61 replies to this topic

[Hapori Tohu]

Advance Copenhagen, the company responsible for nearly all Bionicle's CGI work, has released a video explaining the origin of the Bionicle concept and how it has all evolved over the years, right up to Mata-Nui's great awakening. Complete with fantastic concept art and an instrumental track of Cryoshell's <i>Bye Bye Babylon</i>, the entire video is a huge nostalgia trip for all Bionicle fans. The video can be seen on Rebrick <a href='http://rebrick.lego.com/en-US/bookmark/bionicle-concept-video-2001-2008/x3xo9t' target='offsite'>here</a>.

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[Bambi]

Sounds pretty interesting.
*adds to list of things to check*

[The Inquisitive Automaton]

Wow, that really makes you think of how much effort and planning that went into developing this epic legend of myth and mystery. And Lego still went and dropkicked it out the window when they got bored.

But looking back, it really is amazing to see all the production and the signs that Mata Nui really WAS the universe all along. It's certainly a charming little video.

[Aanchir: Rachira of Time]

Wow, that really makes you think of how much effort and planning that went into developing this epic legend of myth and mystery. And Lego still went and dropkicked it out the window when they got bored. when it became more of a liability than an asset

But looking back, it really is amazing to see all the production and the signs that Mata Nui really WAS the universe all along. It's certainly a charming little video.

Fixed. No insult intended, but it kind of bothers me how the idea that has become prevalent is that the LEGO Group cancelled BIONICLE on a whim rather than after years of declining sales.

It is amazing to see all the hard work that went into BIONICLE, and I really feel like the best posthumous tribute to the theme would be a book about BIONICLE's ten-year development rather than a set of a minor character like Helryx that aims to immortalize a part of the story that was never important enough to get a set while the theme was still alive. The concept art in this video is a great treat, but I'd love to see something along the lines of my Avatar: The Last Airbender art book (example page).

The fact that in this video, probably produced in 2009, the 2001-2008 saga is described as the "first book of BIONICLE" suggests that they definitely had high hopes for the saga from 2009 and onward to match the grandeur of what had come before. It's a shame that the theme turned out to be unsustainable for more than two years further, but I still thoroughly respect their valiant attempt at giving the theme an ending it deserved with a heavily nostalgia-laden final line of sets, a book that was made available to global audiences online despite a failure to find a willing publisher here in the U.S., a hand-illustrated story feature with accomplished voice talent, and of course a conclusion that saw Mata Nui's mission finally completed and Makuta Teridax's threat finally eliminated.

The theme had a good run. I'm not in any way urgent to see it return, but I would love to see more wonderful insights like this into the dedicated work and imagination that went into making it so enjoyable for so many years.

[CrunchbiteNuva]

It is amazing to see all the hard work that went into BIONICLE, and I really feel like the best posthumous tribute to the theme would be a book about BIONICLE's ten-year development rather than a set of a minor character like Helryx that aims to immortalize a part of the story that was never important enough to get a set while the theme was still alive. The concept art in this video is a great treat, but I'd love to see something along the lines of my Avatar: The Last Airbender art book (example page).

I second the idea of an art book. Just the few featuring the Mata Nui Robot and some from the Mistika that I saw on the video were amazing.

[Kv195]

Amazing video, seom nastagic feeling in it, but overall, its good to see bionicle still here with the original creaters, so i guess the glatorian saga was supposed to be longer....too bad it only lasted for two years...but still 9 years of bionicle was just an amazing way to give my childhood something good, which it did. wow, this really wants me to make a bionicle comic like right now, re-telling everything that happened in bionicle since 01. Also this changed my thoughts of what bionicle really is about, since i didn't read all the books(as of 3/27/12). :/

[Paleo]

I'm currently trying to view the video, but I get an error message that says that the video is only available to users who sign in.

Here is the text of the message:

Sorry - The bookmark you’ve tried to view is currently behind login



We have many LEGO fans below the age of 13, so we have to make sure that bookmarks that are not behind login are of a nature so everyone can enjoy them.
You can sign-in to see the content, of you can explore some of the already approved content below!
Enjoy!

[Vorahk1Panrahk2]

Yup... I just got nostalgia'd.

It's interesting to have confirmation that the Mata Nui = giant robot concept has been around since the very beginning, and it's pretty clear that a lot of planning went into the story for this particular line. Other than that there wasn't a whole lot to the video we didn't already know. Regardless I still enjoyed it.

Edited by Vorahk1Panrahk2, Mar 27 2012 - 05:36 PM.

[The Inquisitive Automaton]

Wow, that really makes you think of how much effort and planning that went into developing this epic legend of myth and mystery. And Lego still went and dropkicked it out the window when they got bored. when it became more of a liability than an asset

But looking back, it really is amazing to see all the production and the signs that Mata Nui really WAS the universe all along. It's certainly a charming little video.

Fixed. No insult intended, but it kind of bothers me how the idea that has become prevalent is that the LEGO Group cancelled BIONICLE on a whim rather than after years of declining sales.

Egh, I guess I'm just still a little bitter, but I still think Lego could have done something to preserve the line instead of giving it that rushed send-off and replacing it with Hero Factory of all things.

[Portalfig]

I'm currently trying to view the video, but I get an error message that says that the video is only available to users who sign in.

Here is the text of the message:

Sorry - The bookmark you’ve tried to view is currently behind login



We have many LEGO fans below the age of 13, so we have to make sure that bookmarks that are not behind login are of a nature so everyone can enjoy them.
You can sign-in to see the content, of you can explore some of the already approved content below!
Enjoy!

That just means you have to sign into your lego ID to watch the video, that is all.

That really was cool, showing the work that constantly went into it and all.

And that animation showing Metru Nui then it turning to the side of Mata Nui's face almost made me cry. D;

That was really worthwhile, even when you are supposed to be doing school.

[Aanchir: Rachira of Time]

Wow, that really makes you think of how much effort and planning that went into developing this epic legend of myth and mystery. And Lego still went and dropkicked it out the window when they got bored. when it became more of a liability than an asset

But looking back, it really is amazing to see all the production and the signs that Mata Nui really WAS the universe all along. It's certainly a charming little video.

Fixed. No insult intended, but it kind of bothers me how the idea that has become prevalent is that the LEGO Group cancelled BIONICLE on a whim rather than after years of declining sales.

Egh, I guess I'm just still a little bitter, but I still think Lego could have done something to preserve the line instead of giving it that rushed send-off and replacing it with Hero Factory of all things.

Personally, I enjoy Hero Factory specifically because it's so different from BIONICLE. If it were trying to be the same thing as BIONICLE, with dense world-building and long-term mysteries, then I agree it would probably end up just a shallow facsimile. But instead, it tries to be a much more lighthearted adventure story, and I think it performs that task fairly well, even if there are some extremely mind-grating moments in the TV series.

I also get the idea that unlike BIONICLE, it's not trying so hard to distance itself from the kid-friendly, play-oriented image of the LEGO brand. BIONICLE was created when the LEGO brand as a whole was sitll struggling, and I think that really shows: even in TLG's brand manual, BIONICLE followed different rules than other LEGO themes, with the LEGO logo itself often sequestered to the bottom center or corner of the package rather than beside the theme logo. While the end result was a thoroughly enjoyable toy line and media franchise, I still appreciate the contrast present in the Hero Factory theme, where the construction aspect of the product plays a key role in the story. It feels like TLG has essentially taken the idea of the "action figure theme" as close to its roots as a story-driven theme can possibly allow. And since product-wise at least I consider the recent Hero Factory sets far superior to BIONICLE sets in a lot of ways, I think that's a good direction for action-figure themes as a whole to have taken.

Meanwhile, as I've mentioned elsewhere, Ninjago is showing more signs that it's intended to be the sort of imaginative multimedia fantasy epic that BIONICLE was, and from the looks of things it's succeeding just as much as BIONICLE did in its early years. It, too, is a lot more lighthearted than BIONICLE, and definitely far less technical in its approach. But it maintains a spirit of mysticism, a huge world of imaginative locations, and a story with a number of ongoing mysteries. And I think it perhaps does better with character development than BIONICLE ever did (as I described in my blog).

While BIONICLE may be (in most ways) behind us, it's good to remember that TLG learned some valuable lessons about both product design and storytelling from the BIONICLE theme, and they continue to apply these lessons in many of their themes. Even if they don't apply all of the facets that made it great in the same themes, every story-driven LEGO theme is grounded in the well-planned and deliberate work of The LEGO Group and their affiliates, including many of the people who helped to make BIONICLE so great in the first place. This video is ample evidence of what Advance did to make BIONICLE great, and if anything BIONICLE has only made that company's role in The LEGO Group's marketing that much stronger.

Edited by Aanchir: Rachira of Time, Mar 27 2012 - 06:21 PM.

[KZN02]

Thank you Advance Copenhagen for the video.

[fishers64]

I kind of feel like that this a view into the corporate side of Bionicle. Some of Bionicle's flaws - like the vast array of media causing storyline confusion - were protrayed as assets. It's almost like an advertisement - we did Bionicle, people. We can do something just as good for you. If there was the myth that Bionicle was the cure-all for TLG's troubles, it kind of stems from videos like this.

Advance created this concept? Lego hired an outside company to create an intectual property for them to sell? I thought that this was a somebody-at-Lego-thought-of-something and somebody listened. Shows what I know.

Also, I thought Lego hired Cyroshell to write the songs.

[T.B.O.C]

I got so happy seeing this! The clips really worked, and Bye Bye Babylon really helped the mood of it.

[~garnira returns~]

could someone give me a link to it on another website? it doesn't work on my computer.

[T.B.O.C]

could someone give me a link to it on another website? it doesn't work on my computer.

It is also on (that video sharing site we're not allowed to name) on AdvanceCopenhagen's account.

[Dorek]

Saw this a few days ago. Honestly, I wasn't that impressed. The visuals were fantastic, and it was great to see some of that concept art that never saw the light of day before (some great proto terms, like "Bara Nui"), but the overall tone was pretty amateurish. I had initially thought that it was fanmade, what with all the spelling errors and stuff, as well as the weird fixation on Cryoshell.

Worst of all is the "the first chapter ends..." bit, which BIONICLE return enthusiasts are sure to take out of context and herald as a sign that they were right.

[toa kopaka4372]

Excellent, loved the concept art, especially the bits with Mata Nui. The amount of work that went into BIONICLE never fails to amaze me.

Fixed. No insult intended, but it kind of bothers me how the idea that has become prevalent is that the LEGO Group cancelled BIONICLE on a whim rather than after years of declining sales.

I don't think sales was the issue. After 2005 I know sales dipped ever slightly, but obviously the line was still a huge success. The Legend Reborn's production began in 2007, so the line must've been making enough money at the time to warrant a movie. I really don't get why LEGO ended the line at the time they did, right in the middle of TLR's production. The decision was made in 2008, but I'm pretty sure 2009 was a great year for BIONICLE. I guess at that point it was too late to reverse the decision, but that's probably why LEGO bothered giving BIONICLE a proper ending at all in 2010, since their original plan was just to end it in 2009.

Edited by toa kopaka4372, Mar 27 2012 - 09:36 PM.

[DeeVee]

Excellent, loved the concept art, especially the bits with Mata Nui. The amount of work that went into BIONICLE never fails to amaze me.

Fixed. No insult intended, but it kind of bothers me how the idea that has become prevalent is that the LEGO Group cancelled BIONICLE on a whim rather than after years of declining sales.

I don't think sales was the issue. After 2005 I know sales dipped ever slightly, but obviously the line was still a huge success. The Legend Reborn's production began in 2007, so the line must've been making enough money at the time to warrant a movie. I really don't get why LEGO ended the line at the time they did, right in the middle of TLR's production. The decision was made in 2008, but I'm pretty sure 2009 was a great year for BIONICLE. I guess at that point it was too late to reverse the decision, but that's probably why LEGO bothered giving BIONICLE a proper ending at all in 2010, since their original plan was just to end it in 2009.

This is all sorts of wrong. Sales dipped after 2005, and then stopped seeing any growth whatsoever. TLG also discovered around 2008 that they had not been factoring in the prices of new molds used to make parts, which, when factored in, lost a great amount of BIONICLE's profitability. Also, they never intended to end in 2009, it was planned as a ten year story, so it was meant to end in 2011. They made the plan to end BIONICLE in 2009, most likely after the first of 2009's wave. And yes, this is from TLG sources, such as Jim Foulds, Kevin Hinkle, and Steve Witt.

[Xanthorp]

This just in!

The fact that in this video, probably produced in 2009, the 2001-2008 saga is described as the "first book of BIONICLE" suggests that they definitely had high hopes for the saga from 2009 and onward to match the grandeur of what had come before.

But it also implies that Bionicle is on a (possibly brief, possibly longer) hiatus, and will return.

We now return you to your regularly skeptical mindsets.

[bonesiii]

I signed up just to watch this, though I probably would have anyways, but yeah, it's kinda cool. Not what I was hoping for from the way this news article is worded; there's not really much concept art, and what is there is flashed by so fast you have to freeze-frame to absorb it.

That scene with the giant robot, with one knee being another island, was really cool though, so there's that.

[SkullKid]

This.....It just really made my day.
To think this was my childhood.......man time flies huh?
Thanks for this.
-SK

[Turaga Norik]

Very good video. I would have liked to see a kind of "making of" type of thing, detailing the process and behind the scenes stuff rather than just an advertisement and quick story recap, but this was the first time I had seen a lot of the animations, and I'll be watching a few times more to catch things that went by too fast the first time.

[Fallen Fortgis]

this video kind of punched me point blank in he gut. The video is strong to me. i really believe bionicle is going to be given another (plural) chance because "the first book is over" kind of deal.

I hope Lego makes 2 more books, lasting until... 2028. 8 years for the climax and 6(maybe 4 actually) years for the conclusion. But in the meantime, it's MOC making time!

[Toa Zaz]

Wow, that really makes you think of how much effort and planning that went into developing this epic legend of myth and mystery. And Lego still went and dropkicked it out the window when they got bored. when it became more of a liability than an asset But looking back, it really is amazing to see all the production and the signs that Mata Nui really WAS the universe all along. It's certainly a charming little video.

Fixed. No insult intended, but it kind of bothers me how the idea that has become prevalent is that the LEGO Group cancelled BIONICLE on a whim rather than after years of declining sales. It is amazing to see all the hard work that went into BIONICLE, and I really feel like the best posthumous tribute to the theme would be a book about BIONICLE's ten-year development rather than a set of a minor character like Helryx that aims to immortalize a part of the story that was never important enough to get a set while the theme was still alive. The concept art in this video is a great treat, but I'd love to see something along the lines of my Avatar: The Last Airbender art book (example page). The fact that in this video, probably produced in 2009, the 2001-2008 saga is described as the "first book of BIONICLE" suggests that they definitely had high hopes for the saga from 2009 and onward to match the grandeur of what had come before. It's a shame that the theme turned out to be unsustainable for more than two years further, but I still thoroughly respect their valiant attempt at giving the theme an ending it deserved with a heavily nostalgia-laden final line of sets, a book that was made available to global audiences online despite a failure to find a willing publisher here in the U.S., a hand-illustrated story feature with accomplished voice talent, and of course a conclusion that saw Mata Nui's mission finally completed and Makuta Teridax's threat finally eliminated. The theme had a good run. I'm not in any way urgent to see it return, but I would love to see more wonderful insights like this into the dedicated work and imagination that went into making it so enjoyable for so many years.

That's really rude. You can tell him the facts, but don't cross out what he said.

[Aanchir: Rachira of Time]

I kind of feel like that this a view into the corporate side of Bionicle. Some of Bionicle's flaws - like the vast array of media causing storyline confusion - were protrayed as assets. It's almost like an advertisement - we did Bionicle, people. We can do something just as good for you. If there was the myth that Bionicle was the cure-all for TLG's troubles, it kind of stems from videos like this.

Advance created this concept? Lego hired an outside company to create an intectual property for them to sell? I thought that this was a somebody-at-Lego-thought-of-something and somebody listened. Shows what I know.

Also, I thought Lego hired Cyroshell to write the songs.

Obviously TLG still had a hand in BIONICLE's design as with all their themes, but Advance played a much bigger role in this theme than in previous ones since BIONICLE was a complete intellectual property rather than just a toyline, and that was something TLG had little experience in. Naturally product design still took place largely on TLG's terms, but Advance was responsible for managing the promotional/advertising angle of the theme, which encompasses most of the story media/world-building.

One of the biggest names at Advance with involvement in BIONICLE from beginning to end was Christian Faber, who among other things produced the maps of most of the major locations.

TLG did hire Cryoshell for their songs from 2007-2009, but as with all the promotional aspects of the theme, Advance played a big role in this (Christine Lorentzen was actually an Advance employee when the band was formed). Christian Faber wrote the original "mythos" on the Cryoshell website, and Advance continuedto play a big role in the band's promotion just as they had with BIONICLE.

Wow, that really makes you think of how much effort and planning that went into developing this epic legend of myth and mystery. And Lego still went and dropkicked it out the window when they got bored. when it became more of a liability than an asset But looking back, it really is amazing to see all the production and the signs that Mata Nui really WAS the universe all along. It's certainly a charming little video.

Fixed. No insult intended, but it kind of bothers me how the idea that has become prevalent is that the LEGO Group cancelled BIONICLE on a whim rather than after years of declining sales. It is amazing to see all the hard work that went into BIONICLE, and I really feel like the best posthumous tribute to the theme would be a book about BIONICLE's ten-year development rather than a set of a minor character like Helryx that aims to immortalize a part of the story that was never important enough to get a set while the theme was still alive. The concept art in this video is a great treat, but I'd love to see something along the lines of my Avatar: The Last Airbender art book (example page). The fact that in this video, probably produced in 2009, the 2001-2008 saga is described as the "first book of BIONICLE" suggests that they definitely had high hopes for the saga from 2009 and onward to match the grandeur of what had come before. It's a shame that the theme turned out to be unsustainable for more than two years further, but I still thoroughly respect their valiant attempt at giving the theme an ending it deserved with a heavily nostalgia-laden final line of sets, a book that was made available to global audiences online despite a failure to find a willing publisher here in the U.S., a hand-illustrated story feature with accomplished voice talent, and of course a conclusion that saw Mata Nui's mission finally completed and Makuta Teridax's threat finally eliminated. The theme had a good run. I'm not in any way urgent to see it return, but I would love to see more wonderful insights like this into the dedicated work and imagination that went into making it so enjoyable for so many years.

That's really rude. You can tell him the facts, but don't cross out what he said.

Apologies to both you and The Wretched Automaton. I didn't mean for it to come off as rude.

[toa kopaka4372]

Excellent, loved the concept art, especially the bits with Mata Nui. The amount of work that went into BIONICLE never fails to amaze me.

Fixed. No insult intended, but it kind of bothers me how the idea that has become prevalent is that the LEGO Group cancelled BIONICLE on a whim rather than after years of declining sales.

I don't think sales was the issue. After 2005 I know sales dipped ever slightly, but obviously the line was still a huge success. The Legend Reborn's production began in 2007, so the line must've been making enough money at the time to warrant a movie. I really don't get why LEGO ended the line at the time they did, right in the middle of TLR's production. The decision was made in 2008, but I'm pretty sure 2009 was a great year for BIONICLE. I guess at that point it was too late to reverse the decision, but that's probably why LEGO bothered giving BIONICLE a proper ending at all in 2010, since their original plan was just to end it in 2009.

This is all sorts of wrong. Sales dipped after 2005, and then stopped seeing any growth whatsoever. TLG also discovered around 2008 that they had not been factoring in the prices of new molds used to make parts, which, when factored in, lost a great amount of BIONICLE's profitability. Also, they never intended to end in 2009, it was planned as a ten year story, so it was meant to end in 2011. They made the plan to end BIONICLE in 2009, most likely after the first of 2009's wave. And yes, this is from TLG sources, such as Jim Foulds, Kevin Hinkle, and Steve Witt.

Ah, I should have reworded that.

I know BIONICLE was planned to go on until 2011. What I meant was that once the decision was made to end it, they were going to leave the story unfinished by just ending the line in 2009, but later on they changed their minds and gave it a real conclusion.

Also, are you sure the decision was made in 2009? I remember back in 2010 we found out that Hero Factory had been in development since two years ago, meaning 2008. It's my understanding that Hero Factory was made in response to BIONICLE's cancellation. Correct me if I am wrong.

[Takuna]

That scene with the giant robot, with one knee being another island, was really cool though, so there's that.

Yeah, that part pretty much blew my mind, as well. I wonder what possibilities were discussed about it. or if it was an early concept of Voya Nui.

[Takua Nui of GoAnimate]

Wow. Epic Epicness. And nostalgia. And of course, a great job in the video editing. When they say 'robotic characters', aren't they wrong? The Bionicle characters were-no, are, biomechanical.

Epic and Nostalgic.

[The Inquisitive Automaton]

I kind of feel like that this a view into the corporate side of Bionicle. Some of Bionicle's flaws - like the vast array of media causing storyline confusion - were protrayed as assets. It's almost like an advertisement - we did Bionicle, people. We can do something just as good for you. If there was the myth that Bionicle was the cure-all for TLG's troubles, it kind of stems from videos like this.

Advance created this concept? Lego hired an outside company to create an intectual property for them to sell? I thought that this was a somebody-at-Lego-thought-of-something and somebody listened. Shows what I know.

Also, I thought Lego hired Cyroshell to write the songs.

Obviously TLG still had a hand in BIONICLE's design as with all their themes, but Advance played a much bigger role in this theme than in previous ones since BIONICLE was a complete intellectual property rather than just a toyline, and that was something TLG had little experience in. Naturally product design still took place largely on TLG's terms, but Advance was responsible for managing the promotional/advertising angle of the theme, which encompasses most of the story media/world-building.

One of the biggest names at Advance with involvement in BIONICLE from beginning to end was Christian Faber, who among other things produced the maps of most of the major locations.

TLG did hire Cryoshell for their songs from 2007-2009, but as with all the promotional aspects of the theme, Advance played a big role in this (Christine Lorentzen was actually an Advance employee when the band was formed). Christian Faber wrote the original "mythos" on the Cryoshell website, and Advance continuedto play a big role in the band's promotion just as they had with BIONICLE.

Wow, that really makes you think of how much effort and planning that went into developing this epic legend of myth and mystery. And Lego still went and dropkicked it out the window when they got bored. when it became more of a liability than an asset But looking back, it really is amazing to see all the production and the signs that Mata Nui really WAS the universe all along. It's certainly a charming little video.

Fixed. No insult intended, but it kind of bothers me how the idea that has become prevalent is that the LEGO Group cancelled BIONICLE on a whim rather than after years of declining sales. It is amazing to see all the hard work that went into BIONICLE, and I really feel like the best posthumous tribute to the theme would be a book about BIONICLE's ten-year development rather than a set of a minor character like Helryx that aims to immortalize a part of the story that was never important enough to get a set while the theme was still alive. The concept art in this video is a great treat, but I'd love to see something along the lines of my Avatar: The Last Airbender art book (example page). The fact that in this video, probably produced in 2009, the 2001-2008 saga is described as the "first book of BIONICLE" suggests that they definitely had high hopes for the saga from 2009 and onward to match the grandeur of what had come before. It's a shame that the theme turned out to be unsustainable for more than two years further, but I still thoroughly respect their valiant attempt at giving the theme an ending it deserved with a heavily nostalgia-laden final line of sets, a book that was made available to global audiences online despite a failure to find a willing publisher here in the U.S., a hand-illustrated story feature with accomplished voice talent, and of course a conclusion that saw Mata Nui's mission finally completed and Makuta Teridax's threat finally eliminated. The theme had a good run. I'm not in any way urgent to see it return, but I would love to see more wonderful insights like this into the dedicated work and imagination that went into making it so enjoyable for so many years.

That's really rude. You can tell him the facts, but don't cross out what he said.

Apologies to both you and The Wretched Automaton. I didn't mean for it to come off as rude.

Not to worry at all, I've seen enough "fix'd" responses on the net in my time to take them all in good humour, and if anything, I appreciate this one, as it's followed by an intellectual criticism of my comment.

[Toa of Nerds]

Dude, I just got nostalgia'd. All of that reminded me of why I loved Bionicle. It's pretty sweet, and very well put together. I love it.

-don't touch my pocket protector

[bonesiii]

That scene with the giant robot, with one knee being another island, was really cool though, so there's that.

Yeah, that part pretty much blew my mind, as well. I wonder what possibilities were discussed about it. or if it was an early concept of Voya Nui.

I was thinking that about Voya Nui too. I kinda wish they would have gone with that. The way they did Voya Nui was admittedly more mysterious, but it got really messy, heh.

Edited by bonesiii, Mar 28 2012 - 12:22 PM.

[Takatu]

That scene with the giant robot, with one knee being another island, was really cool though, so there's that.

Yeah, that part pretty much blew my mind, as well. I wonder what possibilities were discussed about it. or if it was an early concept of Voya Nui.

I was thinking that about Voya Nui too. I kinda wish they would have gone with that. The way they did Voya Nui was admittedly more mysterious, but it got really messy, heh.

If you look at the image right after that one, you can see where Voya Nui, Mahri Nui and the chasm in Mata Nui's chest that led to the Southern Continent and Karda Nui are all located in relation to the island of Mata Nui.

There's actually a fair bit of cool stuff in the notes if you freeze frame it, like an old idea that they apparently scrapped that the Mata Nui robot folded into a ball while travel space and unfolding into the humanoid upon landing, and that Bara Magna was initially named Bara Nui.

[Kopekemaster]

I doubt that the giant robot thing was from the beginning. It just doesn't make sense. Like how could the toa canisters fall from the sky? And how can there be planets (as shown by Bara Magna and all)? And how can there be a sky at all? Or a light source (sun, or whatever)?

[bonesiii]

I doubt that the giant robot thing was from the beginning. It just doesn't make sense. Like how could the toa canisters fall from the sky? And how can there be planets (as shown by Bara Magna and all)? And how can there be a sky at all? Or a light source (sun, or whatever)?

It was. We already knew that, in fact, from a topic Greg posted on the old forum about what was planned when.

The canisters are "skyhoppers" -- they take off from the ground, fly through the air -- and space if the distance is high enough, and then land. Not very different from airplanes, really; they take off from the ground, and then come back down at the destination. The fact that the robot was planned from the start most likely means the skyhopper nature of the canisters was too, though I don't recall that mentioned in that what-when topic. (NOTE: They actually take off from underground, cutting through the rock, but yeah.)

I don't understand why you ask how there can be planets, sky, etc. What do you mean? Why would the giant robot being planned from the start have anything to do with that? However, I don't recall if the whole Shattering thing was planned from the start. Anybody got a better memory lol?

If you look at the image right after that one, you can see where Voya Nui, Mahri Nui and the chasm in Mata Nui's chest that led to the Southern Continent and Karda Nui are all located in relation to the island of Mata Nui.

Really? I didn't notice. Must watch in superslowmo...

*sees*

Cool. Looks like there was going to be a giant whirlpool indicating the power core; that wasn't used, though the hole is there so it's plausible. Must use in fanfics lol.


Edit: And after freezing one of them, it seems other planets were also planned from the start. Makes sense.

Edited by bonesiii, Mar 28 2012 - 02:01 PM.

[The Renegade Emperor]

It is just epic. It made me think about the countless hours spent playing with the so loved robots which fought each other to rule the universe, the many Christmas's, when I stood on a chair waiting to find out who, hero or villain, was waiting for me under the shining tree, the long days I spent on the official site, trying to get part of the meaning of the words using a dictionary.

BIONICLE hasn't been just part of my life. It has been my life. And I won't forget it.

Thanks to AdvanceCopenaghen for bringing us an interesting picture showing the intense work behind LEGO's line we liked, like and always will like.




----- Lord of the Rings -----

Titles: Dark Lord, Lord of Mordor, Lord of Gifts, Lord of Barad-Dûr, Lord of the Earth

[Surreality]

A *huge* nostalgia trip indeed.

Bye bye, Babylon, once reaching for the sun... You almost made it...

[Pulsate]

After watching that, I feel very nostalgic.

And I notice it said the first book had been concluded when Mata Nui awakened. Shame that the second book had to be cut shut, which was presumably 2009.

...Still... it gave me a spark of hope. Perhaps, in any amount of time, we may see a 'sequel theme' to Bionicle, as we have done with the Space Police and Knight's Kingdoms themes? Haven't thought that in over two years.

[Aanchir: Rachira of Time]

After watching that, I feel very nostalgic.

And I notice it said the first book had been concluded when Mata Nui awakened. Shame that the second book had to be cut shut, which was presumably 2009.

...Still... it gave me a spark of hope. Perhaps, in any amount of time, we may see a 'sequel theme' to Bionicle, as we have done with the Space Police and Knight's Kingdoms themes? Haven't thought that in over two years.

I don't think that's especially likely. Knights' Kingdom II was pretty much a new theme with the same name (the only thing that the two themes really had in common was the obvious presence of knights and a kingdom ), while Space Police was simply re-imagined from the ground up each time (although the most recent one had lots of charming references to older space themes). I don't think the same thing could work for BIONICLE in any event because it was such a heavily story-driven theme that lasted so many years. If you're going to re-imaginine it from the ground up, you might as well be creating an entirely different theme, in which case why would you stick to the BIONICLE name that gives people misleading expectations of what the theme will be about?

If BIONICLE were to come back, I can imagine two possibilities:

1) It would start with a brand-new plotline in the far future of the original BIONICLE theme, because that would help the theme avoid relying too heavily on what had come before, while still allowing for occasional references to the theme's origins.

2) The theme would be rewritten from the beginning with the Toa Mata. Some things would stay the same, but the overall plot might be different, kind of like a lot of games in the Legend of Zelda series. This would be hard to pull off since the long-term mysteries were some of the things that made BIONICLE distinctive. Retreading those same plot threads would eliminate a lot of the mystery, while rewriting the mysteries entirely could lead to a travesty.

Overall, though, I think that from TLG's perspective, I'm not sure if there will EVER be a situation where whatever benefits could come from bringing BIONICLE back would outweigh the creative freedom and new opportunities offered by creating a brand-new theme. Let's be honest: BIONICLE was in no way perfect, and it was created by human beings who themselves weren't perfect. Why, then, is it so difficult to imagine an entirely new theme that could be every bit as high-quality as BIONICLE, if not better? Part of what made BIONICLE so great was all the hard work that went into planning the theme, as seen in this video. So why act as though TLG's designers can't match that greatness with their own ideas unless the hard work was already done for them by writers and designers in 2001-2010?

Naturally, nothing but BIONICLE would have the exact combination of characteristics that drew so many people to BIONICLE in the first place. But that exact combination didn't satisfy all of its fans 100%, and there's no reason there couldn't be other "winning combinations" with the same or more potential. This is part of why I think an art book full of concept art would be a really good thing. Insights like this video put a more human face on the theme, showing that rather than some lofty, unthinkable success, BIONICLE was at its roots a conglomeration of ideas from various sources which enjoyed the success it did by design, not simply by chancing upon an ideal combination that could never be met by the hard work of other creative minds.

[TheSkeletonMan939]

Wow.

That was excellent. I would have liked it to go through 2010, but what we got was pretty good too.

Seeing that makes me wonder if there are any animations that never saw the light of day.