"When Barrels Fly: Special Edition" is Coming in January!

By: Andrew Bermudez

(Mustache Maniacs Film Co. Headquarters; October 13, 2017)

     If you don't know already, Digital Decade is coming in 2018 to celebrate the tenth anniversary of our online network, and we're celebrating with new films and special editions of classic films! Read on to find out how this celebration will begin!

When Barrels Fly Returns as an All-New Special Edition!

     When When Barrels Fly debuted at the end of 2010 as part of THAC 8, we had no idea that Ulysses S. Powell would become such an important character in our cinematic universe. However, this short and popular film has not (visually, at least) held up against films such as Clone and Alpha Team: Mission Deep Jungle. Therefore, we are pleased to unveil details on how this film will become the first of six films that will be remastered for the modern day!

     Naturally, the main scene that is going to be rebuilt from the ground up is Ulysses travelling through time. "With today's technology, the scene can look really great," said LEGO Studios CEO Mark Matthew. "Unfortunately, to be honest, the original version of the scene doesn't really convey the idea that Ulysses is going through time. Only after that scene does the audience realize what happened. We want the scene to read as clearly as possible with the new version, so we're scrapping the original version and creating a brand-new version of this pivotal scene that not only sells the idea, it also will be adjusted to match the time travel elements of A Future in the Past."

Digital painting of the new, re-imagined time travel sequence by Andrew Bermudez.

     In addition to this major change, the film is also going to add a cutaway at the beginning of the film to the telescope, so that the audience sees what Ulysses sees. "For this shot, we have some brand-new traditional animation planned that will almost literally bring the birds that Ulysses sees to life. We want this new shot to really help set the location, so we've been researching bird species that are endemic to the American Southwest. That way, while this film is technically all about fantasy, we want to keep the elements grounded in reality as authentic as possible." The re-release will debut in January, just in time for the start of Digital Decade.

Johnny Thunder and the Secret of Marco Polo Re-Release Delayed to Summer 2019

     Speaking of authenticity, we want the return of our very first online film, Johnny Thunder and the Secret of Marco Polo, to be as authentic to the original film, the LEGO Orient Expedition sets, and the cultures of the Far East as possible while bringing the film up to the modern day. Unfortunately, the extra time needed to make this film look great means that its re-release is being pushed off to Summer 2019. While this may disappoint many of you, we want the new version of this treasured classic to look as great as possible, so that future generations will be able to appreciate our original Johnny Thunder adventure.

Casting for Re-Releases Opening Soon!

     We have mentioned in the past that, for these re-releases, almost all of the dialogue is going to be re-recorded. While many of the original voice actors are coming back, several others are either unavailable or just don't fit into our level of quality anymore. Because of this, several parts for all six films will be recast! We'll unveil who's being recast later this month, but if you've ever dreamed of voicing a character from one of our original films, now is your chance!

Lead Out

     We'll cover the re-releases as more information is released, but are you excited to see these classic films getting updated so that future generations can enjoy them? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and don't forget to visit our network, like us on Facebook, subscribe to our channel on YouTube, and so forth.