Anyone who has seen The Lego Movie, the box-office hit that arrived in theatres in February, still probably has the song Everything is Awesome stuck in their heads. It’s a silly, ridiculously catchy song.
But watch a new viral video by Greenpeace and it will forever be associated with toy polar bears drowning in oil. That’s kind of the point.
The video, called “LEGO: Everything is NOT awesome,” has been viewed more than one-million times since it was posted to YouTube on Tuesday.
In the video, a slowed-down version of the song plays over a pristine arctic setting where LEGO figures fish and skate and play soccer. But it’s all quickly ruined by a Shell drilling operation, complete with an evil capitalist in a suit smoking a cigar, that drowns everything in oil – fish, wolves, a snow owl, the main characters from the LEGO movie, even Santa and one of his elves.
It’s part of a Greenpeace campaign to put pressure on LEGO to sever its ties with Shell.
“Every company has a responsibility to choose its partners and suppliers ethically. LEGO says it wants to leave a better world for children and has a progressive environmental policy. But it's partnered with Shell, one of the biggest polluters on the planet, now threatening the Arctic. That's a terrible decision and its bad news for kids. We're calling on LEGO to stand up for the Arctic – and for children – by ditching Shell for good,” the environmental organization said in a release.
The Danish toy company has responded to the campaign by saying that “the Greenpeace campaign focuses on how Shell operates in a specific part of the world. We firmly believe that this matter must be handled between Shell and Greenpeace. We are saddened when the LEGO brand is used as a tool in any dispute between organizations.”
The company also said it continues to strive to live up to its motto: “Only the best is good enough.”
More than 300,000 people have signed a Greenpeace petition asking LEGO to cut ties with the oil company.