#trees rambles

The Ninjago Movie has a lot of flaws but i just see it as a film following in the trends of previous Lego Movies ( The Lego Movie and the Lego Batman movie that came out in the same year ) where comedic effects came first

I see how the movie can be perceived as something disappointing since it was so drastically different from the show and changed SO much about the characters in a way that dumbs them down to their base levels, yet I can also see why the decision was made since it opened the world to a much bigger audience to bring in both old fans AND new fans

The Movie re-introduces the characters, the general premise of the show, and a rough idea of the world.  Ninjago had 7 seasons prior to the movies release, had it done something different and follow the show more closely it would’ve catered to a much smaller audience of Ninjago fans, and leave MORE at stake since movie adaptations have much higher expectations from fans

Putting these characters in a completely new setting, separate from the canon storyline, allowed for a very funny film that didn’t entirely deface the original material since it was never trying to be or sticking close too.  This made it possible for existing fans to see their favorite characters in a much different, less serious light, and brought in new fans who meet these characters in a non-canon environment and encourages to them to seek the original show for numerous reasons ( wanting more ninjago content, taking a real interest in the media, curiosity on the source material, etc. )

In terms of designs, I’m glad the show changed the characters designs like the movie in s8 because I think the new designs add SO much more character than before.   The og will always be good, but the new style gives them so much more depth.  Even in the world around them there’s a positive change in quality that I think benefit the show more.

And, it works out well, since there is a time skip between s7 and s8, on top of a shift in tone, the characters are older now and will be facing new challenges; they are going to change.  

But my favorite thing about the Ninjago movie, which is my BIGGEST reason to why I like it, was the dynamic between Lloyd and Garmadon.  It was executed in a very funny but so painfully accurate way.  I related to Lloyd SO much in that movie and even though Lloyd always had a similar dynamic to his father in the show, seeing it follow Lloyd in s8 up to the newer seasons ( to my knowledge ) is so real.  I could never hate Movie!Lloyd, he just wants his dad, and Garmadon, knowing he was there and HAVING Lloyds number, never actually bothered to be in his life or change to the end of the film hurt so personally, I love how it was written, even if it was also written to be funny.  

I was the demographic of new fans brought to Ninjago because of the movie, and Lloyd’s relationship with Garmadon alone was probably why Ninjago became so personal to me.  There’s alot of media where characters have a absent parent, but not alot where the character and the parent have some connection with each other, and the parent chooses not to reach out.  I have never felt so seen and related to a character more before the Ninjago Movie

Let’s not forget Meowthra, she is UNDERRATED!!!  Please give Ninjago it’s giant catzilla monster back, I love her

Ultimately I think the movie falls into a very 50/50 state.  It’s not for everyone, and is definitely deserving of criticism, but it’s not the worse movie adaptation ever made and works well on a stand alone.   At the end of the day, the movie was funny, not canon, and did something entirely new with the Ninja and that alone makes it an enjoyable watch.  The setting and designs are fun, and doesn’t ( and shouldn’t, imo ) ruin the original Ninjago, even if the show faced changes because of its release.

While it was the Ninjago movie was what brought me into the fandom, SoG was the first season of Ninjago I watched, and it stayed in my favorite seasons even after I watched the previous seasons.  It plays heavily into nostalgia.  

However, established opinions aside; Season 8 was peak.  I feel S7 ended the original era on a weak note, and SoG came in full force and completely reset the bar.  Between the soundtrack, writing, and animation, everything was a breath of fresh air and a beautiful start to this era of the show.

In regards to the characters redesigns, I do prefer them over the originals.  They all look older ( in every positive way, they’re growing up! ) and they fit their personalities much better.  Even other characters who didn’t have a big change in design, like Misako and Dareth, Wu in flashbacks too, still look cleaner than before.  

The animation is beautiful here, so much love and attention to detail was put in, and it shows.   The scenes and backgrounds were lively and not as flat too.  I loved how it leaned into New Ninjago City's cyber theme without becoming overly technology-aesthetic, the locations didn’t overpower each other, and everything seamlessly blended in like it belonged.  The soundtrack and audio have also upgraded, my only gripe with it was the new intro theme instead of keeping the Weekend Whip.  But my gripe with that is very small, because the new theme had a very serious undertone to it, and it reflected the season well.  Sons of Garmadon is dark compared to the previous era.

The writing for this season was handled the tone perfectly.  While there were a few minor plot-holes or character actions that weren’t needed, the writers still made sure to reflect it.  It worked especially with Harumi's intentions; there were so many little things that were mentioned in passing, or little goofs the characters didn’t think wouldn’t matter greatly, came right back.  Stakes were high, and it was taken seriously.  Of course the previous seasons didn’t treat threats as anything different, but extra care went into making it known how big of a deal it truly was.  It fits the characters growth as well, they’ve all matured, they are getting older.  Despite not having Wu, the Ninja broke apart healthily.  They all had their own missions and were happy to reunite at the start of the season, and they’ve expanded on their team on their own, notably shown by the new tech their utilizing, but also the way they handled things.  All of their decisions were made as a team, not just following one persons orders.

Lloyd's characterization was something I wanted to highlight too.   The weight of not having Wu has affected him, and his emotions have begun slipping through the cracks.  His chemistry with Harumi was something he needed, and ultimately became one of the most heartbreaking plots that didn’t feel fake or cheesy.  The way he grappled with his emotions and internal debates boiled over the course of the season and blew up realistically.   Even though he did irrationally go confront Garmadon himself and not see through Harumi's trap, he doesn’t let himself be consumed by it and turn the way Harumi wanted him too.  This is one of the best examples of exploring character layers and flaws while still staying true to the characters core.

The villains and Emperor Garmadon technically ‘winning’ is refreshing twist on season finales.  They are truly malicious and dangerous antagonists, them being ‘normal’ people and not having extra abilities or powers highlights this too, adding Garmadon into that mix triples the threat they already are.

The Ninja are implied to be teenagers at the start of the series, roughly 15-16. According to the Ninjago Wiki, it was stated at he was less than 10 during RotS, and Jillian Micheals told Brent Miller in an interview that Lloyd was ‘10 years old when he was first introduced and became 14 years old after using the Tomorrows Tea.” <- I have no idea how accurate that is, and since there is no canon specifications of ages otherwise that’s the closest I think we’ll get- and the one I agree with the most.

I’d like to think there was a couple months to half a year at most that took place between S1 and S2; the City had time to recover at the Great Devourers attack and the Ninja were still getting back on their feet after. With that I say S1 and 2 conjoined took a total of a year and a half roughly, so Lloyd would be 9-10, while the Ninja are 16.

When we get to Child's Play and the use of the Tomorrows Tea, Lloyd ages to 14-15 roughly. Wu mentions that because he grew physically older, the countdown to fighting Garmadon has gotten closer. Time and context seems to play a very prevalent role when using the Tomorrows Tea, since it reverse the aging of the Grundle and turned the Ninja back to their original ages. It set things right, where things need to be.

Lloyd was destined to fight Garmadon in the final battle. With all the rush on the villains side; Lloyds age was altered to catch up. I imagine he was aged to be Nya’s age; younger the Ninja, but just old enough to help. That’s the point Lloyd was aged too.

In the episode as well, we see the Ninja still retained their mental ages when they were aged down to children. Because of that alone, I don’t think Lloyd aged mentally because of the tea. It was just physical. The entire season was focused on training Lloyd to be ready to fight Garmadon anyway, so it only makes sense that only his body changed.

As well, after he aged and confronted Garmadon again, every instance he fought him he either hesitated, or couldn’t actually bring himself to hurt his father. It’s a heavy toll on anyone, regardless of age, but in Lloyds case especially, he is a child, it’s a much larger obstacle to overcome. We see Lloyd prioritizes physical training more in this situation, he himself overlooking the fact that just yesterday it was okay for him to do childish things. I don’t think Lloyd realizes that he’s not entirely “older”, and if he did I feel like that wouldn’t change his feelings, if anything it might push him to train harder so there’s nothing holding him back.

That said, I don’t think the tea’s affects are permanent either. Lloyds mindset is still growing, just behind his physical age. I think Lloyd will be “stuck” being 14 until he becomes 14, and once both of his ages line up again, he will continue to age as normal.

Because of the amount of change that happened between S2 and S3, I’m going to say there was at LEAST a year timeskip between the Seasons. The Ninja are now 16-17, Nya at 15-16, and Lloyd, though physically 14, now 11-12 at most.