Ninjago
THAT Animated TV Show.
Ninjago started in 2010 as a first from LEGO;
a major ambition to create an independent TV series
for their new Ninjago universe.
Peter Hausner was hired by Wil Film ApS. to direct 5 episodes
of the first 13 on season 01;
including the kick-off show as well as the season finale.
The rest is history:
The season was an unparalleled success, lifting Cartoon Network USA
from third among the animation cables, to the number one spot, exclusively due to Ninjago.
Ninjago now has an estimated fanbase of 300 million devotees,
and is airing in 140+ countries worldwide.
For season 08 to 10, Peter was bumped up to Supervising Director.
In all, Peter has directed 28 half-hour episodes,
and served as Supervising Director on 24 episodes / three seasons.
And by the way; Peter was nominated for
The Annie Awards in 2012:
“Best Directing
of a TV Production”.
Following below are a few iconic sequences from the Ninjago cannon.
All clips are directed and storyboarded by Peter Hausner;
all written by Kevin and Dan Hageman, and we also want to mention
the ever so beautiful score by Mike Kramer and Jay Vincent.
Oh; and we absolutely need to firmly state that all Ninjago rights of course belong to LEGO.
From Eps. 07
“Tick-Tock”
A 01:37 min. snip:
How to deal with memories, loss, love and death
in a children’s show.
Zane the Ninja, has learned that he is NOT human!
He is actually a robot,
“a Nindroid”, and now he discovers his lost childhood, as he triggers his new-found memory-switch:
From Eps. 34
“The Titanium Ninja”
A 05:15 min. snip:
Again, Zane and death:
More profound pointers of serious loss; here Zane sacrifices himself to save the other Ninja, and the entire season ends on a long funeral sequence.
This has become one of the most beloved Ninjago episodes...
(This one comes with a shout-out to editor Henrik Bech :)
From Eps. 75
"The Mask of Deception”
A 06:21 min. snip.
The cold open for season 08
came with this daunting brief:
"Hit new cinematic heights that can rival the 100 mill. dollar Ninjago The Movie (which had opened worldwide between season 07 and 08), while reminding the fans of the original TV show,
and pulling in new potential followers!"
This was also Peter’s debut as Supervising Director.
(Honorable mention: John Harkins for brilliant car-chase Previs).