"Robotech" (1985) TV series

User Rating:

8.7/10   

Director:

Robert V. Barron

Writers:

Gregory Snegoff (staff writer) &
Robert V. Barron (staff writer) ...
(more)

Seasons:

1

Genre:

Animation | Sci-Fi

Plot:

An alien ship crashes on Earth and the tech and secrets it bears lead Earth into three destructive interplanetary wars.

Plot Keywords:

Giant Robot | Robot | Spacecraft | Transforming Robot | Space War

Cast

Katy Amaizo	...	Claudia Grant (1 episode, 1985)
Jean-Claude Ballard	...	Narrator (1 episode, 1985)
Cam Clarke	...	Maximillion Sterling (1 episode, 1985)
Lara Cody	...	Kim Young, Jason (1 episode, 1985)
Greg Finley	...	Henry Gloval, Anatole Leonard (1 episode, 1985)
Rebecca Forstadt	...	Lynn Minmei (1 episode, 1985)
Ted Layman	...	Exedore (1 episode, 1985)
Wendee Lee	...	Vanessa Leeds (1 episode, 1985)
Michèle Lituac	...	Lisa Hayes (1 episode, 1985)
Iona Morris	...	Claudia Grant (1 episode, 1985)
Tony Oliver	...	Rick Hunter (1 episode, 1985)
Dan Woren	...	Roy Fokker (1 episode, 1985)

(more)

Series Directed by
Robert V. Barron		(unknown episodes)

Series Writing credits
Robert V. Barron		(unknown episodes)
Ardwight Chamberlain		(unknown episodes)
Greg Finley		(unknown episodes)
Jason Klassi		(unknown episodes)
Steve Kramer		(unknown episodes)
Mike Reynolds		(unknown episodes)
Gregory Snegoff		(unknown episodes)
Tao Will		(unknown episodes)

Series Produced by
Ahmed Agrama	....	executive producer (unknown episodes)
Jehan Agrama	....	associate producer (unknown episodes)
Carl Macek	....	producer (unknown episodes)

Series Original Music by
Ulpio Minucci		(unknown episodes)
Arlon Ober		(unknown episodes)

Series Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Noboru Ishiguro	....	director: Japanese language version (unknown episodes)

Series Sound Department
George Bours	....	sound engineer (unknown episodes)

Series Visual Effects by
Bill Newton	....	digital restoration (unknown episodes)
Tommy Yune	....	main title design & credits (unknown episodes)

Series Other crew
Debbie Alba	....	dialogue director (unknown episodes)
Robert V. Barron	....	dialogue director (unknown episodes)
Greg Finley	....	dialogue director (unknown episodes)
Steve Kramer	....	dialogue director (unknown episodes)
Mike Reynolds	....	dialogue director (unknown episodes)
Gregory Snegoff	....	dialogue director (unknown episodes)

Production Companies

• Harmony Gold
• Tatsunoko Productions Company

Distributors

• ADV Films (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Cartoon Network (1997) (USA) (TV)
• Cartoon Network (1998-2002) (USA) (TV)
• DeA Planeta Home Entertainment (2001) (Spain) (VHS)
• Déclic Images (1997) (France) (video)
• Family Home Entertainment (FHE) (1986) (USA) (VHS)
• Guangdong Qianhe Audio & Video (2004) (China) (DVD)
• Madman Entertainment (2002) (Australia) (DVD)
• Manga Entertainment (2006) (UK) (DVD)
• Retro (2007) (Argentina) (TV)
• Scanbox Entertainment (2007) (Finland) (DVD)
• Sci-Fi Channel, The (1993) (USA) (TV)
• Space (2008) (Canada) (TV)
• Star TV (1994) (China) (TV)
• Starz Media (2008) (USA) (video) (internet distribution)
• Streamline Pictures (1992) (USA) (VHS)
• TF1 Vidéo (2005) (France) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Comico The Comic Company  comic book adaptation
• Del Rey Books  novelization
• Harmony Gold  soundtrack
• Intersound  digital remastering (2004)
• Intersound  post-production (1985)

Runtime:

Argentina:30 min

Country:

USA | Japan

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (1985) | Dolby Digital (2004 restoration)

Certification:

Finland:K-7 (DVD) | Canada:PG (TV rating) | Argentina:Atp | USA:TV-Y7

Company:

Harmony Gold

Trivia:

The original 1985 series left viewers hanging with an unresolved ending that was not continued until the release of Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles (2006) over 20 years later.

Movie Connections:

Edited from "Chôjikû kidan Sazan Kurosu" (1984)

Soundtrack:

The Flower of Life

My favorite TV show of all time.

I'm usually a purist with my anime, but I make no apologies for saying this- Robotech is my favorite TV show of all time, and my favorite anime.

I won't get into the whole discussion of whether the translation butchered the original Japanese creators' intentions or not; I stand in awe with what Carl Macek was able to do with 3 distinctly unrelated series, and feel that the whole Robotech mythos is more engaging and fun than the original series.

This is the only show that I have felt such an emotional attachment to, for so long. There is no rational explanation; my wife gave up trying to figure it out a long time ago...

Robotech spans 3 generations of people battling to save earth. It was one of the first American cartoon series to have a continuing storyline, to have character deaths (and births!). It showed racism, interracial relationships, the futility but necessity of war... all in 1/2 hour weekday installments right before school. Plus, it had the coolest mecha around.

I've heard rumors of a new Robotech 3000 series under development by the animators responsible for Beast Wars and the Voltron 3D show. I'm apprehensive but hopeful; I doubt any show can ever really hope to match (and mesh with) the standards set by the original series- identifying with characters may be a wee bit hard with CGI models. But, I hope that it renews interest about Robotech with the public. Perhaps then the snafus that have kept causing Robotech to disappear from store shelves will be overcome. (Anyone for a full DVD set?)