Legos hold a special place in all of our hearts. We’ve all built wonderful things with those little colored blocks, a toy so simple yet so full of possibility. It never mattered if you used a set with instructions or cobbled together a building out of any pieces you could find, Legos have always been a way to let imaginations run haywire.

“The Lego Movie,” which arrived in theaters on Friday, utilizes the nostalgia that comes from playing with Legos and puts together one of the most creative and hilarious animated features in recent memory.

Don’t be swayed by the fact that it appears to be a marketing campaign. While it may be a nearly two-hour advertisement for Legos, you never actually feel like you’re being sold anything. In fact, from the very beginning to the very end, the theater was laughing nonstop. I can’t remember a film where I laughed at such a high rate. The writing is pristine, the characters are all likeable, and the creativity is off the charts.

The story revolves around Emmet (Chris Pratt), a typical Lego worker who is ridiculously happy but soon finds out that he is nothing special. Everything changes when he stumbles upon the Piece of Resistance, which must be used to stop the evil Lord Business (Will Ferrell) from unleashing his weapon, the Kraggle, upon all Legokind. Along the way, he befriends Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks), the great Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman), Green Lantern (Jonah Hill), Superman (Channing Tatum), Batman (Will Arnett) and many others. The voice acting is phenomenal, the jokes are nonstop, and fun is the name of the game.

The writers and directors nailed this movie. The only flaw is that it’s sometimes a little too fast-paced, but there isn’t a movie that’s come out recently that tickles your funny bone as much as this one. Will Arnett’s Batman is one of the show stealers, and his role in the plot is as important as it is hilarious. Pop culture references abound, including a Star Wars cameo, a cat poster, Dumbledore, Gandalf, and a strangely addictive theme song put together by Tegan and Sara and the Lonely Island which proclaims endlessly that “everything is awesome.”

The actual physics of Legos also play a huge part in the movie, be it building spaceships to escape the bad guys or drawing faces on the back of a Lego head. It’s the physical interpretation of how Legos actually function that lends to the creativity of the film.

The ending may have some scratching their heads or proclaiming “laaaaame,” but it’s a fun and imaginative conclusion to a hilarious movie. The message, while clich’ÛΩ, is heartwarming- and best of all, it appeals to the kid in all of us.

My recommendation is to see “The Lego Movie” with multiple friends. You’ll all be in knots and you’ll have plenty to talk about afterward. I’ve never watched a movie where I was so sure that anyone who saw it would like it, no matter how old or young. There’s a character for everyone, and you will want nothing more than to head home and build something with that Lego set you haven’t touched in a decade. “The Lego Movie” is fun for all and will pique your creativity and remind you that you can do whatever you want if you believe that you’re special.