Netflix is bringing back one of the 80s’ most popular cartoons for a new generation as well as old fans. ‘Voltron: Legendary Defender’ revives the concept of five Earth teens who command huge mechanical lions that combine to form the mightiest mecha in the universe to stand against the forces of evil.
Executive producer Joaquim Dos Santos says:
“Those fans of the original series, they should be able to look at this and instantly recognize the characters they remember and Voltron and the lions. And also little things like keeping Keith’s mullet.”
So aesthetically, old school fans should find a lot to like and relate to, but obviously nearly thirty years have passed since ‘Voltron’ aired in original episodes and things have come a long way. Like many kids shows, anime in particular, ‘Voltron’ had a tendency to be pretty formulaic.
Fellow EP Lauren Montgomery explained that the new show would take pains to update the show and to do away with some of those elements:
“It was a really big thing for us to do to not do the formulaic thing of: here comes the Robeast; fight him as lions, that didn’t work; form Voltron, that didn’t work; Blazing Sword. Not only did we give Voltron a few more weapons but we gave them more ways to defeat the Robeasts. Sometimes they need to defeat them as the lions. We tried to vary our Robeasts so it’s not just they can only be defeated one way.”
You can watch the full video interview with Dos Santos and Montgomery below and discover the differences in animation from then til now and learn which character may be the most important in the new series. (It’s not Keith’s mullet, sadly.)
Five unsuspecting teenagers, transported from Earth into the middle of a sprawling intergalactic war, become pilots for five robotic lions in the battle to protect the universe from evil. Only through the true power of teamwork can they unite to form the mighty warrior known as Voltron: Legendary Defender.
Are you ready to journey back to space with the Voltron Force?
‘Voltron: Legendary Defender’ featuring the voices of Josh Keaton, Steven Yeun, Bex Taylor Klaus, Jeremy Shada, Tyler Labine, Rhys Darby and Kimberly Brooks premieres on Netflix on June 10.
Source: Blastr
