Action and Adventure Themes Discussion

[legoturtle]

What is adventure theme in 2023?

Are new Indiana Jones sets? Or what about LEGO CITY who combined (Deep Sea Explorers) and (Arctic) together as EXPLORATION subtheme. Dreamzzz in my opinion is not adventure theme, it is just a dream for babies. Child imagination is in different level. Why didn't they ask from kids to write down their real dreams. Then make a theme from them.

I think lego could make a new under water theme. It could be even in different planet which humans have discovered. A Planet 90 % of water. Caves under sea. Animals, plants, rocks... a little bit of sci-fi like in this new SUBTHEME which is everywhere in 2024. Adventure themes should not die. It is the CORE of LEGO.

[Murdoch17]

1 hour ago, legoturtle said:

What is adventure theme in 2023?

Are new Indiana Jones sets? Or what about LEGO CITY who combined (Deep Sea Explorers) and (Arctic) together as EXPLORATION subtheme. Dreamzzz in my opinion is not adventure theme, it is just a dream for babies. Child imagination is in different level. Why didn't they ask from kids to write down their real dreams. Then make a theme from them.

I think lego could make a new under water theme. It could be even in different planet which humans have discovered. A Planet 90 % of water. Caves under sea. Animals, plants, rocks... a little bit of sci-fi like in this new SUBTHEME which is everywhere in 2024. Adventure themes should not die. It is the CORE of LEGO.

@legoturtle Like it or not, Dreamzzz is an Action and Adventure theme and is current. Logically then, Adventure themes made by LEGO are not dead or dying. Dreamzzz very much resonates with the core theme of LEGO, which is imagination. (Why else would their one-time slogan have been "Just Imagine..." if this was not the case?) And, just because you think a theme is viable, doesn't mean it will sell to their market, which is still mostly children. Example: In the book "The Secret Life of LEGO Bricks", it is clearly stated they've been playtesting a great many steampunk themes / sets for over thirty years, and kids don't seem to understand it - which means it isn't produced for sale. As for your underwater idea, if there was money in it being an independent theme, Lego would sell it. As it is, City has a handle on underwater themes.

Also, core theme? Town is the founding core, followed by trains, space, castle, and pirates with Technic thrown in someplace. Action / Adventure themes with clear cut stories and bad guys /good guys - like Adventurers - come in much, MUCH later. (I don't count the Aquazone themes as Action / Adventure, as they were originally SeaTron from space and were pitched in the mid-late '80's before being spun off.)  Nowadays, of those themes only Town / Trains (merged together around 2006), and Technic are still going strong. Ninjago and Friends are the newcomers, with both having themed subthemes that take the spot of the old themes like Pharaohs Quest, Atlantis, or Exo-Force. (Ninjago having the lions share of these) Pirates, Castle, Space and Trains just can't support themselves on their own anymore - as evidenced by the cross-theme SPACE branding for 2024.

[Yperio_Bricks]

On that note, the sub headline features many themes already but Dreamzzz and Hidden Side are missing. Should they be added to the sub headline?

[Classic_Spaceman]

3 hours ago, legoturtle said:

Dreamzzz in my opinion is not adventure theme, it is just a dream for babies.

You seem to forget that Ninjago also seemed weird when it first released; we have just gotten used to it over the past 13 years. 
 

2 hours ago, Yperio_Bricks said:

On that note, the sub headline features many themes already but Dreamzzz and Hidden Side are missing. Should they be added to the sub headline?

Yes, IMO, along with Ultra Agents. 
 

[Oky]

4 hours ago, legoturtle said:

What is adventure theme in 2023? Are new Indiana Jones sets? Or what about LEGO CITY

There are said to be no more Indy sets next year and there is no other adventure theme rumored AFAIK. As you mentioned, LEGO is focusing on space subthemes next year. Maybe after that we might get a new adventure (sub)theme if Indy still doesn’t continue. 

 

4 hours ago, legoturtle said:

Why didn't they ask from kids to write down their real dreams. Then make a theme from them.

How do you know that’s not what they did? What makes it “a dream for babies”? Like Murdoch said, it’s an action theme wether you like it or not, and a very creative one at that  

 

4 hours ago, legoturtle said:

I think lego could make a new under water theme. It could be even in different planet which humans have discovered. A Planet 90 % of water. Caves under sea. Animals, plants, rocks... a little bit of sci-fi

So basically Aquazone? :D Yes, I’d love an Aquazone reboot. 

[Classic_Spaceman]

6 minutes ago, Oky said:

Maybe after that we might get a new adventure (sub)theme if Indy still doesn’t continue. 

I feel like an Adventurers Icons set is likely in the near future (just speculation; I have no information). 
 

[Lion King]

DeamZzz is basically mix of fantasy and adventure. Same for Hidden side as a mix of supernatural and adventure.

anyways, I think Monkie Kid theme might be done when they have one more season to release?

if Indy Jones theme is dead by end of 2024, Johnny Thunder, anyone?

[karrit]

I had high hopes for Dreamzzz when they first announced it but in reality I really don't care for most of the sets.   I've never really been interested in Ninjago, Nexo Knights or Chima.  Hidden Side had some really interesting sets but the AR aspect was a total miss and the color wheels to activate it were an eyesore.  I hope they revisit the Adventurers theme at some point because I'm more interested in that type of Action & Adventure in my LEGO.  And all the Mechs are a big no buy for me.

[legoturtle]

Thank you all for explaining things.

I really hope that we get something else than Ninjago and Dreamzzz... Indiana Jones is adventure BUT last 2 movies haven't revive that franchise. LEGO's own themes are always interesting even if I don't like some of them. Most licensed themes are a bit boring because there are NO surprises. For example it is interesting to see a new "Death Star" BUT then again we now what is Death Star ... and how it looks and so on.

Adventure lives strong in LEGO CITY sub themes ... that's why I would like to see a OWN topic, exploration. Maybe this whole FORUM should be reorganised.

[Peppermint_M]

Hi

I am the curator of this forum. I was asked to take on staff duties when a zany new theme was coming, one that didn't fit the forum structure. Ninjago was not historical, it was not SciFi but it also wasn't close enough to real world. 

After a lot of staff discussion, Action Themes was the title decided for the new sub forum. It also meant that lots of older themes that did not quite fit the other sub forums could have a suitable home.

Here is a handy guide. Maybe I will update it someday.

Eurobricks invented the category, it's not official, it had no endorsement from anywhere else. I have explained and presented this sub forum to other fan groups and TLG staff alike. Quite successfully actually 

When Elves was launched and was rejected by Historic Themes , we added Adventure to the forum name. 

Truly, Action and Adventure themes are the embodiment of the LEGO creative spirit. Dreamzzz is the latest creative story for fans to enjoy.

So nah, things are looking pretty great.

[legoturtle]

Is it possible that some day we get some of the licensed themes under these MAIN topics. I would like to see Indiana Jones here and Disney/Lightyear in space/sci-fi -section. Reason is that we could get all the adventure/action fans in same place. 

(Thank you for the excellent forum)

[Peppermint_M]

Ah man, yeah. I have been discussing this with the other staff. 

[Yperio_Bricks]

17 hours ago, karrit said:

Hidden Side had some really interesting sets but the AR aspect was a total miss and the color wheels to activate it were an eyesore. 

Hidden Side was a great theme. Especially the first two waves of sets. The characters were great too. Parker is still one of my favorite unlicensed Lego characters! Her dual molded beanie/hair piece looks fantastic.

Though the box art was confusing and the app was unnecessary.

 

[Oky]

24 minutes ago, Peppermint_M said:

Ah man, yeah. I have been discussing this with the other staff. 

Personally, I would keep licenses and action/adventure themes separate. Not only because in-house themes should have their own home, but also because there’s already too much going on in the licensed themes forum. The yearly discussion threads take up a quarter of the first page as it is because of how many licenses there are nowadays!

[legoturtle]

That is a good point. How ever is Dreamzzz currently the only action/adventure theme available from stores? 

[Oky]

6 minutes ago, legoturtle said:

That is a good point. How ever is Dreamzzz currently the only action/adventure theme available from stores? 

No. You forgot about the biggest ones: Ninjago and Monkie Kid.  Although Monkie Kid is a bit hard to find in physical stores. 

[legoturtle]

I think those themes are for kids... Indiana Jones is also for adults. AND of course I hope underwater theme like Aquazone.

[Oky]

15 minutes ago, legoturtle said:

I think those themes are for kids... Indiana Jones is also for adults. 

News flash: All LEGO themes are for kids and adults (except Icons).  If you go to the Ninjago and MK discussion threads you’ll see plenty of adults appreciating them. You may not like them, but that doesn’t mean others don’t. 

[legoturtle]

I hope to see end of Ninjago and Dreamzzz. BUT about Icons, I have all these 90th-anniversary set... Lion Knight's Castle, Galaxy Explorer, Forrest Hideout and Blacktron Cruiser. They are all also play sets and display sets.

Anyway as long we have Ninjago and Dreamzzz we don't get COOL things like Aquazone, Ultra Agents or for example Pharaoh Quest ... and then we look up things like Indiana Jones BUT there is only 3 new sets. Not even that temple :/

[Classic_Spaceman]

2 minutes ago, legoturtle said:

I hope to see end of Ninjago and Dreamzzz.

Ninjago is not ending for a while, based on what we know about the plans for the Dragons Rising series. 
 

[legoturtle]

Well, at least it is LEGO's own theme. That gives us hope to get themes from lego and not just licensed themes.

[Lion King]

7 hours ago, legoturtle said:

I hope to see end of Ninjago and Dreamzzz. 

It’s quite an unplesant opinion you have there. Ninjago is super duper popular among the youths. And DreamZzz is very new since its launch in August this year. Clearly you are obsessed. With no agai stuff and I get it. But there are bunch of cool new parts that could be useful for MOCs, such as sword, crown, cape,etc.

With your opinion, begone…

[legoturtle]

Well it depends where TLG puts its most effort, money, marketing... I would love to see animations about Aquazone type of things... or for example something mysterious in Egypt and so on...

[Black Falcon]

I don´t see Ninjago ending anytime soon. Dreamzzz. Well not sure how long Lego intends to keep it around, I mean back in the day themes were designed to stay around for two years and get replace by another. I kinda feel like with TV shows and such it is designed to be around longer though.

[TeriXeri]

12 hours ago, legoturtle said:

Well it depends where TLG puts its most effort, money, marketing... I would love to see animations about Aquazone type of things... or for example something mysterious in Egypt and so on...

I can see LEGO doing something like the 2024 City space wave but underwater, in the future, just not right now with 2023 City  (arctic) Divers and Avatar Way of Water, and also a big underwater-palace set with atlantis-like humanoid crabs in a Monkie Kid set.

Of course City 2015, 2020, or 2023 are not direct replacements of aquazone (rather more inspired by 1996 Divers, especially 2015 and 2020), it lacks the 90s space look, but with 2024 City space going to futuristic designs, I don't rule out that could happen with an underwater setting at some point, I mean, City , and even Friends got aliens, that means they can do some fictional underwater theme as well.

What I don't expect from City , is Aquazone in the way of conflict between Nauts and Sharks however, but the explorer part of a single faction could certainly happen, same with the explorer part of Rock Raiders, just minus the monsters.

For actual remakes, Icons might be the place, but the complex nature of such themes with many transparent pieces of retired shapes , it'd probably be re-imagined sets rather then straight up remakes.

Edited December 10, 2023 by TeriXeri