This makes my heart hurt. The idea that somehow one of the bad guys was able to re-write the beginning of the story so that the original story was changed is really neat and I think it really plays into why Bionicle was popular to begin with; it was a mature story told in a way that kids could understand, interact with, and relate to; on top of the fantastic designs, obviously.
Thank you so much for this comment. You are spot on. The story should never be simplified to make a quick sell. To tell a living story you have to live the story and move into the location. Then you make sure that the location is an amazing and adventurous place with many sparks of hope even in the darkest spots🤩🗿🤖❤️🔥🦾
@@questforfuturecreativity Regardless of what ultimately happened; I'm really happy to have had many of these toys (across both generations) growing up and into my adulthood. Looking through your sketches, I can really see the pre-cursors to some of my favorite aesthetic pieces. Seriously cool stuff. I do have to wonder where the brand would have gone if it stuck with the name "BoneHeads of Voodoo Island" 😄
My first animation job was on Bionicles commercials back in 2004 👴 Christian is hands down the best client I worked with, very creative and collaborative. Can't wait to see more of those drawings!
oh so you're responsible for making some of the most inspiring pieces of visual art that I've seen at such an early age, well nice to meet you ahahah You two getting back in business together would be first most badass thing to happen in 2023
Your idea for Generation 2 looks so fun; actually committing to having it be a “bad future” time travel plot should have made it into the final product. Glad that there was a plan at one point to actually elaborate on the Mask of Time plot point.
I never grew up with Bionicle as a child because when I was born the theme was near the end of it's run. However, now continuing into my teenage years I have discovered what Bionicle is, and ever bit of sets, story, world, and ideas that come with it. For the past few years, I've been going back and collecting a large amount of the sets, and I just wish it was around when I was younger. I would just like to say, thank you for helping create such deep and interesting world, one that has become my favorite setting in fiction, with so many layers and aspects I now enjoy today, even if I didn't original grow up with it in my youth.
I could see this time travel idea done again for a Gen 3 but with a twist. Each alternative timeline is a representation of the virtues: Unity, Duty and Destiny. Gen 1 being about unity to fight makuta Gen 2 being about the duty of a toa (despite its short run) and Gen 3 being about the Destiny of the future of Bionicle as a whole. Not just for the fanbase but a series that draws from all bionicle lore and media. (Think of a story that draws from gen 1 and 2 being alternative realities that are called upon at the end for the big final battle. Gen 3 being a fandom's dream.)
I loved Bionicle even to this day. It has been very influential to my creativity especially when it comes to writing. Thank you for still keeping it alive even if it’s not on toyselves
So much of this could have worked EXCELLENTLY to be a soft reboot and still connect it with the original story. Expanding on the mask of time was something I always wanted anyways so this is perfect. I feel like with some good changes this could still be made today. Let’s do it! ❤
On one hand, time travel can get really messy really quickly, but on the other, I would have loved to have revisited some classic moments. Thanks for sharing these.
It really stings seeing how close to the original G2 was meant to be. I feel like if we got this more people would have been interested. The sets we got were beyond phenomenal, but the story just wasn't there. Bionicle really struggled without people like you behind the wheel. Your creativity hasn't been matched since and I'm glad you still have a passion for a series that has touched so many but seemed to keep being neglected.
So awesome. That concept of combining two cannisters to make a glider is such a good idea, and would have been a way to still use plastic packaging without it being wasteful. I would have loved to see how people would have used such cool, enormous pieces in MOCs too. Excited to see more from your archives.
I have so much to say about this, and I love this so much. The drawing with the box for the Toa, now that I saw that protodermis case for the mask of time, now it kinda makes sense for why their boxes looked like that. The art with the cyborg dino, and the one with the caged Matoran could've worked as kind of using the serial stories and "continue"/"finish" them in g2, like in this an alternate universe those events could've happened earlier, especially since time travel is used. That idea for the time traveling Toa, and the idea of masks being remains of past heroes reminds me of the silver Toa from the heroes games, where this Toa whenever found a new mask, he basically took the identity of that mask's og wearer. Also, there was that concept art with the evolution of the Toa, and the Bohrok.Well, what that was suggested is that Matoran were created from Kanohi, and that whole evolution chart has the exact shape of this "time vortex"(well it goes 2 ways but yeah) that Faber drawn here, so you know, so much to think about..... About the mask of ultimate power, at first, I was like "why would the Avohkii be the mask of ultimate power", but then I, again remembered the games, and well, in the 03 game, Takanuva had the elemenths of all 6 Toa. Making Hero Factory part of Bionicle is also a big thing, but I already had it my headcanon as sort of an alternate universe, and if you guys think about it, the heroes are basically Vahki, that work like Toa, and the og concept for Toa was that they supposed to be what the Vahki endee up being, so yeah. Another thing: remember Tridax, he traveled across different universes to kidnap Takanuva from everywhere, also Vezon had the Olmak fused on his face, and the great beings can reach beings in alternate universes, or at least the cursed one was capable of that, so maybe Velika, or the cursed great being could be a villain who could've made this story happen, Velika of corse would be the logical choice, especially since he was the one who wasn't happy how things turned out.This story could've been a story similar to like Mortal Kombat 11(but waaay better). I'd be interested to know those musics that were inspiration for Bionicle music, I hope we get to know them as well :D .
This resonates far more with me personally just seeing that concept art of the same beach, but with more industrial like settings in the background. It provides us the same mystery of the original Bionicle, where you're looking at the island and thinking "What is this?" except now like you said we'd see this new Mata Nui unlike everything we've known and think "What happened here?" and I don't think new fans would have a hard time thinking that either. It just kinda sucks to see all of these ideas were kind of used, but watered down to the point that they really had nothing to say except treading old ground. Even stuff like the Mask of Time was changed to Mask of Ultimate Power, which could mean anything in the grand scheme of things.
Really fascinating idea for G2! Reminds me of Back To The Future Part II with Makuta using the Vahi to go back in time and change the past. Would've been a clever way to reset the lore a bit but maintain the core ideas of the original Bionicle story for a new generation
It's unfortunate that more of these ideas weren't used for G2 Bionicle. It was a tragedy that the modern fate of being corporately sanitized befell it. Rather than letting you guys tell a great story again, they had to "dumb it down" for kids. I remember when I found Bionicle in 2008 when I was 9 and tore through all the lore because I had become so engaged with the world. But instead for 2015 they didn't let you guys create another breathing world, just a basic facsimile. I'm really looking forward to Rebel Nature, I'm looking forward to seeing an actual story be told, rather than just seeing the deluge of companies that continue to bank on old Intellectual properties without respecting the hard work and effort that made them great to begin with. I really appreciate you showing and inspiring us Mr. Faber, please know you and the other creatives and people that made Bionicle and everything else want it was, your dedication is ever appreciated.
I loved this, Im happy you still have so much interest in this series. I hope to see more someday. Bionicle was my top favourite all time series growing up I collected every set I could find. I miss it to this day, seeing this made me happy, I sincerely thank you
these are amazing, would love to see more of this! also the canister thing reminded me, did you see that news article about the mysterious giant metal cylinder that washed ashore in hawaii lol
Thank you soooo much for sharing this amazing material Chris - I had no idea you worked on G2! I am so sorry that so many of your creative ideas for G2 ended up being barely developed upon, or not used at all. But that just once more underlines what the difference between the final product of G2 and G1 was, and why one was successful and one not so much - and most of that difference seems to be your unique creative spark! I would *love* to see any more material you can share, and I'm sure many in the fandom feel the same! You are contributing so much with this, I'm sure this video alone will spawn many fanfictions, drawings, and discussions - art begets art! :D
I do remember there being a really old bionicle trailer for the game released arround the original movie showing a capsule opening up but i never saw that full sequence because of the trailer going to the game with like cuts of a milisecond to that beach
Thank you for posting this, I love this line so much. the story is very mature and is a huge part of why I enjoyed this line. The Mask of time plot point is extremely interesting as well and would have been amazing to see.
It makes me sad to know where G2 could have gone and what it could have been. I know Lego is a kid's company first and foremost, but I've never been able to shake my opinion that by making G2 wave 1 so kid friendly in tone especially in the flash mini-series killed the chance of wave 2 getting the recognition it actually deserved. And you can see the tone change between the releases to try and address that too, from the more detailed and sharper designs of W2 to even the netflix mini-series being a more mature and darker tone that was more akin to what Bionicle was like in the past. If I had to give a legitimate personal gripe about G2W1 it's not that it was more kid-friendly but rather that the characters just felt dumber in general for the sake of being more easily digestible. To finish this off on a more positive note, I love the face that the Ultimate Mask was just the silver Avohkii, even if just as a placeholder, as Takanuva has been my favorite Toa and quite possibly favorite character in the entire franchise since the PS2 game.
Wow, this is wild! It’s so sad this concept was never used. Can’t wait for more stories about what G2 could have been. P.S. I never knew you took part in G2s development.
I love it when the money people take power away from the creatives and completely destroy anything interesting the product had going for it. And by love I mean hate.
I mean honestly this is a massive moment in Bionicle’s history as far as I’m concerned. The realization that there could have been a “Faber” G2, and it would have been worthy of the title Bionicle.
@@pobccc2683 seriously, theres so much material here for fans to work off of and create something better than what we got thats still connected to the original
Hi Christian, I have a question concerning the villain. Is he supposed to be someone we know from G1, like Ahkmou who went back in time, or a totally new character? Thanks.
Concept Art gives me life. 'Unused' Concept Art probably even moreso. That spark, the intangible idea of 'what could have been' is so enticing! So many paths to explore, but only one can be taken... 👏👏
I really dont understand how this didnt actually become the final plan for g2. Everything im seeing here is fantastic. I can imagine the comic page of a toa just finishing assembling itself and walking into the island with another panel from behind the back of a skeletony bad guy up on a cliff looking down at the toa disappearing into the jungle. That could be the first hint to the reader that something isnt right and this isnt just a retelling of the original story. Then the toa runs across the trapped matoran and it becomes clear just how bad the situation is this time. The concepts you made also seem to have a dark serious atmosphere that feels like bionicle instead of the bright, cheerful, and comedic feeling i got from the actual g2. As long as the sets were designed well this would have been amazing.
You are so right and hinting that the new storyline is the same but different is so filled with possibilities. and the community has an advantage and a disadvantage at the same time. Sometimes bagage is a burden🤔⚖️⏱️❤️🔥🚀
Crazy to think that G2 almost went Terminator on us with time travel to create a similar but different timeline...shame that these ideas weren't used. If(when?) G3 happens, hopefully it could utilize at least some of these ideas...if not the time travel, at least the dinosaurs.
Love diving into Bionicle's concept art! Exciting to see how G2 could've turned out- the key visual is really cool, I like how the plan was to incorporate the biomechanical dinosaurs, almost bridging the gap from G1 with Bota Magna :D
Seeing that Vahi melded back together with the remaining form is like the fulfillment of a dream. Knowing that the future a lot of fans wanted is actually there to be seen, and not just a dream that wouldn't happen due to corporate or to constraints. The fact that someone took the time to think it up, put it onto the page and not only preserve it but *cherish it* - that's worth so much more than I could put to words.
This guy is actually so god damn creative it blows my mind. I’m so happy he never quit doing what he loves. Genuinely a role model. Living a wonderful life
I think 2015/16 were pretty great, but I think the Mask of Time being the center of conflict would've been really intriguing! Also the main bad guy riding a dinosaur would've been awesome!
That was incredible! I never thought G2 would've looked like that before how we know it as of today! Maybe someday, The Legend of the Bionicle will be told once more, this time perhaps based on you're initial 2015 sketches Christian. And that, is an Encouraging Thought!
Awesome concepts. Too bad the time travel idea wasn't utilized at all in the final storyline. Even back in 2004 (Bionicle 2) I actually wanted to know, what Makuta Teridax would or could ultimately use the mask of time for. Maybe he would have created a world like the one shown in the sketches.
This is so phenomenally interesting to see I love looking at concepts and sketches, its so cool to see the process! It looks like the direction you were looking at going was actually a good bit darker than what ended up happening with the 2015 Generation 2, and honestly I think that would've been really interesting. Somewhat similar to Voya Nui in how the Matoran were already desperate/ enslaved, but going even further with it being the start of this reboot. And the idea of G2 being they go back in time to the beginning of G1 but everything is off is honestly a really fascinating take, it makes it familiar yet very different, the old fans know how it went at first but not what's going to happen next. Really kinda meta in that format kind of explores the nature of a reboot in the very story itself. Loved this, loved that you got approval to show and I can't wait to see what's next! This alone has given me a ton to work with, as I love making theories and fanfiction ideas, and there is so much of the creative process to analyze here. Really puts what we got with G2 into perspective
This is just pure joy for us. Imagine Bionicle retold but there is little bit of hint that something has changed. then when the reboot great spirit arrives at Sperus Magna, you see the remnants of the great spirit from G1 ending, and you know that the great being has sent several spirits throughout the universe. or "bad guy" use completed vahi to go back in time and creat universe that hero failed there duty
far out this is untold history. i can't imagine the thrill you must had when all of your sketches came to life on posters, dvds and books plus the toy models too.
some of the more "chaotic" pages remind me a bit of the things I used to doodle back when I was younger, hopefully one day I'll be able to recapture that creativity. Inspiring stuff!
C'est incroyable à quel point on se rend compte que la G2 a repris nombre d'éléments conceptuels de Faber, dans les Araignées squelettes jusqu'au packaging, en passant par le clin d'œil au Masque du temps dans la websérie animée au début... Pour, au final, en faire quelques chose d'aussi naze que ce qu'on a eu, comparativement. Alors que l'idée de scénario de soft reboot de Faber (hard dans les enjeux, néanmoins) était excellente.
So glad now as an adult I can enjoy Bionicle again in a different way. I kinda forgot about it until I went to Legoland the other day. Tons of old memories. I hope they bring em back!
In one alternative timeline, we could have seen this Bionicle history and the set could mosk likely been really cool, also that idea of a Bionicle canister on the beach? That would have been pretty cool!
I'm glad that you told us about it, I was always curious about what it could have become if not definitelly too sudden cancellation of those series. Especially after seing all those amazing arts that appeared in The Art of BIONICLE artbook which was a proof that there was many unique ideas to be used
I love how this pitch appealed to both older fans and new fans, with it serving an alternative universe/sequel plot but also as a reboot that retells the same old tale from the beginning with new tricks added.
I’m very glad Lego has given you permission to show these, it’s very cool to see the design process and what could have been. I especially like the two part mask of time concept
This is great! I would love to learn more about how these concepts ended up developing into what was released in 2015, what worked, what didn’t work, what themes did you want to resurrect, what new themes you wanted to introduce, etc
I would love in the future if you could perhaps get permission from Lego to share your unused concepts for Hero Factory. I always wanted to know who that mysterious villain in Breakout and Brain Attack was…
Is there a way for you to contact LEGO and do something so they release Bionicle G3? :) These concepts look SOOOO great. I think if the bionicle would be re - announced today based on the original story / plot for G2, it would 100% bring back the glory days of the bionicle. Even today fans (old and new) would love to see those concepts become an actual product. People who grew with the bionicle would buy all the sets for sure. And new fans would finally understand how we felt as kids growing up. Anyways, thank you so much for the childhood, Christian! Bionicle definitely made my childhood much better and brighter. I have so many memories associated with these toys and all that because of you and your bright ideas.
You made my childhood, literally, damn legend. Normal LEGO was cool and all, but i thought it was boring as hell, and Bionicle was just way too sick, especially because of the universe, the games were actually good, and the movies (the first two at least) were fucking amazing for me when i was a kid.
i wonder what it means that lego allowed you to show these concepts, are they done with the brand ? did they renew their bionicle trademark since they just released a Bionicle set?
Ahh... This is too good to be just scrapped. I would've loved to see this come to life. I hope somehow some of this can become something in the future. Always pleasure hearing you talk about Bionicle, Christian.
man, everything said here screams OG Bionicle where the creators don't take their audiance as stupid ppl. Checked a bit in 2015 the products & the story since I grew up with it and jesus christ it was childish, not inspired on the story part and the sets ? Look good but a LOT of creativity is lost with those new systems. If a G3 comes one day. I hope They don't go full gaga-gugu on the characters :p.
Really makes me wish that Bionicles had stayed around for longer, there is so much potential in all these sketches for interesting and new bionicles, but they also feel classic and familiar. Thank you so much for sharing, and for producing something that defined a big part of my childhood. I still remember my family eating pizza at the table while I was building Lewa Nuva. Good times ♥
Great stuff here, thanks for sharing! I think the ideas of the Mask of Time and time travel has the potential for a great theatrical Bionicle experience
