With the commercial and artistic success of "The Lego Movie" earlier this year, the Danish toymaker Lego this week announced plans for a reality TV show as it looks to expand its entertainment industry footprint.

The computer-generated "The Lego Movie" with voices from an all-star cast including Will Arnett, Will Ferrell and Elizabeth Banks grossed more than $500 million in international box office following its 2014 release. It featured a world made entirely of Lego interconnecting construction blocks and was produced, and marketed, by Denmark's privately owned Lego Group and Warner Bros. studio.

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The movie also generated a huge bonanza in earnings from merchandising. With the movie and related products, Lego vaulted past Mattel, the makers of Barbie, to first place in worldwide toy sales. That led company leadership to the decision to charge into entertainment programming in a big way, officials said.

The reality show represents the continuing growth of Lego's entertainment sector. A documentary about Lego is scheduled for release next year, and the company plans a Batman spin-off using Lego characters and Arnett voicing Lego Batman. That Lego movie sequel is set for May 2017.

Scheduled for airing next year, the reality show will revolve around Master Builders, the designers of Lego toy brick sets and theme parks, and the work they did with "The Lego Movies" characters. The format, however, isn't set in stone although it will be stocked with some form of interconnecting construction blocks.

Speaking at the Mipcom TV conference two weeks ago, Lego's vice-president of global licensing and distribution, Jill Wilfert, said formats being considered for the reality TV show included a competition to become a Master Builder.

Wilfert said the company planned to increase its focus on digital entertainment and television. "The audience has responded," she said. "They love our content."

TagsLego, reality TV, TV, television, lego movie, warner brothers, Batman, Will Arnett, lego movie