30 Years: The Story of the Minifigure

30 Years: The Story of the Minifigure is a 2008 history montage brickfilm by Nathan Wells. It was made for The LEGO Group to celebrate the 30th year of the LEGO Minifigure, and features a montage of significant events in human history recreated in LEGO. It was Nathan's last brickfilm until Derricking Ball, made five years later.

Plot
The entire film is a montage, stating with pre-history and ending in modern times. Early humankind builds Stonehenge. Egyptians build the pyramids. Greek Philosophers walk through a city. Spartans fight at the Battle of Thermopylae. Japanese warriors spar while elders drink tea in a teahouse. Arabian astronomers chart the skies. Vikings set sail. A medieval king feasts with his court. Leonardo Da Vinci draws the Vitruvian Man. Martin Luther nails his Ninety-Five Theses to a door. A thespian performs Hamlet at the Globe Theater. Sir Isaac Newton is hit on the head with an apple. Pirates dig up buried treasure. American Indians watch as settlers follow the Oregon Trail. Workers work hard at an assembly line. People dance during the Roaring 20s. Soldiers fight in World War II. Sputnik launches into space. Hippies dance at Woodstock. Alex, Derrick and Alice wait outside a movie theater. Atop a giant pyramid of minifigures, a single figure stands alone.

Crew

 * Nathan Wells - Writer, director, animator editor
 * Nikolas Jaeger - Music, creative adviser
 * Bethany Wells - Backdrops
 * Zach Macias - Creative adviser
 * Brendan Krick - Creative adviser
 * Piotr Lewandowski - Microscale pirate ship inspiration
 * "Mister 007" - Japanese teahouse inspiration
 * Michael Jasper - Shakespeare and other minifigure inspiration

Awards
30 Years: The Story of the Minifigure was nominate for Best Set Design in the Bricks in Motion Awards, and Nikolas Jaeger's score was nominated for Best Original Score.


 * colspan="1" rowspan="2"|2008
 * colspan="1" rowspan="2"|Bricks in Motion Awards
 * Best Set Design
 * Nominated
 * Best Original Score
 * Nominated
 * Best Original Score
 * Nominated

Production
In early 2008, a representative from the LEGO Group contacted Nathan asking if he wanted to make a short film, which eventually led to 30 Years: The Story of the Minifigure. Nathan was paid $500 (which was mostly spent on LEGO sets that appear in the film) and sent a box of minifigure parts, which ended up being about 80-100 assembled minifigures (most of which are used in the minifigure pyramid near the end of the film). Nathan was given complete creative freedom, and called it "a great experience."