Director: Peter Hausner
Distributor: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
Duration: 45 minutes
Ninjago – Masters of Spinjitzu: Day of the Departed (DVD) – Movie Review
Over the years, we’ve had quite a few of the LEGO Ninjago seasons pass the revue on our site. It’s always been fun to review these titles, and thus we were quite pleased to see that we once again had the chance to review something from the franchise. This time, the Ninja will have to face an even bigger challenge than what they’ve ever seen before. Only as a team, they will have a chance to make it through.
Tonight, everybody in the whole of Ninjago is celebrating the Day of the Departed. It’s a day where they light lanterns to remember their ancestors and settle their debts, and there is a lot of candy for the kids as well. The Ninja celebrate this day too, just like the rest of Ninjago, but before they go to their families to remember those they have lost, they meet at the Ninjago museum. There, doctor Sander Saunders (Michael Daingerfield) is very pleased to show them around the new exhibition he is preparing: the Hall of Villainy. There, nearly every villain the Ninja have ever faced, is put on display.
While everybody is really interested in what Dr. Saunders has to say, they don’t realize that they are leaving Cole (Kirby Morrow) behind. Since he turned into a ghost, it has been getting harder and harder for the others to actually see him, as he is slowly but surely fading. Now that he sees Yang (Michael Donovan), the creature that turned him into a ghost, right in front of him here at the museum, be it only a statue, Cole can’t control his emotions, and when he hears Yang’s voice calling him, he goes after him. Cole is convinced that this is his time to finally deal with Yang, fighting him with the Yin Blade he stole at the museum. Unfortunately, it was all a trick from Yang, and without knowing it, Cole unleashes dark magic, because of the interaction of the Blade with the lunar eclipse that is happening at that same moment. The dark magic awakens every villain at the museum, and they are all out for revenge…
The idea behind this story is simple, but nice. As we’ve already seen how Nya (Kelly Metzger), Kai (Vincent Tong), Jay (Michael Adamthwaite), Cole, Zane (Brent Miller) and Lloyd (Jillian Michaels) save Ninjago from quite a lot of villains, it was definitely a fun idea to put all villains together this time, as it definitely proves to be a challenge for the young Ninja. The development of the story might be a bit simple, but it doesn’t really bother, even as an adult, as the action sequences and silly, yet funny jokes keep the whole quite fresh and exciting. The film could easily have lasted longer though, which would have benefited the storyline a lot. The animations in this film look fresh and smooth, making it a joy to watch.
When it comes to the voice acting, nothing much has changed, as the characters are all voices by the actors who also voiced the series itself. This means you’re in for a fun experience where everything sounds familiar, and actually, just right.
A downside to this release is that it comes with no extras at all. As the film itself is only forty-five minutes long, it would have been nice to prolong our Ninjago experience just a little bit. A summary of where the story of the last couple of seasons is at would have been fun, or even just a trailer would not have felt out of place.
Conclusion
Day of the Departed is quite a nice addition to the LEGO Ninjago franchise, as it involves a whole lot of villains in just a short period of time. It’s too bad though that it only lasts so short, as it feels more like a long episode, rather than a proper film. While the story certainly isn’t bad, it would have benefited from a longer duration. The voice acting is on point, just like it was in the series, so overall, you, and certainly your children, won’t be disappointed by this new adventure.
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