Kenny Ortega Brings Lego Bricks to Life in 'Heartlake the Musical'

By Elena Vasquez

Kenny Ortega's first Lego musical premieres Oct. 16. "Lego Friends: Heartlake the Musical," a 50-minute film, will debut on Lego's YouTube channel, Peacock and Netflix. The director of "High School Musical" and "Hocus Pocus" executive produced the project, which he says brings the bricks to life "in the most wonderful musical capacity."

The film follows a young girl, Daisy, played by Jada Langley, who is magically transported into Heartlake City. There she makes friends and helps save a landmark. Ortega shaped the story and choreography, chose the director — his longtime collaborator Paul Becker — and shot the film in London with an all-British cast he calls "triple threats."

How did the project come together?

Hannah Draper and Michael McKenna of production company Final Pixel approached Ortega with a simple question. "Do you like Lego?" Ortega told Variety: "Lego's been part of my life for over 30 years." He cited a nephew who receives Lego sets every birthday and holiday.

Final Pixel, an award-winning virtual production studio, pitched a 3D virtual world built on a giant curved LED screen. That sold Ortega immediately. "I've been making films since virtual reality didn't exist," he said, recalling a era when visual effects were painted on glass or achieved through wire removal. The technology let him work in a capacity he never had before, as a producer and storyteller.

Ortega worked closely with screenwriters Kirk R. Thatcher and Jeremy Adams. His role: help the writers understand how music, song and dance can move character and story forward.

What changed during development?

Ortega had to adjust his creative instincts downward in age. His previous work — "High School Musical," "Descendants," "Cheetah Girls" and Netflix's "Julie and the Phantoms" — skews older than the Lego Friends audience, which he describes as six years old and up. "I had to sort of age down, and to put on a new thinking cap and to go, 'Okay, I'm now creating something for maybe five years old,'" he said.

The shoot ran roughly 25 to 26 days, including reshoots. Ortega described the production as a test made with a modest budget and schedule, because Lego had never attempted a musical feature. The hope, he said, is that the experiment succeeds and gives the company "an opportunity to go bigger and beyond this."

The takeaway: Lego treated this as a low-risk trial, and its scale going forward depends on how the first film performs.

Is a sequel possible?

Ortega's answer was blunt: "Heck yeah! It was a lot of fun."

What about the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics?

Ortega produced two Olympic ceremonies — the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta and the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City — but he has no role in L.A. 2028. "I have not been invited," he said. "I don't even know who is creatively going to be running that aspect." He called the Salt Lake work with Don Mischer and Mitt Romney "the time of my life" and said he hopes at least to attend the ceremonies as a spectator. His father was an Olympic track and field athlete.

For now, the Oct. 16 premiere will test whether Lego's bricks can carry a tune — and whether Ortega's experiment earns a bigger second act.