Schaumburg Legoland adds new features, movie experience

Change is afoot in the land of Lego in Schaumburg.

The home of more than 5 million tiny plastic bricks, Legoland Discovery Center closed for four days of demolition and construction and reopened Friday with several new features: replicas of Soldier Field and O'Hare International Airport, a Lego city kids can build onto, a new interactive movie experience and an additional build area.

Change is a big part of master builder David Howard's job. The 26-year-old, who, like all master builders, won his job in a three-round competition, uses his background in design to accessorize and create scenes. This year's renovations focused on more in-depth hands-on features.

"We're trying to make the whole experience more interactive," Howard said. "A lot more build opportunities have been installed."

In Miniland, the first area visitors encounter, replicas of Soldier Field and O'Hare join Lego likenesses of Willis Tower, Navy Pier, Millennium Park and many other recognizable Chicago sites.

The new additions were constructed in 20 different sections with about 250,000 bricks, Howard said.

At Lego Soldier Field, more than 2,000 minifigures pack the stands to cheer on a movable field of players. Lego fans can be found holding signs and include a couple of random squirrel spectators, vendors and even two minifigures made to resemble recent contest winners.

"We've asked in the past what buildings you'd like to see added to Miniland and the stadiums are always on the list," Howard said.

The airport includes multiple planes, runway lights, and moving catering trucks and luggage trolleys, as well as a rotating radio tower. The airport itself took more than 250 hours to construct, he said.

Also new to Miniland since summer: the Blues Brothers performing on stage with music, trees and other foliage, and interactive iPads that teach children about the Lego city, including the brick count of each building.

In the traveling display room, where kids could previously build from scratch with bins of Legos, they can now accessorize an entire city.

Additionally, a new 4D movie experience includes a 12-minute 3-D showing that reunites all of "The Lego Movie" main characters and introduces Risky Business, who plans to open a theme park that resembles Legoland.

Effects will jump out at visitors, who will feel elements such as wind, water, fog and more.

While Legoland's details change constantly, its larger displays are in fact "kragled" - as Lord Business in The Lego Movie wanted - for public safety, Howard said.

"We don't say kragled because it's not exactly gluing," Howard said. "It's more fusing the bricks together. We use a special chemical to melt the bricks together so it's really structurally sound."

Legoland Discovery Center

Location: 601 N Martingale Road, Schaumburg, <a href="http://legolanddiscoverycenter.com/Chicago">legolanddiscoverycenter.com/Chicago</a>

Hours: Open noon to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday

Tickets: Start at $13.50 online; $18 at the door. Children under 3 are free.