Joblo.com scored some pieces of the concept art Atlas Entertainment is using to pitch a live-action “Voltron” movie to studios. It’s about what you’d expect – “Transformers”-style jaggy mecha design, magic-hour lighting, etc. You can’t really see if you don’t brighten it up, but the Lions are color-coded and look to be in the “proper” arrangement; so that’s something at least…
Honestly, they’re more interesting to look at in the context of HOW a “visual pitch” is intended to work: Notice how, while “explaining” the basic “big human-shape robot made of smaller lion-shaped robots” hook, it’s also working it’s ass off to remind potential investors of other profitable hits like “Transformers” (the mecha design and lighting) and “Iron Man” (look at “his” eyes and face.)
The Statue of Liberty is mainly there for scale (“Our robot can step on The Transformers!”) but I’m wondering if someone in the artist is making a funny about how The Internet somehow assumed that “Cloverfield” was actually teasing a Voltron movie. In any case, if this accurately reflects the story their pitching as well, that’s the element that’ll be the most controversial for Voltron/GoLion fans – the original story took place in a Star Wars/Trek-style future on another planet.
MOVIEBOB CENTRAL 
I sure this will get a bit tweaked before the final product comes out. And hopefully it won't be as bad as Transformers.
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Ugh…why?! This mecha design was terrible for transformers! Poor voltron…:(
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As one of maybe two people on the internet who genuinely likes the Bayformers designs, I'm sort of torn on this new Voltron. On the one hand, I like how the individual lions look, and I'm pleased to see the overall composition of the design has been kept intact. Honestly, remove the “Transformers”-esque bits of visible machinery, and you've more or less got the original Voltron. But that face is REALLY not workin' for me, and I'm not sure how well the new chestplate fits yet either. Still, it's intriguing to say the least.
If they do move the story to Earth, though, I will be pretty dissappointed. It feels like we haven't gotten a good Sci-Fi epic that actually takes place in space rather than on a single designated planet, be it Earth or Pandora or whatever, since “Revenge of the Sith”, and I'd hate a “Voltron” movie to lose the potential for galaxy-hopping fun. Again, though, it's wait-and-see for me right now.
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Looks fucking retarded. And I was sorta intrigued by the bayformers style.
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Ugh, I can't believe the guy put J.J. Abrams-style lens flair, in his paintings.
If those paintings are any indication of the art direction of the intended movie, it will look like every other movie, full of shaky-cam, lens flair, and orange and teal color timing; like some bastard offspring of Bay and Abrams. Ugh.
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Now I haven't seen much of the 1980s Voltron…but wasn't Voltron supposed to have a SWORD?!
I don't see a sword in that concept mock-up.
Also, I don't think I ever understood why robots in these movies look like this now. (Not to mention, this design makes it super-hard to draw fan art of the robots).
Imagine if they did this type of design to Gundam if they had a live action movie. Actually, why NOT have a Gundam live-action movie?
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I dunno, looks so so.
I don't hate it, but it is kinda disappointing to see that there not really taking a new artistic approach to what has been the norm for the past 6 years or so now.
At the same time I cant help but understand the art style, because personally I cant think of anything stupider than a bunch of colorful 80's looking lions flying around NY.
I dunno though, never really been to big a fan of Voltron, so my opinion doesn't really count, its really about what the hardcore fans think of it.
It is very typical though.
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@ Lemur. If it is, it will still be the best thing to ever happen to voltron. Bought the dvds…worst thing ever. i'd seen the 3d version they did in 2000 with the horrible babylon5 cgi but I had always been told the original was better. I wasn't expecting ideon or something like that but MY GOD was that a terrible show. The parodies i've seen of it manage to be a better voltron than voltron ever was. Now a gaogaigar movie…that would be awesome. Voltron, like so many shows fomr the 80s was a pretty terrible bit of work. But people saw it as kids and since it seems half the geek community emotionally peaked at age 13 we've kept up with these self imposed myths that these thinsg were awesome.
@ SSSonic. I never really liked the designs in TF1. Alot of them were very generic, and all the shaky cam and lens flare made it hard to tell who was doing what. Some of the designs, like bumblebee and starscream, were pretty cool. Some, like megatron, were absolute ass.
TF2 (which I cannot understand why is not more popular than the first)
had much better robot designs. I was a big fan of jetfire. Usually old transformers look just like their younger counterparts only with inexplicable meatl beards. This one actually looked old and rusted. Also crotchedy british accent makes everything better.
The main issue with my overall dislike is that the transformers weren't recognizeably transformers. They might as well have been rejects from the fourth terminator movie.
What some people refuse to understand, is thatredesigns had to happen. The G1 designs were terrible. Boxy and bland and boring, as the toys were a hodgepodge of different lines compiled into one, with most of those lines consisting of about 50 redecos of maybe 3 different molds. The tv show had to animate dozens of characters for what was essentially a 20 minute commercial. As a result all of the designs were rather boxy and uninteresting.
The TF1 desings may not have been great, but they didn't have much to go on. The old designs, much like the costumes of most superheroes were not meant to exist and move in 3d space. They only look good as images. The recent transformers game ran into this problem. Nearly every transformer looks exactly alike, with only colour and size distincguisihing them. All becaus ethey wanted to be loyal to the original designs.
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