The LEGO Group unveils host of new products at LEGO CON

The LEGO Group has launched its 90th anniversary summer celebrations with the virtual and free to attend LEGO CON. Designed specifically for brick-loving families, the two-hour live show, hosted by Vick Hope, Joel McHale and Melvin Odoom, gave LEGO fans a sneak peak into a new range of exciting products, including a host of sets celebrating the world’s biggest movie, sport and gaming franchises.

Among the new products revealed, fans were treated to an exclusive look at the brand-new LEGO Avatar product range celebrating the overall franchise to-date in advance of Avatar: The Way of Water premiering this December. The newly revealed set features the LEGO Avatar Toruk Makto & Tree of Souls that lets fans recreate the moment from the first film when Jake, as Toruk Makto, rallies the Omatikaya Clan to defend not only one of their most sacred sites, the Tree of Souls, but all of Pandora.

Another big reveal saw viewers given an exclusive first look at new LEGO Star Wars sets. LEGO Star Wars The Justifier and LEGO Star Wars AT-TE Walker will offer fans the chance to recreate the epic Star Wars: The Bad Batch stories with the incredible model of bounty hunter Cad Bane’s starship, The Justifier, or power into battle against the Separatist Droid Army with the AT-TE.

Fans of LEGO Marvel, meanwhile, were treated to a first look at a new Doctor Strange set showcasing the Sanctum Sanctorum as featured in a number of films, giving them a chance to open up their very own multiverses. LEGO Minecraft builders were spoilt with two brand new sets to add to their collection: LEGO Minecraft The Abandoned Village and LEGO Minecraft The Skeleton Dungeon.

Lovers of LEGO Super Mario were given a glimpse at the brand-new Character Packs that will be introduced to the LEGO Super Mario universe, with fun characters including Nabbit, a Purple Toad, Hammer Bro, Waddlewing, Toady, Baby Yoshi, Red Yoshi and Blue Shy Guy joining the fun. They were also shown how new and existing characters alike can interact with the LEGO Mario, LEGO Luigi and LEGO Peach Starter Courses.

There was also a preview of a new sporty range of LEGO Brickheadz, allowing fans to become a FC Barcelona player in LEGO BrickHeadz form. Viewers were the first to be shown the very latest LEGO Minifigures collection that will be joining the LEGO range later this year.

To top the many product reveals and sessions, the jam-packed show was also full of opportunities for fans to immerse themselves in live building activities and conversations with experts from around the globe.

Event highlights included a creative masterclass from inside Pixar Animation Studios, given by the director of Disney and Pixar’s Lightyear, Angus MacLane. LEGO Harry Potter fans, meanwhile, were given the chance to see how movie sets are turned into LEGO sets through a magical building tour of the Warner Bros. Studios London – The making of Harry Potter, with Harry Potter film actress Evanna Lynch and LEGO designer Marcos Bessa giving audiences tips and magic tricks for building their very own creations along the way.

LEGO CON 2022 is now available to stream for free in full at www.LEGO.com/LEGOCON or on the LEGO YouTube channel  http://youtube.com/LEGO.

 

 

Cityneon brings Avatar experience to Gardens by the Bay, Singapore

An immersive walk-through event based on the global blockbuster film AVATAR, Avatar: The Experience will debut at Cloud Forest at Gardens by the Bay in Singapore later this year. The new attraction is a collaboration between Cityneon Holdings, Disney Location-Based Experiences, and James Cameron and Jon Landau’s Lightstorm Entertainment.

Ron Tan, Cityneon’s Executive Chairman and Group CEO, says: “It’s an honour to present Avatar: The Experience with the support of the Singapore Tourism Board and Gardens by the Bay. We are excited to contribute to the inspiring creative culture of Singapore. The iconic Cloud Forest at Gardens by the Bay, one of Asia’s most popular horticultural attractions, becomes the perfect scenic location. We look forward to welcoming guests to this carefully curated event.”

“The opening of Avatar: The Experience in Singapore is a unique opportunity to continue expanding the global reach and impact of AVATAR, the highest-grossing film of all time,” says Lightstorm Entertainment’s President of Franchise Development, Kathy Franklin. “As the first of our four AVATAR sequels comes to theatres this December, this is the perfect time – and the perfect place – to explore and celebrate the wonders of Pandora in an all-new way.”

Set at Cloud Forest with its iconic waterfalls, spiralling walkways and a unique architectural glass greenhouse, Avatar: The Experience invites guests to connect with the alien world of Pandora, its bioluminescent environments, mystical creatures, flora, and the captivating culture of its indigenous people, the Na’vi.

Additional details will be announced soon. Sign up to be the first to know by visiting www.AvatarTheExperience.com

Mulan, Star Wars and all four Avatar sequels delayed over Covid-19 pandemic

Disney has delayed the release of a trio of major films this year, citing the ‘global health crisis’ that has come out of the coronavirus pandemic. The live action re-make of Mulan – originally planned for a March release this year, but hoping to make an August launch – has now been postponed indefinitely.

“It’s become clear that nothing can be set in stone when it comes to how we release films during this global health crisis,” said a Disney representative. “Today that means pausing our release plans for Mulan as we assess how we can most effectively bring this film to audiences around the world.”

On top of this, the forthcoming Star Wars trilogy has been pushed back a year as a result of the uncertainty around the coronavirus outbreak. The first film in the new trio will now be release on December 22, 2023, instead of its original December 2022 date.

The first instalment of a four-part sequel to Avatar has also been pushed back to December 16, 2022. Avatar 3, 4, and 5 are due out on December 20, 2024, December 18, 2026, and December 22, 2028.

Avatar director, James Cameron released a statement regarding the set back, citing that delays were due to the pandemic. He revealed that “prior to COVID-19, everything was on track to bring you the first sequel in December 2021.

“Unfortunately, due to the impact that the pandemic has had on our schedule it is no longer possible for us to make that date.”

Cityneon picks up multi-year licensing rights for James Cameron’s Avatar touring exhibition

Victory Hill Exhibitions, a subsidiary of Cityneon Holdings, has picked up the multi-year licensing rights for a global touring exhibition based on James Cameron’s blockbuster film Avatar. Cityneon will work closely with Disney Location-Based Experiences and James Cameron and Jon Landau’s Lightstorm Entertainment on the venture.

With Avatar set to release the first of four sequels next year, Cityneon will look to curate an engaging experience for audiences to visit worldwide. The state-of-the-art touring exhibition will feature numerous interactive, multi-sensory segments where guests can explore the wonders of Pandora, the distant moon which is the setting for the films.

Ron Tan, executive chairman and chief executive officer of Cityneon, said: “We are honoured to work with Disney and Lightstorm Entertainment. All of us share the same vision of bringing these experiences alive with artistry and inventiveness. We are thrilled to be part of this collaboration. There’s a lot of anticipation for the film’s first sequel, and we’re excited to be part of the global effort to complement the film’s release with a truly immersive experience for fans in various markets.”

Lightstorm Entertainment’s president of franchise development, Kathy Franklin, added: “Our powerful new relationship with Cityneon for this global touring exhibition will play a key role in our continuing expansion of the reach and impact of the Avatar franchise around the world.”

Released in 2009, James Cameron’s Avatar was the highest-grossing film in motion picture history with a box office gross of nearly $2.8 billion, a record held for ten years. Captivating audiences across the globe with its otherworldly visuals and groundbreaking special effects, the film quickly became a worldwide phenomenon. Avatar is set to be followed by four sequels, with the first sequel scheduled for release in December 2021.