Theme Park Rangers Radar: New Ninjago show at Legoland, art 4 ways at Epcot, weekend outlook

Theme Park Rangers Radar watches Legoland Florida challenge the elements in its new Ninjago-themed show, admires more art of Spaceship Earth at Epcot and gets news updates from the West Coast and the English countryside.

Radar is weekly roundup of what’s up at Central Florida’s theme parks and attractions. It publishes on OrlandoSentinel.com on Wednesdays.

It’s elemental

Legoland Florida’s latest stage show has people bouncing off the walls. OK, technically that’s part of the cast of “Lloyd’s Elemental Challenge” doing the bouncing, and trampolines are involved.

But there’s a lot going on in the show, part of the Winter Haven theme park’s Lego Ninjago Weekends. It’s an active mix of martial arts and dance.

“The goal of the show was to bring something brand new to our park that no one has seen before,” said Shay Davis, entertainment creative production manager at the park.

“We’ve had our show ‘Elemental Masters’ in the past, which was a similar concept, but we wanted to kind of level it up,” she said. “For each element, we wanted to highlight different martial art forms and weapons.”

Yikes, so during the lightning segment, there’s high-speed choreography with performers rebounding from hidden trampolines and up onto walls.

Bo staffs are in action for the Earth section while chain whips are out for fire. Spears and swords are in the ice section. Dance is used throughout, but is emphasized with kung fu fans during the water scene. It’s all got visual appeal.

The centerpiece is Lloyd Garmadon, a walkaround Lego character who is part of the brand’s Ninjago line. He keeps kids in the audience involved.

“There’s a question after every segment where he tests the audience’s knowledge on Ninjago,” Davis said. But Legoland’s target audience – the 2- to 12-year-old set – likes to keep things jumping.

“Kids, they want to see the action. So, we try to establish a story but also just keep the action moving for the kids so they always have something to look at,” Davis said.

Also speedy: The turnaround from the holiday season to the mid-January launch of this fresh 20-minute show at the park’s Lego City stage.

“It was two weeks to put together all that choreography, all of the martial artists and all of the stunt coordination and the set, which was a big undertaking in and of itself to build both of those trampolines and everything,” Davis said.

Lego Ninjago Weekends also includes Dragon’s Drumbeat performances, the School of Spinjitzu training show, the Ninjas United Celebration, ninja character meet-and-greets and specialty treats (curr-ate chop fries among them). The event continues on Saturdays and Sundays through Feb. 19.

Quadruple take

Walt Disney World has artwork spread all over the park during Epcot International Festival of the Arts. One big display is kind in a blind spot on a wall near Connections Cafe (a k a Starbucks), and it features a familiar, nearby site.

Spaceship Earth is given different artistic interpretations by four Imagineers who take different angles, approaches and color schemes. Participating artists include Jessica Hillis, Evan Miga, David Buckley and Remi Jeffrey-Coker. Folks admiring this display can easily spy Spaceship Earth to their left.

The idea is based on a 15-minute film from 1958 called “4 Artists Paint 1 Tree,” in which four Disney artists approach an oak tree differently and artistically. The featurette is narrated by Walt Disney himself (Oscar and Emmy statuettes in background), and it also touts “Sleeping Beauty,” which would be released in 1959.

The featured artists back then were Marc Davis, Josh Meador, Walt Peregoy and Eyvind Earle. The piece (dubbed an “adventure in art”) is both slow-moving — a sort of 1950s pace — and interesting. Who expected both lighter fluid and charcoal to be involved?

And there’s a full circle moment: Earle is touted elsewhere in the arts fest. His background work from “Sleeping Beauty” inspired the forest-based Artful Photo Op.

Two-sentence updates

Far-flung (but with nearby connections) updates in two sentences:

• Legoland California wants to build a new space-themed land called Lego Galaxy, which would include an indoor roller coaster. The park plan to debut a land named Dino Valley this year.

• Upgrades are coming to the entrances of Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. It will happen in phases beginning later this year.

• Alistair Strathern, a member of the British Parliament, told the BBC that he has been in discussions with Universal Destinations & Experiences about its possible theme park in England. “There is a lot of real excitement among local residents after some initial disbelief,” he said.

Weekend outlook

• Rock the Universe concerts return to Universal Studios on Friday and Saturday evenings. The lineup is different each night, but performers include We the Kingdom, LeCrae, Blessing Offor, Casting Crowns, Phil Wickham, Brandon Lake and more.

• Friday is the final day for Magic Kingdom’s Country Bear Jamboree, which is going into refurbishment and will return revamped this summer.

• SeaWorld Orlando holds Just for Kids Weekend on Saturday and Sunday and launches the fifth birthday party for its Sesame Street Land. (Elmo’s Birthday Celebration starts Monday.)

• Epcot International Festival of the Arts continues, including the Disney on Broadway concerts series featuring Ashley Brown (“Mary Poppins”) and L. Steven Taylor (“The Lion King) on Friday and Sunday plus Josh Strickland (“Tarzan”) and Kissy Simmons (“The Lion King) on Saturday, Tuesday and Jan. 31. (That foursome has four dates in February as well.)

• Lego Ninjago Weekends activities continue at Legoland Florida on Saturday and Sunday.

• “Going Places,” an exhibit about transportation, is now open at Orlando Science Center.

• Dezerland Park is hosting Orlando FamilyFest, noon – 6 p.m. Saturday, featuring a mix of vendors and free kids activities. Adults get a BOGO redemption card worth $80 at Dezerland attractions. Admission is $5 ($8 day of event). Kids get in free. More information/tickets: theexpopros.com.

What’s on your radar? Email me at dbevil@orlandosentinel.com.