Interview with LEGO VP of Design Matthew James Ashton

[The_Chosen_1]

U.S. based movie news site Collider.com has posted a fantastic, in-depth interview with Lego's VP of Design, Matthew Ashton. It's well worth reading for any fan of Lego! He reveals plenty of interesting information worthy of discussion.

http://collider.com/matthew-james-ashton-the-lego-movie-interview/

[elleana]

When asked about the possibility of the monorail coming back, Ashton says, “That’s another one where we’ve talked about it and it may, it may not. There’s no final decision, there’s nothing in pipeline on that one at the moment but that doesn’t mean that there won’t ever be.”

Sounds more or less like a no to me, at least for the forseeable future.

[Darth Punk]

I really think TLG should have more interviews like this. It would really help people to better understand the process and why TLG does what it does.

[TheLazyChicken]

That was really interesting, I do hope we get a monorail though.

[Deathleech]

It was an interesting interview, but I didn't feel like he really revealed anything all that surprising or new. We all know it takes Lego roughly a year to create a set, that Lego won't make sets based on bars (like Moe's Tavern) since their sets are still aimed mainly at children, and that Lego is hesitant about doing classic remakes because of them being dated compared to today's sets for children. It was still an interesting read nonetheless. I did find this answer particularly funny:

"There is a limit to the amount of products that we can get out of the movie but I think we've done the best we can do."

Ya, I would say 13 sets, 3 huge D2C sets in the summer, and an entire CMF are pretty much covering the movie. Maybe even going a little over board...

[SearchFunction]

... and that Lego is hesitant about doing classic remakes because of them being dated compared to today's sets for children.

I havnt read the interview yet, but Lego has done the police station and other sets almost every year for several decades, so thats not entirely true is it? I can understand it if he is talking about themes such as wild west. Going to read it later.

[Lyichir]

I havnt read the interview yet, but Lego has done the police station and other sets almost every year for several decades, so thats not entirely true is it? I can understand it if he is talking about themes such as wild west. Going to read it later.

He's talking about set rereleases, not new versions of the same subject. For instance, you may see a Western fort if Lego ever makes a new Western theme, but it won't be Fort Legoredo. It'll be an entirely new design made to appeal to the kids of today.

[Aanchir]

This article is full of interesting information. I started following Matthew Ashton on Twitter as soon as I read this article. He's a really cool guy!

And today, I checked who he follows to see if I could find any other LEGO designers I ought to be following. I was surprised to see a lot of Twitter feeds I recognized, and not for LEGO-related things. Turns out he's also a brony! Kind of explains his love of Unikitty...

[Gremer]

At one point it says (paraphrased) "Most of The LEGO Movie sets have been made". Does this mean that there can be more since most doesn't mean all?

[Lyichir]

At one point it says (paraphrased) "Most of The LEGO Movie sets have been made". Does this mean that there can be more since most doesn't mean all?

It could refer to ones meant for release in the summer, like Benny's spaceship. Or it could refer to planned sets for one of these two waves that were cancelled (surely there must have been things put into the movie as potential sets that didn't test well with focus groups or had to be nixed for other reasons). But of course, there is the option for Lego to release further sets in future years. Whether or not the business case works will depend on a number of factors, not least of which is how sales of the existing sets hold up after the movie leaves theaters, is released on DVD, and on into the holiday season.