Mighty Orbots Explained

Genre:Adventure, Comedy, Mecha
Creator:Barry Glasser
Director:Osamu Dezaki
Producer:George Singer
Tatsuo Ikeuchi
Nobuo Inada
Music:Yuji Ohno
Company:MGM/UA Television
TMS Entertainment, Inc.
Intermedia Entertainment
Network:ABC
Language:English
Num Episodes:13
List Episodes:
  1. Episodes
Country:United States
Japan

is a 1984 American-Japanese super robot animated series created in a joint collaboration of TMS Entertainment, Inc. and Intermedia Entertainment in association with MGM/UA Television.[1] It was directed by veteran anime director Osamu Dezaki and features character designs by Akio Sugino.[2] The series aired from September 8, 1984, to December 15, 1984, on Saturday mornings in the United States on ABC.[3] [4]

Series history

Mighty Orbots was developed from an idea pitched by Fred Silverman, possibly in response to the popularity of other robot-related properties.[5] The original six-minute "pilot" featured a slightly different version of Mighty Orbots called Broots (pronounced "Brutes"). Rob and Ohno looked similar to their 'finished' selves, though definitively more late 70s-like. The Orbots, while having the same names as in the finished product, are subtly different, and obviously unfinished. Even their combined form aka "Super-Broots" would go through some more developmental evolution before becoming Mighty Orbots. It was produced by Tokyo Movie Shinsha and Intermedia Entertainment in association with MGM/UA Television for both the United States for the television broadcast and Japan via home video. Unlike many other shows of its kind, Mighty Orbots was not simply a translated Japanese import. The series was directed by anime industry veteran Osamu Dezaki with storyboard work by Dezaki's brother Satoshi Dezaki, character designs by Akio Sugino, and animation by Shingo Araki.

The main theme song used in the show introduction and throughout the series was created by Steve Rucker and Thomas Chase, with lead vocals provided by Warren Stanyer.[6] The music was composed by Yuji Ohno.

The series lasted only a single season of thirteen episodes, mostly due to a lawsuit between the show's creators and toymaker Tonka, who accused them of causing brand confusion with their GoBots franchise's "Mighty Robots, Mighty Vehicles" advertising campaign.[7] The episodes aired on ABC and some episodes were later released on VHS by MGM/UA Home Video. Despite its short run, the series has a dedicated fan base today. The series' narration was done by voice-actor Gary Owens, who was the voice of Hanna-Barbera's Space Ghost in the 1960s and Dynomutt, Dog Wonders human straight man Blue Falcon in the late 1970s.

Mighty Orbots is one of only a small number of Saturday morning cartoons to have a definite series finale: the final episode, "Invasion of the Shadow Star," ends with a sequence in which the SHADOW homeworld is destroyed and the arch-villain Umbra defeated "once and for all." This differs from most other animated series, where the villain always escaped to fight another day.

Series plot

The 23rd Century, the future is a time of robots and aliens. The people of Earth have banded together along with several other peaceful alien races to promote peace throughout the galaxy, forming the United Planets. As part of the United Planets, the Galactic Patrol — a body of law-enforcers — works to maintain order, under the leadership of Commander Rondu.[8] However, a powerful criminal organization called SHADOW is out to destroy both the Galactic Patrol and the U.P. Led by Lord Umbra, a massive cyborg-computer, SHADOW employs sinister agents and incredible schemes to attack and someday rule over all corners of the known-galaxy.

There is one thing that helps to fight against SHADOW: ingenious inventor Rob Simmons — secretly a member of the Galactic Patrol — creates six special robots who can use their unique powers to battle against the forces of Umbra. Together, these robots can unite to form a giant robot called Mighty Orbots, to fight for truth, justice and peace for all.

Characters

Hero characters

Rob has curly blond hair and blue eyes. He can summon the Orbots from their recharge chambers with a remote signal from a device he wears on his wrist. He pilots the Beam Car; a special vehicle that acts as a "command center" when linked up within Mighty Orbots' core body. From there, he and Ohno can operate Mighty Orbots with maximum effectiveness in battle.

Voiced by Barry Gordon (English) and Yū Mizushima (Japanese)

Rondu has long silver-white hair and facial hair, and grey-white eyes. He exhibits formidable psionic powers; something that must be key to his race (since a space pirate named Shrike wanted to use his "unique life-force" to power a super-weapon in the episode "Raid on the Stellar Queen").

Voiced by Don Messick (English) and Shozo Hirabayashi (Japanese)

Dia has long, silver-white hair and dark eyes. Aside from being highly skilled in fighting, acrobatics and flying ships, Dia often captures agents of SHADOW in a force-field projector stored in a wrist band on her left arm. It is never said if she possesses the same psionic powers her father does. It is hinted at in "Operation: Eclipse", however, when she volunteers to aid her father in mental battle with Dreneon, who is a member of the same race working for Shadow.

Voiced by Jennifer Darling (English) and Atsuko Koganezawa (Japanese)

The Orbots

Ohno's primary colors are pink, red and white. When Mighty Orbots forms its gestalt form, it is Ohno that completes the final circuit "link" that allows the full power of the giant robot form to come online. Without this vital piece, Mighty Orbots cannot become fully functional (a flaw that was exploited once by Umbra under the machinations of the Shadow Agent called Plasmus, in the episode "The Wish World"). If necessary, Ohno can operate the controls alone for basic functions, but combat is simply too demanding without the Commander on board. Ohno also carries the repair tools and recharge kit needed should the Orbots be caught off-world away from their base recharge chambers.

Voiced by Noelle North (English) and Miki Ito (Japanese)

Tor's primary colors are silver, red and blue. When forming the gestalt form of Mighty Orbots, Tor retracts his arms and legs into himself to form the central body and head.

Voiced by Bill Martin (English) and Tessho Genda (Japanese)

Bort's primary colors are silver and blue. When forming the gestalt form of Mighty Orbots, he retracts into a boxy unit that forms the lower right leg. While connected, he can use his quick-change circuits to modify the hands of Mighty Orbots into a variety of offensive and defensive weapons.

Voiced by Jim MacGeorge (English) and Ken Yamaguchi (Japanese)

Bo's primary colors are pale yellow and orange. When forming the gestalt form of Mighty Orbots, she transforms to become the left arm, which forms a hand after it is connected to the main body. Through her connection, she can channel her elemental powers throughout the body of Mighty Orbots.

Voiced by Sherry Alberoni (English) and Akari Hibino (Japanese)

Boo's primary colors are white and yellow. When forming the gestalt form of Mighty Orbots, she transforms to become the right arm of the giant robot. Like Bo, she can channel her defensive abilities throughout the larger body, allowing it to benefit from all of her "magic" effects.

Voiced by Julie Bennett (English) and Hitomi Oikawa (Japanese)

Crunch's primary colors are purple and black. When forming the gestalt form of Mighty Orbots, Crunch forms a boxy unit that forms the lower left leg. While connected, Crunch also serves as the back-up power source for the giant robot and, at times, will detach so he can consume any available items to give his team mates a much-needed power boost.

Voiced by Don Messick (English) and Ikuya Sawaki (Japanese)

Villain characters

Umbra himself has no real means of directly fighting his enemies, so he employs massive monsters, sinister aliens and elaborate plans to combat the threat of the Galactic Patrol and Mighty Orbots.

Shrike uses a cybernetic eye to control his Master Computer, as well as stun his foes with a stasis-ray. Using his Master Computer, Shrike used Rondu's life-force to create a creature called a Titan (which looked like a Japanese Oni), to battle Mighty Orbots.

Shrike was the only villain who was not a member of SHADOW.

Plasmus could change his shape to resemble any type of non-robotic life form. He mostly traveled as a mass of gaseous, green/white vapor, which is what appeared as he transformed. As well, he could draw upon energy and matter to enlarge his strength and mass exponentially.

Video releases

Victor Entertainment released the series in Japan via home video. On April 17, 2018, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment released the series on DVD via their Warner Archive Collection label (via Turner Entertainment Co., the owner of the pre-May 1986 MGM library) in North America.[9]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The Mike Toole Show - Orbots Almighty. Anime News Network. 28 August 2023 .
  2. Web site: Mighty Orbots: A Look Back. 5 July 2011. Otaku USA Magazine.
  3. Web site: List of Titles. https://web.archive.org/web/20080723184614/http://www.telecom-anime.com/telecom-e/list/index.html. April 6, 2019. July 23, 2008.
  4. Book: Erickson . Hal . Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 . 2005 . 2nd . McFarland & Co . 978-1476665993 . 549–550.
  5. Web site: Year of the Robot, Part 1: How Go-Bots, Transformers, Voltron, and Mighty Orbots conquered the world. Thor. Jensen. 17 December 2014. SYFY WIRE.
  6. Web site: The Mighty Orbots (TV Series 1984–) - IMDb. www.imdb.com.
  7. Web site: Tonka Corp. v. TMS Entertainment, Inc., 638 F. Supp. 386 (D. Minn. 1985). Justia Law.
  8. Book: Perlmutter . David . The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows . 2018 . Rowman & Littlefield . 978-1538103739 . 396.
  9. Web site: TVShowsOnDVD.com - Goodbye. www.tvshowsondvd.com. 28 May 2024 .