Speed Racer Facts

Ok, so like usual, I am all over the Speed Racer store looking at all the cool stuff they have there. I am part of their affiliate program, that way anytime I see deals I can pass them to you.

They are offering 10% off of anything in their entire store from now until the end of October. You need to use this coupon code: wrU3aQug

Visit their store by going here: http://store.speedracer.com

Get on it before the end of the month!

10% off till the end of October at SpeedRacer.com

In Hollywood no story is safe. None. Think of all the Batman movies. The Spiderman series. The Hulk. So many movies, even the old Superman series.

Hollywood decided to butcher the story lines, characters, heroes, even the supporting characters.

I have watched the Speed Racer movie a few times now since the DVD came out. Seems the biggest uproar is the drama about the Mach 6. What I found interesting is that the one road race that was typical to the cartoon series that happened on the movie was run in the Mach 5. The Mach 4 that Speed’s brother Rex drove on the ‘race track’ circuit and the Mach 6 Speed drove on the same circuit, were never used in the road race that was so reminiscent of the cartoon series.

In Hollywood all the movies they produce need to be able to tell the entire story in the two hours from beginning to end.

I am not saying the Wachowski Brothers got it 100% right. What I think is they captured the essence of Speed, the characters and the fun behind what captured our imaginations as kids glued to the tv watching Speed run another race while avoiding death at the jands of his enemies.

I was in Wal-Mart the other day and saw these new products as I umm, accidentally, trip and fell past the toy section that I NEVER visit. 

They have a new Mach 5 toy car from the movie.

Mach 5 toy car

The car makes sounds from the movie.  I played with it for a little bit.  I think it would amuse a big Speed Racer fan, although I am not sure how long the amusement would last.  As for little kids, I am not sure it will be a big hit.  We will see though.

I watched the second meeting of Speed and the Car Acrobtic Team the other day and I figured I would fill you on the changes that have happened over the years to that team, with the exclusion of the team, yet inclusion of thier leader in the live action movie.

Here it is:

The Car Acrobatic Team was on of the more popular competitors of Speeds in the cartoon series.  Although the Japanese version and the American version had a different leader of the Car Acrobatic Team, the characteristics are close to the same.

The Manga (Japanese) version had Captain Terror as the leader of the team with a total of 16 cars.  The racing numbers on the cars went from 11 to 26.  Captain Terror’s car was number 11 and he wore black and purple like the rest of his team with the letter ‘Z’ on his uniform.  Each member of the team had a different letter on their uniform.

The Anime (American) version had the same look and feel, although the leader was called Snake Oiler.  He was just as arrogant as his manga counterpart.

In the movie, Snake Oiler (played by Christian Oliver) is leader of the Hydra-Cell team.  There is no resemblance to the manga or anime series characters.

I was in Wal-Mart today and I noticed they were advertising for a new Speed Racer collector’s set of the original episodes coming on 7 October 2008.  It comes in a cool car case that is supposed to look like the Mach 5.  Here is the picture:

You can see the item WalMart’s website here.

So, I was looking around on eBay today and I found a lot of Speed Racer related items.  Like A LOT.  Here is a link to the search I did.  You can just click here.

I found all of the original 52 Speed Racer episodes on Hulu.com.  I have known about them for a while and realized today I had not shared them with all of you!  Check them out when you have time.  Brings back memories for sure!  You can see them here:  http://www.hulu.com/speed-racer

This is the moment in the film where I remember why I am still a fan, was a fan and will be a fan of Speed Racer.  The TV show and movie is about what if.  Not what is, what will be or what was.  If you have not experienced the movie yet, or have bitter thoughts about the Speed Racer movie, I challenge you to watch the movie again as the child who loved Speed, the Mach 5 and experience everything the Mach 6 could be.

Dream with me now:

This Just In:  I have found some rumors that there will be a new Speed Racer movie coming out.  It is unclear whether the Wachowski Brothers will be directing the film, although it does look like they will be writing for it.  I will try to hunt down some information for you.

I just posted up the movie cast of the main characters for the 2008 movie version of speed racer.  It contains interesting facts and or lists other actors that were considered for certain roles.  You can see the page by going here.  I will be adding links to the different characters as I find interesting facts or insights about how they prepared or got in to the roles they played in the speed racer movie.

Ever wonder what the steering wheel controls on the Mach 5 actually do?  You know, the buttons with the letters on them in the middle of the Mach 5’s steering wheel.  Well HERE is the full description of what each control does.  There is even a movie included where you can see Speed Racer explaining to you what each control does.  Check it out.

Here is my favorite Speed Racer Movie trailer:

Love It!

Speed Racer was a great cartoon in Japan before it was a popular cartoon here.  The Mach 5 roared original from 1966 to 1968.  Crazy to think back in the eighties this was a great cartoon series to watch, and it was already 20 years old!  Complete with Americanized episodes, Speed, Trixie, Pops, Racer X and all your favorite characters were entertaining kids for years!  Check out the fact page that includes the original song lyrics.

I have built this site to share my love for all things Speed Racer.  Anything you want to know about Speed, the Mach 5, Racer X, Trixie, Spritle, Chim Chim, or any of the other characters, televisions shows or the new movie are on this site.  Even a page that links to Speed Racer stuff for sale can be found here.  If you can’t find it here, leave a comment asking a question or post whatever it is you can’t find and I will add it as soon as possible.

Thanks for visiting!