What happens when you chase The LEGO Movie with none of the charm, none of the budget, and none of the jokes? You get Playmobil: The Movie—a box office catastrophe that tried to turn plastic figurines into profit.
This week, we’re joined by Josh Boerman of The Worst of All Possible Worlds podcast to dissect one of the strangest failures in modern animation. We break down the movie’s bizarre tone, its baffling creative choices, and how it ended up costing over $75 million while making less than ten. From Daniel Radcliffe’s cameo to musical numbers that feel like tax write-offs, this is a journey into movie marketing gone horribly wrong.
Was it doomed from the start—or is there a forgotten charm beneath the molded surface?
Cast:
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Anya Taylor-Joy as Marla
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Gabriel Bateman as Charlie
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Daniel Radcliffe as Rex Dasher
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Jim Gaffigan as Del
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Kenan Thompson as Bloodbones
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Meghan Trainor as Fairy Godmother
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Adam Lambert as Emperor Maximus
Topics Covered in This Episode:
- Why Playmobil: The Movie failed to connect with audiences
- Daniel Radcliffe as Rex Dasher, the spy parody nobody asked for
- The LEGO Movie vs. its cheap knockoffs
- Animated flops and bloated budgets
- Josh Boerman on the limits of branded content
- The musical numbers that time forgot
- Remember or forget? The final verdict on Playmobil
SUPPORT THE SHOW
🎬 Full archive, bonus episodes & movie articles: https://www.moviememorymachine.com
🎧 Keep the show alive: https://patreon.com/gruntworkpod
📽 Follow us on Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/moviememorypod/
📺 Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MovieMemoryMachine
🎙 Check out Josh Boerman on The Worst of All Possible Worlds: https://www.worstpossible.world/
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