Next on the Silver Screen: A Ninjago Movie

[Hapori Tohu]

Warner Bros. is not satisfied with just one LEGO based movie; they're already making plans for a film based on the Ninjago theme. Brothers Dan Hageman and Kevin Hageman have been tasked with writing it, and they're not unfamiliar with subject matter because they've also helped write for the Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu animated series and the upcoming LEGO Movie. You can read more about the announcement <a href='http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/warner-bros-bring-legos-ninjago-575738' target='offsite'>here</a>.View the full article

[Shadow Destroyer]

Did not expect this...

[Twi]

If only Bionicle could have gotten this kind of treatment with its movies. The ones they had were nice, but maybe this could have sliced off a bit of the cheese... plus Bionicles fighting on the big screen would satisfy my childhood in a way few other things could.

 

Nonetheless, it's great to see Lego expanding into new mediums. I haven't really been following Ninjago, but a movie may be a great way to see it at its best. I look forward to seeing it.

[Just A Dot]

Because BIONICLE certainly didn't earn this...

[J46 Nui]

Wasn't there supposed to be a theatrical Hero Factory movie in the works? Whatever happened to that?

 

I do like the attention Lego has been giving to movies and television recently. It is just too bad that Bionicle is not currently around to take part in this.

[Sir Kohran]

Wasn't there supposed to be a theatrical Hero Factory movie in the works? Whatever happened to that?

 

I'd also like to know. The only news/info that I can find is its initial announcement in May last year.

[Black Six]

 

Wasn't there supposed to be a theatrical Hero Factory movie in the works? Whatever happened to that?

I'd also like to know. The only news/info that I can find is its initial announcement in May last year.

 

As I recall, it was a rumor and not an official announcement.

[Aanchir]

I love how a lot of people go on about BIONICLE deserved this more any time there's an announcement or rumor like this. There are multiple problems with that brand of thinking.First of all, there's no reason to think that a theatrical LEGO, Hero Factory, Ninjago, or BIONICLE movie would be any less cheesy than a direct-to-DVD release. Everyone hears about feature-length theatrical movies and assumes it's going to be a gritty, mature film like the Transformers movies, but that's not how LEGO tends to operate. This first theatrical LEGO movie is full of jokes, if the trailer is anything to go by, and since one of the criticisms I hear most often of BIONICLE from mainstream reviewers and audiences is that is too edgy and it takes itself too seriously, I doubt a theatrical BIONICLE movie would be much different than the direct-to-DVD fare, except in terms of production values.Additionally, LEGO simply wasn't in the position to do something at this scale when BIONICLE was going strong. Movies based on toys still have a major stigma against them, but not to the extent they used to. And LEGO was not in the best financial straits during those years. By the time LEGO recovered from their economic slump of the early naughts, BIONICLE was already being eclipsed in popularity by other themes.Finally, LEGO had little experience developing films at that time. If LEGO were to entrust BIONICLE to Hollywood at that time, they might have been allowed very little creative decision-making power since they were so new to the industry. LEGO rejected many BIONICLE film pitches because the people behind them insisted on including human characters, and I doubt that's even the greatest travesty that might have emerged if LEGO agreed to that sort of pitch.Overall, I am very happy about this news and hope these plans continue to move forward. I hope Jay Vincent and Mike Kramer can be kept on board to compose the score, and that as much if the original voice cast as possible can be maintained. And needless to say, I hope the story is every bit as epic and character-driven as the TV show.

[Meiko]

Honestly, Ninjago's TV show was enough for me. For a LEGO-branded movie, I'd rather them do another thing like Clutch Powers or The LEGO Movie—something that isn't specifically branded to an individual LEGO line.

[Toa Zaz]

I love how a lot of people go on about BIONICLE deserved this more any time there's an announcement or rumor like this. There are multiple problems with that brand of thinking.First of all, there's no reason to think that a theatrical LEGO, Hero Factory, Ninjago, or BIONICLE movie would be any less cheesy than a direct-to-DVD release. Everyone hears about feature-length theatrical movies and assumes it's going to be a gritty, mature film like the Transformers movies, but that's not how LEGO tends to operate. This first theatrical LEGO movie is full of jokes, if the trailer is anything to go by, and since one of the criticisms I hear most often of BIONICLE from mainstream reviewers and audiences is that is too edgy and it takes itself too seriously, I doubt a theatrical BIONICLE movie would be much different than the direct-to-DVD fare, except in terms of production values.Additionally, LEGO simply wasn't in the position to do something at this scale when BIONICLE was going strong. Movies based on toys still have a major stigma against them, but not to the extent they used to. And LEGO was not in the best financial straits during those years. By the time LEGO recovered from their economic slump of the early naughts, BIONICLE was already being eclipsed in popularity by other themes.Finally, LEGO had little experience developing films at that time. If LEGO were to entrust BIONICLE to Hollywood at that time, they might have been allowed very little creative decision-making power since they were so new to the industry. LEGO rejected many BIONICLE film pitches because the people behind them insisted on including human characters, and I doubt that's even the greatest travesty that might have emerged if LEGO agreed to that sort of pitch.Overall, I am very happy about this news and hope these plans continue to move forward. I hope Jay Vincent and Mike Kramer can be kept on board to compose the score, and that as much if the original voice cast as possible can be maintained. And needless to say, I hope the story is every bit as epic and character-driven as the TV show.

Huh. I've never heard from anybody, fan or casual viewer, that Bionicle is too serious or edgy. From what I can tell, the general consensus is either that Bionicle is fine the way it is, or that it needs to be way, way darker and grittier. But I digress...

 

I think maybe Lego is jumping the gun a little here. The Lego movie seems to really be pandering towards a very niche audience, hence all the references (space guy figure, etc.) that it seems to depend on heavily. Which is totally fine (although a little more substance to it besides the references would be an improvement). God forbid the Lego movie becomes a debacle that focuses too much on appealing to the dumb masses, like the Bionicle movies did. Point being, this might not end up bringing in the money they hoped for, despite the early positive reaction, so investing in a whole 'nother film seems like they're running before they can walk.

 

And besides, Ninjago has a fairly complex but still loose and uncoordinated mythology that requires a strong sense of comic relief and audience suspension of disbelief to be enjoyable, which for the most part it has (the time travel episode and the "I feel a disturbance in the force" took it too far for me, though). The problems with making a movie of it are:

a) the audience has to understand everything that's going on. Nobody likes bouts of exposition, but throwing the audience in like they did with the Bionicle movies (those movies did also contain a fair amount of often ineffective bouts of exposition) would isolate half the crowd.

b) Ninjago's silly, humorous story that doesn't have a whole ton of logic going for it but is amusing enough to be enjoyable may not carry well with audiences. Everyone seems to want dark, Christopher Nolan-esque plots; which is fine, for a tighter, more realistic story, but for Ninjago, no. Maybe audiences will think it's just some stupid kid's film. And

c) From what I've gathered, people like this new Lego movie so much because it makes them nostalgic for their childhoods and playing with Legos and all that. Ninjago doesn't have that. In fact, if they decided to make a live-action Ninjago with real people and no correlation with Lego bricks at all, it would have no impact on the story. Now, that would be a terrible idea, because it would be silly and require too much suspension of disbelief, but even in the cartoon, nothing is actually made of Legos like in Clutch Powers or whatever. Personally, I'm glad Ninjago's story isn't bogged down by being a toy line, but for audiences it may lose some of the charm.

 

And for the record, a Bionicle movie, now or sometime soon, would probably be a great idea. Bionicle is at the point where there are still people around who are fans, but it's old enough that a comeback would make people nostalgic.

Edited July 1, 2013 by Toa Zaz

[Aanchir]

 

I love how a lot of people go on about BIONICLE deserved this more any time there's an announcement or rumor like this. There are multiple problems with that brand of thinking.First of all, there's no reason to think that a theatrical LEGO, Hero Factory, Ninjago, or BIONICLE movie would be any less cheesy than a direct-to-DVD release. Everyone hears about feature-length theatrical movies and assumes it's going to be a gritty, mature film like the Transformers movies, but that's not how LEGO tends to operate. This first theatrical LEGO movie is full of jokes, if the trailer is anything to go by, and since one of the criticisms I hear most often of BIONICLE from mainstream reviewers and audiences is that is too edgy and it takes itself too seriously, I doubt a theatrical BIONICLE movie would be much different than the direct-to-DVD fare, except in terms of production values.Additionally, LEGO simply wasn't in the position to do something at this scale when BIONICLE was going strong. Movies based on toys still have a major stigma against them, but not to the extent they used to. And LEGO was not in the best financial straits during those years. By the time LEGO recovered from their economic slump of the early naughts, BIONICLE was already being eclipsed in popularity by other themes.Finally, LEGO had little experience developing films at that time. If LEGO were to entrust BIONICLE to Hollywood at that time, they might have been allowed very little creative decision-making power since they were so new to the industry. LEGO rejected many BIONICLE film pitches because the people behind them insisted on including human characters, and I doubt that's even the greatest travesty that might have emerged if LEGO agreed to that sort of pitch.Overall, I am very happy about this news and hope these plans continue to move forward. I hope Jay Vincent and Mike Kramer can be kept on board to compose the score, and that as much if the original voice cast as possible can be maintained. And needless to say, I hope the story is every bit as epic and character-driven as the TV show.

Huh. I've never heard from anybody, fan or casual viewer, that Bionicle is too serious or edgy. From what I can tell, the general consensus is either that Bionicle is fine the way it is, or that it needs to be way, way darker and grittier. But I digress...

 

I've seen reviews of the books, the comics, and the video games that hold this opinion. A thing to keep in mind is that LEGO is generally perceived as a lighthearted, wholesome, and humorous brand where building is the central concept. So there are many adults who cannot grasp the concept of LEGO releasing a mythology-heavy theme about alien robots with foreign-sounding names and magical powers, with hardly any building and not even any LEGO parts they can recognize. Things like the upcoming LEGO movie or even the Ninjago TV series don't face this obstacle of overcoming people's preconceptions to nearly the same extent as BIONICLE did.

I think maybe Lego is jumping the gun a little here. The Lego movie seems to really be pandering towards a very niche audience, hence all the references (space guy figure, etc.) that it seems to depend on heavily. Which is totally fine (although a little more substance to it besides the references would be an improvement). God forbid the Lego movie becomes a debacle that focuses too much on appealing to the dumb masses, like the Bionicle movies did. Point being, this might not end up bringing in the money they hoped for, despite the early positive reaction, so investing in a whole 'nother film seems like they're running before they can walk.

I don't see how the BIONICLE movies were aimed at appealing to the dumb masses if there were so many things in just the first one that made no sense to you, a dedicated BIONICLE fan. Generally movies aimed at dumb audiences try to make everything understandable when taken at face value. If a movie is downright indecipherable, then it has nothing to do with its intended audience; it's just poor filmmaking.But aside from that, I don't think the new LEGO movie is aiming at a niche audience at all. The trailer is peppered with references that numerous demographics will be able to get. AFOLs will recognize the spaceman with the cracked helmet, kids will recognize the Green Ninja, people who aren't LEGO fans at all will recognize Batman and Superman, etc.And so far, nobody's investing anything of consequence as far as we've heard. We haven't even read anything suggesting any contracts have been signed. It's just that Warner Bros. is looking into the possibility of a Ninjago movie (and keep in mind they have not just the reaction to the LEGO movie trailer but also Ninjago DVD sales to consult before making that statement), and the Hageman brothers have ideas for a script.

And besides, Ninjago has a fairly complex but still loose and uncoordinated mythology that requires a strong sense of comic relief and audience suspension of disbelief to be enjoyable, which for the most part it has (the time travel episode and the "I feel a disturbance in the force" took it too far for me, though). The problems with making a movie of it are:a) the audience has to understand everything that's going on. Nobody likes bouts of exposition, but throwing the audience in like they did with the Bionicle movies (those movies did also contain a fair amount of often ineffective bouts of exposition) would isolate half the crowd.b) Ninjago's silly, humorous story that doesn't have a whole ton of logic going for it but is amusing enough to be enjoyable may not carry well with audiences. Everyone seems to want dark, Christopher Nolan-esque plots; which is fine, for a tighter, more realistic story, but for Ninjago, no. Maybe audiences will think it's just some stupid kid's film. Andc) From what I've gathered, people like this new Lego movie so much because it makes them nostalgic for their childhoods and playing with Legos and all that. Ninjago doesn't have that. In fact, if they decided to make a live-action Ninjago with real people and no correlation with Lego bricks at all, it would have no impact on the story. Now, that would be a terrible idea, because it would be silly and require too much suspension of disbelief, but even in the cartoon, nothing is actually made of Legos like in Clutch Powers or whatever. Personally, I'm glad Ninjago's story isn't bogged down by being a toy line, but for audiences it may lose some of the charm.

I think it's aimed at being a family film, so I can't imagine anyone is expecting dark, Christopher Nolan-esque plots. There seems to be a quite substantial audience of kids that devours Ninjago's blend of mythology and silliness, so I don't think finding an audience for this movie would be a challenge.And I don't think the mythology is liable to alienate too many people. Frankly, the fact that it is a serialized TV program in the first place should bear evidence to the fact that its stories can effectively be told without the audience having to start at the very beginning. Just a few minutes of exposition to establish the status quo is generally enough for viewers to follow an episode's story. Similarly, a movie would only need to introduce the central characters, their relationship to each other, their powers, and the conflict that confronts them for audiences to get in the swing of things. Some older viewers might not "get it", but this movie would not be targeting them any more than the Pokémon movies were in the early 2000s.I agree that it will lack some of the LEGO Movie's all-ages charm without that nostalgic factor. More specifically, this could be a problem since it's based on a trendy product line rather than the brand as a whole, and would face the "product placement" stigma much worse than the LEGO Movie is likely to. It's an issue I've contemplated on other sites, and could have a deciding factor in what sort of visual style such a film would use. The LEGO Movie's visual style, where the things in the movie look exactly like the physical toys, for instance, might run afoul of that stigma a lot more than the tendency of the Ninjago TV show to heavily stylize its sets and props and its characters' movements, and certainly moreso than the BIONICLE and Transformers films' tendency to completely re-imagine the characters for greater detail and realism.

And for the record, a Bionicle movie, now or sometime soon, would probably be a great idea. Bionicle is at the point where there are still people around who are fans, but it's old enough that a comeback would make people nostalgic.

Perhaps you're right. I don't have any insight into what kind of odds a BIONICLE movie might have in the box office today. The issue it faces now is that with the theme over, LEGO has no vested interest in pursuing that kind of thing, and chances are they're not being approached by a whole lot of filmmakers about it because it is no longer hip and trendy the way Ninjago is (I've easily seen more kids in Ninjago T-shirts in the past few years than I ever saw in BIONICLE apparel of any kind).

[Just A Dot]

 

 

Huh. I've never heard from anybody, fan or casual viewer, that Bionicle is too serious or edgy. From what I can tell, the general consensus is either that Bionicle is fine the way it is, or that it needs to be way, way darker and grittier. But I digress...

 

I've seen reviews of the books, the comics, and the video games that hold this opinion. A thing to keep in mind is that LEGO is generally perceived as a lighthearted, wholesome, and humorous brand where building is the central concept. So there are many adults who cannot grasp the concept of LEGO releasing a mythology-heavy theme about alien robots with foreign-sounding names and magical powers, with hardly any building and not even any LEGO parts they can recognize. Things like the upcoming LEGO movie or even the Ninjago TV series don't face this obstacle of overcoming people's preconceptions to nearly the same extent as BIONICLE did.

I gotta agree with you. BIONICLE was a bit darker than most kid's material I've seen.

[Toa Zaz]

Aanchir, the Bionicle movies were aimed at the dumb masses because they were lazily made to pander towards studios' false perceptions of little kids, thus isolating other audiences. The stuff that doesn't make sense was simply the product of poor writing.

[Sumiki]

I'm honestly surprised that they've announced the go-ahead on a second theatrical LEGO movie before the first one is even released. I doubt the first will be a flop, but if it is, they're stuck with two now.

[Aanchir]

Aanchir, the Bionicle movies were aimed at the dumb masses because they were lazily made to pander towards studios' false perceptions of little kids, thus isolating other audiences. The stuff that doesn't make sense was simply the product of poor writing.

Well as a twelve-year-old kid when the first BIONICLE movie came out, I didn't find anything about them lazy or pandering. I enjoyed them thoroughly. The most laziness I saw was the reuse of various assets, such as Kongu being a recolored Hafu or the Muaka being a slightly modified Ash Bear, and even that isn't extraordinarily lazy for a film with those kind of production values, considering how many new CGI assets were created for each film as well. Perhaps it's nostalgia speaking, but hardly anything in the movies that made sense to me back then makes considerably less sense to me now.

I'm honestly surprised that they've announced the go-ahead on a second theatrical LEGO movie before the first one is even released. I doubt the first will be a flop, but if it is, they're stuck with two now.

Not really. Plenty of movies get started and never finished for whatever reason. As long as there hasn't been any kind of binding contract at this point, they're not obligated to see a second film through to production if they don't expect it to turn a profit.And even if they are signed into a contract, contracts can be amended with consent from both parties. Note that as early as 2007, LEGO had entered a contract with Tinseltown Toons to create three BIONICLE movies for release in 2009, 2010, and 2011. Since BIONICLE: The Legend Reborn did not perform well and BIONICLE was brought to a premature close in 2010, the contract was amended, and instead Tinseltown Toons produced the Hero Factory TV episodes for 2010-2013. Edited July 2, 2013 by Aanchir: Rachira of Time

[Meiko]

 

Aanchir, the Bionicle movies were aimed at the dumb masses because they were lazily made to pander towards studios' false perceptions of little kids, thus isolating other audiences. The stuff that doesn't make sense was simply the product of poor writing.

Well as a twelve-year-old kid when the first BIONICLE movie came out, I didn't find anything about them lazy or pandering. I enjoyed them thoroughly. The most laziness I saw was the reuse of various assets, such as Kongu being a recolored Hafu or the Muaka being a slightly modified Ash Bear, and even that isn't extraordinarily lazy for a film with those kind of production values, considering how many new CGI assets were created for each film as well. Perhaps it's nostalgia speaking, but hardly anything in the movies that made sense to me back then makes considerably less sense to me now.

 

As I six or whatever year old I was back then, I didn't even notice that much. All I remember is that I loved Mask of Light for some reason, and would watch it over and over again. So no, I didn't see it as being lazy at all.

[Neelh]

I'm just here rocking and making weird excited noises.

 

When I first heard, I communicated it to my friends in Nuju's language.