Distributor: Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
Episodes: 21
Duration: 21 min (per episode)
LEGO: Legends of Chima: Season 2 (DVD) – Series Review
LEGO has already proven that it embraces far more than just the good old plastic bricks we all spent hours playing with in our childhood. Today it involves far more than that, including the Legend of Chima series. The second season of Legend of Chima proves to be another great way to keep your offspring busy for a while, although you might just want to sit next to them and secretly enjoy it yourself.
In the magical world of Chima, all tribes live together again peacefully, but great danger is lurking. The waterfalls of Mount Cavora, that supply Chima with Chi power, have stopped flowing. Hostile tribes have invaded Mount Cavora to steal all the Chi. The land of Chima becomes arid, and life gets difficult. Something needs to be done soon. The only way to get the waterfalls flowing again, is for the Legend Beasts to go back to Mount Cavora. Sadly these Legend Beasts have been caught by the scorpions, spiders and bats, and sent to the Outlands. Laval (Scott Shantz) and the other leaders of the eight main battling tribes have no choice but to go save them, but that is not without any danger. Luckily they are great fighters, and with Skinnet (Scott Shantz) the skunk’s ‘canned stink’ and the unexpected help of Lavertus (Bill Courage), a lion who has been banned from Chima for years, they eventually defeat the enemy en bring home the Legend Beasts safely. The water starts running again, and all seems fine again.
Little did our heroes know that in a chasm in the outlands, there are ancient tribes of Mammoths, Vultures and Saber Tooth Tigers, who are being awakened by the force of a Chi ball. These Hunter Tribes have been trapped in the ice for thousands of years. Before they were encased in their icy prison, they tried to take over Chima, but were defeated by the Phoenix, the secret guardians of the powerful fire of Chi. Even with their second chance at life, they have no change of heart and try to take over Chima once again. The beautiful land, that has only just revived after the waterfalls started flowing again, will soon be covered with ice by the Hunter Tribes and their leader Sir Fangar (Chris Durchand). All animals will have to work together to stop them from covering Chima entirely in ice. Luckily, they team up with the Phoenix, granting them a chance to stop Sir Fangar with the fire Chi. Beyond all expectations the Hunter Tribes occupy more and more of Chima. How will this end?
The tribes of Chima, who managed to create peaceful lives for themselves, are once again forced to take up arms. This time though, they don’t battle each other, but a mutual enemy. In each episode, there is a lot of action going on, although it is always ‘friendly’ fighting. Sure they hurt each other, but (almost?) nobody really dies. The great thing about this series is not the fighting, even though there is quite a lot of it, but the friendship and cooperation between the tribes of Chima. They all have to work together in order to try and keep the waterfalls from being frozen, as that would be the end of Chima.
When they are not fighting, the tale allows for some love stories to develop. Also many funny remarks an typical animal habits make the story more airy and cheerful. Maybe the Rhinos are one of the most funny tribes, as they are usually very stupid and say incredibly silly things. But when these dim witted animals are approached by their Legend Beast, their pea sized brain is fully utilized, making them the geniuses of the alliance. They start talking in a British accent and use such difficult words that the rest just doesn’t understand them anymore.
Season one of Legends of Chima ended with quite the mystery, with many questions unanswered. Most of these questions do get answered in season two, the mystery around Shadow Wind probably being one of the first ones to be solved. To keep things interesting, drawings are often used when a story of the past is being told by one of the characters. These drawings look very arty and make the series look even more appealing.
As far as voice acting goes, the English speaking cast did a superb job. It’s also fun to hear that the crocodiles, for example, sound a bit hoarse, whereas the rhinos sound a bit simple, and Gorzan the gorilla (Michael Patric) sounds as if he is constantly stoned. Also the Dutch voice acting is outstanding, with the same characteristics going on in the animal’s voices. The music in the series is quite nice and adds a great deal to the overall feel.
Conclusion
LEGO: Legends of Chima: season 2 is a nice series about friendship, adventure and betrayal. The story is not too simple, with lots of action going on all the time, making it interesting for all ages to watch. Of course it’s fun to see the little fellows you always played with come to life, in different shapes and colors, flying around and racing each other, or fighting together for the right cause.
LEGO: Legends of Chima: Season 2 (DVD) - Series Review,
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