In fact, during a separate conversation I had with producers Dan Lin and Chris McKay, they explained that live-action would continue to play a significant role in the overarching LEGO franchise going forward.
The inclusion of a beast like Meowthra is also important for The LEGO Ninjago Movie because it continues a tradition of live-action visual elements established by the first LEGO Movie.
While The LEGO Batman Movie eschewed the live-action framework for story reasons, the narrative device was not just a one-off for the folks behind the franchise.
Incorporating something like Meowthra into the story is an invaluable (and endlessly cute) way to see how far that premise can stretch, so we are excited to see how it will be handled in The LEGO Movie 2.