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I watched it once, and it reminded me strongly of certain bits from the "Mind's
Eye" video series... most of which are about 5 years old, or more.
I kind of enjoyed it, in a twisted sort of way.
And no, it didn't inspire me to buy any Jack Stone sets. I don't mind the giant
figs so much, but the fact that there seems to be so little else you can build
out of the pieces. I'd rather buy the Mickey Mouse Fabuland-ish sets, or even
plain old Duplo for that age range.
In lugnet.general, Tony Hafner writes:
> In lugnet.general, Brian Bacher writes:
> > In today's mail I got a copy of a Jack Stone video from LEGO.
> >
> > Anyone else seen one of these? Is it worth watching? It doesn't look
> > very long; probably less than 1/2 hour.
>
> We got the movie a few days later. It came early this week. My wife and I
> watched it one night (to make sure it was "safe") and let the boys watch it
> the next day.
>
> First impression: This is horrible, with a capital "hor". I was very
> disappointed, especially after seeing the "Na-Na Bird" video that came with
> one of the Creator sets (that movie was great, but that's... another story).
>
> The Jack Stone movie is all-CGI, about 22 minutes long, made up of 4
> 5-minute shorts featuring Jack saving the day plus some news studio stuff to
> hold it together. Each short looks to be made by a different team, as there
> are definite stylistic differences in how camera angles are chosen, how
> certain effects are implemented, etc. The technology isn't exactly cutting
> edge- it compares pretty well with high-end CGI from... 5 years ago?
>
> Second impression: My 5-year-olds and their 3-year-old brother LOVE it. Do
> we have to have the same tastes anyway?
>
> Now... it's starting to grow on me. Despite the overdone repetition of "Can
> do! Will do! Done!", I find myself kinda liking it. It's healthy TV for
> young kids- 3 of the 4 shorts are about accidents, and the one that actually
> has bad guys is very tame. We're not big on violence in my house, and this
> movie is very consistent with that. Kudos to Lego for that- they have
> clearly strayed from their nonviolent roots elsewhere, but not in here.
>
> Does it make me want to buy Jack Stone sets? Not a bit. I make my
> decisions based on what I can do with the sets. If I find parts in there I
> want, I may well buy some... but not because of the movie. Will it make my
> kids want them? Perhaps, but they aren't in on purchasing decisions yet.
> Then again, we're a very Lego-oriented household and not exactly the market
> they need to sell to.
>
> --
> Tony Hafner
> www.hafhead.com
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Well... a week or two later and this movie is a staple in the house. To
give a little perspective, I have 3 boys who just turned 5 a couple of weeks
ago and another boy who turns 3 this weekend. This is perfect for their age
range and as I said below, it grows on you.
As far as the sets go...
Don't think of them as Lego. Think of them as small action figures and
their vehicles. The price is a little high for that sort of thing, but not
by too much. They have infinitely greater construction potential than most
such toys. Think of them as a non-Lego toy that happens to be made by Lego
and interfaces with Lego to some degree.
One significant advantage over traditional Lego is that they don't explode
when dropped. Don't underestimate that. It can be frustrating to a small
child when his creation falls into a million pieces (trust me- I just gave
them the Guarded Inn and I've never seen a Lego set less structurally
sound). Without sufficient encouragement, the child won't bother again.
Again, I won't be buying Jack Stone unless it's to get some specific pieces
(yes, I actually want one of those windshields and maybe the semitrailer!)
But I'm not buying them for my kids. I'd rather buy them real sets and
spend time with them to encourage more significant building.
--
Tony Hafner
www.hafhead.com
In lugnet.general, Brian Bacher writes:
> I watched it once, and it reminded me strongly of certain bits from the "Mind's
> Eye" video series... most of which are about 5 years old, or more.
>
> I kind of enjoyed it, in a twisted sort of way.
>
> And no, it didn't inspire me to buy any Jack Stone sets. I don't mind the giant
> figs so much, but the fact that there seems to be so little else you can build
> out of the pieces. I'd rather buy the Mickey Mouse Fabuland-ish sets, or even
> plain old Duplo for that age range.
>
> In lugnet.general, Tony Hafner writes:
> > First impression: This is horrible, with a capital "hor". I was very
> > disappointed, especially after seeing the "Na-Na Bird" video that came with
> > one of the Creator sets (that movie was great, but that's... another story).
...
> > Now... it's starting to grow on me. Despite the overdone repetition of "Can
> > do! Will do! Done!", I find myself kinda liking it. It's healthy TV for
> > young kids- 3 of the 4 shorts are about accidents, and the one that actually
> > has bad guys is very tame. We're not big on violence in my house, and this
> > movie is very consistent with that. Kudos to Lego for that- they have
> > clearly strayed from their nonviolent roots elsewhere, but not in here.
> >
> > Does it make me want to buy Jack Stone sets? Not a bit. I make my
> > decisions based on what I can do with the sets. If I find parts in there I
> > want, I may well buy some... but not because of the movie. Will it make my
> > kids want them? Perhaps, but they aren't in on purchasing decisions yet.
> > Then again, we're a very Lego-oriented household and not exactly the market
> > they need to sell to.
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