LEGO has released a few more details about the upcoming movie "BIONICLE: The Mask of Light" set for release in September 2003. There's a bit more information about the movie, and some spoilers about the Bohrok and Makuta.

From a LEGO Press Release:

"BIONICLE: The Mask of Light will be set on the islands of Mata Nui, and will feature the favorite BIONICLE characters and several all-new ones. Having defeated the Bohrok and Makuta - or so they believe - the Toa are taken by surprise when Makuta launches a new and even greater evil force against them. Now the three young islanders must use the Mask of Light to end Makuta's domination."

This also implies the ultimate fate of the Bohrok (as if there was any doubt), and the rise of Makuta once again, as has been foreshadowed.

Notice the word "islands" is plural, which may be a simple typo, or may indicate an expansion of the Bionicle mythology.

There is no information about LEGO producing a collectible Kanohi "Mask of Light," but given the current popularity of Kanohi and Krana collecting, there will almost certainly be at least one (and probably multiple) promotional tie-ins for the movie. Marketing-savvy LEGO would be remiss indeed by not releasing this particular mask.

We received the following press release from Creative Capers today:

LEGO Media, the entertainment division of the celebrated LEGO Company, entered another groundbreaking phase today in the evolution of the LEGO Company�s powerful BIONICLE brand: The division announced the selection of leading animation studio Creative Capers Entertainment to produce BIONICLE: The Mask of Light, a 70-minute, CGI-animated direct-to-video feature scheduled to debut in September 2003. The project represents LEGO Media�s first production based on original characters and storylines created within the LEGO Company.

Led by industry leaders Sue Shakespeare, Terry Shakespeare and David Molina, Creative Capers plans to draw upon its many talents and resources in using state-of-the-art, CGI animation to bring the BIONICLE epic into the realm of filmed entertainment for its millions of fans around the world. Among the studio�s impressive credits are Michael Bedards� Sitting Ducks for Universal TV, Walt Disney�s The Tigger Movie, 20th Century Fox�s The Pagemaster, and the company�s original children�s series, Nightmare Ned, for Walt Disney Television, which debuted on ABC in 1997 and spawned an award-winning CD-ROM game.

The BIONICLE brand began as an epic-adventure that children first embraced through a wide variety of interconnecting media, including the BIONICLE website, software, comic books, trading cards, and more than 25 other kid-magnet media platforms. Clues, characters and adventures revealed in one platform enhanced the experience on another platform.

In general, each story follows six legendary heroes, called the Toa, who come from the island of Mata Nui and must find the great Masks of Power in order to save their people from an evil ruler. Multilayered and complex, BIONICLE takes its inspiration from the folklore of many exotic cultures, from the South Pacific to North America, from Europe to the Far East.

�In only one year�s time, BIONICLE has come to attract more than 600,000 unique visitors a month, mainly seven to 12-year-olds, to its website alone,� says Conny Kalcher, global vice president of children�s programming for LEGO Media. �Last Spring, more than 1.8 million kids enjoyed reading about the Toa in a special-edition comic book distributed in our LEGO magazine. And between August and December of 2001, our toys outsold every other action figure on the market. All this indicates a huge demand for the concept -- and BIONICLE fans tell us they are particularly eager to see the characters �alive� on screen. We�re pleased to have Creative Capers help us realize this vision.�

�BIONICLE is a fascinating project,� says Sue Shakespeare. �For starters, you�ve got biomechanical creatures living in a very primitive island setting � that�s an interesting dichotomy in itself. Add to this a rich mixture of languages, myths and magic brought to life through the hot contemporary animation style of �anime-manga� and you�ve got a wonderfully unusual combination. This is an exciting challenge for us, but one we�re ready for. We�re very much looking forward to meeting BIONICLE fans� expectations!�

BIONICLE: The Mask of Light is set in the time before time on the islands of Mata Nui, which was previously protected by a great spirit of the same name, but is now crumbling into the ocean. Mata Nui�s jealous sibling, Makuta, has placed his brother into a deep sleep and is responsible for the island�s demise. With the help of the Toa, three young islanders must use the Mask of Light to end Makuta�s dominance. Henry Gilroy, (House of Mouse) and Greg Weisman (Max Steel) are currently writing the script. Voice recording is scheduled to begin in May.

�The DTV provides one possible thrilling conclusion to the first three years of the BIONICLE legend,� says Bob Thompson, Head of Character and Story Development, TV and Film for LEGO Media. �Viewers will be entertained and delighted by the outcome of this particular story, and of course we expect that, as with all BIONICLE episodes, kids will be so intrigued that they�ll soon be seeking out even more clues about the characters and their lives. The saga continues...!�

LEGO Media is a division of the LEGO Company, a privately held firm based in Billund, Denmark. The LEGO Company is committed to the development of children�s creative and imaginative abilities, and its employees are guided by the motto adopted in the 1930s by founder Ole Kirk Christiansen: �Only the best is good enough.� For more information, visit www.LEGO.com .

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