The “Lego Movie” series, or cinematic universe, as it has its own spinoffs, has done the impossible. It’s a film franchise based around Legos, basically full-feature commercials, that is entertaining and compelling.

“The Lego Movie” was fantastic. “The Lego Batman Movie” was a clever parody/homage to superhero films. With the exception of maybe “The Lego Ninjago Movie,” which was somewhat forgettable, the “Lego” series has shown you can create a franchise around anything as long as it has heart and passion behind it. That’s why “The Emoji Movie” failed, which was inspired by “The Lego Movie’s” success.

“The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part” is a proper continuation of the “Lego” franchise, both in story and quality. It’s doesn’t really matter if the “Lego Movie 2” is better than the original because it does such a good job of being a sequel, helping to make this franchise what it is.

Filmmakers Christopher Miller and Phil Lord return as writers and producers, previously working on “The Lego Movie” and “Lego Batman.” They are truly great filmmakers, able to make entertaining movies out of whatever they are given. Years back, they turned a pointless remake of a beloved TV show into a hilarious comedy. You may know this movie as “21 Jump Street,” and its sequel, “22 Jump Street.”

“Lego Movie 2” has so many factors working for it. The animation is fantastic like it has been with the past movies. The amount of time and effort that was put into making this movie has to be recognized, with the animation made to look like real Legos moving in stop motion, as they do when you’re playing with them. The voice acting is great, especially with Chris Pratt, who knocks it out of the park as Emmet. Like before, the villains are compelling and they’re used in the story to tell an important lesson for children to learn, and adults for that matter.

It’s also an effective parody, making fun of several things: action heroes, growing up, parenting, movie cliche, even the closing credits and the concept of being a sequel, as you can see with the title: “Lego Movie 2: The Second Part.” There is one great joke made about cliffhangers and it is so effective and funny. I won’t spoil it.

The Lego cinematic franchise is a great series and I mean that, regardless of being shameless commercials or aimed at younger audiences. While these movies are designed for children and their parents, and even though some jokes are aimed at younger viewers, or are cringeworthy or just don’t work, watching these movies is simply a fun experience. As a viewer, you just feel joy watching them. You feel like you’re tapping into your inner child.

One of the reasons why this franchise created around Legos works is that it captures the feeling of being a kid again and playing with Legos as a kid, and the feeling of imagination that came with it.

For the first movie, Miller and Lord purposely set out to create something that had a compelling story, but also felt like something an 8 year old would come up with.

Take a look at the main characters of this movie for example. In “Lego Movie 2,” the main characters are Emmet, a regular construction builder, Wildstyle, whose a rebel with ninja abilities, an action hero named Rex Dangervest, who has spaceship run by a team of velociraptors (coolest thing ever, by the way). They’re supported by Batman, a magic cat princess, a pirate captain with no body (because you probably lost those pieces) and a random astronaut character (who came from a set you can’t remember). Speaking from personal experience, this is exactly the kind of awesome lineup of heroes a kid would come up with. Like when you looked into your box full of Legos and you created your own fun, creative, imaginative story.

The story in “Lego Movie 2” has a very clever portrayal of childhood, showing how kids can move through their “phases.” “The Lego Movie” was also about childhood, and the sequel is even more clever considering how it builds off of the events of the previous film.

And while the “Lego Batman Movie” wasn’t about childhood, it instead made a point about Batman that no other film, even the “adult” ones, has really addressed: that Batman is lonely and deep down he wants to have a family.

The real reason I love this series so much is that it’s so incredibly fun watching these movies. I can’t keep a straight face. I’m smiling the whole time. It’s just an experience that makes me feel overwhelmingly happy. And if a film series can capture that level of emotion, then it is truly worth all of the praise it gets.