The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part takes place five years after the events of The Lego Movie. That time jump is stated directly in the sequel’s story and explains why Bricksburg has changed so dramatically when the action resumes.
At the end of the first film, the Duplo figures arrive and threaten the LEGO world. Five years later, repeated Duplo attacks have transformed Bricksburg into the harsher settlement called Apocalypseburg. Emmet remains optimistic, while Lucy and the other survivors have become more defensive after years of conflict. The sequel’s central plot begins when General Sweet Mayhem takes Emmet’s friends to the Systar System.
The five-year gap also mirrors the real-world relationship between the two films: The Lego Movie premiered in 2014, while The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part was released in 2019. The story uses the passage of time to show both the LEGO characters’ changed circumstances and the changing relationship between Finn and his younger sister Bianca in the live-action framing story. The alternatives—three, seven, and ten years—are not the film’s stated timeline.