GUNDAM THEATRICAL ANIMATION PROPOSAL
Nippon Sunrise

[SUMMARY]

U.C.0093

At last, Char has revived the Neo Zeon forces and plans to annihilate Earth, a terrifying operation involving dropping two asteroids and erasing humanity from the face of the planet.

And so, the first asteroid was dropped, which marked the beginning of Char’s tragedy. Another even larger asteroid had begun its descent.

Yet there was a man who stepped forward to prevent all this. That man was Amuro Ray.

A clash of two Newtypes! Amuro’s mobile suit is the N Gundam, while Char’s mobile suit was the Zanac. A deadly battle ensues.

After an intense fight in their final showdown, Amuro defeats Char. However, the trajectory of the asteroid still needs to be altered! So, for the sake of the planet and all of humanity, Amuro risks his own life! The N Gundam transforms into a brilliant flash and disappears into the asteroid…

[STORY]

Universal Century (U.C.) 0093.

Char Aznable led the Neo Zeon forces in a battle against the Earth Federation government, intending to rectify those people who had surrendered their souls to gravity while living comfortably on Earth.

In the airspace near Earth’s geostationary orbit, Char planned to carry out a meteor drop operation. If gone through with, it would result in a catastrophic event. To prevent this, the Earth Federation government’s “Londo Bell” unit, led by Bright, engaged in an intense mobile suit battle with the Neo Zeon forces. Amuro also participated in the battle as a pilot of the Londo Bell unit. However, the performance of the Neo Zeon mobile suits surpassed that of Amuro and his comrades, which led to an unfavorable situation on the battlefield. In the midst of the battle, Char manipulated events to deliver the new mobile suit, “S-Gundam,” into Amuro’s hands. It was Char’s pride as a man, saying, “Amuro, I’ll give you power equal to mine. But I will still defeat you.” Despite the strenuous efforts of the Londo Bell Squad, the asteroid fell to Earth. For the isolated Londo Bell Squad among the Federation forces, it was an inevitable outcome. It marked the beginning of Char’s plan to destroy the Earth.

Meanwhile, Earth Federation high-ranking official Adenauer and his daughter Quess went into space to negotiate peace with Char. On the shuttle, Quess met Bright’s son, Hathaway Noah, who was leaving for space for the first time, leaving behind his mother Mirai and sister Cheimin. Hathaway felt drawn to Quess in some way.

Meanwhile, on the Neo Zeon’s flagship, the “Rewloola,” preparations were underway for Char to meet with Earth Federation high-ranking officials, including Adenauer, on Londenion (a colony of Side 1). As part of a diversionary operation, a mobile suit squad was launched, engaging in combat with the Londo Bell unit. The shuttle carrying Quess and Hathaway got caught in this battle, sustaining damage and requiring rescue by Amuro. Bright, reuniting with his son Hathaway after a long time, was filled with emotions. The Londo Bell unit, now carrying Adenauer, sets course for Londenion.

The negotiations between Char and the Earth Federation high-ranking officials were conducted in secret, aiming to establish peace by handing over Axis to Neo Zeon. Adenauer, the Earth Federation high-ranking official, was relieved, thinking that the war would finally end. However, in reality, Char intended to drop Axis onto Earth, causing destruction surpassing the last meteor drop. If Axis fell, all people on Earth would be wiped out—a catastrophe incomparable to the last asteroid drop. Cameron Bloom, Mirai’s former arranged marriage fiance, who was present at the negotiation, informed Bright of this information.

Meanwhile, Amuro, accompanied by Quess and Hathaway, went for a drive overlooking a lake on Londenion. That was when they encountered Char, who had just concluded the negotiation. Amuro tore after the fleeing Char, leading to a brawl. However, Quess, who was beginning to awaken as a Newtype, momentarily became enamored with Char, interfering with Amuro and allowing Char to escape. Quess chose to follow Char, leaving Hathaway in shock.

Bright confronted Adenauer with the information he had heard from Cameron, but Adenauer remained resolute in his belief that peace had been achieved. Subsequently, Adenauer and other Earth Federation high-ranking officials boarded the battleship “Clop” and headed to Luna II to oversee the disarmament of Char’s fleet.

Quess, who had followed Char, underwent training aboard the mobile suit “Psyco Doga” en route to Neo-Zeon’s headquarters colony “Sweetwater.” Her Newtype abilities were enhanced, turning her into a Cyber-Newtype, but she reveled in the potential of her newfound talents.

To feign peace, the Neo Zeon forces headed towards Luna II with a fleet, including three dummy battleships. M In the meantime, the battleship Rewloola, carrying Char, along with three other vessels, planned to occupy Axis and initiate the operation to drop it onto Earth.

In Luna II’s airspace, the Neo Zeon fleet launched a surprise attack on the unsuspecting Federation forces. Luna II became engulfed in flames. Quess, who was participating in the battle as a Newtype soldier, ignited her Psycho Doga and obliterated the battleship carrying her father, Adenauer, in an instant. In the face of Char’s strategy, the Federation forces suffered a swift defeat.

Upon hearing the news of Luna II’s annihilation, the Londo Bell unit launched from Londenion. Hathaway, who was supposed to remain on Londenion, secretly sneaked onto Bright’s battleship, the “Ra Cailum.” His actions were driven by a desire to reclaim Quess from Char’s influence.

Char’s fleet occupied Axis and was methodically preparing to drop it on Earth. The Londo Bell fleet, which had infiltrated Axis’s interior, launched an attack against the Neo Zeon forces. Amuro joined the battle in the S-Gundam. “I must defeat Char. I can’t rest until Char is taken down,” he said. His wife, Beltorchika, was in despair. “Stop! Don’t talk like that! It’s cruel to our baby.” Beltorchika was carrying Amuro’s child. Despite this, Axis began its descent to Earth.

On the Ra Cailum, Bright issued orders, “Prepare for a fleet suicide attack. Approach Axis, connect all of Ra Cailum’s energy to the Gundam’s Hyper Rifle, and destroy Axis’s propulsion nozzle. Then, use a nuclear missile attack to split Axis in two. If this fails, infiltrate Axis and initiate the splitting operation from the inside. That’s all!” It had finally come to the last decisive battle. The entire crew of Ra Cailum, aware of their imminent deaths, plunged into an all-out attack.

However, the S Gundam’s Hyper Rifle attack was thwarted by Quess, and Char’s mobile suit, “Nightingale,” intercepted the nuclear missile attack from the Ra Cailum. Char and Quess were formidable opponents. Seeing this, Bright prepared for a ground assault. Beltorchika and Hathaway each sortie in their respective mobile suits.

Finally, Amuro and Char confronted each other on Axis. The time had come to settle their long-standing feud. The S Gundam and Nightingale, both refusing to yield, were locked in fierce combat.

Meanwhile, Bright and his team successfully infiltrated the interior of Axis and set explosives. The duel between Amuro and Char, S Gundam and Nightingale, continued. However, Amuro in the S Gundam finally defeated Nightingale.

Inside Axis, the bombs set by Bright and others detonated, successfully splitting Axis in two. But one half began its descent towards Earth. Gathering the last of his strength, Amuro maneuvered the S Gundam in front of Axis and overloaded the tail nozzle. The area around the S Gundam began to glow white-hot, covering more than half of Axis and eventually succeeded in altering Axis’s course. Amuro had saved Earth. However, the S Gundam disappeared in a flash of white light.

[APPEAL POINT]

This time, we have constructed a story with Amuro Ray as the protagonist and Char Aznable as his rival. Moreover, the long-awaited climax of their fateful battle… The final showdown between Amuro and Char, the two iconic heroes created by Gundam, holds the boundless potential to both stir and satisfy audience anticipation and excitement. Additionally, with director Yoshiyuki Tomino and talented and popular staff members such as Hiroyuki Kitazume, Mamoru Nagano, and Hidetoshi Omori, we believe that this is the best team in terms of both skill and popularity.

While adhering to the recognized concept of the “Gundam world,” we aim to challenge new territories in character design, mobile suit design, and on-screen representation. With more dynamic visuals and striking designs, the “Gundam World” will become a film that captivates the hearts of audiences in this new era. Just as the original “Mobile Suit Gundam” was fresh in its time, we firmly believe that it will stand out as an exceptional work in today’s era.

[PROJECT INTENT]

In recent years, there hasn’t been much notable progress in the box-office performance of animated movies – it’s fair to say the industry has been stagnating.

One major factor is the absence of “theatrical animation” that truly embodies the essence of what makes theatrical animation unique. The release of projects on the scale of “Original Video” as theatrical animations has widened the gap with the audience’s true needs. This not only leads to a loss of audience interest but also makes it impossible to create an entertaining film that surpasses American movies.

We thought that Gundam was the only possible option when considering a work that could fully demonstrate all the grand scale, profound themes, wide topicality, and exceptionally high-quality craftsmanship that only “theatrical animation” possesses.

The term “Newtype” has transcended the “Gundam” universe to become a common phrase, embodying the somewhat disenchanted and elusive young generation of today. We believe the “Gundam World” will resonate with these youths and form a meaningful connection.

[REGARDING THE NEW GUNDAM MOVIE]

It has been almost six years since the theatrical version of “Mobile Suit Gundam” concluded. Since then, numerous so-called “real robot anime” works inspired by “Mobile Suit Gundam” have been released and firmly established as a distinct genre. However, many of these were TV series or direct-to-video.

Moreover, the subsequent software market* has not offered any strong or fresh materials, despite its expansion into various genres.

On the other hand, looking at the trends in American movies, there are challenges that seem to follow Gundam. The depiction of machines seen in films like “Aliens” is undoubtedly influenced by the concept of mobile suits. Additionally, Hollywood’s special effects continue to strive for higher standards. We cannot help but admire their unwavering commitment to pushing boundaries.

Therefore, we have decided to take advantage of the aforementioned American movie trends in Japan and propose a concept that goes even further. We are considering remaking Gundam as a theatrical film.

Currently, there is a growing anticipation for “theatrical animation” that possesses the same grand scale and high concepts as the original “Mobile Suit Gundam” and has garnered support beyond just anime fans. Taking these circumstances into account, we are confident that a theatrical animation project that once again expands the world of Gundam will garner immense support and meet the audience’s expectations.

[PLANNED PRODUCTION SCHEDULE]

1987.03 storyboard in
1987.05 animation in
1987.09 photography in
1987.12 post-recording
1988.01 first version complete

 TL Note: The “software market” refers to things pertaining to video, so at this point in time, that would be VHS, laser disc, etc. (including rental and sales).