Studio Update: Happy St. Patrick's Day and a New Poll

By: Andrew Bermudez

(Lego Studios; March 17, 2012)

     Today is St. Patrick's Day, which brings us to another studio update. Let's get started!

     To start, Gone Ice Fishin' now has an official release date. "I am so glad that we are finally going to get this film done," said Steve Brocko, head of the studio's traditional animation department. "We've been working on it for over 5 months now and the development has been problematic at best." Currently, the plan is to release the film on June 1st, though some delays may occur. In addition, because of some issues, the release for Guard Dog has been pushed off to June 1st.

     Also, the first phase of Project Proofread has been completed! If you haven't read the old press releases recently, be sure to check them out to see all of the changes that have been made! The second phase, which will include spell-checking all of the descriptions for our films, will begin in two weeks.

     Progress has also started on the re-release of Mystery at Shady Acres. "We're so glad that we're bringing this film back," said LEGO Studios CEO Mark Matthew. "It truly is a wonderful comedic-mystery, and I always loved how the audience participated. Now, thanks to Autodesk Maya 2012, we'll let the audience interact in a whole new way." So far, only a few props have been created, but by the time all is said and done, the viewers will be able to wander Shady Acres and give their input into the case. The film is scheduled for release in August.

     Meanwhile, filming for Johnny Thunder and the Wisdom of the Ancients has picked up again. "We're excited that the film is being made in such a timely manner," said Steven Lawrence, the film's director. The film is expected to be released Summer 2014.

     Finally, Sam Snead had an announcement to make. "As the head of LEGO Studios marketing and public relations, one of my jobs is to keep track of box office numbers, and I took notice when Universal's The Lorax made $70 million during its opening weekend," said Sam. "The conclusion I drew from this find is that, while almost all people like to see movies, one thing that draws audiences in is seeing their favorite characters in action, as the aforementioned film certainly drew in families who were familiar with Dr. Seuss' famous environmental fable of the same name." Therefore, LEGO Studios has decided to hold a poll, lasting from now until the end of the Summer. The poll contains the names of LEGO themes that (a) have not been previously animated by us, or (b) are not in development to be turned into an animations by us (which will explain the exclusion of certain themes). Licensed products, DUPLO, bulk bricks, games, jewelry, non toy gear, and Technic are also excluded. This poll will be divided into three categories, which are:

     Which classic LEGO series (1955-1990) is your favorite?

The choices are: Town Plan, Homemaker, Classic Space, Classic Castle, Classic Town, Fabuland, and Pirates (also includes 2009 sets).

     Which retro LEGO series (1991-2003) is your favorite?

The choices are: Space Police 2, Dragon Masters, Paradisa, Ice Planet 2002, Town (includes trains), Spyrius, Unitron, Aquazone, Wild West, Exploriens, Roboforce, Fright Knights, Divers, Outback, Time Cruisers, UFO, Insectoids, Ninja, Space Port, Res-Q, Xtreme Team, Rock Raiders, Race, Sports, Arctic, Life on Mars, Racers, Jack Stone, Slizers (also known as Throwbots), Bionicle, and Island Xtreme Stunts (also includes LEGO Island PC games).

     Which contemporary LEGO series (2004-2012) is your favorite?

The choices are: City, Knight's Kingdom (2), Vikings, Dino Attack (also known as Dino 2010), Exo-Force, Castle, Mars Mission, Aqua Raiders, Agents, Power Miners, Space Police 3, Pharaoh's Quest, Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitsu, Alien Conquest, Dino, Friends, and Monster Fighters (coming Summer 2012).

     For the first category, the choice with the highest number of votes will be considered for future projects. For the second and third categories, the top five choices with the highest number of votes will be considered for future projects. The voting box will be up by the end of the month, but until then, campaign for your favorites in the comments, or spread the word on Facebook and Twitter!
     Update: The three polls are now up and will run through August 17th, 2012. Also, I realized that that I forgot to add Hero Factory to the list of contemporary themes, but there's nothing I can do about that now. Besides, I was never really big on that theme and many LEGO fans dislike it anyway. World Racers is missing as well, but I'll fudge a little and just make this theme a sub-set of Racers (even though that theme is a retro theme).