Bionicle is going to be in the new Lego movie

[Tuuli]

It's just a thought but you never know, with bionicle coming back and all

[fishers64]

Aww dang it I thought you had it confirmed. 

 

It would be amazing if they would do that, though. 

[Sumiki]

I wouldn't be surprised if there's some kind of cameo. It likely wouldn't have any impact on the plot, but an appearance with a little more weight than the blink-and-you-miss-it of the first one wouldn't be out of the question.

[Van Hohenheim]

You raised my hopes, and then dashed them quite expertly.

 

Well played, sir.

[Toa Malachives]

I wouldn't be surprised if there's some kind of cameo. It likely wouldn't have any impact on the plot, but an appearance with a little more weight than the blink-and-you-miss-it of the first one wouldn't be out of the question.

They did that in the first one

[Lyichir]

I fully expect Bionicle to show up in a more substantial role in TLM2. The first movie had a good reason to avoid using themes like Bionicle, Hero Factory, and even Lego Friends—it had to convince mass audiences that a movie about blocky Lego men could have merit as more than a commercial, and to do that it had to avoid provoking the common "Is that even Lego" response typical of parents and other adults whose concept of Lego doesn't extend beyond yellow-skinned minifigures and basic bricks. On top of that, those same audiences could potentially have been confused by robotic characters who WEREN'T on the same side as Lord Business' robot goons. Hence the first movie's cast was composed mostly of original characters, characters from iconic classic themes, and pop-culture licensed characters who even non-FOLs would recognize.

But the breakout success of the original movie means that Lego is working from a stronger position the next time around. Folks who have seen the first movie will understand how plastic characters like Emmet and friends can be just as compelling as flesh-and-blood actors, and more importantly in Bionicle's case, the basic groundwork of the movie's universe (diverse interconnected worlds populated by Lego characters of all sorts) has been laid. Now's their chance to delve into the weirder stuff they avoided in the first movie—Bionicle, Technic, Friends, and other themes which don't necessarily use traditional minifigures. And I have little doubt that the superb creative team behind both movies will rise to the challenge.

[Tahu3.0]

Maybe there will be a cameo.

[Zippo]

Honestly, I'd rather have another Bionicle movie, as opposed to Bionicle's characters just having a role in the Lego Movie 2. Sure, LM was fun to watch, but that's just it: It's fun because of how silly and ridiculous it was at times. Imagine characters from a line like Bionicle (Which has a deep and very adult story for a kid's toy line; Actually, it's pretty deep and adult in general) being side characters in a film where Batman, Star Wars, and even Harry Potter all live together. It just wouldn't do the line any justice, since everything would have to be toned down for the kids, and they wouldn't get as much focus as they (IMO) deserve.

 

I'd be fine with a cameo, as long as it's not .5 seconds like it was in the first film. Boy, I was pretty riled up when they pretty much glanced over the line that more or less saved Lego from going bankrupt.

[Banana Gunz]

Bionicle is great, but I continue to wonder if they really need a role in the Lego movie beyond cameos. It'd be cool, but they have their own stories and adventures that are better explored on their own. They're both Lego, but Bionicle is still more Bionicle than anything, and people will recognize the two separately. Cameos are pretty likely, as it's basically free advertizing on a large scale theatrical movie, but whether it seeps into the main plot is a whole other story.

 

And I'd much rather see robots like Junk bot take the stage. I swear, Junkbot needs to be in it. It's a slightly off reference considering it was only a game online, but heck it was cool.

[dotcom]

Honestly, I'd rather have another Bionicle movie, as opposed to Bionicle's characters just having a role in the Lego Movie 2. Sure, LM was fun to watch, but that's just it: It's fun because of how silly and ridiculous it was at times. Imagine characters from a line like Bionicle (Which has a deep and very adult story for a kid's toy line; Actually, it's pretty deep and adult in general) being side characters in a film where Batman, Star Wars, and even Harry Potter all live together. It just wouldn't do the line any justice, since everything would have to be toned down for the kids, and they wouldn't get as much focus as they (IMO) deserve.

 

I'd be fine with a cameo, as long as it's not .5 seconds like it was in the first film. Boy, I was pretty riled up when they pretty much glanced over the line that more or less saved Lego from going bankrupt.

Yeah. Not really. Bionicle isn't particularly deeper or darker/more "adult" than say, Harry Potter. Sure, Bionicle had lots of death and whatnot, but rarely was it that impactful, (certainly not as much as in Harry Potter, for one) it really isn't any deeper. And Batman has been portrayed in dark, "adult" stories about as often as in sillier, campy ones. And these are lines with wide appeal, with much bigger fanbases than Bionicle, and I don't think anyone had a problem with how silly their inclusion was. Much as some people would want to believe, Bionicle is no masterpiece of adult storytelling. It does no one any good to put it on a pedestal and say that they shouldn't portray it in a more comical or lighthearted role, or that they deserve to have more focus than any other theme.

 

And I'd say that it was a fun, good movie because of more than just the silly aspects of the lego "multiverse." The film had legitimate themes, good writing, and entertaining characters. I for one would definitely enjoy seeing the Bionicle characters in the same ridiculous setting of the movie.

[Lyichir]

 

Honestly, I'd rather have another Bionicle movie, as opposed to Bionicle's characters just having a role in the Lego Movie 2. Sure, LM was fun to watch, but that's just it: It's fun because of how silly and ridiculous it was at times. Imagine characters from a line like Bionicle (Which has a deep and very adult story for a kid's toy line; Actually, it's pretty deep and adult in general) being side characters in a film where Batman, Star Wars, and even Harry Potter all live together. It just wouldn't do the line any justice, since everything would have to be toned down for the kids, and they wouldn't get as much focus as they (IMO) deserve.

 

I'd be fine with a cameo, as long as it's not .5 seconds like it was in the first film. Boy, I was pretty riled up when they pretty much glanced over the line that more or less saved Lego from going bankrupt.

Yeah. Not really. Bionicle isn't particularly deeper or darker/more "adult" than say, Harry Potter. Sure, Bionicle had lots of death and whatnot, but rarely was it that impactful, (certainly not as much as in Harry Potter, for one) it really isn't any deeper. And Batman has been portrayed in dark, "adult" stories about as often as in sillier, campy ones. And these are lines with wide appeal, with much bigger fanbases than Bionicle, and I don't think anyone had a problem with how silly their inclusion was. Much as some people would want to believe, Bionicle is no masterpiece of adult storytelling. It does no one any good to put it on a pedestal and say that they shouldn't portray it in a more comical or lighthearted role, or that they deserve to have more focus than any other theme.

 

And I'd say that it was a fun, good movie because of more than just the silly aspects of the lego "multiverse." The film had legitimate themes, good writing, and entertaining characters. I for one would definitely enjoy seeing the Bionicle characters in the same ridiculous setting of the movie.

 

Everything you said, with the addendum that a Bionicle appearance in TLM 2 in no way precludes a dedicated Bionicle movie. In fact, judging by the precedent the Ninjago and Lego Batman movies seem like they'll be setting, I'd say a prominent Bionicle appearance in TLM 2 would actually INCREASE the chances of a Bionicle movie being given the prestige and budget of an actual theatrical film (as opposed to a direct-to-DVD movie like every single past Bionicle movie).

[Vraiment]

 

Honestly, I'd rather have another Bionicle movie, as opposed to Bionicle's characters just having a role in the Lego Movie 2. Sure, LM was fun to watch, but that's just it: It's fun because of how silly and ridiculous it was at times. Imagine characters from a line like Bionicle (Which has a deep and very adult story for a kid's toy line; Actually, it's pretty deep and adult in general) being side characters in a film where Batman, Star Wars, and even Harry Potter all live together. It just wouldn't do the line any justice, since everything would have to be toned down for the kids, and they wouldn't get as much focus as they (IMO) deserve.

 

I'd be fine with a cameo, as long as it's not .5 seconds like it was in the first film. Boy, I was pretty riled up when they pretty much glanced over the line that more or less saved Lego from going bankrupt.

Yeah. Not really. Bionicle isn't particularly deeper or darker/more "adult" than say, Harry Potter. Sure, Bionicle had lots of death and whatnot, but rarely was it that impactful, (certainly not as much as in Harry Potter, for one) it really isn't any deeper. And Batman has been portrayed in dark, "adult" stories about as often as in sillier, campy ones. And these are lines with wide appeal, with much bigger fanbases than Bionicle, and I don't think anyone had a problem with how silly their inclusion was. Much as some people would want to believe, Bionicle is no masterpiece of adult storytelling. It does no one any good to put it on a pedestal and say that they shouldn't portray it in a more comical or lighthearted role, or that they deserve to have more focus than any other theme.

 

And I'd say that it was a fun, good movie because of more than just the silly aspects of the lego "multiverse." The film had legitimate themes, good writing, and entertaining characters. I for one would definitely enjoy seeing the Bionicle characters in the same ridiculous setting of the movie.

 

 

I think you both are mixing a lot of words.

 

First I think it would be healthy to stop calling it "adult" or "not adult", the definition of that word in this context gets al fuzzy and even irrelevant.

 

Bionicle gen1 was dark, that's a fact. Examples: the mask of life stripped of his identity a matoran just for the sake of defending itself. The Shadowed One capturing a toa and keeping it alive just just because he can. Brutaka thinking that the universe ended (close enough) and nothing else matters than itself. A secret jail that mutates the prisoners and makes the oxygen toxic for them. The bad guy actually winning by the end of Karda-Nui story line, etc.

 

Bionicle gen1 was deep. Having a complex characters, an intricate plot with parallel sub-plots and a very big universe, specially after the Metru Nui saga.

 

A story being dark doesn't make it deep or viceversa. Having deaths neither makes a story dark. For example the dead of Superman is a very very sad comic, but is not dark at all. Other example would be MoL where Jaller's death is not necessarily moving or dark or whatever, the movie is dark for other reasons.

 

Then again I'd love to see any Bionicle character (gen1 or gen2) in the Lego movie specially if is more than a cameo, I was disappointed that the cameo in the last was just a photograph but is understandable.

[Click]

"Uh, you're really letting the oxygen outta my tank here!" Totally thought you confirmed it.

 

Still, I'm not sure how well Bionicle can be put into the Lego Movie. I mean, they're massive figures, and even if they came up with some great way to put them in or scaled them down (which would look ridiculous and confuse audiences), I can't see the atmosphere of the Lego Movie accurately depicting the Toa as they should be. I guess it might work, depending on how it's done (I can see Emmet trapped at the bottom of a tall building/structure and needing to get to the top, and Tahu comes up, puts Emmet on his back, and climbs up while Emmet yells "Awesome!"). I would appreciate the reference.

[Ekorak]

What I would love to see is some weird Pacific Rim battle between what would seem like giants to the normal minifigures.

[Nescent]

I mean, they're massive figures, and even if they came up with some great way to put them in or scaled them down (which would look ridiculous and confuse audiences), I can't see the atmosphere of the Lego Movie accurately depicting the Toa as they should be.

 

Hah I forgot how humongous Bionicle sets are relative to minifigures. They should include a titan in the movie.

[dotcom]

I like the idea of one of the minifigures taming a Skull Spider and riding around on top of one....it's the most to-scale thing I can think of.

 

(with HF's minifigures and all, they could also reasonably appear, though considering by that time HF will be long over, the chance is also lower....)

[Regitnui]

Well, the sequel hook was being under attack by Duplo. So, since Duplo constructions are bigger than mini figs, it'd make sense to me that technic or gen 2 Masters show up. Can anyone picture a huge amalgamation of Duplo crashing down, only to be stopped by Mata Nui (TLR form) who is also a Master Builder, picks up Emmet and Wyldstyle and they pilot his now 'giant' robot form to victory! And we can introduce the Bionicle minifigs going "Mata Nui protect us!"

 

EDIT: Actually, why not use the TLR characters as some extended Bayformers parody? Optimata NuiPrime: Glatoribots, Roll Out!

Edited December 7, 2014 by Regitnui

[Nidhiki of the Shadows]

How could you do this?! xD

 

I hope they make a nice cameo! Hopefully Bionicle will still be on the shelves at that point.

 

-NotS

[Regitnui]

OK, adding on to my previous post; have duplo kaiju menacing the minifigs, with the Master Builders fighting them off but rebuilding every time. Then we have the gen1 bionicle minifigures show up piloting their set forms as giant robots. Then, for the big finale, they combine their robots into Mata Nui, and fight alongside an army of master builders against a pair of gigantic dinosaurian duplo kaiju.

 

Transformers, voltron, Pacific Rim and Godzilla. Anyone dare me to write in another giant robot story? (Except Neon Genesis Evangelion. *~*

[Jacks]

And I'd much rather see robots like Junk bot take the stage. I swear, Junkbot needs to be in it. It's a slightly off reference considering it was only a game online, but heck it was cool.

OH MY GRAVY YES.

 

if Junkbot has a cameo I will fangirl-squeal in the cinema and then die of happiness

[FallenCor]

I got all excited when I saw the topic title. *shakes fist*

But just you watch; if Bionicle does appear, it will be the gen 2 toa, and probably in minifig form à la 2007.

[Vraiment]

Well, MetalBeard was big in comparison with the other minifigures, so Bionicle characters could also appear big

Edited December 7, 2014 by Vraiment

[Voltex]

The title of this topic is rather misleading. It should be more along the lines of "Will Bionicle be in the new Lego Movie?" but whatever.

 

I believe the Bionicle reboot has been planned to run for at least three years, so it's certainly possible; depending on how the Lego Batman film turns out there could be an easter egg in that film along the lines of the one we got in this year's film, and if the Bionicle reboot ends up lasting longer than three years then I would be extremely surprised if at least one character does not somehow make it into the film as at least a secondary character. 

[Toa Smoke Monster]

I would really like for one or two Gen 2 Bionicle character to appear in the second Lego Movie, even if it's just for a cameo. I can see it now, the Toa making their entrance onto the scene, ready to face whatever villain is in the movie.

 

But in all seriousness,I just hope any Bionicle cameo in the sequel lasts for more than a split-second like in the first one.

[user-402520536]

And I'd much rather see robots like Junk bot take the stage. I swear, Junkbot needs to be in it. It's a slightly off reference considering it was only a game online, but heck it was cool.

JUUUUUUUUUUNKBOT! Ah, the old days... I'd love if they actually created physical sets about him. To the petition-writing table!

[Banana Gunz]

 

And I'd much rather see robots like Junk bot take the stage. I swear, Junkbot needs to be in it. It's a slightly off reference considering it was only a game online, but heck it was cool.

OH MY GRAVY YES.

 

if Junkbot has a cameo I will fangirl-squeal in the cinema and then die of happiness

 

 

No.

 

Not a cameo.

 

I want him to be full and up-front character as part of the main cast. At least one set based solely around him, backpacks and other merchandise with him on it, a spin off movie and a franchise to follow it. From there, he'll get his own Lego theme and fan community.

 

Lol kidding but I would actually find it interesting to say the least if he had a role slightly larger than a cameo. I feel like a bunch of real funny jokes could be made about him, and he could have that appeal where he doesn't have to talk to be connectable with as a character, like Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy was. Seeing other Lego video game characters like Pepper Roni from Lego Island would be cool (but please never his unholy and evil Lego Island 2 version, that was just scary stuff right there).

 

I'd like to see Lego really delve deep into more obscure references like those. I also think it might be interesting if there is a part where they are sent back in time and the setting is the old Town Plan set from 1958 with the old bricks and everything. OH! And Zack the Lego Maniac!

 

Lego just has such a huge and intimate library of things to reference back to. Classic Space and such are just scratching the surface!

 

Should I open up another topic for this in the LEGO discussion? I feel like it'd be really interesting!

[LegoSWfan]

 

I'd be fine with a cameo, as long as it's not .5 seconds like it was in the first film. Boy, I was pretty riled up when they pretty much glanced over the line that more or less saved Lego from going bankrupt.

Ya it was sad to see that wild child or whatever her name was, pretty much said "bionicles not important enough to get named, even though CLOWN TOWN did". What the...? Bionicle is Legos best selling franchise, and in a film about lego, you just give it a sec long cameo?

[Lyichir]

 

 

I'd be fine with a cameo, as long as it's not .5 seconds like it was in the first film. Boy, I was pretty riled up when they pretty much glanced over the line that more or less saved Lego from going bankrupt.

Ya it was sad to see that wild child or whatever her name was, pretty much said "bionicles not important enough to get named, even though CLOWN TOWN did". What the...? Bionicle is Legos best selling franchise, and in a film about lego, you just give it a sec long cameo?

 

It had nothing to do with importance, just that she didn't have time to name every single theme or realm. "Clown Town" in particular is an inside joke by the writers, hence why it was the only named realm not based on an actual Lego theme or set.

 

A lot of people interpreted that sequence as some sort of slight against the themes it ran through quickly, and it really wasn't. It was more a chance to allude to the less typical themes which couldn't be worked into the movie proper.

[LegoSWfan]

A less typical theme that saved lego...

The sequence in the dog head could have had a Toa named, after all, brands that have played less of a role in Legos history got a name drop, why not bionicle?

[Click]

"The Master Builders, including but not limited to...1970s-something space guy, Toa Tahu..." (Tahu gives little wave from outside the window).

[LegoSWfan]

I'd take that over a one sec cameo.

[Lyichir]

A less typical theme that saved lego...

The sequence in the dog head could have had a Toa named, after all, brands that have played less of a role in Legos history got a name drop, why not bionicle?

For god's sake, I wish Bionicle fans would stop trotting that factoid out as if that gives the theme some sort of superiority. Yes, Bionicle saved Lego. It saved Lego because in a period when Lego couldn't do anything right, Bionicle did things LESS WRONG than all the other themes. Bionicle may have kept the company afloat in lean times, but it did so by doing its best to DIVORCE itself from the main Lego brand, during a period when the brand name was practically toxic as a result of overproduction and mismanagement. And as a result, there are a huge number of Lego AND Bionicle fans who never even realized Bionicle was a Lego toy!

 

Lego's recovery was not due to Bionicle alone, but due to smart management. They cut off underperforming branches of the company, and this included a wide number of themes and projects that debuted near Bionicle—Galidor, the Lego Media in-house video game development, Lego Studios, and so forth. They put a hard limit on the number of parts that could be produced at one time, and started actually taking the cost of new molds into account which incidentally was the REASON Bionicle's rosy success story so quickly lost its luster—it turns out that introducing a bunch of expensive, specialized new molds year after year is NOT a recipe for outstanding profits. They did take some lessons from Bionicle that helped them find success in later themes—but just as many of those lessons came from Bionicle's failings as from its success.

 

Bionicle fans may not realize it, but Bionicle, to the vast majority of Lego's audience, is WEIRD. Lego Technic itself is one step removed from the classic bricks-and-plates system that most people associate Lego with, and Bionicle is one step removed from that. Think about how you as a Bionicle or Lego fan would have felt if the assortment of Master Builders in the Dog had included a Barbie (not a Lego version, but the actual doll), or My Little Pony. The movie, by that point, had spent 40 or 50 minutes trying to pull audiences in, to get them to understand how these plastic people and their plastic world fit together, and how the few "relics" we'd seen were to them just strange objects with untold power, eldritch artifacts that didn't mesh with their established world. And then, suddenly, what is that? That's not your daddy's Lego! Why don't the other characters recognize that those toy robots, dolls, cartoon horse figurines don't belong there? Is this just Toy Story with a different name?

 

Obviously, as Bionicle fans we recognize that Bionicle, unlike Barbie or My Little Pony, is an actual Lego toy that is fully compatible with other Lego products. Mass audiences, though? Moms and Dads and adults who haven't played with Lego themselves since the '70s? They don't have that privilege. The Lego Movie didn't just have to show them a movie made out of Lego—it had to remind them what Lego WAS, and throwing the stranger stuff in their face from the get-go would only make that task harder. And the movie also had the monumental task of winning over audiences and critics who were totally ready to label it as the ultimate example of merchandise-driven schlock—a 90-minute, theatrical toy commercial.

 

Now, as we now know, The Lego Movie was an excellent movie, an artistic triumph that will probably be remembered for generations. Before it came out, that was less of a sure thing, so there's no doubt that the creators wanted to play things as safe as they could. And thus, massively successful themes like Friends and Bionicle got a split-second cameo. The next movie has a lot more room to explore the weirder sides of the Lego brand, thanks to the first one's success. But I wish people would stop acting like the creators of the movie have some hidden disdain for Bionicle, or that limiting it to a brief mention was anything other than common sense.

[Aanchir]

On that note, I think it's irritating that people seem to think BIONICLE should have been in the movie because it "deserved" more than a split-second cameo. The movie's characters weren't there because they DESERVED to be in the movie. They were there because they were actually important to the story the creators set out to tell (or, in the case of some minor characters, to a joke the creators set out to tell).

 

That's why most of the film's MAIN characters were created specifically for the movie rather than pulled from "important" themes, and why even themes like LEGO Friends and LEGO Ninjago that rival BIONICLE in their importance and popularity likewise only got cameo appearances.

 

To put it a different way, characters like LEGO Batman were the heroes The LEGO Movie needed, not the ones it deserved.

Edited December 8, 2014 by Aanchir

[Boidoh]

I suggest that 'bionicle' and 'is' should have their places swapped. You know, to avoid future disappointments.

[LegoSWfan]

I would rather have had Hewkii and Maku then Batman and "unikitty".

 

"Unikitty was annoying and Batman was kinda a jerk.

Edited December 8, 2014 by ToaSalvus

[Infamousevil]

For dashing my hopes I say this to you. Yuno Gasai face.

[Aanchir]

Unikitty was annoying

Unikitty being my absolute favorite chaaracter, reading that statement just FILLS me with not-happy thoughts!

 

"You all need to be more friendly!"

 

Besides that, Batman being such a jerk and completely lacking self-awareness is exactly why he was so funny. I don't know how any BIONICLE characters could possibly have taken their places (especially since most would be awkwardly tall).

Edited December 9, 2014 by Aanchir

[LegoSWfan]

Aanchir, sorry to take down your favorite, I just found her annoying and her voice grating. That's all.

 

Anyway, a Mata type body wouldn't be much taller than robobeard.

Edited December 9, 2014 by ToaSalvus

[Lyichir]

Aanchir, sorry to take down your favorite, I just found her annoying and her voice grating. That's all.

 

Anyway, a Mata type body wouldn't be much taller than robobeard.

A Mata-type body would have terrible posability, though—and TLM's animation style doesn't allow "cheating" and making the knees and pistons functional, unlike the classic advertisements.

 

A Hero Factory 2.0 hero would be about the same size, with much better posability... but methinks that wouldn't quite satisfy people who think Bionicle deserved better.

 

Speaking of which, that's another reason why we're much more likely to see more Bionicle in the next movie. As a current theme, a Bionicle appearance will no longer be beholden to decade-old set design limitations. In fact, being a current theme means that a Bionicle character who appears in the movie could even conceivably appear in a TLM 2 set as well—perhaps even a new version of a classic character who doesn't appear in the theme proper!

[LegoSWfan]

Personally, I would be deeply disappointed if TLM2 had a hero factor person over a Bionicle character.