August292015

By The Power Of Greyskull! Attend A Screening Of MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE At The Egyptian Theater This September!

Lee B. Golden IIINewsamerican cinematheque, dolph lundgren, egyptian theater, filmcombatsyndicate.com, frank langella, he-man, masters of the universe, mattel, she ra0

The 80’s were a great time for American animation and toy fandom. Classics like He-Man and She-Ra remain in memory with the former setting up the universe for both properties prior to the live-action adaptation for the former that further installed actor Dolph Lundgren into action legend status.

That very legacy continues to be celebrated to this day with American Cinematheque, Dammaged Goods and HeManWorld.com now set to host a star-studded event for both popular Mattel properties, kicking off with a screening of the 1987 action adventure, Masters Of The Universe at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood, California. Cheese notwithstanding, it’s a film to appreciate moreso these days for its ambitions with Thor: The Dark World co-scribe Christopher Yost now penning the script for the upcoming He-Man reboot, and time will tell if that one further propels the titular brand to cinematic greatness.

Based on the popular Mattel toy line, Filmation’s “He-Man and the Masters of the Universe” was one of the most popular animated children’s shows of the 1980s. The fantasy-adventure revolves around Prince Adam, who is transformed into the muscular He-Man whenever he raises his magic sword and invokes the power of Grayskull, the mystical castle fortress of his planet Eternia. He-Man’s feline companion, Battle Cat, flying wizard Orko and evil nemesis Skeletor are among the colorful characters that made the original program a cult favorite, while spinoff “She-Ra: Princess of Power” (He-Man’s sister) gave girls an equally heroic role model.

Our celebration of the most powerful cartoon in the universe kicks off with the live-action MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE, in which He-Man (Dolph Lundgren) faces off against Skeletor (Frank Langella). Lundgren, director Gary Goddard and production designer William Stout appear in person for a post-screening Q&A. The next day, the Egyptian is transformed into Eternia for a series of events beginning with a mini-convention of artists, collectors and vendors in the lobby. Along with classic moments from the TV series, the festivities include a rare screening of the theatrically released THE SECRET OF THE SWORD and wrap up with the West Coast premiere of TOY MASTERS, the recent documentary about the origins of “Masters of the Universe.” Filmation veterans Tom Sito, Larry DiTillio, Diane Pershing and Marc Scott Zicree, along with voice actors Alan Oppenheimer (Skeletor) and Melendy Britt (She-Ra), will be on hand for a discussion and to meet fans.