Voltron facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Voltron
Creator	World Events Productions
Original work	Beast King GoLion and Armored Fleet Dairugger XV.
Owner	World Event Productions licensed to Classic Media/Comcast
Print publications
Comics	Voltron
Films and television
Animated series	Voltron (1983–85) Voltron: The Third Dimension (1998) Voltron Force (2011) Voltron: Legendary Defender (2016)
Television specials	Voltron: Fleet of Doom (1985)
Games
Video games	Voltron: Defender of the Universe (2011) Voltron: Cubes of Olkarion (2019)

Voltron is a popular animated TV show series. It's about a team of five space explorers. They pilot a giant Super Robot named "Voltron". World Events Productions created the show.

Voltron was based on Japanese anime TV series. The first Voltron show aired from 1984 to 1985. The first part, "Lion Force Voltron", came from Beast King GoLion. The second part, "Vehicle Team Voltron", came from Armored Fleet Dairugger XV. Voltron: Defender of the Universe was a top kids' show. It led to more TV series, comic books, and toys.

Different Voltron Teams

Over the years, there have been different versions of Voltron. Each version has its own unique team and story.

Vehicle Team Voltron: Voltron I

This version of Voltron was made from a Japanese show called Armored Fleet Dairugger XV. The story was changed a lot for Voltron. In this series, the Galaxy Alliance's home planets are too crowded. Explorers are sent to find new planets.

But the evil Drule Empire tries to stop them. The original Lion Voltron is too far away to help. So, a new Voltron is built to fight the Drules.

This Voltron Force has fifteen members. They are split into three teams of five:

• The Land Team
• The Sea Team
• The Air Team

Each team specializes in gathering information or fighting. Each team can combine their vehicles into a bigger machine. These machines are:

• The Aqua Fighter (Sea Team)
• The Turbo Terrain Fighter (Land Team)
• The Strato Fighter (Air Team)

When needed, all fifteen vehicles combine to form the mighty Voltron. However, this Vehicle Team Voltron could only stay combined for five minutes. It used stored solar energy to work. In the toy line, this Voltron was called Voltron I.

Gladiator Voltron: Voltron II

There were plans for a third Voltron series. It was going to be based on a Japanese show called Lightspeed Electroid Albegas. Toys for this "Voltron II" were made. They were called Black Alpha, Blue Beta, and Red Gamma.

However, this series never aired. The Lion Force Voltron was very popular. The Vehicle Team Voltron was not as popular. So, World Events Productions decided not to make another different Voltron.

Special TV Shows and Movies

Fleet of Doom (1986)

In 1986, a special TV movie was made. It was called Voltron: Fleet of Doom. This movie brought together the Lion Voltron and Vehicle Voltron. It used footage from both GoLion and Dairugger XV. It also had new animation. The special was made for viewers around the world.

The Third Dimension (1998)

A computer-animated series, Voltron: The Third Dimension, came out in 1998. It takes place five years after the original Lion Voltron series. The show had mixed reviews. This was because the looks of Lion Voltron, King Zarkon, and Prince Lotor were changed. This series was a follow-up to the Lion Force Voltron.

Live-Action Movie Plans (2005–)

In 2005, there were plans for a live-action Voltron movie. Producer Mark Gordon wanted to make it. The idea gained more interest after the success of the Transformers movie. That film also featured robots that could change shape.

The movie script was about five survivors in New York City. They would pilot five lion-shaped robots. These robots would combine to form Voltron. Voltron would then fight Earth's invaders. Many companies were involved in the plans over the years. Eventually, Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Animation announced they would make the film.

Fan Films

In 2011, a short live-action fan film was released online. It was called ‘Voltron: The End.’

Newer TV Series

Voltron Force (2011)

The animated series Voltron Force started in June 2011 on Nicktoons. This series follows three young cadets. The original Voltron Force members train them. They must defend the galaxy from a returned Lotor. Voltron Force was a production by World Events Production, Kick Start Productions, and Classic Media.

Legendary Defender (2016)

Voltron: Legendary Defender is a Netflix series. It's a new version of the Voltron story. DreamWorks Animation produced it. The show first aired on June 10, 2016. It was very popular and had eight seasons. The final season premiered on December 14, 2018. This series led to new comics, action figures, and other toys.

Episodes

Characters

DVD and Digital Releases

Voltron episodes have been released on DVD in different regions. In Australia, Madman Entertainment released all episodes. This included the "Lion Force" and "Vehicle Team" series. They also released a big 24-disc boxset.

In North America, Media Blasters released the original series on DVD. They also released the Fleet of Doom special. The original Japanese shows, Beast King GoLion and Armored Fleet Dairugger XV, were also released with English subtitles.

Later, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment released a complete collection of Voltron: Defender of the Universe on DVD and Blu-ray in 2019.

For digital viewing, all Lion Force episodes were released on Hulu. Some episodes could also be streamed on Crackle. After Voltron: Legendary Defender became popular, Netflix released 12 episodes of Defender of the Universe as Voltron '84.

Soundtracks

Voltron TV shows have released soundtracks. These are available on iTunes and Google Play.

• The first soundtrack was for the original Lions series (2012).
• The second was for The Third Dimension series (2012).
• The third was for the first season of Legendary Defender (2016).

Currently, there are no plans for physical CD releases.

Comic Books

1980s Comics

In 1985, Modern Comics made a three-issue mini-series. It was based on the Lion Voltron TV show.

1990s Comics

A Vietnamese artist, Nguyễn Hùng Lân, created a comic series called Hero Hesman. It had 159 volumes and was based on Voltron.

2000s Comics

In 2002, Devil's Due started publishing Voltron comic books. They rebooted the story with a five-issue mini-series. This was followed by an ongoing series.

Voltron comics creators Brian Smith and Jacob Chabot signing Voltron posters at the Viz Media booth at the 2011 New York Comic Con.

In 2008, Devil's Due released a new five-issue mini-series. It explored how Lion Voltron was created. It showed Voltron as a single knight-like construct. It was broken into five pieces by Haggar. These pieces became the five lions.

In 2011, Dynamite Entertainment and Viz Media also announced plans for new Voltron comics.

Toys

Matchbox

In 1984, Matchbox imported Voltron toys from Japan. These included the Lion Force, Gladiator, and Vehicle Force Voltron toys. They also released smaller, more affordable figures.

Panosh Place

When the series was very popular, Panosh Place released new Voltron toys. These included action figures of the characters. They also made a larger Voltron toy that the figures could fit inside.

Trendmasters

For Voltron: The Third Dimension in 1998, Trendmasters reissued the Matchbox Lion Force Voltron. They made some changes and added more weapons. Trendmasters also released the Stealth Voltron variant and other robot figures.

Toynami

After Trendmasters closed, Toynami got the Voltron license. In 2005, they released their Masterpiece Voltron toy. It had more detail and movement than previous toys. A cheaper, all-plastic version was released in 2007. For the 25th anniversary in 2009, the plastic Masterpiece Voltron was reissued with a metallic paint job.

Mattel

In 2011, Mattel released toys for the new Voltron Force series. They also sold classic series toys online. This included a large 23-inch Voltron that could hold 4-inch pilot figures in each lion.

Playmates Toys

In 2017, Playmates Toys released toys based on Voltron: Legendary Defender.

Bandai

In 2017, Bandai Japan released a high-quality version of the GoLion robot. It was repackaged as Voltron for its American release.

Lego

In 2017, Lego announced a new Lego Ideas set. It was based on classic Voltron. The set was released on August 1, 2018.

Video Games

Voltron: Defender of the Universe (2011)

In 2009, a Voltron video game was announced for mobile phones. It had 30 levels and six acts. Players would control robot lions. In 2011, Voltron: Defender of the Universe was released for PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade. It was a co-op game for 1-5 players. Players could fight as individual lions or form Voltron to battle large Robeasts.

Voltron: Cubes of Olkarion (2019)

In 2018, NBCUniversal announced the video game Voltron: Cubes of Olkarion. It was the winner of their developer competition. In 2019, the game was released on Steam in Early Access. Players compete in real-time battles. They place and destroy blocks on a game board.

Animation Staff

• Original story: Saburo Yatsude
• Chief Director: Katsuhiko Taguchi
• Character Designer & Chief Animation Director: Kazuo Nakamura
• Episode Directors: Kazufumi Nomura, Kazuyuki Okaseko, Hiroshi Sasagawa, Katsuhiko Taguchi, Katsuhito Akiyama
• Scenarists: Ryo Nakahara, Masaaki Sakurai, Susumu Takahisa
• Music: Masahisa Takeichi (incidental), Asei Kobayashi (opening/closing themes)
• Theme song performance (GoLion): Ichirou Mizuki (OP- Tatakae! Goraion, ED- Gonin de Hitotsu)
• Production: Toei Animation Co., Ltd. / Toei Advertising Co. Ltd (credited as "Toei Agency")