Check out this impressive short giant robot film titled 第二次世界大戦で汎用人型決戦兵器が使われていたら？ （前編）– which translates (roughly) as “Purpose-Built Humanoid Decisive Battle Weapon When Used in the Second World War? (Part 1)”.
And here is Part 2:
Del Toro’s Next Film: Now with Added Robots
So apparently Guillermo Del Toro’s next film, Pacific Rim, which is currently in production, will not only feature giant monsters but also giant robots to fight them — mecha style. For more information, see this Undead Backbrain article.
War of the Worlds: Goliath Looks Spectacular
It’s been some time since I posted to Robot War Espresso (I’ve been busy) and even longer since anyone much has heard anything of the animated steam-punk-inspired sequel to H.G. Wells’ classic invasion tale, War of the Worlds. Directed by Joe Pearson, War of the Worlds: Goliath (which we last saw here) is looking spectacular — a 3D anime-style epic that envisages the Martian invasion as a full-on conflict, more equal now than the first invasion was in 1900, thanks to defensive machines back-engineered from the wreckage of the first wave of Martian Tripods. Thanks to Quiet Earth, we can see what advances in production the past year has brought:
View it here.
Synopsis:
In 1900, the Earth was attacked by ruthless invaders from the planet Mars. The Martian’s 80 ft tall, heat-ray spewing, Tripod battle machines laid waste to the planet, but the invaders ultimately fell prey to Earth’s tiny bacteria.
Fourteen years later, Man has rebuilt his shattered world, in large part by utilizing captured Martian technology. Equipped with giant, steam-powered Tripod battle machines, the international rapid reaction force, A.R.E.S., is Mankind’s first line of defense against the return of the rapacious Martian invaders. Based in a massive fortress complex at the south end of Manhattan Island, the young warriors of A.R.E.S. train under the leadership of Secretary of War, Theodore Roosevelt, and the grim General Kushnirov.
And return the Martians do. The rematch finds the multinational squad of the A.R.E.S. battle Tripod Goliath on the front-lines of a vicious interplanetary offensive when the Martian invaders launch their second invasion using even more advanced alien technology. In the crucible of combat, this young team helming the mighty Goliath will be tested to the limits of their endurance and courage as they fight for Mankind’s very survival under the onslaught of an implacable enemy.
Excellent!
Source: Quiet Earth via Avery Guerra. Written by Robert Hood
Review: Godaizer
Not long ago I was privileged to be able to see director Hillary Yeo’s full animated short film, Godaizer. Below is my review (follow the link to my main site, Undead Backbrain, to read the full thing).
Godaizer (Singapore-2011; short [18:43 min.]; dir. Hillary Yeo)
Godaizer is not the kind of frenetic anime that is all action and noise, certainly during its opening third. In some ways it is more suggestive of Miyazaki’s cinematic style (not so much visually as in general ambiance). Its opening sequence, showing the start of what is obviously another typical day, is slow and contemplative, as the youthful main character, awoken by a bedside clock, looks out upon the morning and the chooks, pushes open rusting gates and then pulls switches to start up the vast repair shop in which he lives. The roof slides back to let in the sun, service gates grind open and lights come on.
…
Godaizer embraces the dynamics of daikaiju conflict as thoroughly as it exploits the tropes of the human/machine dynamic lying at the heart of the [mecha] genre.
…
A mecha/daikaiju classic in miniature, Godaizer may be short, but what it lacks in direct narrative complexity it makes up for in attention to suggestive detail.
Upcoming: Godaizer, the Giant Robot
Godaizer — a short film from animator Hillary Yeo — is clearly intended to reference such TV shows as Tetsujin 28-go and seminal mecha anime such as Mazinger Z. The artwork itself is more painterly, giving the film a unique appearance, different from both the hard-edged cell-animation style of early cartoons and the naturalistic 3D CGI of recent work.
Here is the trailer:
Synopsis:
An independent computer animated short about a robot repair warehouse run by a old man and his grandson where old decommissioned giant robot Godaizer is kept.
When a giant monster is awoken, it is time for Godaizer to rise again and defeat it. But what cost must the monster be taken down?
Clips:
Monster Concept Design:
You’ll find lots more images in the Gallery below — and check out the official website for even more.
- Source: Twitchfilm via Avery Guerra. Written by Robert Hood
- Official website
Gallery:
Robo-Phone
Here’s a real-world giant robot — used as advertising for Ericsson Telephones. I’m not sure where or when, but it’s quite old and makes for an impressive billboard, even if it’s not very mobile!
Source: me-ru-mo via Dark Roasted Blend
War of the Worlds: Goliath Trailer
Curious as to progress being made on the production of the animated War of the Worlds-inspired steampunk sequel War of the Worlds: Goliath (directed by Joe Pearson), I looked around and discovered the trailer. A lot of people have seen it already, but here it is anyway.
Beautiful artwork and animation. Hopefully the screenplay will be as good. It’s currently scheduled for a 2011 release.
War of the Worlds: Goliath last featured on Robot War Espresso here.
AT-AT Day Afternoon and Iron Baby
This is a beautifully done piece of combined stop-motion animation/CGI and live action using an AT-AT toy. For those who don’t know, AT-AT refers to the “All Terrain Armored Transport” walker from Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.
And by the same creator/director, here’s IRON BABY:
Designs on Korea’s Taekwon V
The Taekwon V Lab has posted a bunch of designs that may reflect how the iconic Korean giant robot Taekwon V will look in the upcoming live-action Taekwon V film. The designs (as seems visually obvious) are by Josh Nizzi, who worked on Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and will likewise be involved in the third of the US Transformers blockbusters.
Taekwon V, South Korea’s giant mecha, which gets its name from its martial art prowess, more traditionally looks like this recently released (and very beautiful) model:
Naturally the robot will be getting a millennial upgrade for the new film, which is still in production but is scheduled for release in 2011. Here’s some of Nizzi’s conceptual design work for that upgrade, with options offered. Clearly Nizzi is going for the current modular look popularised by Michael Bay’s Transformers.
Below is a video of some test animation:
- Source: The Taekwan V Lab via Twitch and Avery Guerra
- Written by Robert Hood
- Earlier Robot War Espresso article with more information on Taekwon V
How To Deal With Giant Robots
Smash ’em!
It’s Spiderman, Iron Man and the Hulk versus a bunch of giant robots. Great animation. It appeared as three webisodes on the marvelkids.com website under the title “Iron Man’s Adventure”.
And just for the hell of it, here’s a cutscene from Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2, in which Spidey, Nick Fury, Captain America, Wolverine and Thor take on Doc Doom’s robot army:
Robot War Espresso 