December '07 Gatchaman Movie Update

There's a new Imagi Gatchaman movie article on iesb.net: Link

The article covers a lot of known territory, but it throws in a few tantalizing tidbits we didn't know, and a couple we were suspecting. And there's a brand new teaser shot from the film. Go read the article and then come back here. I can wait.

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A few thoughts:

• As I mentioned on the site, I had the honor of visiting Imagi Studios in 2006 and seeing some of the preliminary sketches and talking with Kevin Munroe. I was impressed by his enthusiasm for the series and willingness to work with the series premise instead of "reimagining" it. The article confirms this: "Fans of the franchise can breathe a sigh of relief, Munroe and Tanaka definitely consider themselves Gatchaman purists and say the whole point is to stay as close as possible to the original versions..."
  
  
• I was impressed with TMNT when it came out, but one of my concerns was for the human characters' faces. They disturbed some people. Will the same techniques work for Gatchaman? According to the article: "In keeping with that goal and staying away from the 'pretty but porcelain' limited facial movement look of typical CG, Munroe is testing some more extreme facial structures in order to get the subtleties just right." Imagi also plans injecting more realism into the Gatchaman designs.
  
  
• As I was told in 2006, the story will be an origin story, explaining how the battle between the ISO and Galactor began. It sounds like Imagi will be putting more of an "alien invasion" spin on this, a la Battle of the Planets, but technically, since Sosai X is an alien, the idea could work. It's nice to see they're keeping Utoland (where our heroes live) in the movie, even as the translators at ADV change Utoland to "Jutland" (why?), though the futuristic city will be a more Blade Runner style dark metropolis.
  
  
• It looks like Imagi is still going for a PG-13 rating, but may change the title. The article points out that "G-Force" is already taken.
  
  
• And here's a nice little tidbit for potential Gatchacon attendees: The team behind Gatchaman hopes to reveal some goodies at San Diego Comic Con 2008. Maybe even a trailer and a booth? I got my con membership (if you're going, buy your membership now before they sell out), and I need to scan the travel sites for airfares.
  

O tanoshimi ni!