"Voltron: Defender of the Universe" (1984) TV series

Director:

Franklin Cofod

Seasons:

1

Genre:

Animation | Family | Sci-Fi

Plot:

This series focuses on 5 lion robots and their pilots as they fight vs. the evil forces of king zarkon and prince lotor.

Plot Keywords:

Pilot | Planet | Robot | Good Versus Evil | Young Man

Cast

Jack Angel	...	King Zarkon / ... (52 episodes, 1984)
Michael Bell	...	Lance / ... (52 episodes, 1984)
Peter Cullen	...	Narrator / ... (52 episodes, 1984)
Neil Ross	...	Keith / ... (52 episodes, 1984)
B.J. Ward	...	Haggar / ... (52 episodes, 1984)
Lennie Weinrib	...	Hunk / ... (52 episodes, 1984)

Also Known As:

The New Adventures of Voltron (USA) (reissue title)

Country:

USA | Japan

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Australia:PG | Iceland:L (some epiosodes) | Iceland:LH (some epiosodes) | USA:TV-Y7

Company:

World Events Productions

Trivia:

The first season of Voltron was not a straight dub from the Japanese anime series "Hyakujû ô Gô-Rion" (1981) due to American broadcast standards - "living" beings were never killed on-screen; mechanical creatures, however, were fair game. One of the most noticeable differences involves the character Sven. In the Japanese version, this character died after battling the enemy's witch after six appearances. In the American version, he was seriously injured and left to heal. He returns near the end of the season. In the Japanese version, this was his brother at the end of the series. The third season (second season for the Lion Voltron Force) was created specifically for the American audience. They were made up of new footage, as well as stock-footage from the first season, with the command "Form arms and body" changed to "Form arms and torso" (to match the second season which was based off of "Kikô Kantai dairugger XV" (1982), with fewer changes). In it, Sven (written in place of a brother who died), Haggar, Zarkon, Nanny, and Lotor - all of whom were killed in the original Japanese series - make their returns.

Goofs:

Continuity: In order to activate the Lions, each team member had to insert a special key. In many instances when Keith is starting the Voltron forming sequence, his key can still be seen on his tunic, but then is also seen on the panel of his lion, and then moves in the same way - left to right - as it already did when first being used to activate the Black Lion.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Narrator: 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. As Voltron's legend grew, peace settled across the galaxy. On Planet Earth...

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "The Venture Bros.: The Lepidopterists (#3.10)" (2008)

The best animated series ever!

"Voltron -- Defender Of The Universe" is my favourite animated series of all time thanks to the excellent storylines, great voices, exciting action scenes and best of all, a highly memorable music theme.

"Voltron" is a true classic and it shall always remain a classic. So, if you haven't seen it before, go see it now!