Why So Blu?

‘Power of Grayskull’ He-Man Documentary Uses Kickstarter as Launchpad

I remember it like it was only a few years ago. It was 1982 and for my fifth birthday I received the Masters of the Universe figure that I was hoping for; Stratos. The jetpack-strapped, goggle-wearing birdman delighted my little childhood mind like only a He-Man figure could, as he would enter the foray in the imaginative fight against Skeletor and his evil minions. As time went on and I grew older, it was through some parental encouragement that had me peddling my collection at garage sales over time. Three words. Oh, the regret. Though I’ve long since outgrown the cartoon and playtime with these figures, it almost feels as if this band of unique heroes and villains have been lost to toy history. That is until now when a team of veteran filmmakers seek to bring all this nostalgia back into our lives.

He-Man.  It wasn’t the most imaginative name for a good guy, but then when you’re target audience is still learning how to ride a bike, it doesn’t really matter what you call your lead character.    For the MOTU uneducated (that’s Masters of the Universe), He-Man was a Conan-looking guy with a really odd Dutch-boy haircut.  He resided in Castle Grayskull (hence the name of the documentary) on Eternia with comrades such as Man-At-Arms, Orko, and his sister She-Ra who was popular enough to get a cartoon of her own.  The muscle-bound Eternian would take the fight to the evil Skeletor and his band of miscreants.  The characters had such imaginative appearances, it is no wonder why they struck gold with kids everywhere.

As the figures went, there was Roboto, whose transparent torso contained an array of plastic sprockets that turned as you rotated him.  Then there was Moss Man, a green gorilla-looking guy who actually smelled like an evergreen car freshener.  Let’s not forget his archrival, Stinkor, a skunk humanoid who smelled like rotten eggs.  How can we forget Trap Jaw, Clawful, Buzz-Off, Man-E-Faces and the other legions of just plain odd yet cool personalities born from fully posable plastic?  As with many guys my age today, the He-man/Masters of the Universe toy line and the cartoon that brought them to life made quite the imprint on us.  Looking back, sometimes you think, “Man, I wish I could see that stuff again.  I wish I could spend five minutes talking about who voiced Skeletor, how clumsy yet likable Orko was or how the trap door worked inside the Castle Grayskull playset.

Enter writers/directors Robert McCallum and Randall Lobb.  You may recognize the pair from their previous documentary work on Turtle Power and Nintendo Quest.  Sticking with the awesomeness that is 1980’s nostalgia, the dynamic film duo is now bringing He-Man and his many incarnations to our DVD and Blu-ray players in late 2017 with their current project, Power of Grayskull: The Definitive History of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.  Considering their past work, I hope a G.I. Joe documentary is in the works as well, but I digress.  Let’s let these guys and their team focus on Prince Adam and crew for now.

While it will be sometime before we see the finished product, the great news is that you can be a part of its creation now.  The proposed 90 to 110-minute film is currently seeking funding on Kickstarter, and as I write this, just surpassed the $24,000-mark of the $25,000 it needs.  No worries, folks.  This thing will get funded, no question, and this will become a reality.  Pledge level goodies include DVD’s and Blu-rays of the documentary, an on-screen appearance in the film, your name in the credits and even attending the film’s world premiere.  You can check out the Kickstarter campaign page here as the fund-raising event will continue through February 26th so there is still time to be a part of this highly anticipated project.

So what can possibly fill over an hour and a half of He-Man history?  Oh, my friends, I am guessing McCallum and Lobb will be looking at what won’t be able to make it into the final cut due to the vast amount of material they have at their fingertips.  There will likely be extras abound with main content containing aspects such as toy designers of the He-Man line, former Mattel execs, He-Man comic book writers and voice actors from the cartoon.  What?!  Yes, that will all be in there, which, put your seatbelt on, has me more amped for this than the next Star Wars movie.  Yes I really really mean that. By the Power of Grayskull documentary, you can have the power to be a part of this He-roic event today.

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For additional information on the film, the team behind it and their other projects, please visit www.HeManDoc.com.