The Shadow Chronicles
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles'' is the 2006
animated Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby image, still images are manipulated to create Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on cel, transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and e ...
sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music, or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...
to the 1985 ''Robotech'' television series. It was released on DVD on February 6, 2007. The project was originally announced at
Anime Expo Anime Expo, abbreviated AX, is an American anime convention held in Los Angeles, California and organized by the non-profit Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA). The convention is traditionally held annually on the first we ...
by
Harmony Gold USA Harmony Gold USA, Inc. is an American film and television production company. It was founded in 1983 by Egyptian-born Frank Agrama and is managed by his daughter, Jehan F. Agrama. In 1976, Agrama sold broadcast rights from Paramount Pictures ...
on July 6, 2002 as an unnamed new animated series already under negotiation at a major network with a target date of 2004. Prior to this announcement in 1998, Harmony Gold USA had relinquished their rights to create a sequel based on the original Japanese series of which ''Robotech'' was based on. However, rights to produce a ''Robotech'' sequel using designs derived from ''
Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross is a Japanese science fiction mecha anime TV series released in 1984, as the third of the Super Dimension series. It was adapted as "The Masters Saga" or the "Second Generation" of the American TV series ''Robotech''. Plot In the year 212 ...
,'' and ''
Genesis Climber MOSPEADA is an anime science fiction series created by Shinji Aramaki and Hideki Kakinuma. The 25-episode television series ran from late 1983 to early 1984 in Japan. MOSPEADA is an acronym of "Military Operation Soldier Protection Emergency Aviatio ...
'' (and excluding ''Super Dimension Fortress Macross'') were restored just eight days prior to this announcement. It was revealed at Anime Expo 2004 that this project would instead be a feature-length film titled ''Robotech: Shadow Force'' and set to be released in 2005. Due to the term "Shadow Force Megazord" having been trademarked by
Saban Saban or Šaban may refer to: People * Saban (name), for people with the name * Sabans, a small indigenous ethnic group of Sarawak, Malaysia Other uses *Saban Capital Group, a private investment firm investing in music and entertainment *Saban C ...
for use in its
Power Rangers ''Power Rangers'' is an American media franchise created by Haim Saban, Shuki Levy and Shotaro Ishinomori built around a live-action superhero television series, based on the Japanese tokusatsu franchise ''Super Sentai''. It is currently ow ...
series in 2001, the title of the film was changed to ''Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles'' shortly thereafter. The screenplay went through numerous writers, including noted science fiction author Robert J. Sawyer in 2003, before landing its final screenwriter, Ford Riley, in July 2004. Due to Harmony Gold USA's agreement with Tatsunoko Production not allowing their sequel to reference characters or designs from ''Super Dimension Fortress Macross,'' only one character from that series used in ''Robotech'' was included, with another appearing in a deleted scene. Both had drastically altered appearances from how they originally appeared. The cast recorded the script initially in the fall of 2004 with later pick-ups done in 2005, including the addition of cast member Yuri Lownenthal, as well as re-casting
Alexandra Kenworthy Alexandra Kenworthy (born April 4, 1932) is an American voice actress. She was married to Marc Snegoff until his death in 1969. Together they had two sons: fellow voice artist Gregory Snegoff, and stuntman Tony Snegoff. English dubbing roles * ...
back in her original role as The Regis. Animation was primarily handled by the South Korean studio DR Movie, with Harmony Gold USA first showing pre-renders in January 2005. The film was completed on January 27, 2006.


Plot

In June 2044, the Robotech Expeditionary Force (REF) fleet gathers at Moon Base ALUCE for its final attempt to drive the alien Invid from the Earth. Among the REF fighter pilots are Maia Sterling, Marcus Rush and Alex Romero, all of whom were born in space during the REF mission and have never seen Earth. General Reinhardt sends Vince Grant, captain of the ''Icarus'', on a rescue mission to look for Rick Hunter, chief military commander of all REF forces and a legendary veteran of the First Robotech War. Despite not having a powerful arsenal, General Reinhardt begins the attack. The assault initially goes well until the Invid Regis launches all of her remaining forces in one final wave. When Reinhardt tries to get an update from the ground forces, he makes contact with resistance leader
Scott Bernard ''Robotech'' is the American adaptation of three Japanese animated series: ''The Super Dimension Fortress Macross'', ''The Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross'', and ''Genesis Climber MOSPEADA'', as a Robotech (TV series), single TV series. Th ...
. Scott informs Reinhardt that the attack is going poorly. Ending the communication, Scott meets with Ariel, an Invid princess that looks like a young human woman, and Scott's love interest. Ariel hopes to convince her mother, the Invid Regis, that the humans and the Invid can live in peace. As the battle rages on, Ariel finally convinces her mother to leave Earth rather than allow both races to be destroyed. Ariel, after using her teleportation power to travel to Moon Base ALUCE, informs Scott that she had a vision. The Children of the Shadow are planning on attacking the REF. Scott is arrested and interrogated, where he warns of the impending attack. Suddenly, all contact with Space Station Liberty is lost. When the ''Icarus'' arrives, Liberty is under attack by a large fleet of alien ships which have jammed all communications. The battle is going poorly for the REF; capital ships are being destroyed with just one hit. It then becomes clear that the Haydonites are in fact the Children of the Shadow, and that Ariel's warning was true. Captain Grant realizes that every piece of technology the Haydonites have given to the REF contains some kind of
Trojan Horse In Greek mythology, the Trojan Horse () was a wooden horse said to have been used by the Greeks during the Trojan War to enter the city of Troy and win the war. The Trojan Horse is not mentioned in Homer, Homer's ''Iliad'', with the poem ending ...
. Unable to restore communications, Grant is unable to warn the remaining ships of these findings, and they are left to fight a hopeless battle. Louie searches for ships that have no Shadow technology but finds only one: the massive colony ship ''Ark Angel''. Vince orders the evacuation of all station personnel to the ''Ark Angel''. Liberty has the remaining stockpile of Neutron-S missiles, and Vince sets one to self-destruct. The ''Ark Angel'' is able to depart as planned. The Haydonites move their fleet towards Liberty as the Neutron-S warheads detonate, destroying Liberty and the entire Haydonite fleet. As the ''Ark Angel'' approaches Earth, Maia and Marcus console each other over the recent events. General Reinhardt gives Vince his new orders: Vince and his crew are to take the ''Ark Angel'' and attempt to locate the SDF-3, which may not have been destroyed as initially thought. As Scott and Ariel share a kiss, Louie does his best to reassure a confused and uncertain Janice that "We will win."


Cast

*
Richard Epcar Richard Epcar is an American voice actor, voice director, and writer who has voiced over 1,200 characters in animation, video games and anime. Some of his major roles include Raiden in the ''Mortal Kombat'' franchise, The Joker in several proje ...
as Vince Grant and Haydonite *
Eddie Frierson Eddie Frierson is an American voice actor and writer. He has provided voices for such films as ''Wreck-It Ralph'', ''Hotel Transylvania (film), Hotel Transylvania'', ''The Princess and the Frog'', ''ParaNorman'', ''Curious George (film), Curious ...
as Dr. Louis Nichols and Haydonite *
Mark Hamill Mark Richard Hamill (; born September 25, 1951) is an American actor. He is best known for starring as Luke Skywalker in the ''Star Wars'' franchise, and the Joker (character), Joker in various animated DC Comics projects, starting with ''Batm ...
as Commander Taylor and Haydonite *
Alexandra Kenworthy Alexandra Kenworthy (born April 4, 1932) is an American voice actress. She was married to Marc Snegoff until his death in 1969. Together they had two sons: fellow voice artist Gregory Snegoff, and stuntman Tony Snegoff. English dubbing roles * ...
as The Regis *
Yuri Lowenthal Yuri Lowenthal (born March 5, 1971) is an American voice actor known for his work in cartoons, anime, and video games. Some of his prominent voice roles in video games include Peter Parker / Spider-Man in various video games associated with t ...
as Marcus Rush * Melanie MacQueen as Marlene Rush * Chase Masterson as Janice Em * Edie Mirman as Maia Sterling * Iona Morris as Dr. Jean Grant *
Tony Oliver Tony Oliver is a Puerto Rican voice actor and voice director. He is best known for voicing Rick Hunter from ''Robotech'', Lancer from '' Fate/stay night'', and Arsène Lupin III from '' Lupin the Third''. He helped produce the live action sh ...
as Admiral Hunter * Arthur Santiago as Alex Romero * Gregory Snegoff as
Scott Bernard ''Robotech'' is the American adaptation of three Japanese animated series: ''The Super Dimension Fortress Macross'', ''The Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross'', and ''Genesis Climber MOSPEADA'', as a Robotech (TV series), single TV series. Th ...
and Haydonite * Michael Sorich as Sparks *
Kari Wahlgren Kari Wahlgren (born July 13, 1977) is an American voice actress who has provided English-language roles for animated movies, TV series, and video games. She got her start in anime voice-overs as List of FLCL characters#Haruko Haruhara, Haruko H ...
as Ariel *
Dan Woren Dan Woren is an American voice actor who is known for providing voice work for anime, television, and video games. His role was voicing Roy Fokker in the ''Robotech'' series in the 1980s. Other major voice roles include Jagi in ''Fist of the No ...
as General Reinhardt and Haydonite


Release status


Theatrical

''Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles'' premiered at the Cannes Film Market on May 22, 2006, in the Grey One Theatre to an audience of distribution representatives. Its first screening to the public was on August 12, 2006, at MechaCon 2.0 in Lafayette, Louisiana in where all proceeds went to relief for those who suffered from
Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a powerful, devastating and historic tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. ...
. Afterwards, a number of independent film festivals screened the film during the following summer and fall. It was awarded Best Animated Sci-Fi Feature at the
International Horror and Sci-Fi Film Festival International Horror and Sci-Fi Film Festival is a film festival dedicated to the genres of horror and science fiction. The event is held annually in Tempe, Arizona, United States. The festival was founded in 2005 by fans of horror and sci-fi f ...
.


Home video

Despite being completed in January 2006, the film had yet to find a distributor for over six months. According to an editor of the anime magazine ''
Protoculture Addicts ''Protoculture Addicts'' was a Canadian-based anime and manga themed magazine published by Protoculture Inc., an Anime News Network company. The term "Protoculture Addicts" was also used by the Zentradi (an alien race that appeared in the ''Ma ...
'' when answering a fan's letter asking about it, they claimed to know of at least one company who wanted to distribute it, however Harmony Gold USA wanted "too much money for it." Harmony Gold USA announced a deal with
Funimation Entertainment Crunchyroll, LLC is an American entertainment company based in Coppell, Texas. It currently operates the anime-focused eponymous over-the-top subscription video on-demand streaming service. The company was founded as Funimation in May 1 ...
to release the film at the 2006
San Diego Comic-Con San Diego Comic-Con is a comic book convention and multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California, at the San Diego Convention Center. Founded in 1970, originally showcasing primarily comic books and science fiction/fant ...
and shortly afterwards announced a release date for November 2006. This release date was quickly pushed back in August 2006, citing Funimation's desire for a limited theatrical run prior to the DVD release, as well as to give the DVD a better window for placement on
big box store A big-box store, a hyperstore, a supercenter, a superstore, or a megastore is a physically large retail establishment, usually part of a chain of stores. The term sometimes also refers, by extension, to the company that operates the store. The ...
shelves. Harmony Gold USA and Funimation Entertainment finally released ''Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles'' on DVD on February 6, 2007. A 2-disc collector's edition with additional features was announced by FUNimation at
Anime Expo Anime Expo, abbreviated AX, is an American anime convention held in Los Angeles, California and organized by the non-profit Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA). The convention is traditionally held annually on the first we ...
2007 and released on DVD November 20, 2007. The
Blu-ray Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...
version was released on September 4, 2008. It is currently available for streaming on
Crunchyroll Crunchyroll is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming service owned by Sony, Sony Group Corporation. The service primarily distributes fi ...
in the US.
Madman Entertainment Madman Entertainment Pty. Ltd., also known as Madman Films, stylized as MADMAN, is an Australian film and television production, distribution, entertainment, and rights management company headquartered in East Melbourne, Victoria, specialising ...
in
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
was the first international distributor to license and release ''Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles''. The film was released on Region 4 DVD on March 14, 2007. Revelation Films released the film in the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
on July 23, 2007. Guangdong Qianhe Audio & Video released the single-disc Standard Edition in the
People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
on August 20, 2007, and the 2-disc Collector's Edition on May 1, 2008. synthesized elements being mixed into a number of the cues, particularly four of the tracks in the film, and one of the tracks on the soundtrack CD ("Dogfight"). Chase Masterson sang the parts for her robotic character Janice. Melissa Kaplan, the lead singer of the band Universal Hall Pass, vocalized some of the background music.


Reception

''Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles'' has received mixed reception from fans and critics. Justin Sevakis of the
Anime News Network Anime News Network (ANN) is a news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, Japanese popular music and other related cultures within North America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. The website offers reviews and ot ...
gave it an overall rating of C-, commenting that while the movie had good music, it suffered from mediocre animation, a clichéd story and a host of forgettable characters. Slop Reilly of
Ain't It Cool News Ain't It Cool News (AICN) is an entertainment news website founded by Harry Knowles and run by his sister Dannie Knowles since September 2017, dedicated to news, rumors, and reviews of upcoming and current films, television, and comic book proj ...
gave it a 1 out of 5 stars, citing a poor screenplay, weak character development and unnatural character design and animation. Tasha Robinson of the Sci Fi Channel's ''Sci Fi Weekly'' gave it a B, while Jeffrey Kauffman of DVDTalk recommended it.


Sequel

On February 27, 2007, at the New York Comic Con, ''Shadow Chronicles'' director
Tommy Yune Tommy Yune is a South Korean-born American comic book author who became known for his manga-style work on ''Speed Racer'', which was followed by a comic industry revival of classic anime shows such as ''Battle of the Planets'' and ''Robotech'' ...
said, "''Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles'' has been doing good business at retail, and we are currently in production on the sequel." Later that same day, Yune mentioned that the sequel would be a feature movie. The title of the sequel was revealed as ''Robotech: Shadow Rising'', and the film was expected to be released within two years of the time of the announcement, earliest. While the two-year date was stated by Yune to be possible, it was never intended to be an actual release date. Subsequent announcements in mid-2008 made it clear that little-or-no progress had been made on the film, which was indefinitely postponed, pending developments with the live-action film. At Anime Expo 2009, Kevin McKeever and Yune confirmed that ''Robotech: Shadow Rising'' had been put off indefinitely since
Warner Bros. Pictures Warner Bros. Pictures is an American film studio and distribution arm of the Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group division of Warner Bros., both of which are owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex ...
was actively developing a big-budget ''Robotech'' live-action feature film. Harmony Gold USA's 2009 San Diego Comic-Con panel revealed that production had not moved forward since the summer of 2007. At a 2012 San Diego Comic-Con panel, Tommy Yune announced that '' Love Live Alive'' would pave the way for ''Shadow Rising'' and one year later announced at Anime Expo that they had resumed work on ''Shadow Rising.'' Harmony Gold USA filed a trademark for the film's title in 2007 and extended it in 2010, however this trademark was abandoned in 2011. In July 2017, Kevin McKeever of Harmony Gold mentioned on the Robotech.com forums that ''Shadow Rising'', along with the planned spin-off ''Robotech: Academy,'' had not been cancelled. McKeever elaborated that the two projects would need involvement from
Sony Pictures Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio conglomerate that produces, acquires, and distributes filmed entertainment (theatrical motion pictures, television programs, and rec ...
in order to move forward, due to them having taken over the development of the live-action film from Warner Bros.


References


External links

*
Robotech.com
- Harmony Gold's official ''Robotech'' website. * * {{DR Movie 2006 films 2006 animated films Shadow Chronicles DR Movie Funimation South Korean animated films 2000s American animated films 2000s English-language films 2000s South Korean films Animated films set in the 2040s Films set in 2044 ja:ロボテック#Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles(2007)