Is Dini really back on track for this? Last I heard this movie has been in development hell for years and there was a rumor that Dini was attached at one point, but then kicked from the project.

that looked really good

Sorry, but this looks like a lesser videogame, with average to poor design, layout, and direction. There doesn’t appear to be much of a story, and no character. How do they expect audiences to respond? Looks like the same old same old. Here’s hoping Astroboy works so they can work to get beyond this sort of claptrap.

Heh, felt a little like it should be called “Gatchmen”. As long as Dini’s attached, I will continue to be interested, even though I am always skeptical about CG’s ability to pull of real drama (”The Incredibles” did it well, though).

that looked like a video game.

> Heh, felt a little like it should be called “Gatchmen”.

I’m only glad they didn’t call it that, or “Gotchaman” if they wanted to make it more Americanized in that respect. Part of the name is a pun in Japanese that obviously would translate to something that might not work as effectively (but I’m glad it’s not G-Force as in it’s earlier incarnations of the original TV show), like one of those Onomatopoeias seen often in Japanese names in anime.

And yes, the visuals are very videogamey to say the least. It’s hard to judge this with only 50 minutes to go on though. I wonder if Joe’ll die in this film personally? :-)

I gotta hand it to Imagi for taking a refreshing approach to CG animated films with Gatchaman. Despite the fact the footage shown is still a work in progress and its a cam-job, I’m sold. The design and animation is not exactly photorealistic but also far from the caricature style that is very commonplace from other studios. Its really cool to see something non-cartoony and action-based as opposed to comedy for a change. I also heard that Paul Dini dropped off from the project and there is still no word on the director.

As for the “it looked like a video game” comment, I’m not sure you meant it as a negative or a positive. That line has been used way too often and it has lost any meaning since some video games are on the same level of quality as any top animated films. If films look like video games as some of you describe this video, well I’m completely not oppose to that. The comments I been hearing in some places is why can’t animated film be more like video games.

Ick. The original show isn’t very good. I loved it as a kid, when it was shown in a strangely-edited version with badly-drawn wacky robot narrator hastily added in order to cover the gaps in plot and logic. BATTLE OF THE PLANETS! Seeing an episode again a few years ago, I realized just how terrible it was. I thought that perhaps the original GATCHMAN show would be better, but it’s honestly pretty poor when compared to other similar shows from that time period.

In any case, this is another film that tries really hard to make you forget that it originally came from a Japanese show. With GATCHAMAN, it’s not so bad, since the original was crap. With ASTRO BOY, it makes me want to cry. The original manga and the first two anime versions are fantastic! Tezuka had such a recognizable drawing style. Why make the film designs so generic? I refuse to support it.

3d for this looks awful.. either make it 2d or live action. Human characters in that style in 3d doesn’t work..

I loved G-Force. Where’s the Phoenix?!

Have to agree with the guys who said that it resembles a videogame. It really does. And frankly, the alien invaders vs. group of heroes stuff sounds really trite. The public is much more sophisticated than that nowadays. Still, let’s see the movie first..

“Videogame.”

Not a positive comment, although there are one or 2 good looking videogames.

I could admire someone trying something different with CG. There we could agree. But this isn’t “different.” There’s so much junk that looks like this, some worse, some a lot better. Caricature doesn’t mean “cartoony.” There’s nothing in the trailer that looks either remotely realistic/believable or caricatured. And there’s no hint of a story, even for a trailer.

But I’m ONLY talking about this trailer/teaser. They’d be smart to get Mr. Dini back on board to make sure the story is strong. Ugly I can deal with, but not without a story or characters I can care about.

> Ick. The original show isn’t very good. I loved it as a kid, when it was shown in a strangely-edited version with badly-drawn wacky robot narrator hastily added in order to cover the gaps in plot and logic. BATTLE OF THE PLANETS! Seeing an episode again a few years ago, I realized just how terrible it was. I thought that perhaps the original GATCHMAN show would be better, but it’s honestly pretty poor when compared to other similar shows from that time period.

You shouldn’t knock on a show that was made nearly 40 years ago. For it’s time, the budgets or shows like these weren’t that great in Japan especially at a time when the term “Terebi manga” (or TV comics) was used to describe these programs long before “anime” came on it’s own. To give Gatchaman credit, it started a trend of using five members in a team to battle the enemy with became a trend in the sentai genre for decades to come. It was still pretty graphic for it’s time and often I feel the “Battle of the Planets” adaptation kinda hobbled what little was left after the editing and re-adaptation of the footage.

> Have to agree with the guys who said that it resembles a videogame. It really does. And frankly, the alien invaders vs. group of heroes stuff sounds really trite. The public is much more sophisticated than that nowadays. Still, let’s see the movie first..

It was what the point of the original show was about anyway (since it took place in the 21st century as we speak). Design wise, I think they’re trying to best to emulate Tatsuo Yoshida’s characters as well as they can in the digital medium (probably more than for Astro Boy, but I still need to see more of that from Imagi).

And yes, it wouldn’t be Gatchaman without the God Phoenix!

If Dini is involved that’s enough reason for me to be excited, been a fan of IMAGI since TMNT and am looking forward to Astro Boy.

sorry that I did not explain further, but i meant that it negatively resembles video game cinematics in that the characters have personalities and feelings, but don’t have the life that allows for empathy from the audience. The characters and environments just seem flat.

Great on mr.Dini but…
…Folks, 3d is ruining everything. When this uncorrected flat way to use will it end?

I’m withholding judgment. Meanwhile, does anyone know where to get English subtitled Gatchaman - not the original, but the ‘94 or 2000 series?

If someone from the 1940’s were to land on this blog and somehow see this trailer, he or she might ask “How is a Wurlitzer juke box moving?”

Oluseyi, try Rightstuf.com

I agree that its refreshing to see an actiony, less cartoony cgi animated movie. Although, the footage does not totally impress me. I

Why not do it in traditional animation? It’s so much harder to make CG look good on a small budget.

I think I remember reading that Imagi was halting production on some projects, so I’m glad to see they’re still going!

>You shouldn’t knock on a show that was made nearly 40 years ago…

Trust me, Chris. The age of the show doesn’t matter to me. I much prefer the older anime shows to the panty-flashing, school romance shows that are popular at the moment. Give me a giant robot or Space Opera any day! I just find Gatchaman to not be a particularly good show in either the writing, design, or animation areas. I understand its place in anime history. I still don’t care for it.