LEGO Ninjago Battle The Hands of Time in Season 7

Jump up, kick back, whip around and spin in another exciting season of LEGO NINJAGO. Yes, it's a LEGO animated series, and, yes, that means it comes with all the requisite silliness inherent in the LEGO universe of stories. And yet, the NINJAGO episodes somehow also carry a certain soap opera element to them that draws you in. Kids and adults alike will get sucked into the plot, actually caring about the characters and being surprised at plot twists.

The story begins 40 years in the past, when a younger Master Wu (Paul Dobson) and his elemental ninja friends batted two of their own: twin brothers Krux (MICHAEL DAINGERFIELD) and Acronix (IAN HANLIN), who were the masters of the element of time and felt they should control everything. The nina defeated the twins -- or so they thought. Krux disappeared, and Acronix was sucked into a time portal.

As Season 7 opens, Master Wu is alone and awaiting Acronix's return -- which happens right on time. Wu believes he is ready to finish the fight, but suffers a "time punch" from Acronix that begins to age him. Which, for Wu, is a short journey.

Acronix escapes and finds his brother, who has been hiding in plain sight of the audience for quite some time now. Acronix is astonished by all the new technology that has happened in the last 40 years, but Krux would prefer a return to a more luddite time period, and sets in motion his plan to change the outcome of their original battle. To aid in this, he assembles Vermillion warriors -- warriors whose bodies are comprised of a tangle of snakes, who can reform whenever knocked down in battle. This gives the brothers the opportunity to retrieve the four time blades from their various hiding places so that they can be fully powered.

An emotional hiccup occurs when current Ninjago siblings Kai (VINCENT LONG, who also voices Jestro on NEXO KNIGHTS) and Nya (KELLY METZGER) learn that their parents may have betrayed the original ninjas, siding with the Hands of Time. In fact, Kai and Nya are front and center in the battle against Krux and Acronix, as they stowaway on the time machine they finally develop and power with the time blades. This brings them full circle back 40 years to the original battle, where they have an opportunity to alter the outcome of the battle, for better or for worse.

Things aren't all neatly wrapped up with the villains, however. Victory comes at a steep price, and it will be up to Lloyd (JILLIAN MICHAELS) to step up as Master of the ninja and lead them from this point forward.

For a season that's only ten episodes long, and with episodes that are barely 30 minutes, LEGO NINJAGO manages to pack in a ton of story that keeps you coming back show after show.