Despite How to Train Your Dragon 2’s Golden Globes win this past weekend, I’d still predict that The Lego Movie is Oscar’s frontrunner for Best Animated Feature, and an absolutely surefire bet to be nominated in that category tomorrow morning. But will the Oscar nominations also make room for The Lego Movie in Best Original Song, citing the infectiously upbeat “Everything Is Awesomeâ€? The Academy’s music branch can often go its own way (as they notoriously did last year with the quickly scuttled nomination for “Alone But Not Aloneâ€), but let’s hope it recognizes the insidious genius “Awesome,†which burrows itself into your brain at first listen but courteously hits every single pleasure center while it’s there. Even Chris Pratt, who voiced The Lego Movie’s lead character, isn’t sick of the song yet — though he admits he still can’t get it out of his head. “Dude, you have no idea!†Pratt laughed to Vulture. “I have a padded cell in my brain for it.â€
Alright then, Pratt, make the case! Why does “Everything Is Awesome†warrant an Academy Award nomination? “Well, I think it follows the theme of this movie, which you think is just some Lego movie made to sell toys — and it’s actually a really subversive, interesting, thought-provoking commentary on society,†Pratt said, speaking to Vulture a few weeks ago at a Lego-themed soiree. “The song itself represents that, because it’s saying that everything is awesome, but it’s the anthem of this strange world that exists halfway between America and North Korea, you know what I mean? Twenty or 30 years from now, I think people will look back at ‘Everything Is Awesome,’ and it’ll be more than just a cool pop song. It’s really reflective of where we are right now, and that’s what art is all about.â€
And if the Academy still requires more incentivizing, just think of all the awesome collaborators on the song who’d be up for reprising it onstage! “If they perform it on the show, it will be so fun to see Tegan and Sara, the Lonely Island, and Mark Mothersbaugh,†said Phil Lord, the film’s co-director. “And I’m hoping Batman will do a little surprise cameo! That alone is reason enough.â€
The song’s writer, Shawn Patterson, set his sights even higher. “My original idea was that we should have the greatest musicians and singers in the world perform it,†he told us. “Yo-Yo Ma should do a solo! Meryl Streep should sing! Ice-T should do the rap! Everything about the song is sort of gloriously unglorious, so to have someone really grand belting it out — I think that’s the way to go.†That notion goes way past awesome into the realm of … well, even more awesome. Ball’s in your court, Academy.