Robotech: The Movie

Robotech: The Movie
Film poster
Directed byNoboru Ishiguro
Carl Macek
Screenplay byArdwight Chamberlain
Story byCarl Macek
Produced byAhmed Agrama
Toru Miura
StarringKerrigan Mahan
Iona Morris
Jo Ann Harris
Gregory Snegoff
CinematographyYoshizaki Kenichi
Edited byJonathon Braun
Nishide Eiko
Music byUlpio Minucci
Arlon Ober
Production
companies
Distributed byThe Cannon Group
Release date
  • 25 July 1986 (1986-07-25) (Limited test run)
Running time
82 minutes
29 minutes
(A&E edited version)
CountriesUnited States
Japan
LanguageEnglish
Budget$8 million[1]

Robotech: The Movie, also known as Robotech: The Untold Story, is a 1986 American-Japanese science fiction animated film directed by Noboru Ishiguro and Carl Macek. Part of the Robotech franchise, the film is set between the events of The Macross Saga and The Masters from the original 1985 series.[2] It follows Mark Landry, a young man who becomes involved a conflict between Earth and the invading Robotech Masters when he discovers the Masters have infiltrated Earth's military.

The film was created using footage from the 1985 OVA Megazone 23 Part I and the 1984 series Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross. Commissioned by Cannon Films, Macek intended the film to be an English dub of Megazone 23 that would have elements from the Robotech series. After Cannon objected to Macek's plans, the Megazone 23 footage was combined with scenes from Southern Cross, which were previously used for The Masters. Original animation was also created for the film's ending.

Cannon gave Robotech: The Movie a limited theatrical run in the United States. Internationally, the film was distributed theatrically and on home media by Harmony Gold. No longer part of the Robotech continuity, the film is now out of print.[3]

  1. ^ Beck, Jerry (2005). The Animated Movie Guide. Chicago Review Press. p. 232. ISBN 978-1-56976-222-6.
  2. ^ Lenburg, Jeff (2009). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons (3rd ed.). New York: Checkmark Books. p. 220. ISBN 978-0-8160-6600-1.
  3. ^ "The Robotech Movie Turns 35, and You'll Likely Never Watch It". July 25, 2021.