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Sydney Morning Herald
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
Heads up, squirts: Lego Bluey is here – but not everyone is happy
'We knew this launch should be for preschoolers. That's why we took these decisions,' she said. 'We know there are a lot of adult fans out there, but that was a choice made from the beginning.' Unusually for the brand, the Lego Bluey sets, which went on sale on Sunday, June 1, come in two streams: for ages 4 and older, and in the Duplo range for toddlers. And looking at both, you do recognise the 'trifficult' design challenges. Bluey' s main characters – Mum, Dad, Bingo and Bluey – as sketched by creator Joe Brumm and his collaborators at Brisbane's Ludo Studio, mostly consist of a rectangle. Perfect for Lego bricks, you might think, but not at all in proportion to standard Lego 'minifigs', first designed by Jens Nygaard Knudsen and released in 1978. Cardazzo said her team worked hard to arrive at a 'sweet spot'. 'We started to sketch what could be the Bluey DNA direction, and then what would be the opposite extreme, with the Lego DNA. 'But then we tested with the preschoolers and tried to understand what were their expectations. And, definitely, playability is the number-one like for preschoolers. These characters need to be able to move, and to fit into the Lego system.' Hence: no tails (which are instead painted on the back of the figures). Cardazzo said her team of about 15 designers approached the task by watching as many episodes as they could. Key scenes from The Beach, Ice Cream, Keepy Uppy and more were identified, then pitched to BBC Studios. 'What really helps is when the partner that we work with really loves and knows the brand,' the BBC's Tai said. 'Even without us saying, they'd already put tiny little gnomes in there, or Chattermax, those things that fans really pick up on.' Justin Rouillon, co-host of the Bluey's Brisbane podcast, which identifies the real-life locations found in the series, said the Lego collaboration was no surprise, given the show's massive audience. ' Bluey is a huge global brand, it's worth billions,' he said. 'Also, Bluey ties in well with Lego from that imaginative play standpoint.' Loading While generally positive about the sets, he said he was disappointed the house was 'just a facade'. 'It'd be great if you could build the entire Queenslander house that Bluey lives in,' he said. Rouillon's co-host, Lou Bromley, liked the figurines, but agreed Brisbane viewers might be disappointed in the house. 'I think it'd be great if we could have had the verandah or the deck. They've gone for that old-school townhouse style. 'I love that they've got a dunny in there. They nailed the soft yellow of the faded paint. But the steps, the railings, the tin roof?' There is one aspect that Bromley said the brand definitely 'hasn't pulled off'. 'It's a woeful backyard tree, because here in Brisbane, we know that's not what a poinciana [looks like].' Jacen Carpenter, a Longreach-based Lego collector and builder who has created his own interpretations of Bluey 's characters, is concerned that the figurines look too tall. 'The figures might have looked better if the sculpted head fit over the torso slightly, like Ewoks in Lego Star Wars, to give Bluey and her family the squat, cylindrical look of the cartoon,' he said. While Cardazzo said no one from her team had visited Brisbane for the project, Tai said the team at Ludo were closely consulted and supplied drawings to assist the designers. Cardazzo had to keep her work top secret for many months. Her own five-year-old daughter was able to test prototypes, but had to play the 'Quiet Game' about it afterwards. The designer would not be drawn on whether Bluey would be a brand perennial (like, say, Lego Marvel) or a limited-run collector's item. One suspects that it's in the hands of kids – and the wallets of their parents. Loading At the Cannon Hill Kmart at 11am on Sunday, the Lego Bluey pickings were already looking slim. Manly mum Brittany and her two sons, 7 and 3, quickly grabbed the last box of Lego Duplo Bluey's Family House. 'It's such a historic brand, and then collaborating with Bluey, I thought, 'if you don't get in early, you won't get one',' she said.
The Age
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Age
Heads up, squirts: Lego Bluey is here – but not everyone is happy
'We knew this launch should be for preschoolers. That's why we took these decisions,' she said. 'We know there are a lot of adult fans out there, but that was a choice made from the beginning.' Unusually for the brand, the Lego Bluey sets, which went on sale on Sunday, June 1, come in two streams: for ages 4 and older, and in the Duplo range for toddlers. And looking at both, you do recognise the 'trifficult' design challenges. Bluey' s main characters – Mum, Dad, Bingo and Bluey – as sketched by creator Joe Brumm and his collaborators at Brisbane's Ludo Studio, mostly consist of a rectangle. Perfect for Lego bricks, you might think, but not at all in proportion to standard Lego 'minifigs', first designed by Jens Nygaard Knudsen and released in 1978. Cardazzo said her team worked hard to arrive at a 'sweet spot'. 'We started to sketch what could be the Bluey DNA direction, and then what would be the opposite extreme, with the Lego DNA. 'But then we tested with the preschoolers and tried to understand what were their expectations. And, definitely, playability is the number-one like for preschoolers. These characters need to be able to move, and to fit into the Lego system.' Hence: no tails (which are instead painted on the back of the figures). Cardazzo said her team of about 15 designers approached the task by watching as many episodes as they could. Key scenes from The Beach, Ice Cream, Keepy Uppy and more were identified, then pitched to BBC Studios. 'What really helps is when the partner that we work with really loves and knows the brand,' the BBC's Tai said. 'Even without us saying, they'd already put tiny little gnomes in there, or Chattermax, those things that fans really pick up on.' Justin Rouillon, co-host of the Bluey's Brisbane podcast, which identifies the real-life locations found in the series, said the Lego collaboration was no surprise, given the show's massive audience. ' Bluey is a huge global brand, it's worth billions,' he said. 'Also, Bluey ties in well with Lego from that imaginative play standpoint.' Loading While generally positive about the sets, he said he was disappointed the house was 'just a facade'. 'It'd be great if you could build the entire Queenslander house that Bluey lives in,' he said. Rouillon's co-host, Lou Bromley, liked the figurines, but agreed Brisbane viewers might be disappointed in the house. 'I think it'd be great if we could have had the verandah or the deck. They've gone for that old-school townhouse style. 'I love that they've got a dunny in there. They nailed the soft yellow of the faded paint. But the steps, the railings, the tin roof?' There is one aspect that Bromley said the brand definitely 'hasn't pulled off'. 'It's a woeful backyard tree, because here in Brisbane, we know that's not what a poinciana [looks like].' Jacen Carpenter, a Longreach-based Lego collector and builder who has created his own interpretations of Bluey 's characters, is concerned that the figurines look too tall. 'The figures might have looked better if the sculpted head fit over the torso slightly, like Ewoks in Lego Star Wars, to give Bluey and her family the squat, cylindrical look of the cartoon,' he said. While Cardazzo said no one from her team had visited Brisbane for the project, Tai said the team at Ludo were closely consulted and supplied drawings to assist the designers. Cardazzo had to keep her work top secret for many months. Her own five-year-old daughter was able to test prototypes, but had to play the 'Quiet Game' about it afterwards. The designer would not be drawn on whether Bluey would be a brand perennial (like, say, Lego Marvel) or a limited-run collector's item. One suspects that it's in the hands of kids – and the wallets of their parents. Loading At the Cannon Hill Kmart at 11am on Sunday, the Lego Bluey pickings were already looking slim. Manly mum Brittany and her two sons, 7 and 3, quickly grabbed the last box of Lego Duplo Bluey's Family House. 'It's such a historic brand, and then collaborating with Bluey, I thought, 'if you don't get in early, you won't get one',' she said.
Straits Times
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Live-action Elden Ring film in works, directed by Alex Garland
A24 Films and Bandai Namco Entertainment will work with Ex Machina director Alex Garland on a live-action film based on the fantasy role-playing game Elden Ring. Garland, who also wrote the novel The Beach, will write and direct the film, the companies said in a release on May 23. George R R Martin, author of the fantasy novel series A Song of Ice and Fire that inspired the game, will be among the movie's producers, they said. No release date was announced. FromSoftware's Elden Ring, directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki, is set in a dark world full of dungeons, undead monsters and spells. It's shipped more than 30 million units. A version of the game is set for release for Nintendo's Switch 2 this year, while a spinoff title, Elden Ring Nightreign, is slated for release on May 30. BLOOMBERG Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Star
20-05-2025
- The Star
Parts of Thailand's Phi Phi marine park reopen to the public
As many as 10 diving spots around Ko Phi Phi have reopened for tourism. — Pixabay For about a year now, Thailand has not allowed divers to explore the underwater paradise around its Phi Phi National Park. Due to the bleaching of corals, strained by mass tourism, pollution and climate change, the popular diving and snorkelling areas in the marine park were closed in mid-May last year to allow the reefs time to recover. Now, 10 diving spots have been reopened, according to local media. The corals have reportedly recovered significantly, with their vibrant colours returning, National Park director Saengsiri Chongthong was quoted as saying by newspaper The Nation. The islands became world-famous at the turn of the millennium. When the Hollywood drama The Beach with Leonardo DiCaprio hit cinemas in 2000, the paradise-like ambience of Ko Phi Phi triggered a global hype. While director Danny Boyle told the story of life away from civilisation, the film had exactly the opposite effect – with devastating consequences. For years, legions of tourists made the pilgrimage to the otherwise uninhabited island of Phi Phi Leh to marvel at the heavenly Maya Bay. Around 6,000 people ended up coming every day. As so often happens to famous places, paradise became an overcrowded nightmare. Dozens of boats dropped their anchors into the once intact reef every day, the corals broke, the sharks disappeared and the rubbish piled up. Authorities are now urging tourists and tour operators to adhere to regulations, such as not throwing rubbish into the sea, not touching the corals and not anchoring on the reefs. Among the reopened diving spots are areas near the famous Viking Cave on Ko Phi Phi and on the northern and eastern sides of Ko Kai, also known as Chicken Island. However, the western side of Chicken Island (named after a rock formation resembling a chicken's head) remains closed to diving. The reefs there still need more time to recover. – dpa
Extra.ie
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
Paul Mescal to make debut at MAJOR summer festival
The event will kick off on Wednesday, June 25 Paul Mescal will speak at a Q&A for a screening of his film Aftersun at this year's Pilton Palais, the Glastonbury Festival cinema tent. Today's top videos STORY CONTINUES BELOW The 2022 independent drama, which received critical acclaim and earned Mescal his first Oscar nomination, will be shown alongside a selection of films including Bong Joon Ho's Mickey 17, the Leonardo DiCaprio drama The Beach and the documentary One to One: John & Yoko. Mescal also participated in the event last year, when he spoke with his co-star Andrew Scott about their film All of Us Strangers. 'The Pilton Palais team is proud to present this year's programme, which happens to be more star-studded than ever before, with more A-list guests supporting screenings and participating in Q&AS of their films', said the festival in a statement. Other celebrity guests coming to the cinema tent include Tilda Swinton, Margot Robbie, Andrew Garfield, Ncuti Gatwa and Jodie Comer. Bastille frontman Dan Smith will also be attending to pay a tribute to the late David Lynch before the screening of Wild At Heart. The cinema tent, which has a capacity of 1100, will be hosting events throughout the five-day festival. Glastonbury Festival is set to take a 'fallow year' in 2026, in keeping with the event's tradition to protect the environment. The festival will return the following year. Irish acts at the UK festival include Kneecap, Inhaler, The Script, CMAT and Snow Patrol. Ticket information can be found here.
