Ninjago's First Draft

[Hapori Tohu]

Apparently December 5th was International Ninja Day, and apparently that was a good enough reason for Dan and Kevin Hageman to lift the lid on some cool behind-the-scenes of the Ninjago TV show. Over on Twitter they shared the beat sheet from the pilot for Masters of Spinjitzu from all the way back in January 2010. It's an interesting read to see how the story started and compare it to what it became. Go give it a read and let us know what you think of it in the Talkback!

 

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[masterchirox580]

I prefer the use of less... realistic names as it makes the world just a little more engaging to me. I also like the original ending much better. Having it end on a cliff hanger like the first bionicle movie would have made the pilot a lot more interesting. The early draft kinda feels like the stakes were higher which I wish they had stuck to as it would have made the thing a lot more memorable.

Edited December 11, 2017 by masterchirox580

[Lyichir]

I prefer the use of less... realistic names as it makes the world just a little more engaging to me. I also like the original ending much better. Having it end on a cliff hanger like the first bionicle movie would have made the pilot a lot more interesting. The early draft kinda feels like the stakes were higher which I wish they had stuck to as it would have made the thing a lot more memorable.

I dunno, the names of the ninja in the early treatment feel maybe a bit too on-the-nose in terms of their elemental affinity.

[xccj]

Interesting how Cole's name stuck around. Its a shame his status of "leader" kinda fell away as the series went on, transitioning more towards Lloyd.

 

[masterchirox580]

 

I prefer the use of less... realistic names as it makes the world just a little more engaging to me. I also like the original ending much better. Having it end on a cliff hanger like the first bionicle movie would have made the pilot a lot more interesting. The early draft kinda feels like the stakes were higher which I wish they had stuck to as it would have made the thing a lot more memorable.

I dunno, the names of the ninja in the early treatment feel maybe a bit too on-the-nose in terms of their elemental affinity.

 

I only just realized this after you pointed it out. I still prefer them. I imagine Ash was rejected due to potential legal disputes with Nintendo over pokemon.

[Aanchir]

 

 

I prefer the use of less... realistic names as it makes the world just a little more engaging to me. I also like the original ending much better. Having it end on a cliff hanger like the first bionicle movie would have made the pilot a lot more interesting. The early draft kinda feels like the stakes were higher which I wish they had stuck to as it would have made the thing a lot more memorable.

I dunno, the names of the ninja in the early treatment feel maybe a bit too on-the-nose in terms of their elemental affinity.

 

I only just realized this after you pointed it out. I still prefer them. I imagine Ash was rejected due to potential legal disputes with Nintendo over pokemon.

 

I doubt it would be a matter of potential legal disputes, since Ash on its own (without a last name) is a generic enough name that it couldn't really be protected by trademark. That said, I wouldn't be surprised if the name got rejected due to kids already associating it with a character from another franchise, since that kind of thing could have made it harder for Ninjago to grow in popularity.

 

Side note, Ninjago did end up eventually using the name Ash for the Master of Smoke in the Tournament of Elements (who finally got released as a minifigure this year)!

[danny316p]

Side note, Ninjago did end up eventually using the name Ash for the Master of Smoke in the Tournament of Elements (who finally got released as a minifigure this year)!

<silliness>

I feel a need to refer to this as TOA ASH, MASTER of SMOKE. I imagine Ash would either be friends with Tahu, or someone who had to clean up after him. Cut to a sunny family sitcom, where Tahu is an unruly child that Ash tends to...

</silliness>