VICTORIA -- VICTORIA — Since the arrival of COVID-19, Dave has been playing a lot of LEGO in self-isolation with his three-year-old son, Milo.

Dave shows me pictures of boxes becoming forts, sweatpants repurposed as jester hats, and LEGO skeletons turned into cinematic stars.

“I asked Milo, ‘Do you want to make a movie?’ and he said ‘Yes’!” Dave recalls.

So, Milo comes up with a plot for a stop-motion epic — that culminates with a brave hero battling a monstrous foe.

When Dave was ready to animate the climactic scene, he asked Milo to bring him the monster. “He comes to me and he says, ‘Here you go Daddy!” And he just brought me a pair of [LEGO] pants,” Dave laughs.

“I was like, ‘Are you sure? Because we got the skeleton.’ And he’s like, ‘Pants!’”

So, Dave changed his plans.

The video begins with a dynamic title flying on to the screen — ‘Pantskicker’. Then the hero drives up in a red car, before being confronted by an aggressive pair of pants.

Dave makes all the sound effects. The hero wins the battle by kicking the pants. Ten seconds later he drives off, while Dave voices a triumphant soundtrack. The end.

Words can’t do the movie’s simplicity, absurdity and irresistibility justice. You should watch the video.

Milo was so pleased, the three-year-old devised a sequel.

‘Pantskicker 2: The Kickening’ features a more elaborate title sequence, greater production values (a couple flowers and a carrot), plus a larger cast. This time, our hero has to kick two pairs of pants followed by four pairs of pants standing on top of each other. He wins. Dave’s infectious soundtrack-voice swells. The end.

Dave had the time to make it, because COVID-19 had caused his five work projects to be cancelled.

Dave is a professional Improv performer and teacher. He’s featured in a local TED Talks video where he discusses the connection between his professional and personal life.

“The skills I use to teach improvisation are the skills I use to live my life,” Dave smiles. “Life — believe it or not — is improvised.”

When he’s not earning hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube for talks like that, Dave is operating Victoria’s Paper Street Theatre, or teaching improv at the prestigious M.I.T. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology).

“As an improvisor, one of the things we’re good at it is accepting things as they are, and letting go of our preconceived notions of what we’re expecting to do,” Dave says. “That’s what we do all the time on stage.”

Which is why — instead of being frustrated about what he can’t do because of COVID-19 — Dave’s celebrating what he can. Which, he says, can often turn out to be even better than expected.

“‘Pantskicker’ would not have been as good if it was a skeleton. Because then its just a guy who gets out of his car and fights a skeleton. That’s boring. We’ve seen that a million times,” Dave explains. “But a guy who gets out of his car and kicks a pair of pants? That’s funny!”

‘Pantskicker 3: A Real Kick in the Pants’ was just released on Dave Morris’ Facebook page. It features our hero kicking eight pairs of pants while spinning on his head!

While we watch the latest chapter in Milo’s filmic franchise, perhaps we can consider the old saying — when life gives you pants, make Pantskicker.