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Carl Macek

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Carl Macek
Born
Carl Frank Macek

(1951-09-21)September 21, 1951
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedApril 17, 2010(2010-04-17) (aged 58)
Topanga, California, U.S.
Alma materCalifornia State University, Fullerton
Occupations
  • Screenwriter
  • Producer
  • Voice actor
Years active1979–2006
Notable work
Spouse
Svea Macek
​
(m. 1981)​
Websitewww.carlmacek.com

Carl Frank Macek (September 21, 1951 – April 17, 2010) was an American screenwriter and producer. Noted for his work on English-language adaptations of anime during the 1980s and 1990s, he was the creator of the Robotech franchise and the co-founder of Streamline Pictures. His work is considered to have been instrumental in creating mainstream awareness of Japanese animation in the United States.[2][3]

Career

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Robotech and Harmony Gold USA

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Macek came to public attention in 1985 as the producer and story editor of the influential animated television series Robotech, which he produced for Harmony Gold USA.[4] Robotech is considered one of the titles most responsible for igniting anime fandom in North America and internationally.[5] Macek intended to produce a sequel to Robotech, Robotech II: The Sentinels, but this project was canceled. While at Harmony Gold, Macek also produced the little-known, rarely-seen Captain Harlock and the Queen of a Thousand Years (which combines the almost-unrelated stories of Space Pirate Captain Harlock and Queen Millennia).[6][7]

Streamline Pictures

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Macek went on to co-found (with Jerry Beck) Streamline Pictures in 1988.[8][9] Joining him were writers who had worked with him on Robotech, most notably, Steve Kramer, Tom Wyner, Gregory Snegoff, and Ardwight Chamberlain, each of whom are also experienced voice actors. Streamline Pictures was one of the first American companies to successfully deal in the regular production of imported Japanese animation.[10] Among the titles released by Streamline are Lensman, Robot Carnival, Doomed Megalopolis, Twilight of the Cockroaches, Crying Freeman, Wicked City, the Fist of the North Star film, Akira, Lupin III: Mystery of Mamo as well as the original English dub versions of Hayao Miyazaki's Lupin III: Castle of Cagliostro, Laputa: Castle in the Sky, My Neighbor Totoro, and Kiki's Delivery Service. As of 1993, Streamline Pictures distributed their anime through Orion Home Video and was eventually purchased by Orion in 1996.

Later career and other works

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Before his death, Macek was working as a scriptwriter for the English dub of Naruto and Bleach for Viz Media, and consulting for Harmony Gold on Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles.[11]

Macek was a co-editor of Film Noir – An Encyclopedic Reference to the American Style (1979) and a contributor to McGill's Survey of the Cinema. He authored The Art of Heavy Metal: Animation for the Eighties and Robotech Art 3: The Sentinels in which he chronicles in detail the conception and what went wrong during the production of the latter aborted animated series. He also worked as a scriptwriter for the animated series C.O.P.S., was the executive consultant for the animated film Heavy Metal 2000, and wrote the animated adaptation of Brian Pulido's Lady Death.[12]

Macek adapted the treatment by Merian C. Cooper (the producer of King Kong) for the unproduced film project War Eagles into a novel and screenplay in 2008. The book was published in the summer of 2008 by Angelgate Press.

Legacy in anime

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Macek became one of the most controversial figures amongst English anime fandom.[13] Streamline Pictures-dubbed anime were among the first to be available on home video as well as broadcast on cable.[14] Over the years, he has seen his share of detractors and proponents, for while he did help to bring Japanese animation titles and series to the United States, his edits, re-rewrites and mash-ups (particularly The Robotech Saga) angered many fans of the original titles and series. To this day, anime fans still remain divided between appreciation and scorn for his work.[15]

Death

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Jerry Beck, one of Macek's former business partners, revealed that Macek died of a heart attack on Saturday, April 17, 2010.[9][16] Barely three months before his sudden death, Macek recorded a lengthy two-and-a-half-hour podcast interview with Anime News Network, offering an extensive retrospective on his entire career.[17]

His obituary in the Los Angeles Times reported the place of death as Topanga Canyon.[3] The obituary shows a picture of him surrounded by several Robotech characters from all three series.

After Macek's death, a short documentary, Carl Macek's Robotech Universe, was produced.[18][19]

Writer

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  • series head writer denoted in bold

Anime television series dubs

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Original television scripts

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Anime film dubs

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OVA dubs

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Live action dubs

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Original film scripts

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Producer

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Television

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  • Captain Harlock and the Queen of a Thousand Years (1985)
  • Robotech (1985)
  • Zillion (1990): eps 1-5
  • Lupin the Third Part II (1993)
  • A.D. Police: To Protect and Serve (2001)
  • Divergence Eve (2003)

Anime films

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OVAs

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Live action films

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Original films

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  • Computer Warriors: The Adventure Begins (1990)
  • Robotech: Love Live Alive (2013)

References

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  1. ^ "PASSINGS: Carl Macek". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
  2. ^ "Macek Training". Anime News Network. Retrieved January 25, 2010.
  3. ^ a b Obituary Los Angeles Times, April 25, 2010; page A38.
  4. ^ Yune, Tommy. "Robotech's original producer Carl Macek passes away on Saturday, April 17th". Robotech.com. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
  5. ^ Yang, Jeff (August 10, 2010). "The 'Robotech' master". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
  6. ^ "Carl Macek Fan Interview (Part 2)". Robotech.com. Archived from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved July 16, 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  7. ^ "Carl Macek Fan Interview (Part 3)". Robotech.com. Archived from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved July 16, 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  8. ^ Yang, Jeff (May 6, 2010). "The 'Robotech' master". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on May 11, 2010. Retrieved October 25, 2010.
  9. ^ a b "Carl Macek (1951-2010)". Cartoon Brew. July 24, 2006. Retrieved April 19, 2010.
  10. ^ "Right Stuf's Anime Today interviews Carl Macek!". Right Stuf!. Archived from the original on August 9, 2010. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
  11. ^ "In Memory of Anime Producer Carl Macek (1951-2010)". Right Stuf!. Archived from the original on April 23, 2010. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
  12. ^ "Macek Training". Anime News Network. Retrieved January 25, 2010.
  13. ^ "To the stars and beyond: a tribute to Carl Macek". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on May 26, 2010. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
  14. ^ "American anime pioneer Carl Macek passes away". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on April 21, 2010. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
  15. ^ "Carl Macek Passes Away". Mania.com. Archived from the original on April 23, 2010. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
  16. ^ Carl Macek (1951-2010) by Tommy Yune, Robotech News, Robotech.com.
  17. ^ "Macek Training". Anime News Network. Retrieved January 25, 2010.
  18. ^ "Carl Macek's Robotech Universe (Video 2011) - IMDb". The Internet Movie Database. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  19. ^ McKeever, Kevin (2011). "Harmony Gold announces special theatrical screening of Carl Macek's Robotech Universe". Robotech.com. Harmony Gold USA. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
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