LEGO Pirates (found unaired pilot of cancelled "LEGO Island" animated TV series; 1997-1998)
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 sadly 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 off of 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.
Leads to find the Pilot
Wes Jenkins has stated in an email (originally posted on RockRaiderUnited.com, page 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. However, Wes Jenkins passed away on 9/24/17. The possibility of where his possessions (specifically the footage he has) will end up is unknown.
References
- ↑ Imgur post with original email from RockRaidersUnited.com Retrieved 17 Aug '17
- ↑ Page containing interview with Wes Retrieved 17 Aug '17