Hollywood Animation Spy for 99 Cents

Back in the days before the military started destroying their old technology, way back in 1980, you could pretty much tell what the military was up to by looking at the computer surplus store on Canal Street.

It its own way the 99 Cent Only Store video / DVD rack has become a microscope into the working of the Hollywood film world. Just check out what is being sold off at a loss from the film warehouses to get a peek into the minds of the suits at the studios.

Back in 2001 after the movie of Robert Heinlein`s Starship Troopers made a splash at the box office someone got the idea of bringing it to the small screen. They toned down the Fascist overtones of the novel. Kept the Lightwave bugs. And did the humans, including speech, in early motion control. Very odd.

There is a sameness to all the characters because of their power suits. The suits also made it possible to do linked assemble animation, as did the bug designs. Deformation animation seems to be a little beyond their skill set, which is plain every time the heroes are out of uniform. Which isn`t often.

The writing is 50s W.W.II war picture, one battle after another. The current administration would love it. And the dialog, it`s not over until the fat bug screams! is not quite bad enough to be funny.

You can have your very only copy of this gem for just 99 cents plus tax at my local, and maybe your, 99 Cent Only Store. Because the VHS version of this piece of TV animation (sic) history has just been dumped for the write off.