Bionicle 2015 Discussion

[Kalhiki]

I liked the Po-Koro from MNOLG. It had a distinct desert vibe that wasnt necessarily tied directly to an existing culture, though it ertainly had touches of many.

Phatu also seemed a little mysterious and wise when yo finally got to see him. There in a flash to save the day, then gone again before you could ask too many questions. I wouldn't mind a return to that kind of character.

All the Toa were like that in MNOG. They just kinda showed up when they were needed and then left. I liked that. It added to the whole mystery of the Toa.

I hope they're treated like that again. They go on adventures, but show up to save the village when the time comes.

[Aedai Rivin]

I don't know what you're all talking about. Whenua's voice actor. Paul Dobson did a great job in my opinion- A gruff burly guy that has hides wisdom underneath. I was recently watching Transformers Cybertron and realized that Landmine had the same voice as Whenua.

I think what we all should remember that if a show for Bionicle were to happen, we wouldn't get any big name actors. Yeah sure we could get Steve Blum, or any number of the cast of MoL that are now in MLP, but not any more famous than that.

I also thought of something. What if Lego got the same guys who are making the 2015 Transformers show, or the guys that did Transformers Animated? A 2D, animesque, highly stylized kind of animation and character design.

[Lord-Vorahk]

I also thought of something. What if Lego got the same guys who are making the 2015 Transformers show, or the guys that did Transformers Animated? A 2D, animesque, highly stylized kind of animation and character design.

Love it.

[Bigger Fish]

Obviously, Takua should have his game voice. It is by far the best portrayal *Shot*

He was played by Travis Willingham in that game.

[Lord-Vorahk]

He was played by Travis Willingham in that game.

Interesting. Still a terrible voice, though.

[Still Raindrop]

^Well put. That is exactly what we need. And I assume that you are more pro-tribal than pro-2008 "Hey-look-at-me-I-have-a-laser-gun", no?

We need to have civilizations more like the Koros, not like Metru. Metru Nui had a nice feel to it, and yes it made sense from a story point of view, but it just felt wrong, especially coming right after Mata Nui.

And don't even get me started on Voya Nui.....that was a mess.

I'm definitely pro-Koro--I was a fan from the beginning, and 2004-2007 were my dark ages, so Mata Nui was what defined Bionicle for me. However, I did like the feel of Metru Nui, and I'm not really against the natural evolution of things. Indeed, when I caught up on the story in 2008/2009, I liked what I read. I just think Mata Nui had more world building than some of the other places; but we did spend three years there, after all. And again, there's always the nostalgia--something about the incongruity of advanced biomechanical life forms with a tribal existence on a low-tech island fascinated me. That's why I'm glad that it looks like we'll be returning to such a state.

[Sir Kohran]

I wonder if the new line will have another MNOLG sort of game.

[Lord-Vorahk]

I think the advantage of Mata Nui was that it felt more flowing, as opposed to the later years being more episodic.

Really, aside from the Mctoran and the Mata, any of the sets from those years could interact with any of the others and it wouldn't really be too far from canon.

[Aanchir]

I can definitely see why people prefer Mata Nui to the later settings, but at the same time, I feel like there needed to be some change in setting. After three years, the island of Mata Nui was starting to feel repetitive — the comics, animations, and games featured the same types of island scenery every year, and the only time that the Toa ever really saw anything new was when they went underground at the end of every year, which by 2003 was practically a running joke. And unfortunately, the island of Mata Nui was so extensive, so well-explored, and full of so many different biomes that just traveling to another pristine tropical island wouldn't have provided the sort of variety the theme needed so desperately. Thus, in 2004 we were introduced to Metru Nui's urban, post-industrialized environments — perhaps the most effective way to create a setting that contrasted sufficiently with Mata Nui's rural, pre-industrialized environments.

Now, going to a new location isn't the only way to create variety in a story's setting. Another way is to introduce major and transformative changes to the setting. 2005 demonstrated this method when the bustling city of Metru Nui was reduced to a desolate, overgrown ruin. However, I don't think this would have been all that effective for the island of Mata Nui. It would be heartbreaking to see the thriving Matoran villages and natural beauty of the island reduced to post-apocalyptic ruin while the Matoran were still living there. A setting can also be changed via creation rather than destruction (cf: Ninjago City's transformation into New Ninjago City between seasons two and three of that theme's TV series), but that usually requires a time skip, and it's hard to tell whether people would have responded to that any more favorably than they did to the introduction of a new setting. It might have been more controversial, for all we know.

If the new BIONICLE goes on long enough, it will probably be faced with the same sort of dilemma. Even LEGO City, which doesn't have any driving story, has to shift to new settings and scenery every now and then to maintain a sense of freshness. A tropical island setting is great, but any setting starts to get tiresome if you stay there year after year, and Mata Nui was no exception.

[Lord-Vorahk]

I have to say that, at first I missed the Mata Nui setting. After watching LoMN, I wanted to go back to the surface in 05, and I found the real 05 setting a disappointment. The thing I liked about Metru Nui was the thriving metropolis of it, the idea of the secret-police-esque villains (The Vahki were bad sets, but as an enemy army, they were nice. Unshakeable robots with varying forms of mind control beam? I like it), and the fact that the Toa and Matoran actually felt at home there. The change of it into a bombed-out wasteland was annoying.

I also felt that Voya Nui was like an evil counterpart to Mata Nui. Tropical island? Well, this one's a hellhole! Then there was Mahri Nui, which made the underwater theme work much better than I expected it to be. And Karda Nui, at least the airborne part, was awesome too. The swamp was alright, nothing particularly gripping, but it was okay.

And then we got nothing but desert. Yawn.

[Aanchir]

I have to say that, at first I missed the Mata Nui setting. After watching LoMN, I wanted to go back to the surface in 05, and I found the real 05 setting a disappointment. The thing I liked about Metru Nui was the thriving metropolis of it, the idea of the secret-police-esque villains (The Vahki were bad sets, but as an enemy army, they were nice. Unshakeable robots with varying forms of mind control beam? I like it), and the fact that the Toa and Matoran actually felt at home there. The change of it into a bombed-out wasteland was annoying.

I think the 2005 setting could have been better if it had been more varied and had been explored more extensively. In BIONICLE: Web of Shadows I found it VERY visually interesting, but most of the sets' packaging felt like the same settings from 2004, just with generic green webbing and murky green fog pasted over top of everything. And the comic settings often felt like generic ruins (though to be fair, the comics were never all that good at making the settings feel as rich and iconic as they were in animations and promotional art).

Edited September 10, 2014 by Aanchir

[Vahkiti]

...I think what we all should remember that if a show for Bionicle were to happen, we wouldn't get any big name actors. Yeah sure we could get Steve Blum, or any number of the cast of MoL that are now in MLP, but not any more famous than that....

You forget that Von Nebula was played by Mark Hamil. Idk about you, but I think that's kind of a big deal. :P

Edited September 10, 2014 by Vahkiti

[Jetrax99]

You forget that Von Nebula was played by Mark Hamil. Idk about you, but I think that's kind of a big deal. :P

Black Phantom was as well.

I certainly wouldn't mind if he had a voice role in any new specials. He definitely gets into character.

[Kalhiki]

All this talk about settings makes me realize how good a choice Spherus Magna would be. Then we have a whole planet to explore with plenty of room to wedge in new environments and regions.

[SneakySqeaky]

I have to say that, at first I missed the Mata Nui setting. After watching LoMN, I wanted to go back to the surface in 05, and I found the real 05 setting a disappointment. The thing I liked about Metru Nui was the thriving metropolis of it, the idea of the secret-police-esque villains (The Vahki were bad sets, but as an enemy army, they were nice. Unshakeable robots with varying forms of mind control beam? I like it), and the fact that the Toa and Matoran actually felt at home there. The change of it into a bombed-out wasteland was annoying.

I also felt that Voya Nui was like an evil counterpart to Mata Nui. Tropical island? Well, this one's a hellhole! Then there was Mahri Nui, which made the underwater theme work much better than I expected it to be. And Karda Nui, at least the airborne part, was awesome too. The swamp was alright, nothing particularly gripping, but it was okay.

And then we got nothing but desert. Yawn.

I think the 2005 setting could have been better if it had been more varied and had been explored more extensively. In BIONICLE: Web of Shadows I found it VERY visually interesting, but most of the sets' packaging felt like the same settings from 2004, just with generic green webbing and murky green fog pasted over top of everything. And the comic settings often felt like generic ruins (though to be fair, the comics were never all that good at making the settings feel as rich and iconic as they were in animations and promotional art).

That's a good point. That means the fact that their home was destroyed and taken over by the vhisorak was all that much more poignant. They went back to their home, to find it in ruins, then get captured and turned into mutated freaks. Talk about a bad day. I I'm with you guys on this to. I loved metru Nui and how it was thriving with life. it was the perfect place for someone to weave in their character. I just wish they had shown that more toa came through there.

[PenPlays]

All of this voice actor discussion has got me wanting a TV series. It would be amazing!

I'd love for some voice actors to return (Tahu, Pohatu, Lewa, and Jaller come to mind as really good, the voice for Takua (especially as Takanuva) just didn't do the character justice for me).

It's also nice to note that, some of these actors aren't far off from Lego's contacts as plenty of them are doing work for Ninjago.

Onua's voice needs to be low and rumbling (Kevin Michael Richardson, perhaps?)...Steve Blum as Kopaka...

So much yes!

[Lord-Vorahk]

I'd kinda like Jaller to have a bit more authority. Takua... I dunno. But I hope any character he has is more like MNOG than the movie.

Blue new Pakari, please.

[Timeline15]

I'm still holding out hope that this is a continuation, so he'll just be Takanuva from the start. I was never that fond of his MoL voice.

I do still want as many recolours of these new kanohi as possible though. Come on Lego, just bring back mask packs please!

[Jakura Nuva]

I'd kinda like Jaller to have a bit more authority. Takua... I dunno. But I hope any character he has is more like MNOG than the movie.

Blue new Pakari, please.

I agree with you about Jaller. He always seemed to be a bit more of an authorative character in MNOG, and I didn't like the way they portrayed him in MoL.

Anyone have any ideas for Tahu's voice?

[ToaofPlasma]

I'm still holding out hope that this is a continuation, so he'll just be Takanuva from the start. I was never that fond of his MoL voice.

I do still want as many recolours of these new kanohi as possible though. Come on Lego, just bring back mask packs please!

I never got a chance to get a mask pack, they sound awesome though!

I have a question though, will the masks still resemble the old ones? Looking at the picture the masks look kinda weird :S

[Aanchir]

I personally really liked Jaller's portrayal in Mask of Light. He was the responsible, authoritative foil to Takua's aimlessness and meddling. Furthermore, I can easily picture many of his lines in the Mata Nui Online Game spoken with his voice from the movie. He wasn't just a leader — he was a leader in over his head, dealing with problems no Matoran should have to deal with. Members of his Guard were disappearing in Ko-Wahi, communications with many of the other villages had been lost, and Rahi activity was increasing.

The only major difference I see in his dialogue from the Mata Nui online game is he speaks in more of a flowery, old-timey sort of language (never using contractions, for example). Trying to picture him speaking in such a uptight manner in a movie or TV series just feels weird and wrong to me, no matter what kind of voice you might give him. You wouldn't even expect a real-life military officer to talk like that in this day and age.

And that's another thing that deserves mention. Just because the Matoran were characterized a certain way in the Mata Nui Online Game doesn't mean that the characterization in question is necessarily a good fit for them. In my opinion, Jaller from BIONICLE: Mask of Light feels like a much more nuanced and relatable character than the stuffy Jaller in the Mata Nui Online Game.

Edited September 10, 2014 by Aanchir

[Zenerius]

Collectable masks. 'nuff said

[SirPuddings]

If they make a Bionicle game, everyone is voiced by Nolan North, even Gali.

[Sir Kohran]

Furthermore, I can easily picture many of his lines in the Mata Nui Online Game spoken with his voice from the movie.

Can you picture "It warms me that you have chosen to accept our trust. Vakama will be pleased" and "It is imperative that the villages build fortification and prepare for a final defense" being spoken with the voice of "Kohlii head! You could've been lava bones!"?

Trying to picture him speaking in such a uptight manner in a movie or TV series just feels weird and wrong to me, no matter what kind of voice you might give him. You wouldn't even expect a real-life military officer to talk like that in this day and age.

I think it's fair to say many of the MNOLG's characters speak in a more formal, archaic tone than most characters in the movies and books. Could you not imagine his dialogue coming from a man of Gondor or an elf in The Lord of the Rings?

In my opinion, Jaller from BIONICLE: Mask of Light feels like a much more nuanced and relatable character than the stuffy Jaller in the Mata Nui Online Game.

In the MNOLG you're playing as a meandering outcast, whereas Jala is a hardworking figure of authority, so it makes some sense that he isn't particularly relatable.

[tonif430]

Hype,hype!!!