Recently I found this really well-made LEGO stop-motion video, where Kai takes on the American Ninja Warrior Obstacle Course. If you follow the real life American Ninja Warrior contest you will instantly recognize the different obstacles. If you are not familiar with this competition, American Ninja Warrior is a spin-off of the Japanese television series Sasuke, in which competitors try to complete a series of obstacle courses of increasing difficulty called “stages”. There are a number of regional competitions, with the finalists moving on to compete at Mount Midoriyama in Japan. While competitors can come from any background, the stages require incredible physical stamina, skill, flexibility and endurance. Most people who compete have significant experience in sports like free-running, martial arts, rock-climbing, stunts, etc. 🙂
In the LEGO version of American Ninja Warrior Kai takes on the challenge, while the other ninja cheer him on. Here is the official description: “Can Kai overcome a course that has eluded so many other ‘ninjas’ and advance to the next round? Join hosts Matt and Akbar as they watch him attempt the Salmon Ladder and the Spider Climb on his quest to conquer Mount Midoriyama.” You can watch the full video below:
If you have been following the real life competition, I think you will find the LEGO version enjoyable, as you recognize the different obstacles and know what it takes to conquer them. Even if you have never seen the competition, you can appreciate the smooth stop-motion skills displayed in the video. This brickfilm was created by Sam Lawlace for the LEGO Group and is displayed on LEGO’s own YouTube channel, Facebook Page, and more. We have featured a previous video by Sam that you can see here: LEGO Video: Notes from the LEGO Tub, and you can see more of his work here.
So what do you think? How did you like this LEGO stop-motion film? And do you watch the real American Ninja Warrior competition? Have you ever built an obstacle course out of LEGO? Feel free to share your thoughts and discuss in the comment section below! 😉
And you might also like to check out the following related posts:
- LEGO Video: Notes from the LEGO Tub
- Fun LEGO Video: Henri & Edmon’s Adventures
- LEGO Stop-Motion Video: Plastic Love
- Love in Black & White: A LEGO Mime Story
- An Intriguing LEGO Stop-Motion Film: Virus
- LEGO Stop-Motion Film: Bestia (The Beast)
- LEGO BrickFilm with Live Action!
- LEGO Music Video by Oblong Pictures
- A Unique LEGO Stop-Motion Film: Paint
Did the actual American Ninja Warrior announcer guys do the voices for this? They sound just like em.
I don’t know for sure, but yeah, I thought of the same thing; that they sound exactly alike. 😀
“It’s like he has claws for hands!” Best line in the film. 😀
I don’t watch the show regularly, but I have seen it a few times, so I recognize most of the course. I think the LEGO course is built accurately, although it doesn’t look very sturdy. In real life it probably breaks easily.
The animation, and the smoothness, even when Kai is flying, is great. That kind of skill only comes with practice; so I really need to practice more. 😕
I might add that Mario would have done well at the Spider Climb… he’s very good at bouncing off walls. 😉
Another fun line was that you have to use all your core pieces. 😉
I remember playing Super Metroid with Samus Aran jumping up along the wall… I think the ninja in Ninja Gaiden (whatzizname) could perform a similar technique… (Dag, I feel old…)
Named Ryu Hayabusa, apparently…
Wow!! That was pretty cool. I don’t watch ANW all that much, but I do know what it is. I sort of wish that they hadn’t used Ninjago minifigs. I would have preferred regular City minifigures. But that is very minor, and I enjoyed this video very much. 🙂
Yeah, that would have been fun too! Just some regular LEGO City guys taking un the challenge! 😀
Neat. I loved this animation even though until now I never knew that this show existed. It seems a lot like Total Wipeout…
It’s worth watching the contest. Is it quite fun and inspirational. You can find a lot of the contestants on YouTube. My favorite is Kacy Catanzaro because she was the first female to attempt the course and she made it through the first two rounds. Her boyfriend/coach is also a contestant.