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Halo Legends

  • Video
  • 2010
  • PG-13
  • 2h
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
6.3K
YOUR RATING
Halo Legends (2010)
Adult AnimationAnimeComputer AnimationHand-Drawn AnimationSpace Sci-FiActionAdventureAnimationSci-Fi

The universe of the Halo video game series is expanded in seven short animated films from Japan's greatest anime directors and studios.The universe of the Halo video game series is expanded in seven short animated films from Japan's greatest anime directors and studios.The universe of the Halo video game series is expanded in seven short animated films from Japan's greatest anime directors and studios.

  • Directors
    • Frank O'Connor
    • Shinji Aramaki
    • Hideki Futamura
  • Writers
    • Joseph Staten
    • Frank O'Connor
    • Hiroshi Yamazaki
  • Stars
    • Jessie James Grelle
    • Brittney Karbowski
    • David Matranga
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.5/10
    6.3K
    YOUR RATING
    • Directors
      • Frank O'Connor
      • Shinji Aramaki
      • Hideki Futamura
    • Writers
      • Joseph Staten
      • Frank O'Connor
      • Hiroshi Yamazaki
    • Stars
      • Jessie James Grelle
      • Brittney Karbowski
      • David Matranga
    • 30User reviews
    • 21Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos18

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    Top cast71

    Edit
    Jessie James Grelle
    Jessie James Grelle
    • Haka (segment "The Duel")
    • (voice)
    • (as Josh Grelle)
    Brittney Karbowski
    Brittney Karbowski
    • Sister (segment "Odd One Out")
    • (voice)
    David Matranga
    David Matranga
    • Sarge (segment "Prototype")
    • (voice)
    • …
    Luci Christian
    Luci Christian
    • Female Soldier (segment "Prototype")
    • (voice)
    • …
    Greg Ayres
    Greg Ayres
    • Kid A (segment "Odd One Out")
    • (voice)
    John Swasey
    John Swasey
    • Captain (segment "Odd One Out")
    • (voice)
    • …
    Akio Ôtsuka
    Akio Ôtsuka
    • ONI Commander (segment "Prototype")
    • (voice)
    David Wald
    David Wald
    • Master Chief (segments "The Package" and "Odd One Out")
    • (voice)
    Kenta Miyake
    Kenta Miyake
    • Sergeant Hauser (segment "Homecoming")
    • (voice)
    Atsuko Tanaka
    Atsuko Tanaka
    • Dr. Halsey (segment "The Package")
    • (voice)
    Chris Patton
    Chris Patton
    • Big Brother (segment "Odd One Out")
    • (voice)
    Kazuhiko Inoue
    Kazuhiko Inoue
    • The Prophet (segment "The Duel")
    • (voice)
    Tomokazu Seki
    Tomokazu Seki
    • Brother (segment "Odd One Out")
    • (voice)
    Mamiko Noto
    • Spartan (segment "The Babysitter")
    • (voice)
    Chris Ayres
    Chris Ayres
    • Solider (segment "Prototype")
    • (voice)
    Emily Neves
    Emily Neves
    • Spartan (segment "The Babysitter")
    • (voice)
    Kikuko Inoue
    Kikuko Inoue
    • Han (segment "The Duel")
    • (voice)
    Keiji Fujiwara
    Keiji Fujiwara
    • Sarge (segment "Prototype")
    • (voice)
    • Directors
      • Frank O'Connor
      • Shinji Aramaki
      • Hideki Futamura
    • Writers
      • Joseph Staten
      • Frank O'Connor
      • Hiroshi Yamazaki
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews30

    6.56.2K
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    Featured reviews

    7triztanq

    A MUST FOR ANY HALO FAN

    If you've only played the video games, this series of shorts is a great place to start learning more about the Halo lore in a comfortable way.

    The animation variation in each of the shorts is enough of an excuse to watch them calmly.

    On the other hand, if what you are looking for is a story that has a direct impact on the narrative of the games, you will not find it here. They are isolated stories that, although they complement the lore, do not alter it in any way and may even fall short if you have read the novels of the HALO saga.
    5Nova_Blast_13

    Halo legends- does not represent the halo universe well, but he anime itself is okay.

    Content: Most of the Halo Legends movies give a very poor representation of the Halo universe.(based on the books& games) Of the 7, origins one and two are the strongest, giving a good background story. The package has nothing to do with halo, but is an excuse to show off nice graphics. Odd one out is ridiculous. The Babysitter is third closest to the story. Spartans do not talk during missions, and do not try to be cool. The story represents this well, although it is unlikely the spartan female is so feminine looking. Prototype is nice story wise, but unrelated to halo. The dual storyline may or may not be close, but I found it the least interesting to watch. Graphics: The package is the strongest in this respect. Origins 1 + 2, the babysitter, prototype and the package have similar graphics which are in line with Japanese anime. They look average. Odd one out and the dual are the least strong in this respect. Music: Origins one and two stand out as true halo music. The rest are generally good but not exceptional. Overall: Overall disappointing. I would have liked to see stories which represent the Spartans as they truly were. Highly professional soldiers who put the mission before everything else, who do not say cool stuff, but have above all an inner strength which allows them to win. They do not look like heroes(being in that armor after brutal modifications), except for their physique. The anime is reasonable, but nothing exceptional.
    9craigd-69371

    good but could be better

    this is a good movie overall but is lacking the necessary fast paced action that halo fans have learned to love and deserve. you can checkout www.streamhalo.com to checkout the latest and best live gaming streams of all the halo titles!!so you can watch a slow story based movie or you can jump in and watch some of the fastest paced and best players in the halo universe.
    6xamtaro

    Diversity over Quality

    Halo Legends is an anime anthology series in a similar vein to "Animatrix" and "Batman: Gotham Knight". It consists of 8(but actually 7 since two of them are just parts 1 and 2 of the same story) short animated stories that explores areas of the rich Halo game universe which were previously only the stuff of rumors. Different anime studios and directors worked on each segment as as such, the quality of both the stories and the animation varies a lot from one clip to the next. Some for the better, others less so. Overall, the whole production plays the "diversity over quality" card. There is something for everyone to enjoy but at the same time, something that a anime fan might like, a Halo fan might consider it as a great insult to a great game. It also requires viewers to be well versed in at least the most basic of Halo jargon. Curious little piece but not quite essential viewing for either anime or halo fans.

    I'll rank the segments from my favorite to the least favorite

    1) The Package, Directed by Shinji Aramaki(Appleseed).This one is for the fans of the game as it looks just like one of the in-game cinematic cut-scenes. For the only time in the whole anthology do we finally get to see Master Chief 117 in action. First, an amazing scene of space combat that rivals even Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Then all out Guns-a-blazing action as Master Chief and a team of Spartans attempt to retrieve the titular package John Woo style. So many little easter eggs including a short FPS sequence and an important cameo appearance, easily make this segment a fan favorite for sure.

    2) Origins 1 and 2 directed by Hideki Futamura(director of "Genius Party" Key animator of Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust) with animation produced by Studio 4C(Transformers Animated, Spriggan). Cortana narrates out the history of Halo from the ancient time of the forerunners to the events of the game. Though it plays out like some slideshow, the animation is richly detailed combined with the best 3D CGI used for backgrounds and vehicles. They even used a older 1980s animation style for the ancient history segments to give it that aged look.

    3) "The Duel". Boasting a graphic style reminiscent of classic Japanese watercolor paintings courtesy of Production I.G (Ghost in The Shell: Innocence, IGPX), it really is refreshing to see an anime studio try something new. With themes of honor and betrayal, the costumes worn by the characters and even the traditional woodwind music, it is safe to assume that the directors, Hiroshi Yamazaki and Mamoru Oshii(Ghost in the Shell, Sky Crawlers) intended this to be a homage to traditional Japanese folk tales and art. We follow a tale of an Arbiter named Fal who fears that the covenant's ways are dishonorable. The prophet uses this to accuse him of heresy and has Fal's wife killed in order to lure him to his death. It is action intense while also giving a glimpse into the Covenant's inner workings.

    4)"Prototype" by studio bones (rahxephon, FullMetal Alchemist).Directed by Tomoki Kyoda of "Eureka 7" fame and new comer Yasushi Muraki, it seems that someone got lazy and just edited a story outline of a Gundam episode with new names and Halo terminology. I would have ranked it higher if it weren't so unoriginal. Basically its about a Platoon commander "Ghost" who suppresses his human emotions in battle. He steals a weapon laden mobile suit and attempts to hold off the Covenant forces while the humans can escape. Imagine Gundam Wing's Heero Yui as a Halo marine and you have Ghost. While this was a heart wrenching little anecdote, it suffers thanks to its unoriginality.

    5) "Homecoming". another unoriginal story. The main character is a SPARTAN II soldier named Daisy 23. While the story takes place during a mission in present day, flashbacks reveal the sad origin of the SPARTAN program where children are kidnapped to be surgically augmented and trained to be super soldiers. The flashbacks tell the tale of a failed escape attempt by Daisy and some other trainees and how she finally comes to terms with her role in the coming war. Homecoming tries to tug on the heartstrings but ends up a mildly boring mess. The flat 2D art and uninspired character designs clash badly with the beautiful backgrounds. Whats more, the tough SPARTAN soldiers are portrayed as angsty emo teenagers. One of the weakest entries in the whole movie.

    6) Odd One out. 1 word summarises it = stupidity.The title not only describes the main character SPARTAN 1337 but the entire segment itself. While other clips focus on dark gritty war stories, Odd one Out focuses more on lighthearted slapstick comedy. It is no surprise that director Daisuke Nishio, who also directed the Dragonball anime, would imbue this with all the staples of those long running Shonen action series. Exaggerated hand to hand combat, quirky characters, super powered kids, cheesy dialog. Even the flaws like repeated scenes and inconsistent animation is present here. A real insult to Halo.

    7)"the Babysitter". Not only is this little story one of the weakest in terms of narrative but in the animation too. The story does not have the emotional impact of the previous ones and only serves as a reminder for the Halo fans that the production team has not forgotten about the Helljumpers from "Halo: ODST". Toshiyuki Kanno's animation is flatly colored and clashes with the detailed CGI backgrounds. Character movements are painfully stiff except for one or two shots.

    In closing, Halo legends has something for everyone and something to put everyone off. Where Animatrix and Batman Gotham Knight had constant running themes or common characters throughout each of its separate segments, Halo legends lacks that cohesiveness.
    9kevinxirau

    The origin stories of Halo are brought to glorious life.

    I must say, this was quite a surprise. About a decade ago, Halo: Combat Evolved revolutionized how games, specifically first-person shooters, should be played. What followed was a succession of sequels, each being better than the last one. Inevitably, a movie was not far away. With the possible live-action movie postponed by companies fighting over it, this anime was created help satisfy fans and keep them waiting for the live-action film. It does its job well.

    In a style similar to "Batman: Gotham Knight", Halo Legends consists of several action-packed episodes, each made by a different studio, having its own unique artwork/animation, and basically revealing a certain aspect of the Halo universe. The episodes are Origins Part 1 and 2 (history of the Halo universe), The Dual (how the Arbiter became a title of shame), Homecoming (the horror of the Spartan II program), Odd One Out (a ridiculous non-canon episode), Prototype (the first Spartan armor), The Babysitter (ODST-Spartan rivalry), and the Package (Master Chief and company go in to retrieve a heavily-guarded package).

    Odd One Out is the only flaw in this movie. Everything else is excellent. Beautiful animation, wonderful music, awesome action scenes, and great stories. This is as good as the games. Fans will most likely enjoy this and so will you. In the words of the Master Chief, "... we're just getting started," because soon enough the live action movie will arrive.

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    Related interests

    Seth Green, Mila Kunis, Alex Borstein, and Seth MacFarlane in Family Guy (1999)
    Adult Animation
    Steve Blum and Kôichi Yamadera in Cowboy Bebop (1998)
    Anime
    Tom Hanks and Tim Allen in Toy Story (1995)
    Computer Animation
    Jodi Benson, Jason Marin, and Samuel E. Wright in The Little Mermaid (1989)
    Hand-Drawn Animation
    Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner in Star Trek (1966)
    Space Sci-Fi
    Bruce Willis in Die Hard (1988)
    Action
    Still frame
    Adventure
    Daveigh Chase, Rumi Hiiragi, and Mari Natsuki in Spirited Away (2001)
    Animation
    James Earl Jones and David Prowse in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
    Sci-Fi

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      According to Frank O'Connor, nearly all the studios they approached to do the project said yes right away.
    • Goofs
      All entries contain spoilers
    • Quotes

      1337: Well... I'm one heck of a mama myself!

    • Connections
      Featured in Outside Xtra: 7 Ancient Evils We Wish Had Hit the Snooze Button (2016)

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    FAQ2

    • Are the stories canon to the Halo universe?
    • Why Does This Feature a Different Cast from the games?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 16, 2010 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • Japan
      • Germany
    • Official site
      • Official site
    • Languages
      • English
      • Japanese
    • Also known as
      • Halo: legends
    • Production companies
      • Microsoft
      • J-Spec Pictures
      • Studio 4°C
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 2h(120 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.78 : 1

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