My thoughts on LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures

Do you remember the first time you saw Star Wars? If you’re like me, you were probably hooked from the first text scroll. I had the great pleasure of being able to sit down with Executive Producers Bill Motz and Bob Roth from the new animated series LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures as part of the Finding Dory/Disney XD Event.

LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures follows a family of  scavengers, the Freemakers, who work in space at a salvage and repair shop. The story line introduces a collection of new characters, but also includes some familiar elements from the Star Wars saga.

For over a year, the producers kept the show secret. During that time, they were able to watch their vision come to fruition piece by piece. Bill Motz described going to Denmark, home of the LEGO Headquarters, to have loose bricks transform into their ships. Also pretty cool is the fact that they can walk into a retail store and see their vision on a LEGO box.

But with that excitement came some fear. LEGO and Star Wars are two things these men have loved for decades. What if we screw it up? The good news is…they didn’t.

All throughout the Q & A session it was very apparent these guys aren’t just writers and producers, they’re fans. Motz said, “Star Wars and Lego both mean family to me. It just felt like naturally having, this has to be a show about family.”

Just like a real family, you’ll see funny exchanges among the characters. The brothers wrestle and the parents work to get their kids to do their homework. Rowan, the main character, has signs of ADHD. He’s based on one of the producers’ sons who also struggles with ADHD. As a padawan, it’s pretty hard to master the force without focus.

Also on the topic of family, Motz said his target audience is families. Intertwined in the episodes are jokes for the hardcore Star Wars fans, but also for the younger audience watching. Because the series is designed for families, it’s full of fun. Even the darkest episodes weave in humor and joy.

As dads also, Motz and Roth shared their kids’ impressions of the new series. Motz shared his 18-year-old daughter had tinges of believing the notion that LEGOs and Star Wars are for boys. Motz described how touching it was to get her seal of approval, saying it was really good.

Getting approval from Lucas film was another topic discussed. But these guys know the Star Wars saga inside and out. They shared some of the story group’s concern with a family of salvagers. Since episode seven hadn’t been released yet, it wasn’t known that Rey would also be a salvager. It’s a detail that I find pretty perfect.

The LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures fits perfectly into the Star Wars world. It’s a humorous adventure, great for every family (whether they be on the light side or the dark). LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures will premiere on Disney XD on June 20, 2016. There will be four exciting episodes the first week.