Voltron: Legendary Defender
| Voltron: Legendary Defender | |
|---|---|
| File:Voltron Legendary Defender poster.jpg | |
| Genre | Action-Adventure Science Fiction |
| Voices of | Steven Yeun Jeremy Shada Bex Taylor-Klaus Josh Keaton Tyler Labine Kimberly Brooks Rhys Darby Neil Kaplan Cree Summer |
| Opening theme | Alex Geringas |
| Composer | Brad Breeck |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 13 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Joaquim Dos Santos Lauren Montgomery |
| Running time | 68 minutes (First three episodes combined) 23 minutes (all other episodes) |
| Production companies | DreamWorks Animation Television World Events Productions Studio Mir |
| Original release | |
| Network | Netflix |
| Release | June 10, 2016 – present |
Voltron: Legendary Defender is an American animated web television series produced by DreamWorks Animation Television and World Events Productions and animated by Studio Mir. It is a reboot of the 1984 Voltron series, and its animation is a mix of anime influence for characters and background and CGI for Voltron action sequences. The series premiered on Netflix on June 10, 2016 and consisted of 13 episodes.[1] It was released globally in the United States, Canada, Latin America, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, the Nordics, Benelux, France, Germany, Austria and Switzerland.[2][3]
Summary
For millennia, the evil Galra Empire has plagued the universe by conquering planets and destroying their inhabitants. The only known threat to the empire's power and plans is the legendary "Defender of the Universe" Voltron, a 100 meter tall robot warrior composed of five lion mechas whose pilots are known as the Paladins. At the crux of the war that ended with the destruction of planet Altea, Voltron was separated by King Alfor of Altea in order to protect Voltron from falling into the Galran Emperor Zarkon's possession. King Alfor bonded the five lion's energies to his daughter Allura's life force and sent them across the universe to different locations until the time for the next generation of Paladins to appear and pilot Voltron arrived. Princess Allura, her retainer Coran, and the Altean Castle of Lions were hidden on planet Arus along with the Black Lion. In the present, the Galra Empire's path of conquest and search for Voltron has led them to Earth's solar system. A group of space pilots – Shiro, Keith, Lance, Pidge, and Hunk – discover the Blue Lion and immediately get swept up into the Galran War. They meet Princess Allura, become the next Paladins, and reunite the five lions to form Voltron and combat Emperor Zarkon's nefarious schemes and ultimately defeat the entire Galra Empire.
Cast
- Josh Keaton as Takashi "Shiro" Shirogane - the Black Paladin, pilot of the Black Lion and Guardian Spirit of Sky. Leader of the Defenders of the Universe, Shiro was captured by the Galra Empire a year before the start of the series during which he was given a weaponized prosthetic right arm. A natural, decisive leader, Shiro is calm and always in control. Shiro's bayard was lost with the original Black Paladin. The Black Lion forms the head and torso of Voltron.[4]
- Steven Yeun as Keith - the Red Paladin, pilot of the Red Lion and Guardian Spirit of Fire. Formerly a cadet at Galaxy Garrison before dropping out, Keith is an orphan and a lone wolf as a result. Keith engineered Shiro's escape when his pod crashed on Earth. Sullen and temperamental, Keith spends his free time honing his skills for battle. Keith's bayard takes the form of a double edged sword. The Red Lion forms the right arm of Voltron.[4]
- Jeremy Shada as Lance - the Blue Paladin, pilot of the Blue Lion and Guardian Spirit of Water. Lance was the fighter pilot of his team at Galaxy Garrison. Cocky and confident, Lance is the class clown of the Defenders and likes to think of himself as a ladies' man. Lance maintained a rivalry with Keith from when the two were at the Galaxy Garrison together but the two have shown to be an effective team Lance's bayard takes the form of a rifle. The Blue Lion forms the right leg of Voltron.[4]
- Bex Taylor-Klaus as Pidge Gunderson - the Green Paladin, pilot of the Green Lion and Guardian Spirit of Forest. Real name Katie Holt, Pidge diguised herself as a boy to get into Galaxy Garrison to find out what happened to her father and brother who disappeared whilst on a mission which Shiro was also on. A technical genius, Pidge is the smartest member of the team able to create specialist modifications for the Green Lion. Pidge's bayard takes the form of a small, electrified blade which can function as a grappling hook. The Green Lion forms the left arm of Voltron.[4]
- Tyler Labine as Hunk - the Yellow Paladin, pilot of the Yellow Lion and Guardian Spirit of Land. Hunk was the engineer of his team at Galaxy Garrison. A gentle giant with an equally large appetite, Hunk is the heart of the team, lifting them up and making peace between them. After witnessing first hand the devastation that Zarkon's colonization of the universe has brought upon the people who live there, Hunk is determined to free those enslaved. Hunk's bayard takes the form of an energy cannon. The Yellow Lion forms the left leg of Voltron.[4]
- Kimberly Brooks as Princess Allura - Crown Princess of Altea, Allura is the last female Altean. Pilot to the Castle of Lions, Allura was responsible for granting the Defenders their title and sending them on their mission to conquer Zarkon and liberate the universe. Gentle n
- Rhys Darby as Coran
- Keith Ferguson as King Alfor
- Neil Kaplan as Emperor Zarkon
- Cree Summer as Witch Haggar
- Jake Eberle as Commander Sendak
Development
On January 5, 2016, Netflix and DreamWorks Animation announced a new original animated Voltron series to debut in 2016 as an expansion of their existing multi-year agreement.[5] Voltron is one of several series planned for initial development and debut in 2016, including Guillermo del Toro's animated Trollhunters.[6] Lauren Montgomery and Joaquim Dos Santos, both known for their work on the Avatar: The Last Airbender and its sequel The Legend of Korra, will serve as showrunners while fellow crew member Tim Hedrick will serve as head writer.[7] On March 25, 2016 at WonderCon it was announced that the voice cast will consist of Steven Yeun as Keith, Jeremy Shada as Lance, Bex Taylor-Klaus as Pidge, Josh Keaton as Shiro, Tyler Labine as Hunk, Kimberly Brooks as Princess Allura; and Rhys Darby as Coran and Neil Kaplan as King Zarkon.[8] Cree Summer later confirmed that she will be voicing Witch Haggar.[9]
Episodes
Season 1 (2016)
All 13 episodes of Season 1 were released on June 10, 2016.
| No. in series |
No. in season |
Title | Directed by | Written by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | 1–3 | "The Rise of Voltron" | Joaquim Dos Santos Lauren Montgomery Kihyun Ryu Eugene Lee Steve In Chang Ahn | Tim Hedrick Joshua Hamilton May Chan |
| 4 | 4 | "Some Assembly Required" | Joaquim Dos Santos Lauren Montgomery Kihyun Ryu | Tim Hedrick |
| 5 | 5 | "Return of the Gladiator" | Eugene Lee | Joshua Hamilton |
| 6 | 6 | "The Fall of the Castle of Lions" | Steve In Chang Ahn | Tim Hedrick |
| 7 | 7 | "Tears of the Balmera" | Chris Palmer | Joshua Hamilton |
| 8 | 8 | "Taking Flight" | Eugene Lee | Tim Hedrick |
| 9 | 9 | "Return to the Balmera" | Steve In Chang Ahn | May Chan |
| 10 | 10 | "Rebirth" | Chris Palmer | Joshua Hamilton |
| 11 | 11 | "Crystal Venom" | Eugene Lee | May Chan |
| 12 | 12 | "Collection and Extraction" | Steve In Chang Ahn | Tim Hedrick |
| 13 | 13 | "The Black Paladin" | Chris Palmer | Joshua Hamilton |
References
- ^ "'Voltron Legendary Defender' Updates: Netflix And Dreamworks Release New Trailer For Upcoming Reboot [WATCH". Movie News Guide. 2016-05-14. Retrieved 2016-06-10.
- ^ "Voltron: Legendary Defender". Netflix Media Center. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
- ^ "Watch Voltron Online | Netflix". www.netflix.com. Retrieved 2016-04-26.
- ^ a b c d e http://www.voltronlegendarydefender.com/legendary
- ^ "Netflix and DreamWorks Animation Expand Global Relationship". Netflix Media Center. 2016-01-05. Retrieved 2016-04-26.
- ^ Barder, Ollie (2016-01-06). "Netflix And DreamWorks Are Working On An Animated Reboot Of 'Voltron'". Forbes. Retrieved 2016-04-26.
- ^ "DreamWorks and Netflix reveal Voltron: Legendary Defender animated series showrunners". Nerd Reactor. Retrieved 2016-04-26.
- ^ Nicholson, By. "WonderCon: Netflix's Voltron Animated Series - Release Date Set, Voice Cast Announced". IGN. Retrieved 2016-04-26.
- ^ "Cree Summer will voice Haggar the Witch". Retrieved May 1, 2016.
External links
- Official website
- Voltron: Legendary Defender at IMDb
- Voltron at Netflix