LEGO Monkie Kid is back with a mini movie and Season 2 series! It is LEGO Group’s first-ever series inspired by the Chinese classic Legend of the Monkey King (孙悟空). It’s also the first series rooted in Chinese culture and will be familiar to those who grew up reading or watching “Journey to the West （西游记）”!
Who is Monkie Kid?
If you are unfamiliar with Monkie Kid, think Monkey King. MK, also known as Monkie Kid who is Monkey King’s biggest fan, stumbles upon THE legendary staff (金箍棒) and the rest is history. He becomes an apprentice of Monkey King and realises that with power, comes great responsibility. With his group of friends, he defends the city and prevents villains from wreaking havoc while serving noodles for pigsy.
Some characters may be familiar for those who know Monkey King, they have taken on a different look and occupation. Pigsy, for instance, is now a noodle shop boss while Sandy has retired to his tugboat full of cats.
You might want to know what happened in Season 1 – here’s a quick recap: Demon Bull King took over the city with Red Son, his son hoping to restore his father back to power. Monkie Kid saves the day and defeats the family with his newly-learnt skills. So what will Season 2 be about? Let’s find out!
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Overview of Monkie Kid Season 2 Mini Movie
Monkie Kid and his friends continue on their adventures – this time something is brewing in Spider Queen’s lairs during Chinese New Year. Spider Queen tries in vain to activate her spider clones until a mysterious sweet little girl appears.
*Spoiler alert*
Monkey King, Demon Bull King and other “superheroes” or “supervillains” get captured by Spider Queen who harnesses their power to turn every person in the city into a Spider Zombie. (Ew!) Monkie Kid and his friends team up with Red Son, Demon Bull King’s son to try to restore order by creating an antidote to the venom Spider Queen created. So who’s the real villain? Find out in Monkie Kid Season 2 series!
Design and Animation of Monkie Kid
This LEGO mini-movie was quite different from the usual LEGO movies we were used to, and it was a refreshing change. Colours were very vibrant and there were also split screen frames resembling that of a comic, perhaps resembling the rhythm of the movie which was highly fast-paced.
Themes
Self-reflection & Resilience
As with any superhero show these days, it is always about self-discovery and realising your “inner powers”. Monkie Kid felt weak and incapable of helping when Monkey King was captured. Little did he know that some change in perspective when trapped in the cauldron would empower him. Children will learn how they should focus on their strengths rather than their weaknesses (like in MK’s case, his fear of spiders) to overcome challenges. I liked how it encouraged resilience even though there were setbacks.
Teamwork…with the Enemy
Strength is sometimes in numbers. Monkie Kid and his team had to work together with Red Son even though he was clearly from another camp. Despite the bad blood, they knew taking down their arch nemesis required teamwork.
Overcoming Fears
Like MK, we probably have fears of our own – fear of heights, fear of the dark, fear of failure. Overcoming this fear takes determination. MK did this well and saved the day, with his shifu, Monkey King’s, support of course.
LEGO Monkie Kid Review: Info for Parents and Suitable Ages
The dark bits of the mini movie was certainly a little scary, especially for those with Arachnophobia. But we know that the movie ended well, perhaps that was comforting. Given the really fast development of plot, I felt that the movie would be more suitable for children ages 8 and above.
The dialogue was challenging to follow due to the lack of subtitles so some details were missed in the process. This was especially for those who have not watched Season 1, but you can catch up on season 1 starting 9 April as well as on Youtube.
Monkie Kid Season 2 Mini-movie will be debuting on Mediacorp Channel 5 on 2 April 11 am to 12 pm. Following which will be a season 1 re-run every Friday 4.30 pm to 5.30 pm. Season 2 will be broadcasted at a later date, stay tuned!
