[3][4] The series began with the ninja team being formed and trained by their ancient master Sensei Wu in the fictional martial art of "Spinjitzu", which is the main fighting method depicted in the show.

He then contacted an artist in Canada named Craig Sellars, who painted an internal concept image of the characters over the weekend and sent it back on the following Monday.

Initially it was intended to be a one-hour special, but the Hageman Brothers decided that they wanted to make it into a saga similar to a high-end blockbuster movie, "like Star Wars with ninjas".

Tommy Andreasen explained that the character of Nya was employed as an emotional reason for Kai to get involved because, "he didn't want to be a ninja, but his sister was kidnapped by this evil Lord from the underworld".

Despite not having any prior knowledge of Ninjago, Schut became familiar with the story and continued it with the same approach as the Hageman Brothers, ensuring that it included "a combination of humour, heart and adventure".

Erik Wilstrup, the CEO of Wil Film, first became aware of the project in October 2009 when The Lego Group was exploring ways to create branded entertainment using animation.

The score is produced by Jam Hollywood in Los Angeles, the animation is done at GDC in China and all preproduction, storyboarding, blocking, post-sound, on-line and grading is done in our studio in Copenhagen.

Now it's a new idea in every episode, and it really makes you risky and fresh - and able to tell stories very efficiently...If there's something I would like Ninjago TV show to be, it's this creative playground, where you should never know exactly what you can expect".

[43] The soundtrack incorporates a wide variety of traditional musical instruments from around the world, which were carefully chosen to illustrate each character or land in which the season is set.

Following the success of the pilots, The Lego Group announced the release of the first season on 23 March 2011, titled Rise of the Snakes, which aired at the end of 2011 and consists of 13 episodes.

Jill Wilfert, Vice President of licensing & entertainment at The Lego Group commented, "We're thrilled to be working with Wil Film and Kevin and Dan Hageman to add yet another dimension of story and engagement to our newest original property".

Season 5 focuses on Nya training to become the Master of Water while the other ninja battle Wu's first student, Morro, a vengeful ghost who has possessed Lloyd.

The plot focuses on Kai, Nya and their parents, with the main villains being the Elemental Masters of Time (Acronix and Krux) and their army of Vermillion Warriors, who are trying to rewrite history.

Its plot centres around the water ninja, Nya, after she loses control over her elemental powers and journeys into the oceans surrounding the island of Ninjago.

Reviewer Lien Murakami for Common Sense Media gave the Pilot season a three out of five star rating, describing it as "exciting and funny" and noting that "the ninja characters learn lessons of patience and teamwork from their wise sensei".

[85] Melissa Camacho for Common Sense Media gave Tournament of Elements a three-star rating and commented on the "positive messages" and "character strengths" in the series stating, "Lessons about loyalty, loss, sacrifice, and teamwork are emphasized throughout.

"[87] Dave Trumbore for Collider commented on Skybound, giving the show a four-star rating and stating that it is "a fun romp through the mythology in the modern era that emphasizes teamwork, cooperation, and loyalty throughout, all while providing a highly entertaining and action-packed series".

[5] Skybound also received a three-star rating from Common Sense Media, which noted that the season, "contains some positive messages about friendship, patience, loyalty, and gender equality.

"[88] Common Sense Media gave Hands of Time a three-star rating, with Melissa Camacho commenting that the season had good messages, fantasy violence and, "some fun moments, especially when the teens banter with one another.

[105] The show was also nominated at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in 2012 in the category of "Branded Entertainment, Best Fictional Program, series or film".

In the fictional realm of Ninjago, the two main elements are creation and destruction, which are the definition of good and evil, and are shown to either create life or destroy it.

Many villains throughout the series have been defined by darkness and destruction, most prominently the Oni, while the main character Lloyd Garmadon has been associated with light, particularly when he was shown to have achieved his "Golden Power" in the second season.

In particular, the main character Master Wu has been depicted repeatedly placing emphasis on overcoming the internal obstacles that can hold a person back from achieving greatness.

Tommy Kalmar, Story and Entertainment Manager commented, "Beneath the icons of dragons and ninjas there's this compelling full narrative around kids gaining confidence, finding their inner voice, learning something new about themselves, realizing something, and suddenly they can do more.

"[26] From its launch in 2011, the Ninjago series achieved continued popularity amongst its target audience, who are mainly primary aged children and teenagers, but it also gained a dedicated fan community.

In 2017, Christopher Stamp, Senior Designer at The Lego Group, noted that Lloyd and the ninja are relatable to children due to their inherent flaws, stating, "What is the main thing that has caught kids’ attention?

[118] In 2017, Lego design manager, Michael Svane Knap commented, "It’s always important to develop good characters that engage with the kids and encourage them to watch.

[118] On 5 February 2019, Ernie Estrella for Syfy Wire remarked that, "Ninjago is one of Lego's long running, home-grown franchises, and is arguably its most successful one.

The film was directed by Charlie Bean, Paul Fisher and Bob Logan, and produced by Dan Lin, Roy Lee, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller.

The vlog was hosted by the Ninjago characters Jay and Nya and was the first time that The Lego Group used motion capture and real-time rendering in media content.