Should Bionicle Really Be Revived?

[Aanchir]

 

I think it's too soon. Bionicle is too familiar and a reboot would likely be too similar to later Bionicle and/or Hero Factory (building system, etc) or be too heavily scrutinized by fans for them to enjoy it. It needs to be remembered and have a fan base and all, but it should also have a nostalgia factor going for it that I think it lacks now. Like in the Lego movie, with the space guy and NBA all-stars minifigures they show that were from years ago; it wouldn't have been as amusing if they had used Chima or something instead, because it isn't old enough (and Chima sucks, but that's besides the point). Maybe they should bring it back ten years or so after Bionicle's over with; maybe even make a movie out of it like they might be doing with Ninjago and Hero Factory.

BIONICLE IS pretty nostalgic... but I see what you're saying. I would want some kind of reboot down the line, but a while from now. And if LEGO is now doing Simpsons, then why can't BIONICLE be more mature? Simpsons is PG13 from what I've seen, so I think a PG13 BIONICLE would work (or at least a high PG )

 

There's a difference though between creating something with the specific goal of selling toys and creating toys based on an existing property. In more specific terms it's the difference between creating an enthusiastic audience and taking advantage of one that already exists.I'm not saying higher ratings on the media would be out-of-the-question (PG would certainly not be out-of-the-question as far as age-appropriateness is concerned, even though it's risky narrowing your audience like that), but there's not any particular reason that would make the media more desirable. I always think back to the Mata Nui Online Game as a good example of a story that has depth and gravity yet is still decidedly lighthearted and kid-friendly. There is a pervading sense of ominousness to some of the story chapters, and a real sense of suspense and urgency to certain tasks you have to perform. But it also doesn't avoid jokes, and they're more than just easter eggs hidden in the background. You have characters like Taipu, a lovable dunce, or Hafu, an artist with an inflated ego, whom people of all ages can find funny. You have very dynamic fight scenes, but one of the darkest ones is resolved in a very humorous fashion by Onua throwing a lightning bug at his opponent. And the game as a whole never tries to apologize for its vibrant colors or cartoony animation. This balance of seriousness and humor was continued in Templar's Bohrok and Bohrok-Kal animations... who can forget the time when several Mahi were magnetized to Pohatu Nuva?The Ninjago books and cartoon have come closer to this balance of seriousness and silliness than most other LEGO-related media has been able to manage (sadly, there has never been another LEGO online game that could compare to this kind of exciting open-world adventure). There are many very real moments of myth and mystery, suspense and danger, sorrow and triumph. But they are tempered by a healthy amount of humor and lightheartedness. And there are some very dynamic fight scenes, helped out greatly by a powerful musical score and awesome cinematography, but they never push it to a level of violence that would be inappropriate for the target audience of the toys. Given what a tremendous success the Ninjago toys, TV show, and merchandise alike have been, I don't see any reason why BIONICLE couldn't be successful while keeping things lighthearted and kid-friendly.

[Just A Dot]

 

 

I think it's too soon. Bionicle is too familiar and a reboot would likely be too similar to later Bionicle and/or Hero Factory (building system, etc) or be too heavily scrutinized by fans for them to enjoy it. It needs to be remembered and have a fan base and all, but it should also have a nostalgia factor going for it that I think it lacks now. Like in the Lego movie, with the space guy and NBA all-stars minifigures they show that were from years ago; it wouldn't have been as amusing if they had used Chima or something instead, because it isn't old enough (and Chima sucks, but that's besides the point). Maybe they should bring it back ten years or so after Bionicle's over with; maybe even make a movie out of it like they might be doing with Ninjago and Hero Factory.

BIONICLE IS pretty nostalgic... but I see what you're saying. I would want some kind of reboot down the line, but a while from now. And if LEGO is now doing Simpsons, then why can't BIONICLE be more mature? Simpsons is PG13 from what I've seen, so I think a PG13 BIONICLE would work (or at least a high PG )

 

There's a difference though between creating something with the specific goal of selling toys and creating toys based on an existing property. In more specific terms it's the difference between creating an enthusiastic audience and taking advantage of one that already exists.I'm not saying higher ratings on the media would be out-of-the-question (PG would certainly not be out-of-the-question as far as age-appropriateness is concerned, even though it's risky narrowing your audience like that), but there's not any particular reason that would make the media more desirable. I always think back to the Mata Nui Online Game as a good example of a story that has depth and gravity yet is still decidedly lighthearted and kid-friendly. There is a pervading sense of ominousness to some of the story chapters, and a real sense of suspense and urgency to certain tasks you have to perform. But it also doesn't avoid jokes, and they're more than just easter eggs hidden in the background. You have characters like Taipu, a lovable dunce, or Hafu, an artist with an inflated ego, whom people of all ages can find funny. You have very dynamic fight scenes, but one of the darkest ones is resolved in a very humorous fashion by Onua throwing a lightning bug at his opponent. And the game as a whole never tries to apologize for its vibrant colors or cartoony animation. This balance of seriousness and humor was continued in Templar's Bohrok and Bohrok-Kal animations... who can forget the time when several Mahi were magnetized to Pohatu Nuva?The Ninjago books and cartoon have come closer to this balance of seriousness and silliness than most other LEGO-related media has been able to manage (sadly, there has never been another LEGO online game that could compare to this kind of exciting open-world adventure). There are many very real moments of myth and mystery, suspense and danger, sorrow and triumph. But they are tempered by a healthy amount of humor and lightheartedness. And there are some very dynamic fight scenes, helped out greatly by a powerful musical score and awesome cinematography, but they never push it to a level of violence that would be inappropriate for the target audience of the toys. Given what a tremendous success the Ninjago toys, TV show, and merchandise alike have been, I don't see any reason why BIONICLE couldn't be successful while keeping things lighthearted and kid-friendly.

 

 

I have no problem with a light-hearted BIONICLE, but, as much as I liked the first few years of story, my favorites were 2004 and 2006, years with darker storylines and not as much comic relief. That's just what I preffered.

 

And I can forget about that time the Mahi got stuck to Pohatu, because the Bohrok-Kal Animations were really disappointing when compared to the Bohrok ones or the MNOG

[Meiko]

Now that I think about it more, the most I'd be okay with Bionicle coming back is in maybe 10 or so years have a collector's rerelease like they did with the classic minifigures packs. I'd be okay with that, but I certainly don't want an entire reintroduction of the theme.

[Lyichir]

The problem with a more mature Bionicle is how nebulous the demand for something "more mature" is. What exactly is it that people want? Swearing would be out of place in such a fantasy setting. Gore wouldn't make any sense for characters who are, for all intents and purposes, robots (yes, they're allegedly biomechanical, but you could never tell that from the sets themselves). Sexual content is absolutely out of the question (less of a prohibition on romance could be a good thing, but in no way would that even have to scratch the surface of "mature content"). Apart from that, the only measure of the maturity of the story would be the content (which was already plenty mature, and in fact gave many the impression of a theme that took itself too seriously for its own good), and the mode of content delivery. The latter was the main way Bionicle may have seemed immature: the main mode of story delivery was kid-friendly chapter books. But those struggled to find an audience on their own, even as they were replaced more and more with freely-accessible web serials. And the movies were kid-friendly to be sure, but those too would likely have sold even more poorly if they weren't bought by parents and regularly aired on Cartoon Network. Would there be an audience for a more mature Bionicle at all? Maybe, if it weren't at its core a line of colorful action figures. But that's never changed and it never will. Lego's experiments at branching away from their roots as a toy company have more often than not ended in complete and utter failure, and from all indication Lego has enjoyed far greater success with more colorful, innocent, kid-friendly themes like Ninjago than they ever did with the dark and moody Bionicle.

[Toa Zaz]

 

 

I think it's too soon. Bionicle is too familiar and a reboot would likely be too similar to later Bionicle and/or Hero Factory (building system, etc) or be too heavily scrutinized by fans for them to enjoy it. It needs to be remembered and have a fan base and all, but it should also have a nostalgia factor going for it that I think it lacks now. Like in the Lego movie, with the space guy and NBA all-stars minifigures they show that were from years ago; it wouldn't have been as amusing if they had used Chima or something instead, because it isn't old enough (and Chima sucks, but that's besides the point). Maybe they should bring it back ten years or so after Bionicle's over with; maybe even make a movie out of it like they might be doing with Ninjago and Hero Factory.

BIONICLE IS pretty nostalgic... but I see what you're saying. I would want some kind of reboot down the line, but a while from now. And if LEGO is now doing Simpsons, then why can't BIONICLE be more mature? Simpsons is PG13 from what I've seen, so I think a PG13 BIONICLE would work (or at least a high PG )

 

There's a difference though between creating something with the specific goal of selling toys and creating toys based on an existing property. In more specific terms it's the difference between creating an enthusiastic audience and taking advantage of one that already exists.I'm not saying higher ratings on the media would be out-of-the-question (PG would certainly not be out-of-the-question as far as age-appropriateness is concerned, even though it's risky narrowing your audience like that), but there's not any particular reason that would make the media more desirable. I always think back to the Mata Nui Online Game as a good example of a story that has depth and gravity yet is still decidedly lighthearted and kid-friendly. There is a pervading sense of ominousness to some of the story chapters, and a real sense of suspense and urgency to certain tasks you have to perform. But it also doesn't avoid jokes, and they're more than just easter eggs hidden in the background. You have characters like Taipu, a lovable dunce, or Hafu, an artist with an inflated ego, whom people of all ages can find funny. You have very dynamic fight scenes, but one of the darkest ones is resolved in a very humorous fashion by Onua throwing a lightning bug at his opponent. And the game as a whole never tries to apologize for its vibrant colors or cartoony animation. This balance of seriousness and humor was continued in Templar's Bohrok and Bohrok-Kal animations... who can forget the time when several Mahi were magnetized to Pohatu Nuva?The Ninjago books and cartoon have come closer to this balance of seriousness and silliness than most other LEGO-related media has been able to manage (sadly, there has never been another LEGO online game that could compare to this kind of exciting open-world adventure). There are many very real moments of myth and mystery, suspense and danger, sorrow and triumph. But they are tempered by a healthy amount of humor and lightheartedness. And there are some very dynamic fight scenes, helped out greatly by a powerful musical score and awesome cinematography, but they never push it to a level of violence that would be inappropriate for the target audience of the toys. Given what a tremendous success the Ninjago toys, TV show, and merchandise alike have been, I don't see any reason why BIONICLE couldn't be successful while keeping things lighthearted and kid-friendly.

 

Good point. Of course every time you appeal more towards a certain audience, another will feel isolated. Ninjago, I think, while balancing themes enough to be a quality show for the most part, leans a little more to the light-hearted side, and an approach like that might not work for Bionicle. But I think Bionicle has leaned towards both ends of the spectrum enough that they could go either way with it.

[Spiderus Prime]

If Lego could rebooted BIONICLE they made into a Classic Line just like TMNT,Transformers,G.I.Joe,MOTU,ect.

[Makuta Master]

I personally haven't bought any non-brick based Lego since Bionicle ended. I'd hop back on if they did it and did it well.

 

The story definitely pulled me in. It was the first time I'd seen a Lego series brought to life so well, and at least in the beginning there was this big mystery to it. We didn't have much, just a vague robotic fantasy story set on some island. I guess what really got me wasn't exactly the story, but more the spark to my imagination that the story gave me. We knew about Mata Nui and Makuta, but they were represented by rocks. Bionicle created this world of characters and ideas that left so much open that fans like us could do what we're supposed to with any Lego sets...CREATE. They gave us an island, and we took the ideas and some of that magic and mystery and created an entire universe around it.

 

Actually, it might be hard for Lego to redo Bionicle and get it right at this point. I still buy my share of random Lego stuff, but I was really thrown off when I went to my local Lego Store and saw Ninja Turtles, Lone Ranger, Marvel, DC, LotR, and other licensed products. There's SO much existing story to those things. Spidey fights Venom in NYC. Likely whatever I'd build would fit THAT world. Bionicle (before the movies and where I feel the series fell off course) made me imagine beyond Mata Nui and six Toa.

 

And don't forget the Gotta-catch-em-all instinct to get EVERY VERSION of every mask or other ridiculous collectible. So much money spent on Kanohi packs...fun times.

 

It might suck to have the series restart. In my mind those original Toa/Turaga/Rahi (and multicolored Kanohi) are classic... But if they can bring back some of that mystery, I'd love to see more Bionicle.

[MrSciFiGuy]

If it is did come back, they can spin it into where two societies merged together and they are seeking their origins; the great beings.

 

It can reboot as a planet of mystery like the island of Mata Nui, but we'd lose a lot of backstory and history with certain characters.