12 Oct – Malaysia's first stereoscopic 3D animated science-fiction film, "War Of The Worlds Goliath" may have saw great reception and received awards prior to its Malaysian release, but not many locals are aware of the details, such as the inclusion of local actor Tony Eusoff in the cast line-up.
The veteran stage actor voices Raja Iskandar Shah, Malaysia's first 3D animated science-fiction character who is a Bugis prince from the then-British colony of Malaya who threw away his title in order to pilot Goliath, a war machine created to fend off a second wave of attacks from the Martians.
According to voice director Gavin Yap, finding the perfect person to voice Raja Iskandar Shah was the hardest.
"We thought of a lot of people but none of them seem to fit the bill. We didn't want to pull in a non-Malaysian for the role. Then I remembered Tony from a project that we worked on together, and I asked him to audition. When we heard him we knew."
Joining Tony are Malaysian talents Asha Gill, Rob Middleton and Gavin Yap, in addition to an international cast that consists of Adrian Paul, Peter Wingfield, Elizabeth Gracen, Jim Byrnes ("Highlander" TV series), Adam Baldwin ("Chuck", "Firefly" and "Serenity") and Mark Sheppard ("Battlestar Galatica" and "Supernatural").
Fresh from its international success at the Los Angeles 3D Film Festival where it swept the award for Best 3D Animated Feature, "War Of The Worlds Goliath" also had a special screening in the San Diego International Comic Convention (Comic Con) this year. The film had also been selected to compete at the prestigious Sitges Internacional de Cinema Fantastic de Catalunya in Spain this month.
"War Of The Worlds Goliath" is set in an alternate reality, where New York in 1914 has just fended off a Martian invasion. Mankind have since then rebuilt their cities and militaries, adopting the abandoned Martian technology, but World War is fast approaching. To make things worse, the Martians have decided to launch a second wave of attacks. The world's only hope lies in a small resistance force, A.R.E.S., armed with the battle tripod Goliath.
Animation veteran Joe Pearson, who is also Tripod's co-founder, directs this "retro-history, steam punk epic", and is set to pay a visit to Malaysia soon for the premiere of "War Of The Worlds Goliath".
The film will be released in Malaysia on 15 November.