Robotech Academy Kickstarter Hopes To Resurrect Unfinished Animated Series
The original Robotech ‘toon was a staple of my Saturday mornings when I was young, but it’s one of those things that fell by the wayside as I grew older. Who knows, if I’d been more obsessed with it, I might have taken the headfirst dive into anime, something that I’ve only occasionally intersected with for things like Akira or Cowboy Bebop. Well, whether you’re a die-hard Robotech fan or just carrying a nostalgic torch for it like me, you might want to check out the Kickstarter campaign hoping to birth a new animated spinoff called Robotech Academy.
Robotech writer/producer Carl Macek had been developing Robotech Academy prior to his death in 2010. Robotech studio Harmony Gold launched the new Kickstarter campaign at the beginning of this month, hoping the fans can help get Macek’s unfinished project across the finish line. Robotech Academy is set during the same time period as the show’s unfinished Sentinels storyline and would follow the adventures of several young cadets at the Robotech Academy, located in orbit around Mars. Unfortunately, the Academy is attacked by alien fanatics known as the Children of Zor, and before you know it, the Academy has been transported to an uncharted region of the galaxy. Which is going to make parent/teacher night a huge hassle.
Here’s writer Greg Snegoff’s overview of the project:
If you’d like to see Robotech Academy become a reality, they can use all the help they can get. The Kickstarter only has nine days to go, and at this point they’ve only reached $189,561 of their $500,000 goal. Reaching that goal would allow the team to create a full 24-minute pilot episode, complete with “character design, mecha design, 3D modeling, 3D animation, 2D animation, screenwriting, sound engineering, music composition, casting, voice acting and recording.” I’m sure Robotech Academy still might happen even if it doesn’t rope in the remaining $300,000+, but they’ll definitely have to figure out a Plan B. So hopefully there are some Robotech fans out there with deep pockets.
The minimum pledge is a mere $1, which will get you a “thanks” in the digital program guide. Drop $30 and you’ll get a copy of the finished pilot and the shooting script. $250 or more will get you an animation cell from Robotech: The Sentinels, $400 or more will net you an invite to the premiere, and a donation of $3,000 will get your likeness added onto a background character in the episode. Got $10,000 sitting around? You could actually attend a recording session for the pilot and “help participate in background sound effects.” But I’m betting if you just keep making fart noises, they’re probably going to kick you out.
