The LEGO Movie 2 Trailer: 7 Easter Eggs & References You Might Have Missed

7. Planet Of The Apes

The post-apocalypse setting of the trailer seems catered towards one particular reference, to be mentioned later. But one of the first shots we get of this new world is of a toppled Statue of Liberty, covered in scaffolding, and clearly at the center of a building site.

This makes sense - Emmet was a builder (supposedly a 'master' one) and it would make sense for establishing shots of him to show him back at his old job, building.

But the choice to use the Statue of Liberty as the building project is very likely a reference to the Planet of the Apes franchise, particularly the inclusion of it in the original Planet of the Apes film. A damaged Statue of Liberty has become synonymous with that film, and director Mike Mitchell must have known what he was implying when he included it.