Franchises are the brands that are represented in LEGO Dimensions. Each franchise has its own Adventure World, and all in Year 2 have a Battle Arena for each set. In-game content for Year 2 was introduced through digitally downloaded updates. There is a total of 30 franchises altogether, 31 if counting LEGO Dimensions, although it is not a traditional franchise.
Around the World in 80 Days - In the LEGO City: Undercover World, Albert Spindlerouter says "It feels like we've been around the world in 80 days!", a reference to the Jackie Chan film and the Jules Verne novel of the same name.
Baywatch - In the fifth Meet That Hero! trailer, Michael Knight is seen running in slow motion on a beach, a reference to Baywatch, another show David Hasselhoff starred in. Michael Knight also mentions he was a lifeguard to Marty McFly. In addition to that, one of K.I.T.T.'s alternate skins is Mitch Buchannon's lifeguard car from the show.
Casper the Friendly Ghost - After completing the Breaking the Barrier level, a citizen will note that ghosts are not "cute and friendly" and that the cartoons lied.
Finding Nemo - In The Lord of the Rings World, there are clownfish and blue tangs that strongly resemble Marlin, Nemo and Dory from Finding Nemo appearing in the water. You can also find them in the back of the school of fish in Atlantis in the DC Comics World and underwater in The Simpsons World.
Frozen - In the Adventure Time World, Magic Man will often say "wanna build a snowhouse?" upon walking near him. The film is referenced again in the description for the Arctic Animal HabitatsBattle Arena description, which states that is there is "no time to build a snowman".
Futurama - In the level Meltdown at Sector 7-G, Mr. Burns changes a sign that reads 323 days without otherworldly invasions, referring to LEGO Dimensions released 323 days after the Simpsons/Futurama crossover episode "Simpsorama" was released.
Ghost - In the Ghostbusters (2016) level The Mercado Building, when you use a vehicle with the Tow Bar Ability, it will open up an elevator to show two ghosts making a vase out of clay who then fly away out of fright, referencing and parodying the pottery wheel scene in the 1990 romantic fantasy thriller film Ghost.
Half-Life - Black Mesa, a company from Half-Life, made a cameo appearance in the Aperture Science level.
Huey Lewis and the News - The Quest Sculpting for a Living at the Beetlejuice World is a reference on the Huey Lewis and the News' hit song Workin' for a Livin'.
James Bond - The wise old man tells Gamer Kid in Retro Wreckage that Spy Hunter was meant to be based off a popular spy film franchise, which is said to be James Bond, but the license couldn't be acquired. Spyhunter would introduce himself in the same way James Bond introduces himself in the film at the beginning of the quest Spy Speed Chase. Also, B.A. Baracus has a Golden Gun, a reference to the James Bond book and film The Man With The Golden Gun because the villain Francisco Scaramanga always had one.
King Kong - During the Mission: Impossible quest Benji's Maskatorium, a Gorilla appears on a high building referencing the Empire State Building climbing scene in King Kong.
Luxo Junior/Pixar - Luxo Junior (More commonly known as the Luxo Lamp) is in the attic of The Maitland House in the Beetlejuice World.
SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive - A SEGA Mega Drive appears through one of the portals after Sonic's fight against theSonicrobots.
Shaun of the Dead - In the Mission: Impossible level, after rescuing Benji Dunn, he suggests he should "grab a cup of tea and wait for all this to blow over," a line from the film Shaun of the Dead. Simon Pegg, who plays Benji, wrote and starred in the film.
The Sixth Sense - The Quest from the Beetlejuice World, I Shoot Dead People, is a pun on the quote said by Cole Sear 'I see dead people' from the 1999 supernatural horror film.
Sonic X - The line "Gotta Go Fast", which is referenced in one of Sonic the Hedgehog's entrance quotes as well as Bubbles' and E.T.'s quotes when riding the Sonic Speedster originated from this anime.
Spinal Tap - In the level Ghostbusting! if you solve the X-Ray Vision puzzle at the Stonebrooke Theatre segment, it'll reveal a miniature Stonehenge model appearing in the center of the stage, referencing the Spinal Tap's song Stonehenge.
Super Friends - In The Fortress of Solitude level, various members of the Super Friends team appear as non-playable characters.
Super Mario Bros. - In the basement for the level Retro Wreckage, a portion of the theme song for Super Mario Bros. Underground can be heard. Gamer Kid'sInvulnerability T-shirt resembles Mario's Super Star power-up when in use.
Sweeney Todd - In the Doctor Who World, a non-playable character often mentions about a pie shop that was once a barber shop, which is similar to the one in the musical and the Tim Burton film adaptation.
Taken - Unikitty tells Bad Cop she has "A particular set of skills" which is a reference to Taken since Liam Neeson, the actor for Bad Cop, said that quote in Taken.
The Beatles - In the Ghostbusters (2016) story, there's a billboard that reads "The Minifigs", which is in the same style as the Beatles logo.
The Legend of Zelda - In Once Upon A Time Machine in the West, there are chickens that when attacked will attack back. This may be a reference to the Cuccos in the Zelda series that when attacked will summon a flock of Cuccos to attack the player. Gollum would say "too dangerous to go alone" upon being approached before starting the Cast it into the Fire! quest, which is the shortened quote from an unnamed old man in the first Zelda game.
The Shining - Harley Quinn's line "Heeeeere's Harley!" is a reference to the famous quote "Heeeeere's Johnny!" from The Shining.
The Twilight Zone - Robin dramatically says there is something on the wing (Gremlins) in a cutscene in The LEGO Batman MovieStory Pack while in black and white. This is a reference to the episode Nightmare at 20,000 feet where a passenger, Bob Wilson, thinks he sees a gremlin on the plane's wing.
Titanic - In the level The Phantom Zone, two skeletons are found standing on the bow of the Titanic with their arms out. The skeleton in front has long red hair and a brick-built heart quickly appears and breaks when the skeletons are hit. This is a reference to the 1997 James Cameron film Titanic in the scene when the film's leads, Jack and Rose, stand on the railing of the ship, pretending to fly.
Top Gun - In the Mission: Impossible level, Jim Phelps at the intro watches a tape with a clip of a character playing volleyball with a goose, referencing the volleyball scene from Top Gun, another film Tom Cruise stars in.
Toy Story - During the Prologue scene where Batman and Gandalf meet Wyldstyle in The LEGO Movie World, Batman starts arguing with the LEGO Movie Batman over who's the real Batman, which is a reference to Buzz Lightyear arguing with the Utility Belt Buzz over who's the real Buzz in Toy Story 2.
Wicked - When the Wicked Witch first appears Wyldstyle mentions her "defying gravity." This is a reference to the song Defying Gravity from the Broadway musical Wicked.
Yogi Bear - In the E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial World, one character laments over the bears being obsessed with their picnic foods, similar to how Yogi loves eating from picnic baskets.
Zero Wing - The name of the All Your Bricks Are Belong To Us story level is a reference to an infamous translation error and Internet Meme in the game Zero Wing.
However it should be noted that Portal 2, The Goonies, and The Wizard of Oz had pitched LEGO Ideas sets known as Thinking With Portals, The Goonies 30th Anniversary - The Inferno and The Road to Oz respectively that were noteworthy for their success with fans, but ultimately turned down by the LEGO Group in the end.
Midway Arcade, however, wasn't inspired by any theme, and was instead inspired by the team's desire to introduce the games to a younger generation, thanks to Warner Bros.' purchase of Midway, which gave them full access to all of their IPs, and although Mortal Kombat was considered to be included as part of the theme, it was eventually dropped due to age concerns, due to the game's focus on blood and gore.
