In an interview with Director Masashi Kudo, he delves into Terminator: Zero’s inspiration, animation style, horror influences, and sound design.

Netflix’s upcoming animated series takes the iconic franchise to new territory, setting the stage in Japan in the year 2022. A future where the remnants of humanity fight a desperate war against machines, the story’s roots reach back to 1997, where the AI Skynet triggered a devastating conflict. Amidst this dystopia, a soldier is sent back to 1997 to protect scientist Malcolm Lee, whose new AI system could be humanity’s last hope against Skynet. As Malcolm navigates the moral complexities of his work, he becomes the target of a relentless assassin from the future, forever altering the fate of his children.

On Inspiration from the Original Movies

Kudo delves into the creative process behind the animated show, starting with his attraction to the project. He was drawn to the project’s unique Japanese setting and its Hollywood-style action-packed script.

“There’s not much dialog. It’s more the people’s action and movement that tell the story. So that was something that I thought was challenging and actually interesting for me to take on the project.”

Kudo, along with his team, took inspiration from the Terminator movies, especially playing homage the first movie. Bringing familiarity to Terminator: Zero, while creating a fresh new story in the franchise.

“There’s the action scene in a police station. So, I went back to the Terminator one. It kind of like, reminded me of that Terminator one police station action scene, and I kind of understood where Mattson [Tomlin] was coming from. That was what he, wanted to capture here.”

On Bringing back the Horror with Terminator: Zero

“We wanted to bring back the horror of the first Terminator film. So for me, I love horror films to begin with. But it’s very hard to, sort of, do horror in anime.”

The shift from Kudo’s previous lighthearted fantasy projects to the gritty horror of Terminator: Zero was embraced. Drawing on his love of horror and taking inspirations from both the original Terminator film and Japanese horror cinema.

“So not like flashy horror, but more the eerie kind of like unsettling horror vibe because the story set in Japan… So we referenced a bit of the Japanese J-Horror films here.”

On the Animation and Visual Style

The animation style aims to balance homage to the franchise’s dark tone and scenes with innovative visuals. Muted colors, dark backgrounds, and character outlines create a distinctive aesthetic that leaned into the horror elements.

“So even if it’s a clear day, we didn’t want it to look very bright. And also, we wanted everything to kind of blend into the darkness.”

Another homage to the original movies is in the Terminator machine design, and the grotesque scene of flesh coming off the endoskeleton. The team faced challenges in animating the endoskeleton, blending 3D graphics with 2D animation. Meticulous attention to detail is clear, blending the different techniques and making it look natural.

The one exception to the dark, muted style was the character Kokoro, an AI, who was given a distinctive look. She has a feminine design inspired by Japanese mythology, adding depth to her role.

“We wanted to go for a more Japanese myth, goddess, fairy type of look.”

On Sound and Music

Sound design focuses on realism while amplifying certain elements to compensate for the limitations of animation. 

“Compared to live action, there’s less information that the viewers, catch from the screen, so we need to exaggerate it a little bit.”

Kudo chose the music carefully to enhance the show’s atmosphere. With samples from an American composer, provided by showrunner Mattson Tomlin, resonating perfectly with the director’s vision.

Terminator: Zero coming August 29th to Netflix 

Terminator: Zero promises to be a captivating addition to the Terminator franchise, blending a fresh perspective with innovative animation. The team’s dedication to honoring the franchise’s essence while introducing new elements shines through. Fans can look forward to a visually striking and thought-provoking series that explores the complex relationship between humans and machines.

Watch the animated Terminator: Zero series on Netflix, releasing August 29, 2024.

Check out other animated and live action adaptations coming soon to Netflix.