by The animated movie “Galaxy Express 999”, initially written by Leiji Matsumoto and released in 1979, will be revived with high-definition images and realistic sounds using the latest technology. Toei Animation (Tokyo) will call it “Dolby Cinema Version” and will release it in 7 halls nationwide from the 14th. If the box office is successful, it will produce high-quality versions of other masterpiece animations.
“Galaxy Express 999” is Tetsuro, a boy who lost his mother, and Maetel, a mysterious beauty, who travels in space on a railroad. TV animation was broadcast from 1978 and became popular, and the following year, the “theatrical version” was released.
For this project, the company’s producer Yosuke Kinoshita (41) suggested that “999 has many enthusiastic fans and some people want to see it in the movie theater.” It took about a year to digitize the original movie film, adjust the color tone and brightness of the screen, and convert it to high-resolution video.
The contrast between the darkness of the universe where the galaxy railroad runs and the shining stars was reflected more clearly, and the black color of the hats and costumes worn by Maetel became deeper. As for sound, speakers installed on the ceiling and walls of the dedicated screening hall reproduce three-dimensional sound effects. It is said that the sound of trains running in space has become more powerful.
Toei Animation was established in 1948 and has worked on many popular animations such as “Dragon Ball” and “ONE PIECE.” So far, he has produced 257 theatrical animations and 228 TV animations (as of the end of September last year). Some of the film era works are valuable in the history of animation, including Japan’s first color feature-length animated film, “The Tale of the White Serpent.”
However, Shuji Kondo, director of the company’s video management office (52), confesses that “animation films and tapes are valuable assets, but it costs money to store them.” We urgently need to digitize our work because the film may deteriorate. Promote the utilization of the company’s masterpieces such as “Galaxy Express 999”.
