Okay, I have to admit that if you would have told me 30 years ago that there would be an animated full-feature film in which Lego characters would play all of the starring roles, I would have told you that you were absolutely crazy. I grew up playing with Lego bricks during the 1970s and my father unleashed a lot of profane words after stepping on arbitrary pieces I left around the house. So, to see that those little simple pieces of plastic have come so far is pretty amazing. I will have to admit that The Lego Ninjago Movie is not a movie that features those old plain Lego concoctions I used to come up with.
So, what do we know about the movie so far? Not nearly as much as we like, but we will share with you what we have been able to gather so far. The movie will be shot and produced as a three-dimensional production, which makes the overall engagement of the movie significantly more enjoyable for the audience. And today’s 3D movies are nothing like the ones I would watch growing up as a kid. I think the first 3D movie I saw was Friday the 13th in 3D — extremely traumatizing.
The movie will be directed by committee, with Paul Fisher, Charlie Bean, and Bob Logan all contributing in order to bring this huge production to life — making it as realistic as possible. The writing responsibilities will also be shared by multiple writers which include Hilary Winston, Kevin Hageman, and Bob Logan. Paul Fisher will also assist with the writing to ensure continuity.
The plot is straight forward, well kind of. Basically, the far away city of Ninjago is under siege and an old martial arts master hires six young teens to be trained as ninjas so that they can defend the city against monsters and all others that may become aggressive toward them. These young ninjas will get to ride motorcycles and dragons (heck, I didn’t have dragons in my Lego ensemble growing up. I feel cheated.)
That seems too simple, right? Well, that is because it is. Who can’t defend a city against the occasional monster? We need an antagonist to oppose the righteousness that is always present in these types of movies, and the movie writers do not disappointment us. There is warlord by the name of Garmadon and to top it all off, one of the young teens that have become ninjas happens to be the son of Garmadon. This means at some point in this movie father and son will have some serious decision to make. It seems somewhat sacrilegious to use the word “serious” concerning a movie that stars Lego pieces, but hey, who am I to argue with the writers and director?
The Hageman brothers have played an integral in the development of this storyline since the invention of the Lego ninja franchise. They will play a major role in the current adaptation, which should ensure the continuity and consistency that should keep fans connected to the story moving forward.
Fans of the movie should also expect sequels moving forward. I don’t see this energy dying out anytime in the near future.
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