Recently I spoke with Tommy Yune (Robotech Creative Director) about the new Robotech Two Movie Collection.
I want to thank Tommy for taking the time to answer our questions.
Greetings & Salutations Folks!
This week, I had the good fortune be tasked with Tommy at Lionsgate/A&E about the latest
dual release to DVD of Robotech 2 Which includes “The Shadow Chornicles” + the-never-
before-seen “Love Live Alive” from legendary Robotech science fiction anime.
What is the background/setting for the films?
The movies take place on primarily on earth in the aftermath of an alien invasion and
focuses on the human resistance which fights the aliens (known as the Invid) using robots.
These robots vary in size from those that are as small as cars to robots that dwarf buildings
and skscrapers. These robots are driven by humans and can even change into fighter aircraft
or bombers.
Why do you think the Robotech brand/franchise has stayed so popular over the years?
A big factor is the human element …. the interlinked stories of the human resistance
fighters which has a multigenerational span throughout the storyline. We know the fans
take the characters and the writing very seriously and we stay as true to them and take
it as seriously as the fans do. We even sought out voice actors from the orignal to reprise
their roles in the updated HD edition. Most recently, a huge factor that’s contributed to
Robotech’s revival has been it’s appearance on sites like NetFilx and Hulu.
Would you consider Robotech a ‘war epic’ as well as scifi-anime?
Certainly. It definately has that seriousness to the storyline. It’s just as much
about the survival of humanity against impossible odds.
What about the art style? How has it changed over the years?
The style has gone through changes over the years, but we’ve haven’t strayed too far from
where we first started. It started out as any other animation .. ‘old school’ drawn by hand and
cut .. at one point, we tried to make it by computer but it just wasn’t the same. Today,
we blend it combining the hand drawn/cut with digital mincing and then combine the HD element.
By now, just about everyone has heard about or seen ‘Pacific Rim’.
Giant human-driven/operated robots battling monsters. Do think there was any inspiration
drawn from manga animes like Robotech?
No doubt. I was actually pleased with the way it turned out. The certainly did alot of
research into the genre and did a wonderful job of subtly paying homage to it and
incorporating that into the film. You can see parallels with some of the classic
monster movies like the ‘Godzilla’ films. It’s a great movie!
There have been rumors that a live-action Robotech movie is in the works. Do you think
we’ll see one in the future?
It’s definately been talked about. I’m sure there’s a possibility we could see one
down the road.
Thanks again for your time Tommy!
You bet!
