Saiyan Island

The genius responsible for the hilarious DragonDub Z parodies on YouTube, Remix (aka WeeklyTubeShow), sent over a new Dragonball: Evolution parody by him! Unfortunately, it was rejected on YouTube, so we’ll be hosting it ourselves for now. Be sure to check it out below, and then head on over to his YouTube channel for his DBZ parodies.

Warning: not for the easily offended or those with no sense of humor.

We recently had the pleasure of speaking with the visual effects supervisor for Dragonball: Evolution, Ariel Velasco Shaw, who had completed his work on the film. Ariel answered some questions that many of you have been asking lately.

DBthemovie: Were you (or the team) familiar with Dragonball before this film?
Ariel Velasco Shaw: Yeah, I have a 12 year old son, Milo who is a huge fan. I have always loved the series as well. It’s funny how excited the Visual Effects Houses were to get on the movie. They would do these Ki Energy tests where the CG artists would throw the Ki and then put in their incarnation of the effect.

Q: In the anime, everything seems to be bright and vibrant with fluffy cloud-filled skies. I noticed that, in the trailer, the scene with Gohan training Goku is very similar. Does that [scene] represent the overall look of the movie?
A: What I love about the look of the film is that it arcs from a terrestrial (earthly every day look, albeit, bright and hopeful) to something that is foreboding and other worldly. We went through a look development process (Look Dev) where we had our VFX houses develop the arc.

Q: Some fans were confused that the “Kame Hame Ha” [in the trailer] was executed with one hand. Was this the actual “Kame Hame Ha” or just a “Ki” blast put in the trailer to not spoil it?
A: The one handed ki blast was just a shadow crane strike. Goku has a limited arsenal of energy blasts that culminates in a Kame Hame Ha. Roshi’s arsenal is more powerful than Goku’s, and Piccolo has many types of energy blasts that culminates in a Spirit Bomb. I gotta say, the energy fights are pretty cool.

Q: Do any of the characters have auras in the film?
A: Yes.

Q: If Dragonball: Evolution does well, are you up for working on a sequel?
A: This was a great project to be a part of. The cast and the crew were fantastic. The Fox VFX department is second to none on helping the process along. Of course I’ll come back and join the party.

Many thanks to Ariel for taking the time to answer these questions.

It was just recently revealed that Mexican actress Gabriela de la Garza would have a small part in the film. We were curious about the role, so we asked her a few questions about it. Thanks to Sean for arranging the interview, and a big thank you to Gabriela for taking the time to answer the questions!

DBtheMovie: What is your characters role / purpose in the movie? How long were you on set?
Gabriela de la Garza: I am an Avatar, and I give information to other characters. I was only one day on set and one day for wardrobe and make-up design which is awesome.

DBtheMovie: Were you familiar with Dragonball before being cast?
A: I knew Dragon Ball Z from the Tv series and of course also knew the impact it has worldwide. Thats why despite of having a small role, I really was excited to do it. Is one of those experiences, full of fantasy, you dont have every day.

DBtheMovie: How was it like working with the director James Wong?
A: Working with James Wong was great. He is a very specific kind of person and he can really transmit the idea he has for every scene. He really cares about the details so I am sure the movie will be beyond extraordinary!

DBtheMovie: Where did you shoot your scenes?
A: I shot my scenes with a green screen at Estudios Churubusco.

DBtheMovie: Did you get to work with any of the cast?
A: I worked alone, I mean with no other member of the cast. I met Justin [Chatwin] while doing our make up and he is a very cool guy, He was exited to be working in Mexico. We had a nice talk.

DBtheMovie: And finally, do you think the fans of the show will be satisfied with this adaptation?
A: Be sure not only the fans, but everybody who sees the movie will be very, very pleased and satisfied with the result. I think the director, the cast, the production, everything is part of a huge success, and I am very proud to be part of it.

As it turns out the October issue of Roadshow has interviews with not only Justin Chatwin and 87Eleven, but with Chow Yun-Fat (Master Roshi) and Emmy Rossum (Bulma) as well. Here’s the continuation in English, provided by our very generous source in Japan.

Chow Yun-Fat interview
He saw the Japanese magazine which the press brought from Japan, the cover girl is Japanese actress Akina Minamai, and said, “Oh! Master Roshi loves her! Kawaii nee! (Cute, in Japanese)” he laughed and sat back in the chair and said in a deep voice “Welcome to Durango! Nice to meet you!”

He then talked about the Character of Master Roshi, “He is funny, very funny. (laugh) This is the first time to play a manga character in my career. Comic and movie is different, so I hope you will like my acting.”

And about his preparation for the role, “The script was very well written, I didn’t worry about it. Character is very fascinating and dramatic. The important thing for an actor is not money or work, but whether the character is fascinating or not.” He explained the similarities between him and Master Roshi, “He and I love ladies. But my wife is always around me, so I can’t be looking at ladies so much.”

He gave his opinion on Justin Chatwin, “I think he is handsomer than the manga character. I’m sure that the fans of the original manga will love him. And you guys, what did you think when you heard I would play Master Roshi?” the press said they were very surprised.

Chow replied with, “Who do you think suits the role of Master Roshi?” NO! Chow Yun-Fat is best! “Cheers! I will treat you to dinner later. Anyway, the movie is an adventure following the original manga and animation. Thank you for your support.”

Emmy Rossum interview

I am a big fan of Bulma. Because she is very energetic, sexy, and has a strong will. I think it is an honor to play the girl who is drawn as one of the smartest girls in the world. I will make the best use of her intellect, high motivation and reckless character which are drawn in the original in my acting. But because this is the live action movie, I have to do a little more three-dimensional acting.

I hope I can rightly play Bluma who the fans saw and loved, and I want to make them happy. I know how much responsibility I have, and I have a great love for her. I think I resemble her. Both of us will do what we decide to do, and we are fascinated with the boys. And we have a passion for the goal of our life and carry a torch for it.

She gave her opinion on Justin Chatwin, “I think he is wonderful. He acts the change of Goku growing up gradually very well. He, as well as us, was researching quite a lot to be able to play Goku properly.”

“Shooting is very fun. In a chasing scene, I had to hang down from height of 10 meters. That was a very exciting experience. It was a lot of fun to study. How cool am I since I can shoot a gun or ride a motorcycle for action scenes? (laugh).”

About the three-wheele motorcycle, “Well, it’s like a snowmobile with tires. It’s very powerful and can run at a maximum speed of 240 kilometers per hour. After the end of shooting I will bring it back home.(laugh)”

The magazine also featured a plot synopsis, which contains minor spoilers.

Story
After Grandpa Gohan’s dying request, Goku starts on a journey to find Master Roshi and gather the seven Dragon Balls to prevent the desire of Lord Piccolo to take over the world. In the course of his journey, Goku meets Bulma and using her Dragon Radar, they find Dragon Balls on the way. Goku arrives to Master Roshi, and he fights with Roshi. Looking at Goku’s fighting technique, Roshi finds that Goku is a grandson of Gohan. Master Roshi was Gohan’s master. Goku receives rigorous training from Master Roshi, and after a long journey, Goku approaches Lord Piccolo for the last time.

« Part 1 of this article

Our source in Japan has translated the October issue of Roadshow magazine. In this issue there are new interviews with the cast and crew, and today we’ll be posting the interviews with Justin Chatwin (Goku) and 87Eleven (stunts).

Justin Chatwin interview
First of all, it’s an honor to play Goku, because he is a very important and epic character. He is always seeing the positive side of things, does good things, and always trys to help and take care of the weak, not only pursuing his power. He is a dependable and loving man as well as a boy. So I like Goku.

In preparation for the role, of course I read the original manga (all of it), in addition, I read Monkey King a little, because Dragonball is based on Monkey King. And during the break time of shooting, I got into Goku’s character, telling jokes with other cast in search of the real communication which can be used in acting.

This is the most interesting movie for me. Because I have never fought with anyone though, I trained martial arts and acrobat, and then we shot it. That’s fun as well as challenging. Fighting with Eriko (Tamura), she punched me in the face, actually she intended to hit lightly, but…it was a clean hit (laugh) She said “I’m sorry!” and apologized to me, but thanks to her, we could shoot very powerful action scene. Through this work, I think I could learn a lot of things.

I like Durango very much. Because a lot of my favorite movie like “The Wild Bunch” was shot here. And there are locations like sand dunes, cave, lava field and rocky hill like the Grand Canion, so I think the background of this movie are very epic.

Highlights of this movie are the action scenes, and amazing visual effects will be made at post production, so I’m looking forward to see it. About Kamehameha I only can imagine it now. I’m so excited. And this movie is the coming-of-age story about a boy, though this is set in a sci-fi world, in my opinion, my best scene is the moment when the characters who got together for the same purpose relate to each other.

Action coordinator 87eleven staff interview
Each characters has a different fighting style. For example, Goku’s fighting style is a hybrid of capoeira, karate and so on. Chi-Chi’s fighting style is based on kick boxing (Muay Thai) style, Master Roshi and Gohan are based on traditional Chinese martial arts (southern style). Justin has good muscle strength of the lower body so to harness this strength, we let him do action. His capoeira motion is very good. He has no experience of martial arts at all, we had to teach him from scratch. But he is doing very well for two months training period.

Highlight of this movie is fighting with Goku and Piccolo, I think it has a tremendous impact. Goku and Gohan’s fight is comical, and Chi-Chi does Jackie Chan-like battle. Each character has a unique twist on martial arts.

Part 2 of this article »

Our source  in Japan sent us these exclusive new scans from the Japanese magazines Nikkan Sports, Roadshow, Young Jump, and Weekly Shonen Jump. Most of the promotional photos are old, but there are a couple new ones and all of them are in high quality. The source also notes the film will be shown in more than 700 screens in Japan.

Nikkan Sports

Roadshow

Weekly Shonen Jump

Young Jump

Discuss on our forums.

Remember Jump Square’s manga set report last month? Well, here’s the thrilling conclusion to it in this month’s Jump Square magazine. A lot is revealed in these translations, and I had a lot of fun reading it.

Justin Chatwin (Goku) appeared in front of them. Goku had blue eyes. The author of this manga (Akiba Zaijuu) felt Justin has a boyish nature, as well as Goku. He was wearing the blue gi, not orange. Justin said “My gi with Kame mark (orange gi) is still in the making. I’m looking forward to see how it will be made. I hope it will become what you all like.” The author remembered he saw and talk with Mayes Rubeo (costume designer) before. She said “I kept trying for the children of the little village I grew up won’t be disappointed with it. I made more than thirty prototypes for only Goku’s gi.” She seemed to be ambitious and having fun, so he felt she sure can make a good costume. And about Justin, his blue gi was cool, but not only the costume design, but his buffed up muscle enhanced his look. Because he has been training for seven months for Goku’s role. The author remembered Goku also have trained for eight months under Master Roshi when Goku was a child in the original. Coincidence?

When the Japanese magazine press interviewed Justin, suddenly the tank top man came into the room. He shouted “Omochi!(rice cake)” in Japanese. He tried to eat Kusa-dango of Asakusa Tokyo (it was souvenir from Japan) there but he accidentally dropped it on the ground and it got dirty with sand. But he didn’t care, he picked it up and ate it. He was a very wild man. The author wondered who he was.

Next Emmy Rossum’s interview. She said her active and cheerful character resembled Bulma. She’s a brilliant young actress and also a good singer. Bulma’s hair is not all blue, but have blue streaks. Make-up artist Mr. Gomez told us the reason that all blue hair is too strong as a live-action, so he was requested not to do that. So he proposed sixteen hairstyle and make-up designs which kept the image of the original, but they were all turned down. After that time he came up with the present hairstyle and make-up. Emmy said, “Did you look at the three-wheeled motorcycle? There are two same motorcycles and they promise I will get one of them after the filming. Other one may be gotten by someone here!” they asked her what her favorite Mexican food was and she said “Gorditas! I like Gorditas.”

Then they interviewed Joon Park, he was [the] wild tank top man before. He resembled an early Yamcha very well, especially eyebrows and eyes. His cheerful character imparted a upbeat atmosphere there. He said, “I wanted to get any small part, I got to audition, and I got the role of Yamcha. I have Japanese friends and I asked him to send the video of Dragonball and I watched them over and over again. But I realized Yamcha didn’t appear in them a lot. Where is Yamcha? looking for him in the video, I studied him.” The author also thought certainly that Yamcha’s appearance is few in the original, and he wondered whether Puar (Yamcha’s pet cat) appeared or not. He asked his company editor, but the editor said “Who cares?” and the author didn’t really care either. Joon also said he collected toy figures made of metal like Mazinger Z.

Next, they interviewed Jamie Chung. She is a crisp girl, her face was expressive, like as a small animal, her lower lip and twinkling almond eyes were adorable. Press men got hot immediately. She resembled kid Chi-Chi rather than adult Chi-Chi. She said her type is a pretty boy.

Next they interviewed Chow Yun-Fat. He is different from the image of Master Roshi than in the original, but he surprisingly matched the lovable mischief and dirty old man perfectly. He said his favorite food is Japanese Ramen. He was very kind enough to take a photo with the author. He said, “I have never played such character, but I could play it happily and passionately.” The author looks forward to seeing him play Muten Roshi.

And James Marsters appeared at last. His cheek line looks just like Piccolo. he said “Were you wearing the Gold Jacket before? I passed you at the hotel didn’t I?” The man he saw at the hotel was James Marsters after all. James shouted, “I am Piccolo! Yes! I’m Picoolo, so I won’t let anyone play Piccolo!” He was full of spirit. His enthusiasm to the role came through intensely, he looked as if he was the real Piccolo for a moment to the author’s eyes. He thought this movie was worth seeing to see James Marsters as Piccolo by itself.

As promised, my source has translated the interview with James Marsters (Piccolo) from the August issue of Jump Square magazine. Give it a read!

What is the difference between the original and the live-action movie ?

JM: Definitely the story of this movie is different from the original. But it’s a necessary change because we need to condense the long story of the original for a movie. For example, some characters in the original don’t appear in the movie. And we try to give it a more gritty and graphic (realistic) feeling.

Though there are differences between the two, I think it is all right if the core part of Dragonball remains. I let my son watch the anime’s Dragonball, DBZ and DBGT since he was eight years old. At first, I thought it was too violent, but I realized this is the best show for training to become a true man. True men need not to flaunt themselves. Their calm, gentle and modest but when it comes to the crunch they don’t hesitate to kill the enemy, and I think that’s what Goku is.

Goku is a real man. I know my son received such a message and applied it to his own life. My son doesn’t use violence to others, but he isn’t afraid of his own anger. I think it’s an important thing.

How many hours does it take to apply the make-up?

JM: It takes about four hours. Luckily, my make-up artist is very chatty, we have a lot of chat during the make up.

Please tell us the most remarkable scene in the movie, especially action scenes!

JM: It is the last battle after all! I like playing the battle scene. When I worked for a TV show for seven years, every Friday I fought till sun rise, I felt I would never have such a good time again until now. In addition, I have never gotten terribly hurt (laugh).

Do you talk with other co-stars as well?

JM: When I have a problem, I have a talk with Justin [Chatwin]. At first, we worried about the costumes. We thought it should reflect the spirit of the original, we persisted this thought to the producers. We didn’t want to make our characters beautiful and safe. I talked with Justin, and he agreed with me. So did the director.

What do you care about in acting for this movie?

JM: That’s a good question. Speaking of Piccolo, one word comes into my mind, it’s “loneliness”. Piccolo is always floating in the air in the beautiful landscape, but he never even admires the landscape, he is only thinking or musing and staring at his feet. I think that is a characteristic of piccolo more than anything else. Maybe it must be a characteristic for revenge. He hates himself and blames the people who has trapped him. His desire to kill not only them but their family, furthermore to destroy the city and the planet they live and protect. To get revenge is everything to him. Everything.

How was shooting in Durango?

JM: The desert of Durango is very cold at night (laugh). I was luckily wearing armor, but Goku was freezing at the beginning of shooting. The local people are very kind and get along with us. Besides they love to party very much! If I didn’t have work, I would be willing to join them. They are drinking and singing songs until 4:30 a.m. But I need to sleep for the shooting the next day, after all so I changed the hotel to get away from the partying people.

Finally, please give us a message to our readers in Japan.

JM: Japan is beautiful. Thank you for giving Dragonball to us! It’s an important show to us all and I want you to watch it, especially the young people. I thank the show for a lot of good times with my son. I’ll do my best to meet the high expectations the fans have.

Also, Dragonballfilm posted up a small interview with Texas Battle (Carey Fuller) about his role in the movie. Check it out here.