The Latest from Lego: Netflix’s One Piece
My not-so hidden agenda in the creation of The Artech was to interview some of my favorite creators throughout every industry I could imagine. Among my wishlist was the creator of Bionicle and an early team member of Lego, Christian Faber. In my time I was lucky enough to have with him, he went into great detail on his unlikely yet fruitful collaboration with one of the leading companies in the toy industry. All while simultaneously teasing a multimedia project he’s been hard at work creating independently for a very long time.
Here we are now at the dawn of a very unlikely, yet very intriguing collaboration between Lego and Netflix. We’ll spare no more introductions and get right to the press release:
Grab your straw hats! The LEGO Group, Netflix and Tomorrow Studios are coming together to chart a course into the Grand Line, bringing the epic live-action series ONE PIECE to life for LEGO building and Straw Hat Pirate fans alike for the very first time.
“This is a truly special collaboration. For the first time, LEGO play and the exciting world of anime meet. Building the world of ONE PIECE, as depicted in the Netflix live-action adaptation, in LEGO brick form has been such an exciting challenge and I couldn't be more excited for fans to experience the new adventures this ONE PIECE collaboration will bring them for the first time,” said Lena Dixen, Senior Vice President for Core Businesses at the LEGO Group. “Throughout this project with Netflix and Tomorrow Studios, it has been an exciting, collaborative process, and I think that shows in all the grand adventures we will begin to unveil soon.”
“It has been an honour to bring the magnificent world of ONE PIECE to life both on and off the screen. We are excited to collaborate with LEGO, a brand synonymous with creativity and the joy of play, to mark a historic moment as we build out the treasured manga’s adventures in iconic LEGO form for the first time ever,“ said Josh Simon, Vice President of Consumer Products, Netflix. “Through every detail of the design process, we've worked to meticulously create a collection of playsets that will give fans new ways to live out their own epic voyages into the Grand Line one special brick at a time."
Fans of LEGO building and ONE PIECE can prepare to embark on an adventure through the East Blue where fans will experience iconic moments and scenes from the hit live-action adaptation in a new way, ahead of the epic return of the live-action ONE PIECE Season 2.
ONE PIECE follows the tale of the daring young pirate, Monkey D. Luffy, who has a dream of becoming King of the Pirates by finding the legendary One Piece treasure. On his quest Luffy encounters other pirates, bounty hunters and corrupt generals. Some turn out to be fierce enemies who he must overcome using his wit, cunning and (sometimes) his elastic superpowers. On his quest he also gains steadfast allies like Nami, Roronoa Zoro, Usopp and Sanji, end up becoming his friends and join his crew – The Straw Hat Pirates – and mission for the One Piece.
Based on Eiichiro Oda’s legendary and beloved manga series, the first season of ONE PIECE sailed into Netflix’s Global Top 10 Shows where it spent eight weeks, debuted at #1 in 46 countries and gathered 71.6M views in the first four months on Netflix. The live-action series sparked joy worldwide with a 95% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes, uniting fans of all ages in celebration of Straw Hat’s voyage of hope and boundless spirit of adventure.
The collaboration between the LEGO Group, Tomorrow Studios and Netflix invites ONE PIECE fans from around the world to follow the action and embark on their own grand adventures with multiple new LEGO sets, inspired by some of the most iconic scenes straight out of the East Blue.
These sets will feature the main crew as seen in the show for the first time in LEGO Minifigure form, transporting fans into the heart of the action featuring settings and scenes pulled straight from the screen.
Prepare to set sail into the vast world of LEGO building adventures - each set, each brick, and every build, unleashes the thrill of the open sea!
Keep your eyes peeled for the full LEGO ONE PIECE collection reveal, including products and experiences, bound to make waves in the coming months.
For more information in the meantime, visit: LEGO.com/One-piece
Like many of you reading, the legacy of the Lego brand has been prominent throughout my parents’ generation just as much as it has in mine at a very young age. I never would imagine getting to report on the latest rollouts from the company directly while simultaneously getting into the creative process behind one of the most important toys of my childhood. If you made it to this point in the article and would like to hear my interview with Christian Faber, you can do so now on Spotify
