Reflection

• The “Disruption of Expectation” is a classic technique utilised to subvert the audience’s anticipated outcome, leading to unexpected and often humorous results. In this piece of comedy the disruption occurs through the juxtaposition of familiar characters and situations within the Lego universe. The norm, anticipation, presumption, and common logic that are disrupted revolve around the perceived competence and seriousness of characters like Lego Dr. Strange and Lego Thor. Typically, these characters are portrayed as powerful and heroic figures, capable of handling any challenge with grace and skill. However, in this comedic piece, their dignity is compromised as they engage in a series of clumsy and absurd actions. Following the core idea of slapstick humour, “it made a satisfyingly loud sound without inflicting any real pain”. The moment creates absurdity through multiple layers of humour; the visual humour is evident in the contrast between the grand entrances of Lego Dr. Strange and Lego Thor and their subsequent mishaps, such as Lego Dr. Strange’s trip over a small Lego brick, this is a simple depiction of visual humour. This unexpected clumsiness undermines their usual air of confidence and power. For performance the exaggerated movements and expressions of the Lego characters enhance the comedic effect. Lego Dr. Strange’s hurried attempts to regain his composure and then awkward pause and Lego Thor’s scene of being thrown upside down add to the absurdity of the situation. This is also backed by the concept of the benign violation theory, “For a violation to produce humour, it also needs to seem OK, safe, acceptable, or, in other words, benign.” The two lego characters remain fine after the violations that occur. Then we are introduced to Lego Lady Thor and Lego Ice-Cream Cone Girl adding another layer of humour to the scene. Their casual enjoyment of noodles atop a giant Lego Mjolnir provides a humorous contrast to the intense battle unfolding before them. The absurdity of the situation is heightened by the juxtaposition of epic conflict and mundane activities. While not heavily the focus, sound effects such as the clattering of Lego bricks and the slurping of noodles further enhance the comedic experience. These auditory cues contribute to the overall sense of chaos and hilarity. By disrupting the audience’s expectations of how characters like Lego Dr. Strange and Lego Thor should behave, the lego comedy piece creates a delightfully incongruous and humorous scenario. Through a combination of visual humour, performance, story/context humour, and potentially audio humour.

References:

Warren, C. and McGraw, A.P. (2015) Benign violation theory, SSRN. Available at: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2559414

Peacock, L. (1970) What is slapstick?, SpringerLink. Available at: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1057/9781137438973_2