The direct-to-video Robotech film, Robotech: Love Live Alive, is the last movie in the franchise so far. When compared to other standalone installments in the series, like Sentinels and The Shadow Chronicles, Love Live Alive was actually adapted from archival material from the Japanese series Genesis Climber MOSPEADA (which was later adapted as Robotech in America).

Written and directed by anime dubbing artist Gregory Snegoff, Robotech: Love Live Alive has had an interesting production process involving several renowned artists from the anime world.

10 It Was Adapted From A Music Video

After the aforementioned Genesis Climber MOSPEADA ended, the Japanese sci-fi thriller anime was followed by an OVA music video called Love Live Alive in 1985. The narrative of this video was set after the original’s ending and starred Yellow Belmont as the protagonist incorporating his musical concert, as well as events in his past.

It was this video that served as inspiration for the 2013 adaptation of Love Live Alive, which included unused footage and new animation based on the style of its source material. It’s for this reason that Capsule Computers called it a “hybrid film.”

9 It Was Written And Directed By A Robotech Voice Actor

Gregory Snegoff served as the director and screenwriter for the film and even voiced the character of Scott Bernard, a leader of a group of rebel freedom fighters.

Snegoff has, in fact, appeared in 28 episodes of Robotech‘s initial run, voicing Bernard as well as Lord Khyron, a battalion commander during the First Robotech War. As an English-speaking anime voice actor, he also provided additional voices for the dubs of the classic Studio Ghibli movies, My Neighbor Totoro and Kiki’s Delivery Service.

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8 Lance’s Actor Also Voiced Leonardo In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Also known as Yellow Belmont, Lance Belmont becomes a major lead character in the series since The New Generation storyline. Instead of using his original actor Jim Flinders, veteran voice artist Cam Clarke starred as Belmont in Love Live Alive.

Clarke’s filmography includes voicing Leonardo and Rocksteady in the 1987 version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, as well as the antihero Kaneda in the classic Japanese cyberpunk movie, Akira.

7 Speed Racer’s Author Oversaw The Editing

At the time of Love Live Alive‘s production, Tommy Yune served as the President of Animation at Harmony Gold USA, the production and distribution company behind Robotech. So, he not only got credited as a producer on the film, but also oversaw the editing process of the movie.

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The producer/editor has also been a prolific comic book author who was known for his manga-style art and stories for Speed Racer and other Robotech comics, such as Invasion, The Shadow Chronicles, and the Robotech/Voltron crossover event.

6 Producer Carl Macek Passed Away During Production

Even though Robotech creator Carl Macek was credited as a producer on Love Live Alive, he passed away earlier, in 2010. Having gained acclaim as the producer and story editor behind Robotech in 1985, Carl Macek’s name became synonymous with the franchise.

His work is considered to be significant in anime’s popularization in America. Even in his final years, he continued writing scripts for dubs of classic shonen anime series, like Naruto and Bleach.

5 The Cast Included Power Rangers Alumni

Two major members of the voice-cast have previously garnered popularity in different seasons of the Power Rangers franchise. One of them includes Barbara Goodson, who plays the Invid Simulagent Sera, while the other is Steve Kramer, who voiced the Yellow Squadron pilot, Dimitry.

Goodson is associated with Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Turbo, and Power Rangers in Space as the dubbing voice of the series antagonist, Empress Rita Repulsa. As for Kramer, he played several characters in six Power Rangers series, the most notable of which is Darkonda in Power Rangers in Space.

4 The Comeback Of Robotech’s Original Narrator

J. Jay Smith served as the narrator of the movie, a role that he has been playing since the very first Robotech series. Apart from lending his voice to 85 Robotech episodes, he also narrated Codename Robotech and Robotech: The Movie. Since the latter’s release, J. Jay Smith was unheard of and didn’t have any other screen credits barring a brief voice credit on a Max Headroom episode.

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His inclusion in Robotech: Love Live Alive was a welcome change for fans of the franchise who got to hear his voice after more than two decades.

3 It Was First Hinted In A Robotech Documentary

Shortly after producer Carl Macek’s death, a memorial documentary was released in his honor. Titled Carl Macek’s RobotechUniverse, it functioned as a documentary about the Robotech series and movies. It’s in the final minutes of this documentary that revealed the first hints of an upcoming Robotech film.

It was then at 2012’s Long Beach Comic Con when Tommy Yune officially announced the project and offered some of the initial details. Yune also added that it was Macek’s idea to rework the original OVA concert with more plot points that would connect the Masters saga with the New Generation saga.

2 A Few Characters Were Retained Through Stock Audio

Because the film used content from the OVA music video, some scenes retained the original’s sound footage. Hence, the characters of Marlene, Annie, Dana, and Sparks were represented mainly through stock audio.

As for the other characters, a new cast was used, given how most of the voice actors had aged. For example, in the case of Annie, voice actress Emilie Colleen de Azevedo Brown was 14 at the time she played the character in Genesis Climber MOSPEADA. So, naturally, it didn’t make sense for her to reprise her role decades later.

1 The Shadow Chronicle’s Designer Joined As Art Director

Even though Kazuo Okada’s original movie concept art and production design were incorporated in Love Live Alive, it was Long Vo who served as the film’s art director. Vo’s previous works as a conceptual designer included the 2006 Robotech film, The Shadow Chronicles.

In fact, Vo’s influence on anime is greater as an entrepreneur. He also serves as one of the three founders of Gaia Online, an anime-themed social networking and forum space.

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About The Author


Shaurya Thapa
(732 Articles Published)

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Shaurya Thapa is an Indian freelance journalist who mostly dabbles in writings on cinema, music, and human interest features. When it comes to Screen Rant, he writes lists on a wide array of subjects ranging from international films to mainstream Netflix series and comic book trivia. He also hosts a podcast called ‘BhindiWire’, an Indian parody of IndieWire.

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