"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:

Pidge, who was a member of the Lion Voltron Force, had a brother named Chip, who was part of the Vehicle Voltron Force. However, the two Japanese inspirations for the show, "Hyakujû ô Gô-Rion" (1981) and "Kikô Kantai dairugger XV" (1982) are not related, up to and including these characters.

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:

Referenced in Hot Rod (2007)

An underrated cartoon that is fun to watch

I was only 12 years old when this show began, but I can't remember what motivated me to watch it. However, I enjoyed watching it, and seeing it on the Cartoon Network a few years ago brought back a lot of memories. This show consisted of two Voltrons: one that is merged via robotic lions, while the other is formed by means of giant motor vehicles (planes, cars, and what have you). But in each episode, you only see one Voltron or the other. It's a fun cartoon to watch, but it's incredible that it managed to get away with killing a lot of characters. I think Voltron is one of the most underrated cartoons, and I'm not afraid to admit that. If you like animated adventures, I strongly recommend watching Voltron.