Thoughtnami | 10 Questions: Voltron Force

Originally Posted 05/06/11 by Jeff Harris

"From days of long ago, from uncharted regions of the universe, comes a legend. The legend of Voltron: Defender of the Universe. A mighty robot, loved by good, feared by evil."

Ah, Voltron. Probably one of the most iconic shows of my youth, not to mention one of Toonami's flagship shows back in 1997. Seems like a lifetime ago. Voltron may have faded from view for a while, but the fans of the series kept its memory alive. And now, World Events Productions is reintroducing Voltron to the fans that grew up with it and introducing the legendary franchise a new generation courtesy of a brand new animated series, Voltron Force.

While we're all anticipating the June 16 premiere of the new series on Nickelodeon's Nicktoons digital cable channel, many questions linger about what the new series will be about, where the franchise has been, and what's next? I recently spoke with Jeremy Corray, Creative Director at World Events Productions, who gave me the scoop of all things Voltron:

1. Why did you guys feel now was the right moment to bring back Voltron?

Ha! Well, it's never a wrong time to bring back the Defender of the Universe, but Voltron Force came together as Jason Netter of Kickstart Production had always been helping us develop a new series with various drafts, and we finally hit on a take everyone loved. And then, like Voltron, everything assembled from the head of Nicktoons Keith Dawkins (who is a huge Voltron fan) to Classic Media which helps us manage the brand. We also saw how so many original fans were now parents and had been passing down Voltron to the next generation as this "inherited entertainment" experience so it was time to create new entertainment that classic fans could watch with their own kids.

And I can tell you, based on experience, that is the best way to watch Voltron. When you see your kid's eyes light up when Voltron Forms Blazing Sword, well, I mean, you're back in your living room after school in 1984 all over again.

2. I grew up watching the series when I was a kid in the 80s and enjoyed its return on Toonami and syndication as well as Third Dimension. What do you think keeps the fans watching and enjoying Voltron in all its incarnations?

Well, as my boss Ted Koplar says, "A good story is a good story is a good story." With Voltron, it really is this fusion of so many elements from mecha to magic, and I think the show was remixing genres before anyone else even knew what a remix was.

I keep discovering and appreciating things from the original even now like King Alfor's Egyptian-like tomb in the middle of this Camelot type castle. Here you have this fantasy universe and these incredible hi-tech yet ancient weapons and vehicles being used. That, and there is something timeless about a giant robot lion shredding a tank and a massive heroic robot cutting monsters in half! That just endures from caveman to spaceman.

3. Considering Toei created the Go-Lion franchise World Events honed into a pop culture phenomenon, how has relations that studio been lately in regards to all things Voltron, and side-question, how come you didn't go with Toei to produce new versions of the series over the years?

I haven't been involved with that side of the 'biz, but we have nothing but respect for the tremendous artists and animators who worked on the original series. I'd love to meet some of them someday. So many questions!

The second season of Voltron was actually produced with the help of Toei, and who knows what the future holds? Voltron Force stylistically splits the difference between East and West, so it's always been my goal to bring Voltron back full circle someday and do a production in Japan. If Voltron Force is successful, we should be able to do just that.

4. Like many children of the 80s, I've been anticipating/fearing a theatrical version of Voltron. There have been many attempts over the years to try to bring the Lions to the big screen. Heck, a lot of people hoped that the titleless teaser of Cloverfield actually was for a Voltron flick. How close are we to seeing Voltron live-action movie at a multiplex near us?

Like Voltron Force, we are taking our time in development to get a take that feels like the epic theatrical experience we all want to see. That, and let's face it, with the subject matter being these giant robotic lions forming into a stacked-skyscrapers sized metallic warrior, this is not going to be an indie romantic comedy.

We need to exceed fans' expectations, and our producers Richard Suckle and Charles Roven at Atlas are smart enough to know we have one shot at this and have to do it right. That being said, we should have some good news to report soon on the development of Voltron. Let's talk around Comic-Con and see where we are.

5. Looking forward to doing just that. Back to the questions: The Lion incarnation of Voltron is the most popular incarnation of the franchise. You guys even put its silhouette in WEP's corporate logo, which is snazzy. But the so-called Vehicle incarnation doesn't get much love in the fanbase and pop culture. (sidenote: never seen Fleet of Doom. Rarely aired in my part of the world back in the day) For example, Robot Chicken had a segment that lampooned the transformation process on a rather routine mission. Would you guys ever attempt to gave that series a renewed focus one day as well, or is it all about the Lion Voltron now and forever?

Ha, thanks man for the logo compliment. To me, Voltron's iconic pose is our "Mickey Mouse" ears. You're right, Lion Force is indeed the favorite son, but we have not forgot about our loyal Vehicle Fans and try to weave that universe into projects from the Devil's Due comic to toys. Obviously, Lion is what most everyone remembers, but keep watching and Vehicle Voltron fans will have their day! I read every comment on the boards, so I know the love that is there, and, for me personally, I distinctly remember having Air and Sea team and assembling the big guy with a friend on the kitchen table. Thing of beauty.

6. Back to the new show a bit. I've noticed from the clips seen so far that it's going to be a combination of 2D cel animation for the main characters and 3D computer animation for Voltron and the Lions. Any particular reason why the series's not either 100% cel or 100% 3D, or is it a celebration of the previous two show's legacies?

Honestly, there was tremendous pressure to do the show in all CGI, but myself and our exec producer Bob Koplar felt that while CGI is fantastic for creating these incredible feline action movements and titanic Voltron robotic fight sequences, hand-drawn animation is still the way to go to capture the warmth humor and emotion particularly since the series is aimed at a younger audience. That, and we took a look at the landscape and wanted the show to look a bit different than other revivals and I think we've done it. I hope fans appreciate the fact that some painstaking "old-school" techniques are being put into the show!

To us, the hybrid model really plays on the strengths of both mediums as these robot lions and the fierce way in which the claw and bite and jump is just incredible! It makes the Lions of Voltron: The Third Dimension look like a Playstation One game! Whoops.

7. Describe what Voltron Force is all about. Is Voltron Force a complete reboot of the series/franchise, and if so, will older fans of Voltron be ready to jump into it easily and be entertained by it or is this a series aimed largely towards the younger set?

It's interesting because we went through a couple different concepts along the way from a Voltron Academy-type setting, to treating the 26 years since the original as real time, to Voltron: Panthera Force which was to be an all new team made up of new characters including a giant Lion-like warrior named Bruno and an alien being named Imam. I still love the idea of a lion-being piloting a robot lion. So meta.

Anyway, it really is the credit of our founder Ted Koplar who asked us to take another look at the value of these characters who we all know and love in Keith, Lance, Allura, Pidge and Hunk and if was there a way to come at the Voltron universe from a fresh perspective while keeping the classic elements there.

And it was our Story Editor Todd Garfield who really "cracked the code" and came up with this wonderful balance where three new cadets would serve as kids relatable point of entry characters that could introduce kids to this amazing universe, but here we would be able to catch up with the characters we've come to know and love. So now we have this situation where you have really eight main characters like, say, an X-Men-type team, but only five lions. And what Todd brilliantly does there is he makes that mathematical conflict the driver of the series.

Now that destiny has called three new heroes into the fold, how will our original team react? Who will replace whom and will they just give up their seat in the lions? It's a great story you'll have to see for yourself how it plays out in some unexpected ways.

So yeah, I like to say Voltron Force is "based on" the original series as we did have to take some liberties with the narrative where it based served our story and characters. The show is balanced enough where anyone can jump in anytime but to get the full experience you'll want to start watching when it premieres June 16 on Nicktoons!

8. The theme song for VF has had a, well, mixed reaction from the fans. Sidestepping that a bit, how will the actual soundrack for series sound? Will it have the same kind of majestic orchestral aura of the past, a blend of modern music, a combination of both, polka?

Ha, polka! That's good. And true. The Space Mice would do the Can-Can. You know, I think a lot of our fans get that the hip-hop community from artists like Wu Tang to Murphy Lee to Common have helped to keep the idea of Voltron and the themes of unity strong, so it was a chance to pay that back a little. So, bringing a trendsetter from the hip-hop world on board was a natural fit. And the way he "Voltron'd" together this mash-up of rock with a bounce it's just one of those things that once you see it with the animation it just works so well. That, and Swizz is also a die-hard fan of Voltron and I know he looks forward to watching the show with his kids as well.

It's also pretty much the trend nowadays to have a pop or rock song be the opening credits, but just know that if we didn't include the classic Voltron theme in the score of the show, I would fire myself. It's in. And I can tell you our composers, Hal Beckett and Steffan Andrews, are creating a feature film-level score to the series and just works so brilliantly with the work being done by Randy Kiss and the crew at Pinewood on the sound design.

With Voltron Force, we've had so much fun developing these signature sounds, for instance in the past when the lions roared it always sounded like organic lions. So, with the designs of our lions being unique, Randy has reflected that and given each one of them a signature sound where Blue Lion sounds like this angry robotic Lioness jaguar protecting its young and another like Black Lion is a King of the Jungle but with this cool tech-twist.

9. Slightly off-topic, but have you guys seen the teasers for the revamped ThunderCats series coming to another channel? I know it's rare for competitors to talk about other people's products, but I have to ask what'd you think?

That's cool, man. I'm a proud fanboy too. Of course I've been checking out everything out there. From TF: Prime to Thundercats, we think there is room for all the shows to shine.

As for Thundercats, it is a very interesting approach going the anime route. Kind of funny to see Voltron going more West and Thundercats going East. It seems to be a darker tone than our series, and I think they might be skewing a little older than we are but it looks really cool. With Voltron Force launching in June on Nicktoons it's going to be such a great summer for children of the 80's and their kids!

10. I know about the MYX-TV deal you have with the classic Voltron series. Could Voltron return to other channels in the future? I see qubo has a great late-night classics block with He-Man, She-Ra, and Bravestarr. Those Classic Media shows are also a part of RTV's Saturday morning lineup and poised to be on RTV's PBJ spinoff children's channel. Could Classic Media bring Voltron to those networks as well?

It's a cool idea and one we are discussing, but right now, everyone at Classic and WEP are focused on introducing the next generation to Voltron Force. We also hope to make the classic Voltron DVD release a great chance for casual fans who may have missed the previous releases to catch up or core fans who want to freshin' up the library with some new extras as well. So yeah, between that and the classic Mattel toys coming starting with Blazing Sword Voltron at Comic Con, it really is a great time to be a Voltron Fan!

Indeed it is. Thanks Jeremy for doing this interview at The X Bridge, and much success for Voltron Force and you guys at World Events and Classic Media!

Thanks for the support and I gotta get you some Form Blazing Sword Boxers!

Check out the world premiere of Voltron Force on Monday, June 16 only on Nicktoons at 8:30 PMEST/7:30 PM Central. In the meantime and between-time, follow Voltron at Twitter and like Voltron at Facebook!