Lego Ninjago Original 2010 Proof of Concept Video

Man, I REALLY hope that uploading this video is legal. But with the current era of Ninjago ending with Crystalized, I thinks it's fitting to go back the beginning of this series.
This was the first ever proof on concept video and features Kai and the Skeleton General Nukal. The imagry is clearly reminiscent of the 2011 Pilot episodes with the Fire Temple behind Kai, Nukal driving a skull truck, and the action taking place in a forest. Feel free to share this video, the more people who see it the better!
A version of this video was also included as bonus content for a Lego USB Drive but that seems to have been locked at 360p or it was simply never uploaded in full HD. I don't have the USB Drive so I can't confirm.
All credit goes to the fantastic Tommy Andreassen, the Lego Group, Wilfilm, and Michael Hegner. The original video is from Tommy Andreassen's twitter (link below) and I wanted to upload it KZbin to archive it and so more people could see it because besides this upload, no high quality copies of this video exist anywhere on KZbin.
I did not make this video nor do I have ownership over it and I do not seek to make any money off of it. I just want to give more people the chance to see such an awesome animation that's part of the history of Ninjago. The only thing that is mine is the little "Stardust Pictures" blurb at the end and even in that the music comes from Ninjago! If Lego or Wilfilm wants me to take it down, say the word and I will (my email can be found on the About Page of my channel).
Original Tweet I got the video from: to...
Wil Film's website: www.wilfilm.dk
LEGO's website: www.lego.com
Credit for the outro music goes to Micheal Kramer and Jay Vincent, the composers of Ninjago since the very beginning. The specific soundtrack used here is a portion of "Nya's True Potential" and it is one of my favorite pieces of music in the entire show! You can listen to it here: • Ninjago Soundtrack - N...
Jay Vincent's Official Website: jayvincentmusi...
Micheal Kramer's Official Website: www.michaelkra...
Their Official Soundcloud: / sevenwheelsound
Additional Official Ninjago Soundcloud: / jesinelsonmusic
Software:
Final Cut Pro
#lego #ninjago #throwback

[@pierceplaysstudios245]

Remember watching this Like 8 years ago when I was first getting Into ninjago, ah, so nostalgic

[@costapapas9307]

@Hello Govna done. Before the pilots if you only came 8 years ago you ain’t og so get out

[@kaandx2731]

@@costapapas9307 i am og

[@AbiBomb]

bro how did you even found this animation 8 years ago

[@armaggon5920]

I started watching this when I was just at the age of 7. I was a young lad

[@funtimefoxygamer1295]

@@kaandx2731 bet

[@Aisha_draws_stuff]

As an animator I can see how much the animation has changed over the years. Not just for ninjago but the animation industry itself. I mean look at any older animated Show and compare the animation to the newer ones. P.S. love you content

[@kevinsantiagoortiz6470]

👍👍👍👍

[@Obi-Wan_Kenobi]

Yeah, it's crazy to how much things have changed! But since Ninjago's been going for 12 years now, it's a uniquely qualified example because to examine how much things have changed! We can directly compare modern Ninjago to the original Ninjago and specifically identify what has changed and when it started to change! So in many ways, the history of Ninjago reveals a lot about the history of the tv animation industry itself from a technical level as well as in terms of writing, tone and style. I can't think of any of the shows that are can serve as such a contentious, uninterrupted example! (And thank you for enjoying my videos! I am always humbled when people watch the stuff I put out, even if it is just a forgotten piece but beloved piece of Ninjago media.)

[@slayerofdarknssdmt9697]

I remember after clone wars season 7 came out I went back to watch the SWTCW movie and noticed how blocky and scripted the animation was then watch the first season of the show and noticed how much better it was and after about the 3rd or 4th season you can see an obvious change in how the characters looked moved talked and whatever else and season 7 amped it up even more with adding better hair physics and the lightsaber and blaster properties being more smooth With ninjago I noticed pretty much the same thing through the seasons and during the second chapter i loved how the weapons would bend on occasion it really brought out more of the motion blurr to then and made fights seem way more fast paced

[@nin_jen47]

It’s amazing to see how much WilFilm’s animation improved between this clip and the Oni Trilogy. Too bad they’re going out of business now :(

[@newfoundbland]

i agree ninjen47. -dylpicjlebrickle

[@matrixpictures7799]

This is better than oni trilogy animation tbh

[@goldenninja9053]

@@matrixpictures7799 I fail to understand how this has better animation than the Oni trilogy. This is clearly unfinished and not exactly complete, while Season 8-10 is more detailed with the design, lighting, textures, etc.

[@DawniejZoom]

@@goldenninja9053 it's a hate train because of ninja redesigns, people can't see that s8 has much better lightning and much more alive city than previous seasons that had for example 20-30 characters and this was described as a "whole city", and look at it in sons of garmadon

[@IsaacVideos]

I agree ill FIlm is better than Wildbrain

[@Songal18]

I love that this became something so much more that nobody could have ever imagined.

[@Obi-Wan_Kenobi]

Of all the shows I watched in 2011, never in my life would I have believed Ninjago to be the one still going. And never did I think then that I would care about it as much as I do now. But I am so happy to have been proven wrong! On multiple fronts, it was a surprise to be sure but a welcome one!

[@ziachung4547]

@@Obi-Wan_Kenobi unexpected but not unwelcome

[@Obi-Wan_Kenobi]

Please read my description for more info on the origin and source of this video. This is the highest quality version I could locate, but if someone knows of a higher quality version I've love to be made aware of it! So please, do enlighten me of its existence! You'd be surprised how much lost media for Ninjago is just sitting around with the owners unaware that it is lost media! As per my latest community post, I am still on my KZbin sabbatical so I won't be reading or answering any of your comments. See that latest post for more details and until then, I hope you enjoy this most early look into Ninjago's history!

[@EvilRiceGuy]

Thank you obi wan May the force be with you

[@ReckiRazack]

ive been strugling to find this video last month because i remember watching this as a kid and today it just randomly pop out in my recomendations thanks youtube i guess

[@Obi-Wan_Kenobi]

Glad to have been of service!

[@ReckiRazack]

@@Obi-Wan_Kenobi sory lol no problem

[@tahaimtiaz7554]

Somehow the movement of the characters are still smoother than stuff we saw years after this animation

[@darrylunlistedbard9527]

Not current Ninjago animation tho

[@tahaimtiaz7554]

Ik that's why I said years after not current ninjago

[@darrylunlistedbard9527]

@@tahaimtiaz7554 Yeah honestly, season 7 animation is bad.

[@markenscharles7780]

@@darrylunlistedbard9527 yeah

[@markenscharles7780]

@@darrylunlistedbard9527 they had to work on the day of departed and hands of time in one year.

[@iswiftyfox8997]

This fight is actually really good. If it were in the show it might make it into Kais top 5 fights

[@ZeroJump]

This animation test honestly had better Charakter animation than some Wilfilm seasons

[@Foolbound282]

Hands of Time?

[@spidertron575]

MAN IVE BEEN LOOKING FOR THIS FOR AGES! I REMEMBER WATCHING THIS ON COMCAST ON DEMAND WHEN I WAS 9

[@endamcnabola]

When this show first came out, I didn't think it would last this long.

[@Obi-Wan_Kenobi]

Neither did I. Out of everything that came out in that era, Ninjago was the last thing I would have expected to still be going. But I couldn't be happier it still is, a surprise to be sure but a welcome one!

[@ElectricPeaPlayz]

the animation is so expressive here, when slowly watching the pilot it has a similar amount of expressiveness but with WAYYY more animation errors

[@Monkey_youssef]

When a legend born

[@Obi-Wan_Kenobi]

I love your name. XD You even spelled Lloyd in Arabic with 2 lams! That is one of the greatest references ever!

[@Monkey_youssef]

@@Obi-Wan_Kenobi Thanks You are the best

[@felipeborquez6370]

I remember seeing this on the official Lego website so many years ago, when the website had cool games and lots of interesting stuff

[@Obi-Wan_Kenobi]

That's where I first saw this video too! For goodness sake, that's where I first saw Ninjago!

[@kingdomcuts6093]

My goodness, the nostalgia! I watched every Ninjago animation and pilots with my brother, he was the one who introduced me to it. Sweet times.. things were a whole lot easier.

[@Obi-Wan_Kenobi]

This sound like some great times! I miss those times...

[@kingdomcuts6093]

@@Obi-Wan_Kenobi Me too. Maybe I'd say the same about present times as well later... It's becoming more and more clear to me to really cherish every pleasant day. It feels quite fast already, although I'm not even a third into my life as whole

[@Obi-Wan_Kenobi]

@@kingdomcuts6093 I'm sure we are both far too young to be mourning lost times, but it can't be helped. The good old days are still the good old days, not matter how many good new days you have waiting in your future.

[@kingdomcuts6093]

@@Obi-Wan_Kenobi true

[@5oryz2324]

Still better than Hands of time animation quality

[@spider-girll]

Why is this sm better than the actual animation in the pilots/S1 ?

[@ginraid9532]

It's easier to make a single clip than a whole show It's like they had to distribute the budget for the episodes

[@oakleyhasafoot7878]

I’ve been looking for this for years. One of the earliest ninjago content I’ve seen, thought it was lost.

[@Obi-Wan_Kenobi]

Glad to have been of service! But please, no swearing on this channel since many kids are only no discovering this animation for the first time and we wouldn't want them to read any uncivilized words in the comments! It would be greatly appreciated if you could edit out curse words from your original comment, many thanks in advance!

[@stoichiometryc8462]

Unironically, that was AWESOME! Like out of all Ninjago animation, that was VERY smooth and the physics are much more believable than the actual show! In the show, they're jumping like 10 ft and and 20ft across in the treetops from branch to branch and running at insane speed somehow, but here, when the red ninja leaves the skeleton tank thing, the way he rolls aside to a stop feels much more natural. And the fight choreography is beautiful as well, simple and demonstrates the power of the ninja. And best of all, it SOUNDS like Ninjago. The music and VA for the skeleton as well as the sound effects tie everything together.

[@wikco6027]

I love how Kai still has the signature eyebrow cut

[@Randomrainfrog]

Very cool stuff! I dig it, I bet it’ll be a wonderful show

[@gamejitzu]

I remember searching for this last month and found nothing, made me wonder if it got taken down or what. Thanks for archiving it here

[@Obi-Wan_Kenobi]

No problem! As far as I can tell, this scene was never uploaded to KZbin. A few copies exist on other sites but never KZbin. I remember watching this a long, LONG time ago and I believe I only ever saw it on Lego's website. Other people recall CN using it as promotional material for. So it seems to have been around in Ninjago's early days, but it was so early that no one bothered to save and reupload it for future generations!

[@gamejitzu]

@@Obi-Wan_Kenobi really? I vividly remember Yotube being the first place I saw it, but that was back in the day so I could've misremembered

[@Obi-Wan_Kenobi]

It very well could have been uploaded to KZbin a long time ago but I never remember it being here. In those says, Lego (and companies in general) did put much content up on KZbin so I would be surprised if it was ever uploaded here. But if it was, the original was certainly taken down because as you said, you could not find it.

[@cheeseypies4445]

yoooo it's soo cool to see behinde the scenes stuff like this!! it's so interesting to think how much Ninjago has changed over the years up until now. And yet a lot has stayed the same too lol. I can't believe where moving on to the next era either. It feels like only yesterday I was watching the Ninjago pilots on Cartoon network and here we are now. Hopefully the future is bright!! Thanks for sharing this my dude! and i hope ur doing well! 💜

[@Obi-Wan_Kenobi]

It is indeed a more storied history of consistency tempered with change! If you told me when I saw the pilots that I'd still be watching the show 12 years later I'd never have believed you but here we are! I really hope they nail this next era, I'd love nothing than to see Ninjago for will 12 years more, I'll show it to my kids as new seasons are still coming out! And I am doing well as I hope you are! Thank you ever so much for watching and commenting!

[@cheeseypies4445]

@@Obi-Wan_Kenobi very true, Ninjago to last another 12 years and still be as great as it is now despite changes along the way would be amazing! Tbh if that is the case I'd show it to my future kids too. But only time will tell XD. I'm glad your doing well!! I'm doing good too. It has been very busy for me. But I've been working on something ninjago related thaya big along with some others as well. So that's been fun and exciting!! And of course your videos really cool so I have to check them out whenever I can!! 💜

[@zukairshebaz7348]

oh my fucking god, i remember watching this when it first came out when i was 5, i'm now 16, and since been looking for this for a long time but couldn't, i thought it was lost in time. thank you for this.

[@PunkieDudie]

I remember watching it when I was a kid. I believe it was in a LEGO DVD provided by one of their old Magazines. Those were the days!

[@doobs-4]

the animation was lowkey so much better in this

[@thekfc-kevinsfilmcommentar4855]

I would love to see more stuff like this we get the chance to see more behind the scenes and early concepts of ninjago. I'm sure there is a lot of rich material that we have yet to discover and appreciate I also find it interesting how the show wasnt able to match or replicate these kinds of action scenes, for a while at least. However I guess that had more to do with the budget and animation limitations they had at the time

[@Obi-Wan_Kenobi]

I too would love for them to be some behind the scenes media to be officially released. I would also love a Ninjago concept art book for the show. The best we have right now is the Masters of Brickjitzu some how clawing concept art away from Lego (likely because they have contacts with the creators who gave it to them). And yes, I'm sure a limited budget for the tv series forced them to temper the quality to make it constant across a longer runtime.

[@pwerplazlol725]

Ah yes, the first wave of ninjago, before the serpentine and the nindroids, when life was simple.

[@sirfrosted3374]

This just unlocked a memory holy

[@benballa105]

I haven’t found this video in ages.

[@Obi-Wan_Kenobi]

I don't know why it isn't recommended more, it's a piece of Ninjago history and the only example of it's kind easily found on KZbin.

[@andrewchapman2024]

it's good to see the old animation style again.

[@unfunnyreviews3972]

I remember as a kid watching this on Cartoon Network as a ad for the show to come

[@Obi-Wan_Kenobi]

I vaguely remember that! They seemed to have used this animation is a lot of areas, I need to update the description!

[@AbrahamCortina-tz9lx]

Not anyone else had a Cartoon Network on there TVs

[@supermotions652]

This is actually a lot better fighting animation than what we got in the early episodes

[@raiden4695]

that actually looks smooth af, how's nobody talking about that

[@Obi-Wan_Kenobi]

Not to worry. Judging from these comments, *everyone* is talking at it. ;-)

[@Its_Over_Anakin]

Ah, so you are my creator! Nice to meet you. (in relation to my username)

[@MyWeirdFox]

I've been here since the first two mini movies this is the one thing I haven't seen and I'm real glad i finally get to thanks 😊

[@shogunrouge]

Thanks for posting this ! Actually I think the fight moves are really great !!!

[@TheBrickBro]

ORIGINAL NINJAGO WAS SO INCREDIBLE

[@TheLEGOZora]

Love it 😭 good times will never be forgotten

[@jgabs12studios74]

I actually remember seeing that video. Pretty great promo.

[@optimusgaming8629]

0:12 GTA players when they see a guy Afk on the side of the road

[@musingsofahomeschooler5332]

the Hagemans took this basic idea and gave it so much meaning and depth

[@Obi-Wan_Kenobi]

Yeah they really transformed Ninjago into something special! They made the leap from toy commercial to a true story and cinematic experience!

[@bandit9686]

Bro i remember this its so nostalgic and like a fever dream

[@agenda222]

kai moving better here than he did in the actual pilot

[@GregMFM]

I remember watching this back in the day

[@RedKnight26]

12 years ago. The concept was created. 12 years later something new is beginning with it. And it's just crazy tgat Ninjago is Stilll around when even anime doesn't last this many seasons, or atleast an arc doesn't. I hope the Continuation Show is Good enough to bare the name. While not always in the mainstream, Ninjago Means alot to it's community. So glad i grew up with this show and went back to enjoy other kids more...urm...questionable childhood cartoons (Specifically in humor like regular show or the amazing world of Gumball,which made a did things that aren't weird to kids but I'm a teen and those shows seem like the humir was for me

“The good old days”.

[@Rinesmyth]

I find it interesting Ninjago began as soon as Bionicle ended

[@Obi-Wan_Kenobi]

I don't think it was a coincidence. My personal theory is that the fall of Bionicle created a vacuum in Lego for a mystical story driven theme. That's when Ninjago -walked- spun in to the fill the void! And I was one of those kids who loved Bionicle. When it ended, Ninjago filled the story driven whole in my heart. I didn't ever thing Ninjago was Bionicle's replacement or successor and it never directly was, but I think Ninjago appealed to many of those former Bionicle fans and we latched on to Ninjago as a result.

[@Chokun-Gaming]

​@@Obi-Wan_Kenobi the Lego fans yearn for the story based action theme starring six elemental heroes in a world themed after an eastern culture

[@chrixtianmorales2645]

Finally I found it have told so many people about this and no one believed me

[@reala7140]

I thought this was longer than I remembered

[@dankcraft7386]

that looks so great even for an animation test!

[@KURA151]

I remember making red ninja without printings as a kid using old city santa to match this video

[@Mr_Mando__]

Screw the one piece, THIS is an ancient treasure worth looking for

[@thatonelatvianguy4858]

I miss the Good-Old Ninjago

[@HAL-bo5lr]

It’s been 13 years!!

[@Blaze06]

I finally found it again after all these years lol

[@nocap_nojutsu7863]

I used to watch this all the time as a kid with the theme song playing in the background what y'all youngins know bout this

[@AlfonzoFrohicky]

this is sick

[@raptus.]

Nostalgic

[@bestgames64]

Holy moly this is some old shtuff

[@kaandx2731]

i have memories of watching this after the pilots came out and wondering why it looked so different as i had no idea about what concept footage even was, there was also this other clip with the 4 ninjas together and they looked different but still similar, they did spinjitzu and there was this mountain, the camera was hovering above a sea, i vaguely remember it

[@Obi-Wan_Kenobi]

I know the video you're talking about! It's actually up on KZbin right now titled as "first Ninjago trailer ever"!

[@kaandx2731]

@@Obi-Wan_Kenobi yes thankyou! thats the one, so nostalgic

[@ssgoku7192]

Oh my god I remember the kai vs skeleton animation haven’t seen it in so long Guess fate allowed me to see it again

[@nighthawk853]

only ogs remember the true first season of ninjago

[@pedzad9528]

Good job Kenobi, I thought that this was lost after order 66

[@Obi-Wan_Kenobi]

I rescued it form the Jedi archives!

[@JM_ZERO]

Man you found a super Lost mídia Man

[@Obi-Wan_Kenobi]

I am happy to have been of service!

[@forces_06]

This test animation reminds me of the product animations they do whenever they promote the sets lol

[@SavageNinjaWookie]

When the graphics are better than the first season 🤨🤔🙃

[@aname4390]

Yoooooo. I remember this!

[@legopeaceez]

The proof that Kaï was supposed to be the main character

[@Obi-Wan_Kenobi]

We found it. The secret sauce.

[@АнараСенджу]

My nastolgic,my childhood,my happy

[@Awesomefighter6]

Still better animated than all the new seasons

[@bluebaum2.7.16]

So Kai IS the main character

[@LoganBrickfilms]

The music seems like an old version of a current song… have no idea the name of it tho

[@Obi-Wan_Kenobi]

I have no idea either! It doesn't sound like any Ninjago music I remember...

[@LoganBrickfilms]

@@Obi-Wan_Kenobi definitely very different music, but the beat is extremely similar to the music played in skybound when jays recruiting the ninja replacements

[@Memelord1117]

This animation in my opinion actually matches Wildbrain's animations in terms of fights to some degree...

[@MatteoMoment]

Smoother than oni trilogy animation

[@felipevaldes3487]

For some weird reason, yes

[@lramey20]

Cool fact: even though WilFilm was a producer of this animation the rough layout and early blocking was done by Xing Xing Animation

[@Obi-Wan_Kenobi]

I did not know that! Thank you for the intel!

[@awetome]

I miss when kai was the main character

[@benjaminfischer3229]

I’m currently working on some kind of alternate universe of Ninjago, and I’ve currently based a scene off of this video.

[@Obi-Wan_Kenobi]

That sounds like an excellent idea!

[@trueblue4276]

more action than the final battle of Crystalized...

[@SP33Q]

my theory:this was the first fire master protecting the sword of fire and the dragon then one day he vanishes the dragon connection moved on to a different bloodline making 1 more fire ninja that being kai

[@PYROCINICALSON]

Kai was more trained then in the actual show😅

[@mono5608]

So much has changed from then to now makes me sad

[@Obi-Wan_Kenobi]

But in a lot of ways, the fact that Ninjago is still going today means something good right? Sure it changed, but we can still enjoy amazing new stories with those same character from 12 years ago. Not many other shows can say that can they? That's something to be grateful for. :-)

[@mono5608]

@@Obi-Wan_Kenobi who taught you in the way of such wisdom?

[@pekar43]

That's how he lost his eye

[@Empireofignorance7817]

I see the fire temple hasn't changed

[@raptoranimations2857]

I don’t know why but it seems like the first like couple of seasons or like long lost time now like whenever I try to find the first season I can never actually find the very beginning of Ninjago when I loved the very beginning because it was the best

[@Obi-Wan_Kenobi]

The _very_ first episodes of Ninjago are not usually listed on streaming with the rest of the series for reasons I couldn't tell you. But if you REALLY want to see those first episodes there is only one reliable place to go: Twitch. I'm not kidding. For some reason, that site and no other has the first 2 episodes Ninjago in high quality. Just search up "Ninjago Pilot" on the site and you'll find it.

[@raptoranimations2857]

@@Obi-Wan_Kenobi awesome thank you idk why you can’t find it anywhere cuz it kinda sucks because that’s when we first see the OG dragons and everything

[@Obi-Wan_Kenobi]

I know right! That is the beginning of all of Ninjago, it should be just as available to watch as the rest of the show. If anything, it being the beginning makes it even more important than all the later stuff!

[@raptoranimations2857]

@@Obi-Wan_Kenobi honestly those are true facts right there

[@zurg8331]

Very cool

[@meepthe_]

I'm so glad this wasnt wat they was for

[@thetruetradic5859]

This specific ninja is actually on the title screen of "Shadow of Ronin"

[@nightbot2.234]

Oh yea and also the ninja represented Kai as he was gonna be the only ninja I think but then they made the other ninja but I guess that’s why Kai was the original main character til Lloyd

[@TTZ917]

I see this 10 years ago

[@ReckiRazack]

do you know what is the music in the background

[@Obi-Wan_Kenobi]

The music for the animation or for the outro? If you're looking for the outro, it's in the description but regarding the animation, I have no idea. It's very possible that this music was only created and released for this animation as the music syncs up perfectly with the movement. But if the music was ever released elsewhere, it would be during the pilots. So if you really to to try and track it down, start by checking the pilot soundtracks.

[@ReckiRazack]

@@Obi-Wan_Kenobi idk how to do that but thank you

[@legoandrei2024]

Are there any other concept clips like this maybe with the other ninja ?

[@Obi-Wan_Kenobi]

None that are like this, but there was a concept trailer released in 2009. Search up "First Lego Ninjago trailer" and you'll find it.

[@legoandrei2024]

@@Obi-Wan_Kenobi I know about it i have seen it

[@Elminebloxx]

i wish i grew up with this

[@Obi-Wan_Kenobi]

I'm grateful that I did! But you still have a lot of stuff to be thankful for! You might not have been able to see this show as it premiered but at least you can see the show at all once on so many different platforms! There are a bunch of things Ninjago fans of today have to be thankful for!

[@cyberdragon3887]

bro went to the backrooms to find this

[@acegabrielcruz3687]

This is cool

[@senitech3128]

So... is it basically Kai protecting the Fire Temple?

[@nightbot2.234]

I think he was gonna be the only ninja that’s why he’s usually the main character of the series

[@superplushroompower-up]

@@nightbot2.234 Laughs in Lloyd Garmadon.

[@azuko2372]

@@superplushroompower-up poor excuse for a protagonist

[@wesleypitts3787]

oh look he actually had the scar! guess thats where that came from

[@CBMax10]

Lego fr was bouta do a samurai Jack in lego

[@AntonyRock39]

Thanks you master Obi-wan Kenobi

[@josetheclassicstarwarsfan8514]

Man, I miss the more East Asian aesthetic!

[@ongxingwei5189]

That's cool