Studio Update: Filming Update, What's Going on With "Gone Ice Fishin'," and More

By: Andrew Bermudez

(Lego Studios; February 17, 2012)

     From filming a global adventure to animating a passionate polar bear, there has been a lot happening at Lego Studios! Here is an overview of what's been going on recently.

     Due to some technical difficulties, the filming for Johnny Thunder and the Wisdom of the Ancients was stalled for a week. Tom Gifford, the best boy for the movie noted, "Before we started filming the cafe scene, I must have wired one of the lights wrong because, when I turned it on, it started flickering like a disco ball. We tried to digitally work around it, but it was too much work. However, I seized the moment with some drinks I bought at the bar. That's how you get a party started! Whoops. Did I say that aloud?"

     After Tom Gifford was fired, assistant director Barry Hollows finished with, "I would just like to remind everyone that this issue has been resolved, and we plan on getting the scene finished this weekend." The current schedule calls for the completion of the filming by December 2013.

     Also, a more structured schedule has been laid out for Gone Ice Fishin'. Steve Brocko, head of the traditional animation department, stated, "I am sick and tired of all these delays. I told our animators 'we're sitting on this animation with no results. I want it out sometime this Spring or I'll fire all of you!' I hope that statement creates a sense of team spirit that will help get the film completed." The plans are to get the film released April 2012.

     Another note is that the first entry into the Vacation: Unlimited travel journal (a re-purposed version of the 2009 vacation photo gallery) has been posted. Every Sunday, a new entry will be added to the journal. To access it, just use the respective link on the right side of this page.

     However, there is still no prize for the Vacation: Unlimited contest! "Don't worry, though," said Mark Matthew, Lego Studios CEO. "We have a few options that we are considering. However, I recently got a fan letter wondering if the prize will be physical or digital, and about confidentiality concerns regarding postal addresses if the prize is physical. Well, we still don't know whether the prize will be physical or digital, but if the prize has to be mailed, don't worry. We will make sure that any mailing addresses sent to us will be kept confidential and will only be used for mailing the prize." Some prize considerations are:

• A copy of LEGO set 4435: Car and Camper (likely to be the prize)
• A copy of Johnny Thunder and the Gift of the Nile - Urgent Letter Edition on DVD (also likely to be the prize)
• A digital coupon for the THAC 8 sponsor Brick-a-Thon (bricklink account would be required for aquiring and redeeming this prize, so this one is unlikely)
• Vacation planner prize package (this one is unlikely, but you never know)
• A Vacation: Unlimited DVD gift set (would include all entries and vacation videos; this one is likely to be the prize)

     Finally, over the course of this year, all of the previous press releases will be spell checked and punctuation will be corrected. All paragraphs will also be indented, like in this press release.
     Update 1: After several complaints, action is being taken to correct an issue in Worcester Cold Storage Warehouse Fire. By using the technology used to re-edit the From the Vaults films, some of the audio will be adjusted to incorporate the correct pronunciation for Worcester. However, because of this, the video will have to be temporarily taken down. We apologise for any inconvenience.
     Update 2: The next From the Vaults release, TBC News: The Volcano Blows, will be released ahead of schedule. It will be up shortly.

     For releases, more films, both From the Vaults and otherwise, will be released throughout this year and Johnny Thunder and the Wisdom of the Ancients will be discovered in Summer 2014.