Ultraman: The Adventure Begins (1987)
Posted: Fri Jan 27, 2012 9:37 pmThe other day I had some reason, I don't recall what it was now, to browse through the Wikipedia article on the Ultra series. I became interested in reading and was surprised to see a reference to an animated Ultraman movie co-produced between Tsuburaya and Hanna-Barbera as a T.V. series pilot.
An animated Ultraman movie that ran on US television and I never saw it?!?! I watched Ultraman when local stations carried the show (my dad was in the Army so we moved every few years) and I watched Ultra Seven on TNT when I had the chance. But somehow I completely missed out on Ultraman: The Adventure Begins and I know I would have watched it if I had the chance.
Clip on Youtube:
The few clips on Youtube of the pilot movie looked good -- to bad the animated series never happened as it would certainly have raised awareness of Ultraman in the US. It's a shame about the names of the Ultras (Ultraman Scott, Ultraman Chuck, and Ultrawoman Beth), it would have been better if the Ultras had names other than their hosts' first names.
Last, but not least, what are the chances we could see a Warner Archive release of this animated movie? It was a co-production after all, and those often account for home region use and even home video. There seems to have been a US VHS release in the late 80s or early 90s, which could bode well for a WA release.
An animated Ultraman movie that ran on US television and I never saw it?!?! I watched Ultraman when local stations carried the show (my dad was in the Army so we moved every few years) and I watched Ultra Seven on TNT when I had the chance. But somehow I completely missed out on Ultraman: The Adventure Begins and I know I would have watched it if I had the chance.
Clip on Youtube:
The few clips on Youtube of the pilot movie looked good -- to bad the animated series never happened as it would certainly have raised awareness of Ultraman in the US. It's a shame about the names of the Ultras (Ultraman Scott, Ultraman Chuck, and Ultrawoman Beth), it would have been better if the Ultras had names other than their hosts' first names.
Last, but not least, what are the chances we could see a Warner Archive release of this animated movie? It was a co-production after all, and those often account for home region use and even home video. There seems to have been a US VHS release in the late 80s or early 90s, which could bode well for a WA release.
