LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures Review and Q+A with the Creators
Elias is nearly eight and, like many boys his age, is a huge fan of Star Wars and Legos. (Check out his Star Wars room, the time he battled Darth Vader and his Star Wars birthday party.) When I learned that I was going to have the opportunity on my Disney press trip to preview a new Lego Star Wars show, The Freemaker Adventures, my first thought was how much Elias would like it.
What I didn’t expect is how much I would enjoy it.
The new show, Lego Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures is set between the events of “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi.” It’s an action comedy series follows the Freemakers, a family of sibling scavengers who operate a salvage and repair shop in space.
The series will also feature familiar characters and locations from the filmed Star Wars saga.
We had the opportunity to talk with the show creators, writers and producers Bill Motz and Bob Roth and y’all, I wish you could have been in the room with them. Not only do they love Star Wars and Legos, but they are loving fathers who are passionate about family and storytelling.
I asked them what it meant to them to be a part of the Star Wars dynasty and Bob (on the right) got choked up telling us about his memory of seeing Star Wars for the first time at age 7 with his brother and how that snowballed into a deep passion for the story and a desire to be a part of it. He also recalled his mother working long hours to buy him Star Wars legos and memorabilia.
Hearing him tell his story made me tear up too. It reminded me of two similar stories in my own life – the first being Elias’s excitement to see the new Star Wars movie last December. Like Bob’s brother, it meant so much to Matthew to take him. It left a deep impact on Elias (who was also 7-years-old) and I think, like Bob, he will forever remember the experience.
His emotion about being a part of the Star Wars franchise was also very comparable to how I felt growing up in Target and then seeing my book there for the first time. Having something happen to you that is beyond your wildest dreams is incredibly surreal.
Both agreed that the biggest challenge challenge in creating this show, aside from keeping the secret for a year, was fear because it was intimidating working because this is a partnership between Lucas film and Lego and the Disney Corporation.
Bob and Bill are super fans of Star Wars and their passion and knowledge is evident in the show. However, its their love and commitment to family that really stood out to me. They wanted to create a show that families could really enjoy together.
One of the really cool elements of The Freemaker Adventures revolves around the story of Rowan Freemaker, the Force-sensitive youngest sibling and star of the show. Rowan exhibits signs of ADHD, which was something that was very important to the creators, especially Bob, because his son also has ADHD.
We chatted for a few minutes with Nicolas Cantu, the voice of Rowan and he expressed his excitement to be a part of a Star Wars show. He was such a dynamic 12-year-old! I loved when he said, “This is a big thing for me… being lucky enough to have this opportunity is really amazing. You know? It’s just, it’s the whole package though, a Disney show, Lego, Star Wars.”
Watch the trailer of The Freemaker Adventures below and plan to watch the premiere on Monday, June 20 at 10 am EDT. The show is funny, full of adventure and very family-friendly. A new episode will release Monday through Friday next week, and the first five episodes will be available on the Disney XD app on Monday.
Also available, as an extension of The Freemaker Adventures, are two Lego sets featuring the Star Scavenger ship and the Eclipse Fighter. Elias is getting them for his birthday and I know is going to be so thrilled.
Disclosure: I received an all expense paid trip to LA for a three-day press trip, which included lego product samples, but all excitement is my own. Some links are affiliate links.