Starchaser: The Legend of Orin (1985)

Set on the subterranean Mine-World, a band of human worker are treated like slaves under the power of the evil overlord Zygon until one, Orin, unearths the hilt of a mythical sword that ... See full summary »

Director:

Steven Hahn

Writer:

Jeffrey Scott

Stars:

Joe Colligan, Carmen Argenziano, Noelle North

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Joe Colligan	...	Orin (voice)
Carmen Argenziano	...	Dagg Dibrimi (voice)
Noelle North	...	Elan / Aviana (voice)
Anthony De Longis	...	Zygon (voice)
Tyke Caravelli	...	Silica (voice)
Les Tremayne	...	Arthur (voice)
Ken Sansom	...	Magreb (voice)
John Moschitta Jr.	...	Z'Gork (voice)
Daryl Bartley	...	Kallie (voice)
John Garwood	...	(voice)
Herb Vigran	...	Hopps (voice)
Michael Winslow	...	(voice)
Tina Romanus	...	Aunt Bella (voice)
Joseph Della Sorte	...	(voice)
Thomas H. Watkins	...	Boro (voice)

Storyline

Set on the subterranean Mine-World, a band of human worker are treated like slaves under the power of the evil overlord Zygon until one, Orin, unearths the hilt of a mythical sword that only he can master. Escaping the planet, he runs into the rogue smuggler Dagg and a pair of helpful droids and the princess, who all team up to return to the Mine-World with a plan to defeat Zygon and free Orin's enslaved people.

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Plot Keywords:

villain | good versus evil | miner | spaceship | hero | 

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Taglines:

A magical movie experience in the tradition of "Show White" and "The Dark Crystal".

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Genres:

Animation | Action | Adventure | Family | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Composer Andrew Belling also composed the soundtrack of another animated sci-fi fantasy movie - Wizards (1977).

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Goofs

When Zygon meets Orin and Elan for the first time, one of the horns of his mask passes through a solid wall as he walks up.

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Quotes

Magreb: Some men are honest. Some men are thieves. Only Dagg Dibrimi is both.

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Alternate Versions

Released in Japan in the short-lived VHD format in 3-D. This disc has been widely copied to make bootleg tapes and DVDs.

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Connections

References Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

User Reviews

Great flick!

I'll just echo the comments of the other reviewers; this one's a keeper. I first saw the previews for this film at a drive-in, but could never track it down until Showtime aired it a few years later.

People could call it a Star Wars knock off, and in some sense it is. But as far as knock offs go it's one of the best. But that's perhaps a little too unfair, because despite borrowing some minor themes from Star Wars it's largely an original film told via good animation.

Despite it being an animated film I wouldn't call it a children's film. Some sexuality is touched on, one of the characters swears every so often, and there is a fair amount of violence (though not too graphic) in the film.

I've heard that this film was originally supposed to be a 3-D experience (schedualed to ride the coat tails of an attempt to revitalize the 3-D genre in the early 80's), but it stands well on its own as a regular film.

There's nothing deep about this movie, but it's a good ride all the same. It's very hard to find nowadays. Myself I was able to get a rare VHS copy of it, but the transfer, though good, really doesn't do justice to this film. One can only hope that it'll see a DVD rerelease. And by that I mean a good DVD release, not one of those fly by night companies that transfers old used projector films onto DVD format. I mean a DVD transfer with all the works; remastered film and soundtrack. :-)

If you can find Starchaser, then go get it. It's worth the effort.

July 6th, 2005 update; DVD review;

Wow! After many years I finally own a crisp remastered copy of one of my favorite animated sci-fi films. Presented in widescreen format, the viewer is no longer denied the other third of the camera's frame, and can see the full image as it was meant to be seen. It is a vast improvement over the old KVC Home Video VHS release.

Additionally the film is presented in full Stereo Surround sound. Having said that the audio does hit a little hard , but it's mostly the sound effects that peak into the red, and not the dialogue nor music track.

"Starchaser; The Legend of Orin" should have shown to the major studios in the 80's what sci-fi animation was capable of had they given it a chance. The industry's only recently played catchup in the late 90's, and even then they're a day late and a dollar short.

"Starchaser" isn't the best film ever made, and "pays homage" to other sci-fi films, but is still a fun experience all the same. I hope all sci-fi and animation fans enjoy it as much as I.

Details

Country:

South Korea USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 November 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

Starchaser: The Legend of Orin- In 3-D

Filming Locations:

Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,614,660, 24 November 1985

Gross USA:

$3,360,800

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,360,800

Company Credits

Production Co:

Young Sung Production Co.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1