Bionicle: The Legend Reborn

Summary

Bionicle: The Legend Reborn is a 2009 animated science fantasy action film based on the Bionicle toy line by Lego. It is the fourth and final Bionicle film to be released. Distributed by Universal Studios Home Entertainment, the film is a stand-alone sequel to the trilogy of films released by Buena Vista Home Entertainment under the Miramax Home Entertainment label. It follows the toy line's 2009 story and features a different set of characters than that of the first three films. The Legend Reborn was released on September 15, 2009, in the United States and Canada, October 5 in the United Kingdom, and September 2 in Australia. The film stars Michael Dorn as the voice of Mata Nui.

Bionicle: The Legend Reborn
Directed byMark Baldo
Written bySean Catherine Derek
Story byGreg Farshtey
Produced byKristy Scanlan
Joshua Wexler
StarringMichael Dorn
Jim Cummings
Marla Sokoloff
David Leisure
Mark Famiglietti
James Arnold Taylor
Armin Shimerman
Fred Tatasciore
Edited byAeolyn Kelley
Music byCory Lerios & John D'Andrea
Production
companies
Distributed byUniversal Studios Home Entertainment
Release date
  • September 15, 2009 (2009-09-15)
Running time
71 minutes
CountriesDenmark
United States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$4,883[1]

The Legend Reborn was intended to be the start of a trilogy of films, but production on the sequels was cancelled due to Lego discontinuing the release of Bionicle toys in 2010. The story was concluded through other media outlets, including comic books and a web story titled the "Mata Nui Saga".

Plot edit

Mata Nui, the Great Spirit of the Matoran universe, is exiled from his home by his brother, Makuta Teridax. Teridax takes over Mata Nui's gigantic robot body, while Mata Nui's spirit is transferred into the Mask of Life, which crash lands on the wasteland planet of Bara Magna. Mata Nui creates a new body and befriends a Scarabax beetle named Click. He meets a villager named Metus, who warns him of dangerous tribes.

Metus takes Mata Nui to the village of Vulcanus, where gladiatorial fights settle disputes between villages. Mata Nui intervenes in a fight and befriends the Glatorian fighter Ackar. Later, Mata Nui, Ackar, and a Glatorian named Kiina are ambushed by enemies. They rescue an injured Glatorian and discover evidence of Mata Nui's connection to Bara Magna.

Mata Nui repairs and transforms the Glatorians' weapons using his mask's power. They travel to Tesara and unite the villages against the Skrall-Bone Hunter alliance. Kiina suspects Berix of betrayal but is captured by the real traitor, Metus. Mata Nui confronts Tuma, defeats him, and frees Kiina and Berix. They join forces with Ackar and Gresh to battle the Skrall and Bone Hunters.

The combined efforts of the Agori, Glatorians, and Scarabax beetles unite the villages and form a large robotic body. Mata Nui discovers a map on a coin and prepares for their next adventure.

Cast edit

Production edit

Unlike the first three films, The Legend Reborn was produced by Threshold Animation Studios and distributed by Universal Studios Home Entertainment, while the original trilogy was produced by Creative Capers Entertainment and distributed by Buena Vista Home Entertainment under the Miramax Home Entertainment label.

After reading the script the director, Mark Baldo thought of casting Michael Dorn of Star Trek for the voice of Mata Nui.[2]

Click, Mata Nui's pet beetle, was intended to have a much smaller role the film: as written in the script, after the Mask of Life turns Click into an inanimate shield, he was intended to remain as such for the remainder of the film, presumably acting as a prop rather than a character. Mark Baldo proposed the idea that Click could turn back into a beetle at will, serving as a companion for Mata Nui. Greg Farshtey ultimately approved the idea, on account of finding it cute.

The film was to be the beginning of a new Bionicle trilogy, and the writers were working on a draft for a sequel, but the Lego company cancelled the toyline and, hence, the films, forcing the storyline to be concluded via other forms of media.

Music edit

There are two licensed songs used in the ending credits of the film:

References edit

  1. ^ "Bionicle: The Legend Reborn (2009)". Box Office Mojo.
  2. ^ Interview with creators

External links edit

  • Official website
  • Bionicle: The Legend Reborn at IMDb