LEGO Pirates (found unaired pilot of cancelled "LEGO Island" animated TV series; 1997-1998)

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Pilotscreenshot.PNG

Screenshot of main characters in the pilot.

Status: Found

Lego Island is a video game created by The Lego Group and Mindscape released in 1997. Although the game is very well known amongst the Lego community, there was a pilot for a TV show.

Some time either before or after the release of the Lego Island game, Creative Director Wes Jenkins and studio Delaplane Creative (formerly Flying Rhino) put together an animated pilot and pitched it to Lego. Lego denied it and it somehow ended up being pitched to BBC. The project was accepted but never came through as at the time in the UK, a TV show could not be based on toys because it was considered a stealthy advertising ploy.

The pilot was first brought to light when mentioned on Wes' website. However, the mention is no longer on the site. No footage or pictures have surfaced of the pilot.

The Plot

According to an interview with Wes, "The pilot was about the pirate Captain Click who takes all of the LEGO bricks that people leave out when they go to sleep. The pirates take them to the Island, off Ogel, and build weird stuff and the battle begins…"

The plot is not the same as the video game; however, it may take place on the same island.

Location of Pilot

Wes Jenkins has stated in an email (originally posted on RockRaiderUnited.com; that page is now defunct; however, the email can be found on Imgur) that he had a DVD with some footage lying around somewhere. There is a possibility the whole pilot could be on there; however, he has not confirmed such. Sadly, Wes Jenkins passed away on September 24th, 2017. The location of his DVD is unknown.

Finding of the Pilot

On September 30th, 2018, YouTube user Lorin Tone uploaded the pilot under the name "LEGO Island 1 Ad." In the comment section he states: "For the folks who know the game, here's the nerd stuff. We did this video in 3/4" Sony UMatic. Then I had to take it home and mix the music and sound effects. The timecode lock didn't work in my early version of Cakewalk, so I had to match it up second by second in real time. Major pain in the buttocks. But it got done, gosh darn it." He also mentions that the pilot was only shown off once, during E3's Computer Games conference in LA. Credits for the pilot include the following:

Production Company - Flying Rhino Productions

Sound Effects - The Lorin Swelk Orchestra

Voice Talent - Lego Island 1 cast, Wes Jenkins and Kyle Bogertman as Mom and Dad

Gallery

The pilot in it's entirety.

References