Push Back

Warner Bros had excellent results with the first Lego Movie, so it must be somewhat painful to push the second one to a later date:

Warner Bros. has reportedly pushed the release date of “Lego Movie 2” back to 2019. There’s no explanation why the sequel to the 2014 hit is moving from May 18, 2018 to February 8, 2019. ...

No explanation the WB is willing to hand to the public, anyway.

Please know that I have no firm idea about why the company is moving the release date of a well-loved title back nine-plus months, because I have no underlying evidence. The Warner Animation Group has two development facilities for upcoming features, one on the Warners lot in Burban and one at a facility on the other side of the Hollywood Hills near Melrose Avenue.

Both groups are working on a myriad of projects, a number being upcoming titles in the Lego franchise. Nobody has hinted at any troubles, but I do know the development artists work long weeks on challenging schedules.

So why the move to 1919? When a commercial movie is moved back a few months, it's usually because the releasing company is seeking the right release window. When it's moved back the better part of a year, but usually because there are story issues. Think Toy Story 2. Think The Good Dinosaur. The division creating the feature wants to make sure the movie is as good as it can be, and has determined that it needs to be better than it presently is.

So what is it? The story and characters need to be improved. You don't have to know anything specific about the production to understand those are probably what the issues are.

Probably.