Robot Taekwon V

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Poster for Robot Taekwon V (1976)
Robot Taekwon V
Directed by	Kim Cheong-gi
Produced by	Yu Hyun-mok
Written by	Ji Sang-Hak
Music by	Choi Chang-Kwon
Cinematography	Cho Bok-Dong
Editing by	Yoon Ji-Young
Distributed by	Yoo Productions Seoul Dongwha Productions
Release date(s)	July 24, 1976
Running time	85 min.
Language	Korean
Korean name
Hangul:	로보트 태권브이
Hanja:
Revised Romanization:	roboteu taegwon beui
McCune-Reischauer:	robot'ŭ t'aegwŏn pŭi

Robot Taekwon V is a South Korean animated film directed by Kim Cheong-gi and produced by Yu Hyun-mok, the prominent director of such films as Obaltan (오발탄) (Aimless Bullet) (1960). Released on July 24, 1976, it was Korea's first full-length animated science-fiction feature. It was a very popular film in Korea during the late 1970s, and inspired a string of sequels. Robot Taekwon V became the first Korean film to receive full digital restoration treatment in 2005.

1 Plot
2 Background
3 Sources
4 Restoration
5 Sequels
6 See also
7 References

[edit] Plot

Dr. Kaff (or Dr. Cops; 카프 박사 in Korean), an evil scientist bent on world domination, creates an army of giant robots to kidnap world-class athletes and conquer the world. To fight off this attack, Dr. Kim creates Robot Taekwon V. Kim Hoon, the taekwon-do champion eldest son of Dr Kim, pilots Robot Taekwon V either mechanically or through his physical power by merging his taekwon-do movements with the robot. Comic relief is provided by Kim Hoon's younger brother, elementary school student Kim Cheol. He has fashioned himself as "Tin-Can Robot Cheol" by cutting eyeholes in a tea kettle and wearing it on his head. Kim Hoon's girlfriend, Yoon Yeong-hee, is a pilot and taekwon-do practitioner. She can also operate Robot Taekwon V with buttons and levers, and pilots Kim Hoon in and out of the robot. [1]

[edit] Background

The Japanese giant-robot anime Mazinger Z (マジンガー・ゼット, 마징가 제트) (1972) was popular in South Korea at the time of Robot Taekwon V's creation, and Kim Cheong-gi freely discusses the influence of Mazinger Z on his cartoon, saying he wanted to create a Korean hero for Korean children. In order to emphasize the Korean ties of the film, he had leading characters perform the traditional martial art, taekwondo, and gave the robot the ability to do taekwondo kicks. [2] While Korea has become the global hive for animation outsourcing (Korean studios now work on most Japanese anime feature films) 1970's Korea had a very different vibe to modern day South Korea. Bitter memories of the brutal occupation of Korea by Japan were still fresh in the minds of many. Chongi Kim's Taekwon V proudly bares the helmet the legendary Korean Admiral Yi Sunsin wore in his quests to fend off Japanese annexation. In a very real sense Taekwon V is a national hero representing the fight for freedom from Japan and independence.

[edit] Sources

The villains use giant robots, some of which are rather similar to those in the original Mobile Suit Gundam. Several similar to the MS-04 Acguy in the shape of hands, feet, and head, but which have a simpler torso and which are green are led by one similar to the MS-07B Gouf in that it has horns on its shoulders and carries an electric whip, though it has a horn rather than a spike on its head and is purple in color. But they don't move like the originals: the green robots hover in the air in rows to get beaten up by the hero robot doing Tae Kwon Do attacks, while the purple robot even loses its gun to the hero robot through a quick Tae Kwon Do move.

[edit] Restoration

The original print of Robot Taekwon V has long been thought lost, and for years the only available print was incomplete and in very poor condition. However, a duplicate print was discovered in a warehouse of the Korean Film Commission in July of 2003. [3] Beginning in August of that year, the Korean Film Council made the film the subject of a 2-year restoration project budgeted at 1 billion won. 72 people were involved in cleaning up and digitizing each of the 108,852 frames. The original mono soundtrack was transferred to Dolby Digital 5.1. The restored version premiered at the Pusan International Film Festival on October 6, 2005. [4] It was widely released in early 2007 and set a new record for domestic animated films, attracting over 500,000 viewers in 13 days. [5]

1991 VHS release of a Robot Taekwon V sequel from 1978

In late 2006 Taekwon mania soared to new levels with a celebrity attended gala event in Seoul celebrating the 30th birthday of the robot and film. In 2007 yet more giant 3 meter tall size statues of Taekwon V have appeared around Seoul; instead of fronting art galleries in the hip areas of Hongdae and Insadong, one of the statues landed outside of the National Assembly (parliament) building.