If you have kids who watch TV, then you may have over this past weekend previews for Marvel’s Iron Man & Hulk: Heroes United. This full-length, direct to video CG animated feature is the first of it’s kind and will be released onto Blu-ray Combo Pack on December 3rd just in time for the holidays. Two of Marvel’s biggest heroes, Iron Man & Hulk unite to bring you this groundbreaking Marvel movie experience. The movie features the voices of Adrian Pasdar (TV’s “Heroes,” “Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man”) as Iron Man and Fred Tatasciore (TV’s “Marvel’s Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.,” “Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man”) as Hulk.
In this action-packed adventure, the invincible Iron Man and the incredible Hulk come together to save the Earth from its greatest threat yet! When two HYDRA scientists try to supercharge a Stark Arc Reactor with Hulk’s Gamma Energy, they unleash a being of pure electricity called the Zzzax – and he’s hungry for destruction. Together, Iron Man and Hulk are the only force that stands in the way of the Zzzax’s planetary blackout. But first the Super Hero duo will have to get through snarling Wendigos, deadly robots and the scaly powerhouse, Abomination. Can two of Marvel’s mightiest Heroes find a way to work together without smashing each other before time runs out?
So you might be asking why the decision to pair these two enormously popular characters together? Well during my time in LA I got a chance to screen the first 30 minutes of the movie and chat with Executive Producer, Jeph Loeb. He said that when they surveyed kids about which super heroes they would like to see team up, the answer was Iron Man and Hulk.
Loeb defines the fundamental difference between the two Heroes as follows: “Tony Stark is a man who thinks first and then acts second. He surrounds himself with technology and builds himself a suit of armor and any kind of tool and weapon that he needs. On the other side is his sort of polar opposite, and that’s the Hulk, who acts first and contemplates his actions later. He believes that the best way to handle things is through SMASHING. We’re talking about a character whose tremendous power comes from who he is without any kind of enhancements through technology,” the Executive Producer says.
It’s clear for kids to see that this unlikely duo makes a great team and one heck of a movie. But the duo isn’t the only awesome thing about this movie. The production of “Marvel’s Iron Man & Hulk: Heroes United” marks the historic first occasion Marvel Animation Studios has completely utilized computer generated technology in order to create a Super Hero adventure. The use of CG animation results in a visually groundbreaking tale that brings stunning and vibrant new life to the animated Marvel Universe.
The decision to use CG technology was made after the film’s Supervising Creative Director, Eric Radomski impressed his Marvel teammates with a test demonstrating the effect of combining CG technology with 2D mapping. According to Loeb, “The test that Eric showed us was extremely promising and we green-lit it off that – no gamma pun intended – in order to move forward.”
Marvel’s Iron Man & Hulk: Heroes United is a 72 minute epic adventure that you will not just want to rent but own. I don’t want to give anything away but I would recommend watching the movie until the end of the credits. As Marvel fans know, it’s always worth staying until after the credits and that holds true even on this made-for-DVD. Pick up your copy of Marvels’ Iron Man & Hulk: Heroes United on Blu-ray Combo pack December 3rd!
So tell me. Who is your favorite Marvel Super Hero?