Simple Gifts

Michael Hickox is something of a phenomenon. With nearly 60,000 YouTube subscribers he is certainly one of the most popular brick animators out there today. (The only two I can think of with more subscribers are Keshen8 and ForrestFire101.) His fame is well earned, his animations are always well done. He animates simple scenes from everyday life and infuses them with LEGO charm and humor. With straightforward titles such as “Lego School,” “Lego Mini Golf,” “Lego Birthday Party” and, of course, his break-out hit “Lego Pizza Delivery,” his animations lay their cards on the table before you even click play. You always know what you’re going to get with a Michael Hickox production.

“LEGO Shopping” focuses on frustrating minutia that can accompany a simple trip to the store: not finding a good parking space, getting the shopping cart with funky wheels, etc. The most entertaining bits come when a LEGO twist is put on these activities. For instance the frustrated minifig simply rebuilds his car when he can’t find a parking spot, minifigs partially disassemble themselves to try on different clothes, etc.

Michael Hickox is a great animator with a great command of visual language, his ability to tell a story without any words is enviable. Most of his films are entirely silent save for well placed music and sound effects. So I found it very jarring when the main character turned to the camera at 3:54 to make a comment about LEGO fashion that had already been adequately made visually. The voices continue after that, but I don’t think they add anything essential to the animation. The old adage “show, don’t tell” applies here, especially since Michael does such a great job showing.