while being fouled, the player is awarded one free-throw for a possible 4-point play. Conceivably, if a player completed a three-pointer while being fouled, and that foul was ruled as either a Flagrant 1 or a Flagrant 2 foul, the player would be awarded two free throws for a possible 5-point play.

text: Related concepts[edit]

text: Major League Lacrosse features a two-point line which forms a 15-yard (14 m) arc around the front of the goal. Shots taken from behind this line count for two points, as opposed to the standard one point.

text: In gridiron football, a standard field goal is worth three points; various professional and semi-pro leagues have experimented with four-point field goals. NFL Europe and the Stars Football League adopted a rule similar to basketball's three-point line in which an additional point was awarded for longer field goals; in both leagues any field goal of 50 yards (46 m) or more was worth four points. The Arena Football League awards four points for any successful drop kicked field goal (like the three-point shot, the drop kick is more challenging than a standard place kick, as the bounce of the ball makes a kick less predictable, and arena football also uses narrower goal posts for all kicks than the outdoor game does).

text: During the existence of the World Hockey Association in the 1970s, there were proposals for two-point hockey goals for shots taken beyond an established distance (one proposal was a 44-foot (13.4m) arc, which would have intersected the faceoff circles), but this proposal gained little support and faded after the WHA merged with the NHL. It was widely believed that long-distance shots in hockey had little direct relation to skill (usually resulting more from goalies' vision being screened or obscured), plus with the lower scoring intrinsic to the sport a two-point goal was seen as disruptive of the structure of the game.

text: The Super Goal is a similar concept in Australian rules football, in which a 50-meter (55 yd) arc determines the value of a goal; within the arc, it is the usual 6 points, but 9 points are scored for a "super goal" scored from outside the arc. To date the super goal is only used in pre-season games and not in the season proper.[23]

text: The National Professional Soccer League II, which awarded two points for all goals except those on the power play, also used a three-point line, drawn 45 feet (14 m) from the goal. It has since been adopted by some other indoor soccer leagues.


document_title: Raphael Ravenscroft

question_text: who did play the sax solo on gerry rafferty's baker street

question_tokens: who did play the sax solo on gerry rafferty 's baker street

text: Raphael Ravenscroft

text: Early life[edit]

text: While his place of birth is disputed,[1][2][3] the England and Wales Birth Index places it at Stoke-on-Trent.[4] He spent much of his young life in Dumfries, where his father lived.[5]

text: Career[edit]

text: Gerry Rafferty & "Baker Street"[edit]

text: In January 1978, Scottish singer-musician Gerry Rafferty released his first solo material since 1972 and first material of any kind since the demise of Stealers Wheel in 1975. A then unheralded session musician, Raphael Ravenscroft was asked to play the saxophone on the album City to City (1978). Ravenscroft's contribution included the sax riff on the best-known song from the album and of Rafferty's career, "Baker Street". The song was an international hit, charting at number 3 in the UK and number 2 in the US. "Baker Street" was reported in 2010 as having received 5 million air plays worldwide to date. City to City reached number 1 in the US album charts and went platinum. In the UK the album reached number 6 and went gold.

text: Ravenscroft told the BBC's The One Show in 2010 that he was only paid £27.50 for the "Baker Street" session, which was the Musicians' Union rate at the time.[6] It has been (falsely)[7] reported that the cheque bounced and that it was kept on the wall of Ravenscroft's solicitors; by contrast the song is said to have earned Rafferty £80,000 a year in royalties.[8] In a radio interview in 2011, Ravenscroft said the song annoyed him. "I'm irritated because it's out of tune," he said. "Yeah, it's flat. By enough of a degree that it irritates me at best."[9]

text: Ravenscroft mostly refused to play "Baker Street" during interviews. The last time Ravenscroft played "Baker Street" was in the summer of 2014 when he organised a charity gala concert in Exeter for Nicole Hartup, the 12-year-old city schoolgirl who died in a fall.[10]

text: The saxophone break on "Baker Street" has been described as "the most famous saxophone solo of all time",[11] "the most recognizable sax riff in pop music history",[12] and "one of the most recognisable saxophone solos of all time".[13]

text: Ravenscroft worked with Rafferty from 1977 to 1982. As well as the songs he worked on for City to City he contributed to Rafferty's next two albums, Night Owl (1979) and Snakes and Ladders (1980).[14]

text: In 2011, he recorded a tribute to commemorate the funeral of Gerry Rafferty called "Forgiveness", which combined his saxophone playing with the voices of Grammy-nominated choir Tenebrae.[15]

text: Other work[edit]

text: From his breakthrough with "Baker Street" he went on to perform with Pink Floyd (The Final Cut, 1983), ABBA[3] and Marvin Gaye.[3] Other Ravenscroft performing credits include work with America, Maxine Nightingale,[3] Daft Punk,[3] Kim Carnes, Mike Oldfield, Chris Rea, Robert Plant, Brand X, Hazel O'Connor[16] and Bonnie Tyler. In 1979, he released the solo album Her Father Didn't Like Me, Anyway (CBS Portrait JR 35683). In 1983, Ravenscroft released the track "Maxine" which gained airplay, but performed poorly on the charts. In 1987, he was credited, along with Max Early and Johnny Patrick for the new theme to the Central Television soap opera Crossroads. His track "A Whole Lot of Something Going On" was sampled by producer Heavy D on the track "Feel It in the Air", by Beanie Sigel.[citation needed]

text: In 2010, Ravenscroft played on albums and on sessions with Duffy,[3] Mary Hopkin and Jamie Hartman. In 2011-12, Ravenscroft contributed to the album Propeller by Grice.[17]

text: Ravenscroft wrote several books on saxophone technique including the instruction book, The Complete Saxophone Player (1990).[3]

text: In 2012, Ravenscroft created the music for a series of films featuring photographer Don McCullin and, during 2011-2012, composed for several major advertising campaigns around the world. In summer 2012 he took a break due to ill health and moved back to Devon.

text: In 2014, Ravenscroft went to Belgium to set up a saxophone project with the company Adolphe Sax & Cie. [18]

text: Personal life and death[edit]

text: He married and divorced twice and separated from his third wife in 2009. His daughter is the artist Scarlett Raven.[19] Ravenscroft died on 19 October 2014 at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, aged 60, of a suspected heart attack.[3]


document_title: Pledge of Allegiance

question_text: when was the pledge of allegiance first used in schools

text: Pledge of Allegiance

text: Recital[edit]

text: Congressional sessions open with the recital of the Pledge, as do many government meetings at local levels, and meetings held by many private organizations. All states except Hawaii, Iowa, Vermont and Wyoming require a regularly scheduled recitation of the pledge in the public schools, although the Supreme Court has ruled in West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette that students cannot be compelled to recite the Pledge, nor can they be punished for not doing so.[9] In a number of states, state flag pledges of allegiance are required to be recited after this.[10]

text: The United States Flag Code says:

text: The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag—"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation  under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."[11]—should be rendered by standing at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart. When not in uniform men should remove any non-religious headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart. Persons in uniform should remain silent, face the flag, and render the military salute. Members of the Armed Forces not in uniform and veterans may render the military salute in the manner provided for persons in uniform.[4]

text: Origins[edit]

text: Balch and Bellamy pledges[edit]

text: The Pledge of Allegiance, as it exists in its current form, was composed in August 1892 by Francis Bellamy (1855–1931), who was a Baptist minister, a Christian socialist,[12][13] and the cousin of socialist utopian novelist Edward Bellamy (1850–1898). There did exist a previous version created by Captain George T. Balch, a veteran of the Civil War, who later became auditor of the New York Board of Education. Balch's pledge, which existed contemporaneously with the Bellamy version until the 1923 National Flag Conference, read:

text: We give our heads and hearts to God and our country; one country, one language, one flag!

text: Balch was a proponent of teaching children, especially those of immigrants, loyalty to the United States, even going so far as to write a book on the subject and work with both the government and private organizations to distribute flags to every classroom and school.[14] Balch's pledge, which predates Bellamy's by 5 years and was embraced by many schools, by the Daughters of the American Revolution until the 1910s, and by the Grand Army of the Republic until the 1923 National Flag Conference, is often overlooked when discussing the history of the Pledge.[15] Bellamy, however, did not approve of the pledge as Balch had written it, referring to the text as "too juvenile and lacking in dignity."[16] The Bellamy "Pledge of Allegiance" was first published in the September 8 issue of the popular children's magazine The Youth's Companion as part of the National Public-School Celebration of Columbus Day, a celebration of the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas. The event was conceived and promoted by James B. Upham, a marketer for the magazine, as a campaign to instill the idea of American nationalism in students and to encourage children to raise flags above their schools.[17] According to author Margarette S. Miller, this campaign was in line both with Upham's patriotic vision as well as with his commercial interest. According to Miller, Upham "would often say to his wife: 'Mary, if I can instill into the minds of our American youth a love for their country and the principles on which it was founded, and create in them an ambition to carry on with the ideals which the early founders wrote into The Constitution, I shall not have lived in vain.'"[18]

text: Bellamy's original Pledge read:

text: I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.[1][19]

text: The Pledge was supposed to be quick and to the point. Bellamy designed it to be recited in 15 seconds. As a socialist, he had initially also considered using the words equality and fraternity[17] but decided against it, knowing that the state superintendents of education on his committee were against equality for women and African Americans.[20]

text: Francis Bellamy and Upham had lined up the National Education Association to support the Youth's Companion as a sponsor of the Columbus Day observance and the use in that observance of the American flag. By June 29, 1892, Bellamy and Upham had arranged for Congress and President Benjamin Harrison to announce a proclamation making the public school flag ceremony the center of the Columbus Day celebrations. This arrangement was formalized when Harrison issued Presidential Proclamation 335. Subsequently, the Pledge was first used in public schools on October 12, 1892, during Columbus Day observances organized to coincide with the opening of the World's Columbian Exposition (the Chicago World's Fair), Illinois.[21]

text: Francis Bellamy's account[edit]

text: In his recollection of the creation of the Pledge, Francis Bellamy said, "At the beginning of the nineties patriotism and national feeling was (sic) at a low ebb. The patriotic ardor of the Civil War was an old story ... The time was ripe for a reawakening of simple Americanism and the leaders in the new movement rightly felt that patriotic education should begin in the public schools."[16] James Upham "felt that a flag should be on every schoolhouse,"[16] so his publication "fostered a plan of selling flags to schools through the children themselves at cost, which was so successful that 25,000 schools acquired flags in the first year (1892–93).[16]

text: As the World's Columbian Exposition was set to celebrate the 400th anniversary the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Americas, Upham sought to link the publication's flag drive to the event, "so that every school in the land ... would have a flag raising, under the most impressive conditions."[16] Bellamy was placed in charge of this operation and was soon lobbying "not only the superintendents of education in all the States, but [he] also worked with governors, Congressmen, and even the President of the United States."[16] The publication's efforts paid off when Benjamin Harrison declared Wednesday October 12, 1892, to be Columbus Day for which The Youth's Companion made "an official program for universal use in all the schools."[16] Bellamy recalled that the event "had to be more than a list of exercises. The ritual must be prepared with simplicity and dignity."[16]

text: Edna Dean Proctor wrote an ode for the event, and "There was also an oration suitable for declamation."[16] Bellamy held that "Of course, the nub of the program was to be the raising of the flag, with a salute to the flag recited by the pupils in unison."[16] He found "There was not a satisfactory enough form for this salute. The Balch salute, which ran, "I give my heart and my hand to my country, one country, one language, one flag," seemed to him too juvenile and lacking in dignity."[16] After working on the idea with Upham, Bellamy concluded, "It was my thought that a vow of loyalty or allegiance to the flag should be the dominant idea. I especially stressed the word 'allegiance'. ... Beginning with the new word allegiance, I first decided that 'pledge' was a better school word than 'vow' or 'swear'; and that the first person singular should be used, and that 'my' flag was preferable to 'the.'"[16] Bellamy considered the words "country, nation, or Republic," choosing the last as "it distinguished the form of government chosen by the founding fathers and established by the Revolution. The true reason for allegiance to the flag is the Republic for which it stands."[16] Bellamy then reflected on the sayings of Revolutionary and Civil War figures, and concluded "all that pictured struggle reduced itself to three words, one Nation indivisible."[16]

text: Bellamy considered the slogan of the French Revolution, Liberté, égalité, fraternité ("liberty, equality, fraternity"), but held that "fraternity was too remote of realization, and … [that] equality was a dubious word."[16] Concluding "Liberty and justice were surely basic, were undebatable, and were all that any one Nation could handle. If they were exercised for all. They involved the spirit of equality and fraternity."[16]

text: After being reviewed by Upham and other members of The Youth's Companion, the Pledge was approved and put in the official Columbus Day program. Bellamy noted that "in later years the words 'to my flag' were changed to 'to the flag of the United States of America' because of the large number of foreign children in the schools."[16] Bellamy disliked the change, as "it did injure the rhythmic balance of the original composition."[16]

text: Changes[edit]

text: In 1906, The Daughters of the American Revolution's magazine, The American Monthly, listed the "formula of allegiance" as being the Balch Pledge of Allegiance, which reads:[15]

text: I pledge allegiance to my flag, and the republic for which it stands. I pledge my head and my heart to God and my country. One country, one language and one flag.

text: In subsequent publications of the Daughters of the American Revolution, such as in 1915's "Proceedings of the Twenty-Fourth Continental Congress of the Daughters of the American Revolution" and 1916's annual "National Report," the Balch Pledge, listed as official in 1906, is now categorized as "Old Pledge" with Bellamy's version under the heading "New Pledge."[22][23] However, the "Old Pledge" continued to be used by other organizations until the National Flag Conference established uniform flag procedures in 1923.

text: In 1923, the National Flag Conference called for the words "my Flag" to be changed to "the Flag of the United States," so that new immigrants would not confuse loyalties between their birth countries and the US. The words "of America" were added a year later. Congress officially recognized the Pledge for the first time, in the following form, on June 22, 1942:[24]

text: I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

text: Addition of "under God"[edit]

text: Louis Albert Bowman, an attorney from Illinois, was the first to suggest the addition of "under God" to the pledge. The National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution gave him an Award of Merit as the originator of this idea.[25][26] He spent his adult life in the Chicago area and was chaplain of the Illinois Society of the Sons of the American Revolution. At a meeting on February 12, 1948,[25] he led the society in reciting the pledge with the two words "under God" added. He said that the words came from Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. Although not all manuscript versions of the Gettysburg Address contain the words "under God", all the reporters' transcripts of the speech as delivered do, as perhaps Lincoln may have deviated from his prepared text and inserted the phrase when he said "that the nation shall, under God, have a new birth of freedom." Bowman repeated his revised version of the Pledge at other meetings.[25]

text: In 1951, the Knights of Columbus, the world's largest Catholic fraternal service organization, also began including the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance.[27] In New York City, on April 30, 1951, the board of directors of the Knights of Columbus adopted a resolution to amend the text of their Pledge of Allegiance at the opening of each of the meetings of the 800 Fourth Degree Assemblies of the Knights of Columbus by addition of the words "under God" after the words "one nation." Over the next two years, the idea spread throughout Knights of Columbus organizations nationwide. On August 21, 1952, the Supreme Council of the Knights of Columbus at its annual meeting adopted a resolution urging that the change be made universal, and copies of this resolution were sent to the President, the Vice President (as Presiding Officer of the Senate), and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. The National Fraternal Congress meeting in Boston on September 24, 1952, adopted a similar resolution upon the recommendation of its president, Supreme Knight Luke E. Hart. Several State Fraternal Congresses acted likewise almost immediately thereafter. This campaign led to several official attempts to prompt Congress to adopt the Knights of Columbus policy for the entire nation. These attempts were eventually a success.[28]

text: At the suggestion of a correspondent, Representative Louis C. Rabaut (D-Mich.), of Michigan sponsored a resolution to add the words "under God" to the Pledge in 1953.[29]

text: Before February 1954, no endeavor to get the pledge officially amended had succeeded. The final successful push came from George MacPherson Docherty. Some American presidents honored Lincoln's birthday by attending services at the church Lincoln attended, New York Avenue Presbyterian Church by sitting in Lincoln's pew on the Sunday nearest February 12. On February 7, 1954, with President Eisenhower sitting in Lincoln's pew, the church's pastor, George MacPherson Docherty, delivered a sermon based on the Gettysburg Address entitled "A New Birth of Freedom." He argued that the nation's might lay not in arms but rather in its spirit and higher purpose. He noted that the Pledge's sentiments could be those of any nation: "There was something missing in the pledge, and that which was missing was the characteristic and definitive factor in the American way of life." He cited Lincoln's words "under God" as defining words that set the US apart from other nations.[citation needed]

text: President Eisenhower had been baptized a Presbyterian very recently, just a year before. He responded enthusiastically to Docherty in a conversation following the service. Eisenhower acted on his suggestion the next day and on February 8, 1954, Rep. Charles Oakman (R-Mich.), introduced a bill to that effect. Congress passed the necessary legislation and Eisenhower signed the bill into law on Flag Day, June 14, 1954.[30] Eisenhower said:

text: From this day forward, the millions of our school children will daily proclaim in every city and town, every village and rural school house, the dedication of our nation and our people to the Almighty.... In this way we are reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith in America's heritage and future; in this way we shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country's most powerful resource, in peace or in war.[31]

text: The phrase "under God" was incorporated into the Pledge of Allegiance on June 14, 1954, by a Joint Resolution of Congress amending § 4 of the Flag Code enacted in 1942.[30]

text: On October 6, 1954, the National Executive Committee of the American Legion adopted a resolution, first approved by the Illinois American Legion Convention in August 1954, which formally recognized the Knights of Columbus for having initiated and brought forward the amendment to the Pledge of Allegiance.[28]

text: Even though the movement behind inserting "under God" into the pledge might have been initiated by a private religious fraternity and even though references to God appear in previous versions of the pledge, historian Kevin M. Kruse asserts that this movement was an effort by corporate America to instill in the minds of the people that capitalism and free enterprise were heavenly blessed. Kruse acknowledges the insertion of the phrase was influenced by the push-back against Russian atheistic communism during the Cold War, but argues the longer arc of history shows the conflation of Christianity and capitalism as a challenge to the New Deal played the larger role.[32]

text: Salute[edit]

text: Swearing of the Pledge is accompanied by a salute. An early version of the salute, adopted in 1887, known as the Balch Salute, which accompanied the Balch pledge, instructed students to stand with their right hand outstretched toward the flag, the fingers of which are then brought to the forehead, followed by being placed flat over the heart, and finally falling to the side.

text: In 1892, Francis Bellamy created what was known as the Bellamy salute. It started with the hand outstretched toward the flag, palm down, and ended with the palm up. Because of the similarity between the Bellamy salute and the Nazi salute, which was adopted in Germany later, the US Congress stipulated that the hand-over-the-heart gesture as the salute to be rendered by civilians during the Pledge of Allegiance and the national anthem in the US would be the salute to replace the Bellamy salute. Removal of the Bellamy salute occurred on December 22, 1942, when Congress amended the Flag Code language first passed into law on June 22, 1942.[33] Attached to bills passed in Congress in 2008 and then in 2009 (Section 301(b)(1) of title 36, United States Code), language was included which authorized all active duty military personnel and all veterans in civilian clothes to render a proper hand salute during the raising and lowering of the flag, when the colors are presented, and during the National Anthem.[34]

text: Music[edit]

text: A musical setting for "The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag" was created by Irving Caesar, at the suggestion of Congressman Louis C. Rabaut whose House Resolution 243 to add the phrase "under God" was signed into law on Flag Day, June 14, 1954.[35]

text: The composer, Irving Caesar, wrote and published over 700 songs in his lifetime. Dedicated to social issues, he donated all rights of the musical setting to the U.S. government, so that anyone can perform the piece without owing royalties.[36][37]

text: It was sung for the first time on the floor of the House of Representatives on Flag Day, June 14, 1955 by the official Air Force choral group the "Singing Sergeants". A July 29, 1955 House and Senate resolution authorized the  U.S. Government Printing Office to print and distribute the song sheet together with a history of the pledge.[38]

text: Other musical versions of the Pledge have since been copyrighted, including by Beck (2003), Lovrekovich (2002 and 2001), Roton (1991), Fijol (1986), and Girardet (1983).[39]

text: Controversy[edit]

text: In 1940, the Supreme Court, in Minersville School District v. Gobitis, ruled that students in public schools, including the respondents in that case—Jehovah's Witnesses who considered the flag salute to be idolatry—could be compelled to swear the Pledge. In 1943, in West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette, the Supreme Court reversed its decision. Justice Robert H. Jackson, writing for the 6 to 3 majority, went beyond simply ruling in the precise matter presented by the case to say that public school students are not required to say the Pledge on narrow grounds, and asserted that such ideological dogmata are antithetical to the principles of the country, concluding with:

text: If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein. If there are any circumstances which permit an exception, they do not now occur to us.[40]

text: In a later case, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals held that students are also not required to stand for the Pledge.[41]

text: Requiring or promoting of the Pledge on the part of the government has continued to draw criticism and legal challenges on several grounds.

text: One objection is that a democratic republic built on freedom of dissent should not require its citizens to pledge allegiance to it, and that the First Amendment to the United States Constitution protects the right to refrain from speaking or standing, which itself is also a form of speech in the context of the ritual of pledging allegiance.[42][41] Another objection is that the people who are most likely to recite the Pledge every day, small children in schools, cannot really give their consent or even completely understand the Pledge they are making.[43] Another criticism is that a government requiring or promoting the phrase "under God" violates protections against the establishment of religion guaranteed in the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.[44]

text: In 2004, linguist Geoffrey Nunberg said the original supporters of the addition thought that they were simply quoting Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, but to Lincoln and his contemporaries, "under God" meant "God willing", so they would have found its use in the Pledge of Allegiance grammatically incorrect and semantically odd.[45][46]

text: Legal challenges[edit]

text: Prominent legal challenges were brought in the 1930s and 1940s by Jehovah's Witnesses, a denomination whose beliefs preclude swearing loyalty to any power other than God, and who objected to policies in public schools requiring students to swear an oath to the flag.[47] They said requiring the pledge violated their freedom of religion guaranteed by the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment. The first case was in 1935, when two children, Lillian and William Gobitas, ages ten and twelve, were expelled from the Minersville, Pennsylvania, public schools that year for failing to salute the flag and recite the Pledge of Allegiance.[48][49]

text: In a 2002 case brought by atheist Michael Newdow, whose daughter was being taught the Pledge in school, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the phrase "under God" an unconstitutional endorsement of monotheism when the Pledge was promoted in public school. In 2004, the Supreme Court heard Elk Grove Unified School District v. Newdow, an appeal of the ruling, and rejected Newdow's claim on the grounds that he was not the custodial parent, and therefore lacked standing, thus avoiding ruling on the merits of whether the phrase was constitutional in a school-sponsored recitation. On January 3, 2005, a new suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California on behalf of three unnamed families. On September 14, 2005, District Court Judge Lawrence Karlton ruled in their favor. Citing the precedent of the 2002 ruling by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Judge Karlton issued an order stating that, upon proper motion, he would enjoin the school district defendants from continuing their practices of leading children in pledging allegiance to "one Nation under God."[50]

text: In 2006, in the Florida case Frazier v. Alexandre, a federal district court in Florida ruled that a 1942 state law requiring students to stand and recite the Pledge of Allegiance violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution.[51] As a result of that decision, a Florida school district was ordered to pay $32,500 to a student who chose not to say the pledge and was ridiculed and called "unpatriotic" by a teacher.[52]

text: In 2009, a Montgomery County, Maryland, teacher berated and had school police remove a 13-year-old girl who refused to say the Pledge of Allegiance in the classroom. The student's mother, assisted by the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland, sought and received an apology from the teacher, as state law and the school's student handbook both prohibit students from being forced to recite the Pledge.[53]

text: On March 11, 2010, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance in the case of Newdow v. Rio Linda Union School District.[54][55] In a 2–1 decision, the appellate court ruled that the words were of a "ceremonial and patriotic nature" and did not constitute an establishment of religion.[54] Judge Stephen Reinhardt dissented, writing that "the state-directed, teacher-led daily recitation in public schools of the amended 'under God' version of the Pledge of Allegiance... violates the Establishment Clause of the Constitution."[56]

text: On November 12, 2010, in a unanimous decision, the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Boston affirmed a ruling by a New Hampshire lower federal court which found that the pledge's reference to God does not violate non-pledging students' rights if student participation in the pledge is voluntary.[57][58] A United States Supreme Court appeal of this decision was denied on June 13, 2011.[59][60]

text: In September 2013, a case was brought before the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, arguing that the pledge violates the Equal Rights Amendment of the Constitution of Massachusetts.[61] In May 2014, Massachusetts' highest court ruled that the pledge does not discriminate against atheists, saying that the words "under God" represent a patriotic, not a religious, exercise.[62]

text: In February 2015 New Jersey Superior Court Judge David F. Bauman dismissed a lawsuit, ruling that "… the Pledge of Allegiance does not violate the rights of those who don't believe in God and does not have to be removed from the patriotic message."[63] The case against the Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District had been brought by a student of the district and the American Humanist Association that argued that the phrase "under God" in the pledge created a climate of discrimination because it promoted religion, making non-believers "second-class citizens." In a twenty-one page decision, Bauman wrote, "Under [the association members'] reasoning, the very constitution under which [the members] seek redress for perceived atheistic marginalization could itself be deemed unconstitutional, an absurd proposition which [association members] do not and cannot advance here."[63] Bauman said the student could skip the pledge, but upheld a New Jersey law that says pupils must recite the pledge unless they have "conscientious scruples" that do not allow it.[64][65] He noted, "As a matter of historical tradition, the words 'under God' can no more be expunged from the national consciousness than the words 'In God We Trust' from every coin in the land, than the words 'so help me God' from every presidential oath since 1789, or than the prayer that has opened every congressional session of legislative business since 1787.”


document_title: The Lego Movie

question_text: who does the voice of robin in the batman lego movie

text: The Lego Movie

text: Plot[edit]

text: In a Lego world populated by anthropomorphic minifigures, the evil Lord Business finds a super weapon called the "Kragle". The wizard Vitruvius attempts to stop him, but is blinded by Business' robots. Before Business leaves with the weapon, Vitruvius prophesies that a person called "the Special" will find the Piece of Resistance, a brick capable of stopping the Kragle.

text: Eight and a half years later, construction worker Emmet Brickowski finds a woman called Wyldstyle searching for something at his construction site after hours. When he investigates, Emmet falls into a hole and finds the Piece of Resistance. Compelled to touch it, Emmet experiences vivid visions and passes out. He awakens with the Piece of Resistance attached to his back, in the custody of Bad Cop, Lord Business's lieutenant. Wyldstyle rescues Emmett, believing him to be the Special, and takes him to meet Vitruvius in the Old West. Emmet learns that Wyldstyle and Vitruvius are "Master Builders"[7]—people capable of building anything from their imagination without the need of instructions—who oppose Business. Wyldstyle explains Business wants to use the Kragle, a tube of Krazy Glue with a weathered label, to freeze the world into perfection. Though disappointed to find Emmet is not a Master Builder, Wyldstyle and Vitruvius are convinced of his potential when he recalls visions of a seemingly human deity referred to as "the Man Upstairs".

text: Emmet, Wyldstyle, and Vitruvius evade Bad Cop's forces with the aid of Batman, Wyldstyle's boyfriend. They go to the hidden Cloud Cuckoo Land, a realm where minifigures can create whatever they desire, to attend a council of Master Builders, all of whom are unimpressed with Emmet and refuse to fight Business. Bad Cop's forces attack, having placed a tracking device on Emmett, and capture everyone except Emmet and a small team of Master Builders. Escaping, Emmet devises a plan to infiltrate Business's office tower and disarm the Kragle, but the group is captured and imprisoned in the Think Tank, where all the Master Builders are forced to make instructions. Trying to retaliate, Vitruvius is decapitated by Business, who sets a self-destruct protocol and leaves everyone to die, including Bad Cop. As he dies, Vitruvius reveals he made up the prophecy. He soon reappears to Emmet as a ghost and tells him that his belief makes him the Special. Strapped to the self-destruct mechanism's battery, Emmet jumps into the abyss outside the tower and severs the connection, saving his friends. Inspired by Emmet's sacrifice, Wyldstyle rallies the Lego people across the universe to use whatever creativity they have to build machines and weapons to fight against Lord Business's forces.

text: Emmet finds himself in the human world as a Lego minifigure unable to move. The events of the story are being played out by a little boy named Finn on his father's expansive Lego set in their basement. His father—"the Man Upstairs"—comes home from work and chastises his son for ruining the set by creating variations of different playsets, and proceeds to permanently rebuild and glue his perceived perfect creations together. Realizing the danger his friends are in, Emmet wills himself to move and gains Finn's attention. Finn returns Emmet and the Piece of Resistance to the set, where Emmet now possesses the powers of a Master Builder and confronts Business. Meanwhile, Finn's father looks at his son's creations and realizes that Finn had based the villainous Business on him and his perfectionism. Through a speech Emmet gives Business, Finn tells his father that he is special and has the power to change everything. Finn reconciles with his father, which plays out as Business having a change of heart, capping the Kragle, and ungluing his victims with mineral spirits. Emmet is hailed as a hero, and begins a relationship with Wyldstyle with Batman's blessing.

text: As a result of Finn's father allowing Finn's younger sister to join them in playing with his Lego sets, aliens from the planet Duplon beam down and announce their plans to destroy them.

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Chris Pratt as Emmet Brickowski, an everyman and construction worker from Bricksburg
Will Ferrell as Lord Business, president of the Octan Corporation under the name President Business[8][9]

Ferrell also plays "The Man Upstairs," a Lego collector in the live-action part of the film

Elizabeth Banks as Lucy/Wyldstyle, a Master Builder
Will Arnett as Bruce Wayne / Batman, a DC Comics superhero who is a Master Builder
Nick Offerman as Metal Beard, a giant makeshift pirate and Master Builder[9]
Alison Brie as Princess Unikitty, a unicorn-horned kitten and Master Builder from Cloud Cuckoo Land[9][10]
Charlie Day as Benny, a "1980-something space guy" who is a Master Builder[8]
Liam Neeson as Bad Cop / Good Cop, a double-headed police officer that leads the Super Secret Police

Neeson also voices Pa Cop, Bad Cop/Good Cop's father

Morgan Freeman as Vitruvius, a blind old wizard who is one of the Master Builders
Channing Tatum as Clark Kent / Superman, a DC Comics superhero who is one of the Master Builders
Jonah Hill as Hal Jordan / Green Lantern, a DC Comics superhero who is one of the Master Builders
Cobie Smulders as Wonder Woman, a DC Comics superhero who is one of the Master Builders
Jadon Sand as Finn, The Man Upstairs' young son in the live-action part of the film

tag: ul

text: In addition, Anthony Daniels and Billy Dee Williams reprise their Star Wars roles as C-3PO and Lando Calrissian respectively, with Keith Ferguson voicing Han Solo (whom he previously voiced in Robot Chicken and Mad). Shaquille O'Neal voices a Lego version of himself who is a Master Builder alongside two generic members of the 2002 NBA All-Stars.

text: Will Forte, Dave Franco, Jake Johnson, Keegan-Michael Key, Chris McKay, and Jorma Taccone provide voice cameos in the film.

text: Co-director Christopher Miller cameos as a TV presenter in the studio that films the Where Are My Pants? TV series.

text: Production[edit]

text: Dan Lin conceived of the idea for the film and began discussing it with Roy Lee before leaving Warner Bros. to form his own production company, Lin Pictures, in 2008.[11] Meanwhile, Warner Bros. home entertainment executive Kevin Tsujihara had recognized the value of the Lego franchise by engineering the studio's purchase of Lego video game licensee Traveller's Tales in 2007, thought the success of the Lego-based video games indicated a Lego-based film was a good idea, and reportedly "championed" the development of the film.[11][12] By August 2009, Dan and Kevin Hageman were writing the script described as "action adventure set in a Lego world."[13] Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were in talks in June 2010 to write and direct the film.[14] Warner Bros. green-lit the film by November 2011, with a planned 2014 release date. The Australian studio Animal Logic was contracted to provide the animation, which was expected to comprise 80% of the film. By this time Chris McKay, the director of Robot Chicken, had also joined Lord and Miller to co-direct.[15] McKay explained that his role was to supervise the production in Australia once Lord and Miller left to work on 22 Jump Street.[16] In March 2012, Lord and Miller revealed the film's working title, Lego: The Piece of Resistance, and a storyline.[17] In April 2012, Warner Bros. scheduled the film for release on February 28, 2014, a date that subsequently changed.[18]

text:
"We wanted to make the film feel like the way you play, the way I remember playing. We wanted to make it feel as epic and ambitious and self-serious as a kid feels when they play with LEGO. We took something you could claim is the most cynical cash grab in cinematic history, basically a 90 minute LEGO commercial, and turned it into a celebration of creativity, fun and invention, in the spirit of just having a good time and how ridiculous it can look when you make things up. And we had fun doing it.'"

 —Animation supervisor Chris McKay[16]

tag: div

text: By June 2012, Chris Pratt had been cast as the voice of Emmet, the lead Lego character, and Will Arnett voicing Lego Batman; the role of Lego Superman was offered to Channing Tatum.[19] By August 2012, Elizabeth Banks was hired to voice Lucy (later getting the alias "Wyldstyle")[8] and Morgan Freeman to voice Vitruvius, an old mystic.[19][20] In October 2012, Warner Bros. shifted the release date for the film, simply titled Lego, to February 7, 2014.[21] In November 2012, Alison Brie, Will Ferrell, Liam Neeson, and Nick Offerman signed on for roles. Brie voices Unikitty, a member of Emmet's team; Ferrell voices the antagonist President/Lord Business; Neeson voices Bad Cop; and Offerman voices Metal Beard,[22] a pirate seeking revenge on Business.[21]

text: In July 2012, a Lego-user contest announced on the film's Facebook page would choose a winning Lego vehicle to appear in the film.[23] Miller's childhood Space Village playset is utilized in the film.[24]

text: Animal Logic tried to make the film's animation replicate a stop motion film even if everything was done through computer graphics, with the animation rigs following the same articulation limits actual Lego figures have. The camera systems also tried to replicate live action cinematography, including different lenses and a Steadicam simulator. The scenery was projected through The Lego Group's own Lego Digital Designer, which as CG supervisor Aidan Sarsfield detailed, "uses the official LEGO Brick Library and effectively simulates the connectivity of each of the bricks." The saved files were then converted to design and animate in Maya and XSI. At times the minifigures were even placed under microscopes to capture the seam lines, dirt and grime into the digital textures.[25] Benny the spaceman was based on the line of Lego space sets sold in the 1980s, and his design includes the broken helmet chin strap, a common defect of the space sets at that time.[26]

text: The film's total cost, including production, promotion and advertising (P&A), was $100 million.[27] Half of the film's cost was financed by Village Roadshow Pictures.[27] The rest was covered by Warner Bros., with RatPac-Dune Entertainment providing a smaller share as part of its multi-year financing agreement with Warner Bros.[28] Initially Warner Bros. turned down Village Roadshow Pictures when it asked to invest in the film.[27] However, Warner Bros. later changed its mind, reportedly due to lack of confidence in the film, initially offering Village Roadshow Pictures the opportunity to finance 25% of the film, and later, an additional 25%.[27]

text: Release[edit]

text: The Lego Movie premiered at the Regency Village Theatre in Los Angeles, California on February 1, 2014, and was released in theaters on February 7, 2014.[29] The film was released in Australia by the film's co-producer, Roadshow Films.[30]

text: Marketing[edit]

text: Over twenty Lego sets inspired by scenes from the film were released for the film including a set of Collectible Minifigures. A website was opened up so fans could make minifigure versions of themselves, and later, put that in the film's official trailer. The company recruited a roster of global partners to a broad, multi-category licensing program to support the film.[31][32] Official Lego Brand Stores also scheduled events. Each week of January 2014, a new character poster (Wyldstyle, Batman, Emmet, Lord Business) came with every purchase.[33] By building a creative model in-store, people received a free accessory pack. Barnes & Noble hosted a themed event in January, February, and March.[34] On February 7, 2014, McDonald's released eight collectible holographic/3D cups in Happy Meals to promote the film.[35] A video game based on the film, The Lego Movie Videogame, by TT Fusion for Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Wii U, Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation Vita, and Windows, was released on February 4, 2014.[36] An exclusive "Wild West Emmet" minifigure was released with preorders of the game at GameStop.[37]

text: Home media[edit]

text: The Lego Movie was released on Digital HD on May 20, 2014. It was released by Warner Home Video on DVD and Blu-ray (2D and 3D) on June 17, 2014. A special Blu-ray 3D "Everything is Awesome Edition" also includes an exclusive Vitruvius minifigure and a collectible 3D Emmett photo.[38]

text: Reception[edit]

text: Critical reception[edit]

text: The Lego Movie was met with "nearly unanimous positive reviews."[39] Review-aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 96% approval rating with an average rating of 8.2/10 based on 226 reviews. The website's consensus reads, "Boasting beautiful animation, a charming voice cast, laugh-a-minute gags, and a surprisingly thoughtful story, The Lego Movie is colorful fun for all ages."[40] On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 based on reviews from critics, the film has a score of 83 (indicating "universal acclaim") based on 43 reviews.[41] According to CinemaScore polls conducted during the opening weekend, the average grade cinemagoers gave The Lego Movie was A on an A+ to F scale.[42] Filmmaker Edgar Wright, and TIME Magazine film critic Richard Corliss, each named The Lego Movie as one of their favorite films of 2014.[43][44]

text: Michael Rechtshaffen of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "Arriving at a time when feature animation was looking and feeling mighty anemic...The LEGO Movie shows 'em how it's done,"[45] with Peter Debruge of Variety adding that Lord and Miller "irreverently deconstruct the state of the modern blockbuster and deliver a smarter, more satisfying experience in its place, emerging with a fresh franchise for others to build upon."[46] Tom Huddleston of Time Out said, "The script is witty, the satire surprisingly pointed, and the animation tactile and imaginative."[47] Drew Hunt of the Chicago Reader said the filmmakers "fill the script with delightfully absurd one-liners and sharp pop culture references",[48] with A. O. Scott of The New York Times noting that, "Pop-culture jokes ricochet off the heads of younger viewers to tickle the world-weary adults in the audience, with just enough sentimental goo applied at the end to unite the generations. Parents will dab their eyes while the kids roll theirs."[49] Elizabeth Weitzman of the New York Daily News said the filmmakers "don't sink into cynicism. Their computer animation embraces the retro look and feel of the toys to both ingenious and adorable effect."[50]

text: Claudia Puig of USA Today called the film "a spirited romp through a world that looks distinctively familiar, and yet freshly inventive."[51] Liam Lacey of The Globe and Mail asked, "Can a feature-length toy commercial also work as a decent kids’ movie? The bombast of the G.I. Joe and Transformers franchises might suggest no, but after an uninspired year for animated movies, The Lego Movie is a 3-D animated film that connects."[52] Joel Arnold of NPR acknowledged that the film "may be one giant advertisement, but all the way to its plastic-mat foundation, it's an earnest piece of work—a cash grab with a heart."[53] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone called the film "sassy enough to shoot well-aimed darts at corporate branding."[54] Michael O'Sullivan of The Washington Post said that, "While clearly filled with affection for—and marketing tie-ins to—the titular product that's front and center, it's also something of a sharp plastic brick flung in the eye of its corporate sponsor."[55]

text: On the negative side, Kyle Smith of the New York Post called the film "more exhausting than fun, too unsure of itself to stick with any story thread for too long."[56] Moira MacDonald of The Seattle Times, while generally positive, found "it falls apart a bit near the end."[57] Alonso Duralde of The Wrap said the film "will doubtless tickle young fans of the toys. It's just too bad that a movie that encourages you to think for yourself doesn't follow its own advice."[58]

text: Television personality, author, filmmaker, radio host and conservative political commentator Glenn Beck praised the film for avoiding "the double meanings and adult humor I just hate."[59]

text: Oscar host Neil Patrick Harris referenced The Lego Movie not being nominated Best Animated Feature, which many critics considered a major snub, saying prior to the award's presentation "If you’re at the Oscar party with the guys who directed 'The Lego Movie,' now would be a great time to distract them."[60]

text: U.S. Senator Ron Johnson criticized the film's anti-corporate message, saying that it taught children that "government is good and business is bad", citing the villain's name of Lord Business. "That's done for a reason", Johnson told WisPolitics.com. "They're starting that propaganda, and it's insidious". The comments were criticized by many, and Russ Feingold brought up the comments on the campaign trail during his 2016 Senate bid against Johnson.[61]

text: Box office performance[edit]

text: The Lego Movie grossed $257.8 million in the U.S. and Canada, and $210.3 million internationally, for a worldwide total of $469.2 million.[4] Calculating in all expenses, Deadline.com estimated that the film made a profit of $229 million.[62]

text: In the U.S. and Canada, the film opened at number one in its first weekend with over $69 million, which was the second highest weekend debut in February, at the time, behind The Passion of the Christ ($83.8 million).[63] The movie retained the top spot at box office in its second weekend by declining only 28% and grossing $49.8 million.[64] The Lego Movie was number one again in its third weekend while declining 37% and grossing $31.3 million.[65] In its fourth weekend, the film dropped to number three grossing $20.8 million.[66]

text: Elsewhere, The Lego Movie was released in 34 markets in February 7, 2014—the same weekend as its U.S. release. It made $18.7 million on its opening weekend from 5,695 screens from 34 countries.[67] On its opening weekend, which varies depending on the country, it earned $3.8 million in Mexico, $2 million in Spain, $1.8 million in Brazil.[67] With a total gross of £34.3 million, it was the second highest-grossing film in the UK and Ireland in 2014.[68]

text: The popularity of the film led to a shortage of Lego products by September 2014.[69]

text: Accolades[edit]

text:
List of Accolades

Award / Film Festival
Category
Recipient(s)
Result

AACTA Awards
Best Visual Effects or Animation
Chris McKay, Amber Naismith, Aidan Sarsfield and Grant Freckelton
Won

Academy Awards
Best Original Song
"Everything is Awesome" written by Shawn Patterson
Nominated

American Cinema Editors
Best Edited Animated Feature Film
David Burrows, Chris McKay
Won

42nd Annual Annie Awards[70]
Best Animated Feature
The Lego Movie
Nominated

Animated Effects in an Animated Feature Production
Jayandera Danappal, Matt Ebb, Christian Epunan Hernandez, Danielle Brooks, and Raphael Gadot
Nominated

Directing in an Animated Feature Production
Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, Directors;
Chris McKay, Co-Director
Nominated

Production Design in an Animated Feature Production
Grant Freckelton
Nominated

Writing in an Animated Feature Production
Phil Lord and Christopher Miller
Won

Editorial in an Animated Feature Production
David Burrows, Todd Hansen, Doug Nicholas, Jonathan Tappin and Courtney O'Brien-Brown
Nominated

Austin Film Critics Association
Best Animated Film
The Lego Movie
Won

BAFTA Awards[71]
Best Animated Film
The Lego Movie
Won

Black Reel Awards
Best Voice Performance
Morgan Freeman
Won

45th Annual British Academy Children's Awards[72]
Kid's Vote — Film in 2014
The Lego Movie
Nominated

Children's Feature Film in 2014
The Lego Movie
Won

Broadcast Film Critics Association
Best Animated Feature
The Lego Movie
Won

Best Song
"Everything Is Awesome"
Nominated

Chicago Film Critics Association
Best Animated Feature
The Lego Movie
Won

Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association
Best Animated Film
The Lego Movie
Won

Dublin Film Critics Circle
Top Ten Films
The Lego Movie
4th Place

Empire Awards
Best Comedy
Nominated

Florida Film Critics Circle
Best Animated Film
Won

Golden Globe Awards
Best Animated Feature Film
Nominated

Golden Tomato Awards 2014
Best Animated Film
Won

Best Wide Release 2014
2nd Place

Grammy Awards
Best Song Written for Visual Media
"Everything Is Awesome"
Nominated

Heartland Film Festival 2014[73]
Truly Moving Picture Award
Phil Lord and Christopher Miller
Won

Houston Film Critics Society
Best Animated Feature Film
The Lego Movie
Won

Best Original Song
"Everything is Awesome"
Won

Kerrang! Awards
Best Film
The Lego Movie
Won

Kids' Choice Awards
Favorite Animated Movie
The Lego Movie
Nominated

Favorite Movie Actor
Will Arnett (also for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)
Nominated

National Board of Review
Best Original Screenplay
Phil Lord and Christopher Miller
Won

Top Ten Films
The Lego Movie
Won

New York Film Critics Circle Awards[74]
Best Animated Film
The Lego Movie
Won

New York Film Critics Online
Best Animated Film
The Lego Movie
Won

Online Film Critics Society
Best Picture
The Lego Movie
Nominated

Best Animated Feature
The Lego Movie
Won

People's Choice Awards[75]
Favorite Family Movie
The Lego Movie
Nominated

Producers Guild of America
Best Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures
Dan Lin
Won

San Diego Film Critics Society
Best Animated
The Lego Movie
Nominated

San Francisco Film Critics Circle[76]
Best Animated Feature
The Lego Movie
Won

Satellite Awards
Best Motion Picture Animated or Mixed Media
The Lego Movie
Nominated

Best Original Screenplay
Phil Lord and Christopher Miller
Nominated

Best Original Song
"Everything Is Awesome"
Nominated

Saturn Awards
Best Animated Film
The Lego Movie
Won

St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association
Best Animated Film
The Lego Movie
Won

16th SXSW Film Festival[77]
SXSW Film Design Award
(Special Jury Recognition)
Brian Mah (Designer)
Won

Teen Choice Awards[78]
Choice Movie: Animated
The Lego Movie
Nominated

Choice Movie: Voice
Chris Pratt

Toronto Film Critics Association
Best Animated Feature
The Lego Movie
Runner-Up

Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association[79]
Best Animated Feature
The Lego Movie
Won

Best Original Screenplay
Phil Lord and Christopher Miller
Nominated

text: Soundtrack[edit]

text:
The Lego Movie: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Soundtrack album by Mark Mothersbaugh, various artists

Released
February 4, 2014

Recorded
2013
Trackdown Studios (Sydney)

Genre
Film soundtrack, film score

Length
58:10

Label
WaterTower Music

Producer
Mark Mothersbaugh, Shawn Patterson, Bartholomew

Mark Mothersbaugh chronology

Last Vegas
(2013)Last Vegas2013
The Lego Movie
(2014)
22 Jump Street
(2014)22 Jump Street2014

Singles from The Lego Movie: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

"Everything Is Awesome"
Released: January 27, 2014

text: The film's original score was composed by Mark Mothersbaugh, who had previously worked with Lord and Miller on Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and 21 Jump Street. The Lego Movie soundtrack contains the score as the majority of its tracks. Also included is the song "Everything Is Awesome!!!" written by Shawn Patterson (El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera and Robot Chicken), Joshua Bartholomew[80] and Lisa Harriton,[81] who also perform the song in the movie under the name, Jo Li. The single, released on January 27, 2014, is performed by Tegan and Sara featuring The Lonely Island (Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone) who wrote the rap lyrics, and is the first song played in the end credits of the movie. The soundtrack was released on February 4, 2014 by WaterTower Music.[82]

text:
No.
Title
Performer(s)
Length

1.
"Everything Is Awesome!!!"
Tegan and Sara featuring The Lonely Island
2:43

2.
"Prologue"

2:28

3.
"Emmett's Morning"

1:59

4.
"Emmett Falls in Love"

1:11

5.
"Escape"

3:27

6.
"Into the Old West"

1:00

7.
"Wyldstyle Explains"

1:21

8.
"Emmett's Mind"

2:17

9.
"The Transformation"

1:46

10.
"Saloons and Wagons"

3:38

11.
"Batman"

1:23

12.
"Middle Zealand"

0:28

13.
"Cloud Cuckooland and Ben the Spaceman"

1:25

14.
"Emmett's Speech"

2:02

15.
"Submarines and Metal Beard"

1:49

16.
"Requiem for Cuckooland"

1:23

17.
"Reaching the Kragle"

2:35

18.
"Emmett's Plan"

1:54

19.
"The Truth"

3:16

20.
"Wyldstyle Leads"

2:46

21.
"Let's Put It All Back"

2:02

22.
"I Am a Master Builder"

2:48

23.
"My Secret Weapon"

4:19

24.
"We Did It!"

1:31

25.
"Everything Is Awesome!!!"
Jo Li (Joshua Bartholomew and Lisa Harriton)
1:26

26.
"Everything Is Awesome!!! (unplugged)"
Shawn Patterson and Sammy Allen
1:24

27.
"Untitled Self Portrait"
Will Arnett
1:08

28.
"Everything Is Awesome!!! (instrumental sing-a-long)"

2:41

Total length:
58:10

text:
Chart positions

Chart (2014)
Peak
position

Australian Albums (ARIA)[83]
82

UK Independent Album Breakers (OCC)[84]
8

US Billboard 200[85]
37

US Independent Albums (Billboard)[85]
8

US Top Soundtracks (Billboard)[85]
2

text: Theme song[edit]

text: The film's theme song, "Everything is Awesome!!!", has been critically praised and has undergone some close analysis. Eric Brown, writing in the International Business Times, describes the song as a parody of fascism, saying that the song "seems little more than an infectiously catchy parody of watered-down radio pop, right down to the faux-dubstep breakdown. There's a lot more happening under the surface, however."[86] In an interview with Fox News, producer Mark Mothersbaugh says the song "was supposed to be like mind control early in the film. It's totally irritating, this kind of mindless mantra to get people up and working."[87]

text: Expanded franchise[edit]

text: Because of its critical and commercial success, The Lego Movie has been turned into a franchise and a shared fictional universe. It consists of two spin-off films, The Lego Batman Movie and The Lego Ninjago Movie, both with 2017 release dates,[88][89] a sequel scheduled for release in 2019,[90] and a third spin-off titled The Billion Brick Race.[91] A 4-D ride attraction, based on the film itself, titled The Lego Movie: 4D - A New Adventure, opened at select Legoland theme parks across the globe in the summer of 2016.[92]

text: On May 10, 2017, Warner Bros. and Lego announced that the character Unikitty would receive a spin-off television series on Cartoon Network, with Tara Strong voicing the character. The premiere date is yet to be announced.[93]