Disney XD’s New LEGO Freemaker Adventures takes LEGOs Out Of The Box

 

My kids are “out of the box” thinkers. If they get a box of the latest LEGO set, they immediately throw the instructions aside and start getting creative. Because LEGO is kind of a big deal in our house, I have already been hearing from my son all about the excitement surrounding the new Disney XD show, “LEGO Freemaker Adventure”. However, after a sneak preview, and sitting down for a Q&A with the show’s two producers, Bill Motz and Bob Roth, I am even more convinced that it is sure to be one of my son’s new favorites. I also got to chat with the voice of the star of the show, Nicolas Cantu, and he was absolutely adorable, and full of positive energy!

This show, set in the time period between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, follows The Freemakers, a family of scavengers who use creativity to create, build and sell starships that they have made using junk pieces that they find throughout the galaxy. 

 

Bill and Bob were first approached about working on the show “LEGO Freemaker Adventures” by an undisclosed person at a Comic Con event. Bill says “he whispered to us … ‘hey, you know, explore this idea of like a new Lego Star Wars show and some humor and that kind of thing’.” Bob recalls “And that’s all we had.”

 

They shared how after the event they walked 3 blocks for dinner, sat down at the table and Bill immediately knew what the premise for the show should be. 

 

He says, “There’s been so many battles in Star Wars over the clone wars… There’s so much busted junk, right… I mean it fits, so the idea that you’re going to take this piece here and slap it together and make a new thing.” 

 

Bob agreed with the idea and “LEGO Freemaker Adventures” was born over dinner and whispered idea at Comic Con. 

 

Bob Roth says that being the idea of being a Freemaker is similar to what he sees at home, playing with LEGO pieces with his own kids. 

 

He says “My sons, I see them play with the tie fighter and eventually you know the tie fighter gets smashed… But the beauty of Lego is that’s not a ruined toy at that point, it’s just the beginning now.”

 

Bob continues, “He takes those tie fighter wings and slaps it on [something else] and he’s got a brand-new toy. And he’s thrilled and I’m thrilled. And you know, that’s the beauty of Lego and it seems to fit perfectly with Star Wars for that inspiration.”

 

 

Bill also found inspiration from playing with LEGO pieces with his own family. He says he was inspired by, “Pouring out the blocks and creating your own thing. No offense to people who glue their bricks, but that to me is not the point. And for me it was like playing with my family, right? It was something that my mom and dad did with me. Building these bricks is something I had done with my kids. So for me, we invented this out of that play together.”

 

The first episode of LEGO Freemaker Adventures airs on Disney XD on June 20th. It marries three huge giants (Star Wars, LEGO, and Disney), so Bill and Bob have both been honored to be a part of it all the way into the final phases of production. Having previewed the first episode, I can tell you that it has a huge cliff-hanger, so your kids are going to want to watch from the beginning. It also has some great themes, such as thinking outside the box, embracing creativity and being an individual. 

 

Bill says that something he also wants kids to take from the show, “You can face things that you think are overwhelming, things about yourself, about your circumstance and you can get through it. And you can be a hero even to yourself and you can just get through it.”

 

He continues, “So we feel like we want to just sort of empower kids and families to say you know life is hard but you can face it and get through it.” 

 

 

LEGO Freemaker Adventures airs on Disney XD on June 20th and you can look for the LEGO Freemaker building sets in stores now.