SOME of their colourful block characters might be out to the save the world, but the makers behind The Lego Movie are also on another crusade — against movie piracy.

Village Roadshow Entertainment Group chief executive Greg Basser has praised the Federal Government for looking at ways to crack down on the downloading of pirated movies.

“It is theft and if filmmakers can’t get protection there will be no industry,” Mr Basser told a prerelease screening function at Parliament House in Canberra, attended by Attorney General George Brandis.

“From all of us that are passionate about Australian film, Mr Attorney we say thank you,” he said.

Mr Basser praised Senator Brandis for his “forward looking” policies and “determination to create a regulatory environment that will put an end to piracy”.

The Attorney-General has flagged changes to the Copyright Act, describing the illegal downloading of copyrighted material as “theft”.

Senator Brandis is considering options including asking ISPs (Internet Service Providers) to block sites where content can be illegally downloaded or to warn customers before they click.

It’s part of a broader push to encourage Australians not to illegally download the latest blockbuster flick that American moviegoers have seen months before, as is the case for The Lego Movie.

The first full length LEGO adventure, made Down Under, has been screening in the US since February 7, but won’t hit national cinemas until April 3.

media_camera Box office hit ... (from left) characters Benny, voiced by Charlie Day, Batman, voiced by Will Arnett, Vitruvius, voiced by Morgan Freeman, Wyldstyle, voiced by Elizabeth Banks and Unikitty, voiced by Alison Brie, in a scene from The Lego Movie. Picture: AP/Warner Bros.

It charts the adventure of an ordinary LEGO mini figure called Emmett, who is mistaken for the extraordinary Master Builder and recruited to join a quest to stop an evil tyrant from glueing the universe together.

A team of more than 350 artists from Australian digital studio Animal Logic spent more than two years creating the film in Sydney, working with Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow Pictures.

The flick has already collected more than $350 million at the Box Office worldwide.

Senator Brandis congratulated the creators.

“The fact that an Australian production house, Animal Logic, can have developed a film of such tremendous commercial success tells us about the vitality of the Australian film and digital effects industry,” he said.

The head of Animal Logic emphasised how important measures to crack down on piracy are for the industry, as well as government help.

“The support we get from our government is so critical to stay competitive, to create jobs,” Zareh Nalbandian told the audience.

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Originally published as Lego filmmakers in fight to end piracy