Ultraman: The Adventure Begins
Ultraman: The Adventure Begins was an animated movie joint produced by Hanna-Barbera and Tsuburaya Productions in 1987. The movie was titled Ultraman USA (ウルトラマンUSA, Urutoraman Yū Esu Ē?) for its Japanese release in 1989. The movie was intended as a pilot for an animated series, but no such series ever emerged. However, the costumes based on the three main heroes (the Ultra Team) were made for use in stage shows in Japan.
Plot
A stunt pilot trio called the "Flying Angels" (Scott Masterson, Chuck Gavin, and Beth O'Brien), are caught in a bizarre flash of light and crash, only to emerge unharmed. They are later informed by an agent of an interstellar peace-keeping agency (whose secret identity is the groundskeeper at a Pebble Beach golf course) that they have become the host bodies of warriors from the planet Altara in M78 to capture escaped monsters from the planet Sorkin who have arrived on Earth. They become the Ultra Force, headquartered within Mount Rushmore, and are assisted by a trio of robots, (the pint-sized Andy, the strong Samson, and the twitchy Ulysses). Although equipped with futuristic fighter crafts, inevitably one or more of the team is required to transform into an Ultraman, a gigantic red and silver superhuman being, to battle the monsters. After destroying the most powerful Sorkin monster, the constantly growing King Maira, the Ultra Force remains together to combat further threats to planet Earth.
Characters
The Ultra Force
- Scott Masterson (voiced by Michael Lembeck; Tōru Furuya in Japan) - The story's young protagonist. Transforms into Ultraman Scott.
- Height: 82 Meters
- Weight: 64,000 Tons
- Flight Speed: Mach 24
- Weapons:
- Granium Light Ray
- Ultra Energy Ball
- Ultra Slicer
- Triple Power
- Chuck Gavin (Voiced by Chad Everett; Shinji Ogawa in Japan) - The toughest and oldest of the team and the de-facto leader of the Ultra Team. Transforms into Ultraman Chuck.
- Height: 79 Meters
- Weight: 68,000 Tons
- Flight Speed: Mach 22
- Weapons:
- Granium Light Ray
- Ultra Bubble Beam
- Beth O'Brien (Voiced by Adrienne Barbeau; Hiromi Tsuru in Japan) - The cool-headed female of the team. Transforms into Ultrawoman Beth.
- Height: 76 Meters
- Weight: 54,000 Tons
- Flight Speed: Mach 23
- Weapons:
- Granium Light Ray
- Ultra Spout
The Robot Trio
A group of support robots built to assist the Ultra Team. Their true names were too long for the team to remember, so they were given nicknames by Scott (who came up with "Ulysses" and "Samson") and Beth (who came up with "Andy"). The initials in their names form the letters "USA".
- Ulysses - The thin and effeminate robot in yellow. His true name is Combot Model MF842.
- Samson - The big and strong robot in blue. His true name is Combot Model BA666
- Andy - The pint-sized robot in red. His true name is Utiloid Model ZQ14582. In charge of the Transportation System.
Supporting Characters
- Walter Freeman (Voiced by Stacy Keach, Sr.; Kōhei Miyauchi in Japan) - An elderly man in his late 60s who forms the Ultra Team. He explains to the heroes the true cause of their accident and the origins of their powers. His relation to the Ultrabeings and how he knows about them is never revealed.
- Dr. Susan Rand (Voiced by Lorna Patterson; Rihoko Yoshida in Japan) - A young scientist from the Federation for Extraterrestrial Research (or F.E.R. Labs). He has sympathy towards the Sorkin monsters fought by the Ultra Force. She gets romantically connected with Scott.
The Sorkin Monsters
- Greenshocks - The vegetation monster. Has accelerated regeneration, and powerful vines.
- Height: 100 Meters
- Weight: 30,000 Tons
- Garuballade - The electronic machinery monster. Superficially resembles a crystal ball (with a creature face in the center), and uses scrap metal from machinery to construct itself a monster body. The ball phase, standing on its long spinal tail, is called the Im (pronounced "eem").
- Height: 91.44 Meters (152.4 Meters in Im stage)
- Weight: 30,000 Tons (27,000 Tons in Im stage)
- Zoon - The comical child monster. Being a gentle creature that's only dangerous because of his size, Chuck relocates him to another planet rather than killing him.
- Height: 35.05 Meters
- Weight: 35,000 Tons
- King Maira - The most powerful of the Sorkin beasts. A "super transformation" monster who can double his size every 90 minutes without a limit. He can also become invisible. His initial infant form (Wylon) is actually small and adorable. The Ultra Force had the most difficult time with him as his increased growth spurts resulted in deadlier abilities used against them.
- Height: Infinite in growth
- Weight: Infinite in growth
Cast
Starring
Additional Cast
Crew
Soundtrack
The music was composed by Shinsuke Kazato and released by Nippon Columbia Co., Ltd (COCC-72075). The soundtrack was released as a Limited Edition printing of 5,000 copies.
Music
Sky High Hero Lyrics: Koorogi'73 Sung by: Shinichi Ishihara
Media
Cameo
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