The LEGO Ninjago Movie

The Lego Ninjago Movie is a 2017 3D computer-animated action-comedy martial arts film that is being directed by Charlie Bean, Paul Fisher and Bob Logan and written by Dan and Kevin Hageman, Hilary Winston, Bob Logan and Paul Fisher. Based on the Lego Ninjago toy line, it is the first film to be based on an original Lego property, and is the second spin-off installment from the 2014 film The Lego Movie, following the release of The Lego Batman Movie in early 2017. The film will star the voices of Dave Franco, Justin Theroux, Michael Peña, Kumail Nanjiani, Abbi Jacobson, Zach Woods, Fred Armisen, Olivia Munn and Jackie Chan.
The film was released in the United States on September 22, 2017, in 3D, 2D and IMAX 3D, produced by Warner Animation Group and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.
== Synopsis ==
Six teenagers are "hired" by an old master and become ninja heroes at night, defeating monsters and riding vehicles and dragons to protect the far-away land of Ninjago and its capital city. Meanwhile, the warlord attempting to conquer Ninjago, Lord Garmadon, must cope with the fact that one of the ninjas is his son.
== Plot ==
A young boy visits an old relic shop where he meets the mysterious elderly owner Mr. Liu, who begins to tell him the story of Ninjago, a city within the LEGO universe which is frequently terrorized by the evil Lord Garmadon, who is the father of teenager Lloyd Garmadon, and ex-husband of Misako (a.k.a. Koko). Everybody in all of the city of Ninjago hates Lloyd for being Lord Garmadon's son, thus putting Lloyd under emotional stress. Unbeknownst to them, Lloyd is part of the secret ninja force consisting of Nya, Zane, Jay, Cole, Kai and their master named Wu, who always stop Garmadon from taking over Ninjago City by fighting with mechs. After another fight, Garmadon's tech division shows him a new mech.
Meanwhile, Lloyd and his friends see the return of Master Wu back from a long trip he took. Master Wu tells them they aren't real ninja if they use only mechs to fight and discusses with Lloyd that his element is green. Wu mentions an Ultimate Weapon during their talk, giving Lloyd the hope of defeating Garmadon once and for all, despite being forbidden to use the weapon. The next day, Garmadon attacks Ninjago City with his giant mech and defeats Lloyd. As Garmadon declares his rule over Ninjago, Lloyd returns with the Ultimate Weapon and fires it only to reveal it's a laser pointer that attracts a live-action cat named Meowthra. Garmadon points the laser to make the cat destroy the other mechs before Lloyd breaks it. As Garmadon celebrates his victory, Lloyd unmasks himself and tells Garmadon that he wishes he weren't his father, leaving Garmadon confused.
Lloyd meets up with his friends and Master Wu, who tells them they must use an Ultimate, Ultimate Weapon in order to stop Meowthra from destroying Ninjago City which they would reach by crossing the Forest of Dangers, the Canyon of Death and the Temple of Fragile Foundations at the other side of Ninjago Island. Garmadon overhears Wu talking about the weapon, follows close behind, meets up with Wu and fights him only to end up in a cage defeated. However, Wu loses his balance and falls off a bridge into a river telling the ninja they must find "inner peace" before getting swept away. The ninja decide to continue on with Garmadon leading them, much to Lloyd's disappointment. Despite this, the two bond through their journey while the ninja learn to not to rely solely on their mechs to fight. The group survives an encounter with Garmadon's fired generals, and the antagonist teaches Lloyd to throw things.
They eventually crash down onto the Temple of Fragile Foundations, Garmadon's childhood home. He tells Lloyd that he wishes he had stayed with him and his mom after deciding to conquer Ninjago but he couldn't change so he had to stay behind. The ninja find the Ultimate, Ultimate Weapon consisting of a set of trinkets, only to have it stolen by Garmadon who still wants to take over the city. He offers for Lloyd to be his general, but Lloyd rejects his offer. Angered, Garmadon locks all of them in the temple as it begins to collapse. Lloyd realizes that "inner peace" (piece) means for them to unleash their power within, and they successfully do this using their elemental powers and escaping from the collapsing temple. As they fall off a cliff, Wu saves them with his ship, the Destiny's Bounty, and they head toward Ninjago.
Garmadon arrives and tries to defeat Meowthra with the Ultimate, Ultimate Weapon but Meowthra eats Garmadon instead. Lloyd and the crew arrive and begin fighting Garmadon's army. As Lloyd approaches Meowthra, he reveals to everyone that he is the green ninja and realizes that green means life and that his element of green is what connects the ninja together and his family together. He comforts Meowthra and tells Garmadon he forgives him and that he's sorry. Garmadon cries tears of fire, which causes Meowthra to spit him out. After reconciling, Meowthra becomes the mascot of Ninjago and Lloyd is hailed as a hero.
As the story concludes, Mr. Liu informs the boy that he will start training him as a ninja at dawn after the boy shows him great reflexes and ninja potential after listening to the story.
== Cast ==
* Dave Franco as Lloyd Garmadon, the Green Ninja, Lord Garmadon and Misako's son, and Master Wu's nephew.
* Justin Theroux as Lord Garmadon, an evil warlord, the father of Lloyd, the husband of Misako and the brother of Master Wu.
* Michael Peña as Kai, the hotheaded, red Ninja of Fire and Nya's brother.
* Kumail Nanjiani as Jay, the quiet and cautious, blue Ninja of Lightning.
* Abbi Jacobson as Nya, the strong, gray Ninja of Water, Kai's sister, and Jay's crush.
* Zach Woods as Zane, the robotic, white Ninja of Ice.
* Fred Armisen as Cole, the laid-back, music-loving black Ninja of Earth.
* Jackie Chan as Master Wu, the wisecracking leader of the group, Lord Garmadon's brother and Lloyd's uncle.
* Olivia Munn as Misako, Lord Garmadon's ex-wife, Lloyd's mother, and the Lady Iron Dragon.
== Production ==
=== Development ===
On September 17, 2013, Warner Bros. announced that it was developing an animated Ninjago film based on the Lego toy line Lego Ninjago. The Hageman brothers, who wrote Lego Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu show and co-wrote the story of The Lego Movie, would write the adaptation. Charlie Bean was announced as director, and The Lego Movie team of Dan Lin, Roy Lee, and Phil Lord and Chris Miller as producers. On June 27, 2016, the film's voice cast was announced, including Dave Franco, Michael Peña, Kumail Nanjiani, Zach Woods, Fred Armisen, Jackie Chan, and Abbi Jacobson. Additional voice cast included Justin Theroux as Lord Garmadon and Olivia Munn as Misako.
== Soundtrack ==
: Main article: The Lego Ninjago Movie (soundtrack)
Mark Mothersbaugh, who composed the score for The Lego Movie, has been confirmed to score The Lego Ninjago Movie.
No. 	Title 	Writer(s) 	Artist(s) 	Length
1. 	"Heroes" 	Alexander Geringas, William Fuller 	Blaze n Vill 	3:26
2. 	"Operation New Me" 	Chris McKay, Jared Gutstadt, Takahiro Moriuchi, Jamil Kazmi, Jeff Peters	Jingle Punks 	2:37
3. 	"It's Garmadon" 	The De Luca Brothers, Alex Britten 	The De Luca Brothers, Alex Britten	2:49
4. 	"Found My Place" 	Chris Sernel, Jeff Lewis 	Oh, Hush! feat. Jeff Lewis 	3:16
5. 	"Dance of Doom" 	Cole, Artadi 	Louis Cole, Genevieve Artadi 	3:24
6. 	"Lego Ninja Shop" 	   	   	2:41
7. 	"It's the Hard Knock Life" 	Charles Strouse (music)
Martin Charnin (lyrics) 	Greg Pattillo 	0:16
8. 	"Wise Master Wu" 	   	   	3:01
9. 	"Garmadon Attacks" 	   	   	3:15
10. 	"The Rise of Kitty Kitty" 	   	   	3:38
11. 	"A Wish and a Ruined City" 	   	   	3:37
12. 	"Journey to the Control Tower"	   	   	2:20
13. 	"Welcome to the Jungle" 	Axl Rose, Saul Hudson, Duff McKagan, Izzy Stradlin, Steven Adler 	Greg Pattillo 	0:28
14. 	"The Power" 	Antoinette Colandreo, Benito Benites, John Garrett III 	Greg Pattillo 	0:21
15. 	"Sibling Rivalry" 	   	   	2:36
16. 	"A Grave Amount of Generals" 	   	   	3:30
17. 	"Ninjas to the Rescue" 	   	   	2:17
18. 	"Arm Popping Flying Lesson" 	   	   	4:53
19. 	"The Lady Iron Dragon" 	   	   	5:01
20. 	"The Ultimate Ultimate Weapon"	   	   	5:10
21. 	"The Art of Spinjitsu" 	   	   	4:21
22. 	"Here Kitty Kitty" 	   	   	3:17
23. 	"Big Hug" 	   	   	2:39
Total length:	Total length: 	Total length: 	Total length: 	1:09:00
== Gallery ==
Warner Bros. Entertainment Wiki has a collection of images and media related to The Lego Ninjago Movie.
== Trivia ==
* This is the first film in the The Lego Movie series not to be released in February.
* The second Warner Animation Group film to be released in September, after Storks.
* The last Warner Animation Group film to have Warner Bros. Pictures logo with "A TimeWarner Company".
* The plot diverged from the television series. However, according to show Producers Kevin Hageman and Dan Hageman in a Tweet, the show designs will have some changes to match movie designs.
* Following the tradition of other Jackie Chan movies, bloopers are included at the end.
* The ringtone on Lloyd's phone is the theme song of Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu (2011), on which this movie is based.
* This movie was first hinted at in a bonus feature on The Lego Movie (2014) Blu-ray, called "Enter the Ninjago". In the short, an executive changes several scenes in The Lego Movie (2014) to feature Lloyd, because "kids love ninjas". Emmet suggests that instead of changing the movie to add a ninja, they just make a movie about ninjas, which the executive claims is a great idea. The rest of the short becomes a trailer for this untitled movie, which they claim would go on to be a major bomb at the box-office.
* In the U.K. version, local television presenters Kate Garraway and Ben Shephard replaced the voices of Robin Roberts and Michael Strahan, respectively.
* This is the second time Dave Franco has been in a Lego movie. He had a cameo in The Lego Movie (2014).
* Lloyd asks if he can be the gold ninja instead of the green. In the television show, he actually becomes the gold ninja.
* (At around fifteen minutes) Lloyd is aiming at a bad guy on a bridge to save a school bus. When you see him aim you can hear the tune of "Everything Is Awesome" from The Lego Movie (2014).
* When Master Wu (Jackie Chan) is holding the child's Lloyd figure, it only has one arm, which becomes a plot point later in the movie.
* When Garmadon (Justin Theroux) shows the book he wrote, the cover features a volcano similar to the book Dianetics by L. Ron Hubbard.
* Each Lego movie has a bad father and needy son dynamic.
* The second Lego movie to be released in 2017, after The Lego Batman Movie (2017).
* The 1st theatrical Lego film to not have any DC Comics characters.
* During The Scene where the kids move to the other side of the bus when Lloyd sits down, Ferris Bueller from Ferris Bueller's Day Off can be seen on the Far Right Corner (his jacket and hair are a dead giveaway), and John Bender from The Breakfast Club can be seen at the back of the Bus (the one with The Mullet and The Jean Jacket).
* When Nya arrives on her bike in the school, she makes a slide like the one Kaneda makes in Akira (1988).
* Sensei Wu is one hundred sixty-seven-years-old and Lord Garmadon is one hundred seventy-four-years-old in this movie.
* The first Lego movie to neither have a Tomatometer of at least ninety percent, nor be certified fresh by Rotten Tomatoes.
* Kumail Nanjiani and Zach Woods appeared on Silicon Valley (2014).
* Olivia Munn is only five years older than Dave Franco, who voiced her on-screen son. However, since they voiced animated characters, their age difference doesn't matter.
* Kumail Nanjiani and Michael Peña appeared in Hell and Back (2015).
* Jackie Chan's second animated movie outside of DreamWorks Animation's Kung Fu Panda movie franchise, after The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature (2017).
* Dave Franco (the voice of Lloyd), is married to Allison Brie, who provided the voice for Unikitty in The Lego Movie (2014).
* This is the third theatrical movie based on a Cartoon Network show. The others being "The Powerpuff Girls Movie" released 15 years prior and "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" released 9 years prior.
* Joseph Bologna's last film before his death on August 13th 2017 at the age of 82 due to pancreatic cancer and this film was dedicated to his memory.
* Deleted scenes (on DVD) have a full fight scene of Green / Lloyd in Jackie Chan style (jumping, rolling, using furniture) which was originally what attracted Chan to sign on: a smidgen of it is left in the released film, in Lloyd's aspiration sequence where he (Green) uses a fridge-freezer (door) against a Garmodan minion.
* Main trailer shows some aspects not in the final film: most significantly, the married couple (see quote sidebar) running from Garmadon's attack machine, and when the Ninjas' machines return to base (warehouse), Red (Fire)'s is shown first turning (á la Transformers' style) into a giant armchair for him to rest in.
* As Master Wu drifts down the raging river, Nya says she thinks he said they had to find inner peace. Inner peace was a key plot element in Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011), which also featured Jackie Chan.
* One of the two theatrical movies based on an animated television series of 2017. The other being My Little Pony: The Movie (2017), which also featured Michael Peña.
* Both Michael Peña (Kai) and Randall Park (Chen the Cheerleader) featured in Ant-Man and The Wasp (2018).
* The ninth theatrically released fully CGI film to be based off already existing animated media after Jonah: A Veggietales Movie (2002), TMNT (2007), The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: A Veggietales Movie (2008), Mr. Peabody & Sherman (2014), The Peanuts Movie (2015), Ratchet & Clank (2016), and Smurfs: The Lost Village (2017).
* One of the three theatrically released animated films of 2017 to be based off already existing animated media, the previous was Smurfs: The Lost Village (2017) and the later would be My Little Pony: The Movie (2017).
* Each of the 3 Lego films have the villain turning nice at the end.
* When Lloyd and Garmadon are captured by all of Garmadon's fired general number ones and about to be thrown into a volcano, one says the lava in it is fifteen million degrees Kelvin. This translates to nearly twenty-seven million degrees Fahrenheit, as hot as the center of the sun.
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