Robotech II: The Sentinels (1986) (V)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Carl Macek

Writers:

Carl Macek (screenplay)
Ardwight Chamberlain (dialogue) ...

Genre:

Sci-Fi | Animation

Plot:

As the Robotech Expeditionary Force prepares to confront the Robotech Masters at their home planet, the Invid are already ravaging it.

Plot Keywords:

Wedding | Sequel | Space | Alien Invasion | Anime

Cast

Cam Clarke	...	Maximillian Sterling (voice)
Tony Clay	...	Breetai (voice)
Richard Epcar	...	Vince Grant (voice)
Greg Finley	...	Anatole Leonard (voice)
Rebecca Forstadt	...	Lynn Minmei (voice)
Russell Johnson	...	Narrator
Steve Kramer	...	(voice)
Ted Layman	...	Exedore (voice)
Melanie MacQueen	...	Lisa Hayes (voice)
Michael McConnohie	...	Rolf Emerson (voice)
Tony Oliver	...	Rick Hunter (voice)
Gregory Snegoff	...	T. R. Edwards, Emil Lang (voice)
Tom Wyner	...	Jonathan Wolfe (voice)

Runtime:

75 min

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Company:

Harmony Gold

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Robotech: Birth of a Sequel (2007) (V)

Soundtrack:

Together

There's a reason this "movie" wasn't great

Robotech II: The Sentinels is a great example of what can go wrong when business ventures fail. As has been noted, the original 3-part series was actually footage from 3 completely separate and unrelated Japanese series, edited and re-dubbed with major story changes to tie them all together. The first part, known as the Macross Saga, is by far the most popular. Robotech II was an attempt to continue the story of the characters from that chapter with original animation produced exclusively for the American version of the series.

Contrary to popular belief, it was not poor ratings that caused this series to be canceled. In reality, it was never aired (only 3 episodes were fully produced). According to Carl Macek of Harmony Gold, there was something afoot with the overseas animators. It is pretty clear that the segments involving places and characters that are introduced as new in Robotech II are very well animated. The segments involving returning characters are woefully inadequate. This gave rise to the belief that the overseas animators had plans of taking the "better" footage and stringing it together as their own "original" series for production in Japan.

Not hard to believe, really. It's never been any great secret that Japanese animators normally detest their work being Americanized, since a great deal of animation in Japan is NOT for children, as it almost always is in the United States. And considering an action such as taking footage from an American-produced animated series and re-dubbing/rewriting for the Japanese market would be considered "turnabout is fair play"....

Again, a classic example of what can happen when agendas collide.