BraveStarr: The Movie (1988)

Original title

BraveStarr: The Legend

Directed by

Tom Tataranowicz

Genre

fantasy film, action film, science fiction film

Country

United States

Runtime

1h 31m

Rated

PG

Rating

6.9 of 10 from 36 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A galactic marshal named BraveStarr protects the planet New Texas. He fights an outlaw and his evil spirit master over a valuable ore called Kerium. His allies include a talking horse, a judge, and a shaman who teaches him special powers.

80s cartoonspace westernretrostraightforwardadventurouskid-friendlynostalgiccampyformulaic

What happens

BraveStarr: The Movie (released as BraveStarr: The Legend in Europe and as The Legend of BraveStarr in the Philippines) is a 1988 American animated space Western film released on March 18, 1988, by Taurus Entertainment. The film was based on Filmation's television series and Mattel's action figure of the same name, and it was also among the first animated features to use computer graphics. The film tells the story of the original discovery of Kerium (a fictional ore that serves as the main plot element of the TV series), and how the Galactic Marshall Bravestarr came to battle Tex Hex (a wanted outlaw) and his master Stampede (an evil spirit in the form of a bull skull) on the planet of New Texas. It also introduces his allies: J.B. (a female judge), Thirty/Thirty (his talking horse, who can become bipedal and fight on his own), Deputy Fuzz (one of the Prairie People, the original indigenous people of New Texas), and the Shaman (BraveStarr's mentor who helps him discover his animal-based powers). The PAL-based European version of the movie has been released to Region 1 DVD in a 2-disc set on July 3, 2007, release called The Best of BraveStarr from BCI Eclipse, with the second disc being five fan chosen 'best of' episodes from the TV series. The movie received its own single DVD release on May 6, 2008. Unlike The Secret of the Sword (which was an edited version of the first five She-Ra episodes), the BraveStarr movie was produced and released following the conclusion of the TV series. Sharing the same fate as the toy and TV show, the film received positive reviews from critics, but it was not a box-office success, playing only to weekend matinées in limited markets. The commercial failure of Bravestarr: The Movie, combined with that of the previous Filmation release Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night, led to the studio's collapse. A year after its release, Filmation closed down for good; its last full-length production, Happily Ever After, did not premiere until 1993. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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