Animation writer and producer Peter (Eugene) Keefe died 27 May 2010 of throat cancer. Born in Rochester, New York, on 16 November 1952, he was the creator and executive producer of the 1980s cartoon series Voltron: Defender of the Universe.
He began his television career in 1979 as a movie critic on St. Louis’s KPLR, and then went on to star in and produce documentaries and special coverage for World Events Productions.
In Keefe’s obituary, The New York Times describes Voltron, which ran from 1984 to 1987 (during which time it was the top syndicated children’s show for two years, inspiring several spinoffs and developing a cult following). “In a typical episode, a team of five spacecraft battled villains, coming together at climactic moments to form the giant robot Voltron. In much the same way, Keefe assembled his program from bits and pieces of the Japanese cartoons Beast King Go-Lion and Armored Fleet Dairugger XV, which he discovered in 1983 at a merchandise licensing convention in Japan, purchasing the rights.
“Keefe westernized the story lines and scripts, toned down the violence and even recorded his voice for some of the characters.
“After Japanese animators ran out of footage from the other shows, they produced new episodes of Voltron from scratch under Keefe’s direction.”
The Times notes “the series exposed American audiences to Japanese anime, serving as a precursor to children’s shows like Dragon Ball Z, Power Rangers, and Pokémon.”
After Voltron, Keefe wrote the 1987 Tales from the Darkside episode “Let the Games Begin”. He also created and produced series such as Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs (1987-89), Denver, the Last Dinosaur (1988-89), Widget, the World Watcher (1990) and Twinkle, the Dream Being (1993-94). At the time of his death he was developing a new show, Z-Force (Zodiac Force), which will feature 12 action heroes based on the ancient Oriental Zodiac, according The Hollywood Reporter‘s obituary.
Keefe is survived by his mother, two brothers, three sisters, his wife, Pamela, and a stepson.