Evolution of robot and creature design styles

jocose

If you go out and watch a movie or play a game today that features fanciful creatures or futuristic robots you will see a visual spectacle that is a far cry from what you might have seen 30 or even 50 years ago.

A big part of this is obviously technology, but creative media also feeds off itself and there surly are films or games that you consider to be landmarks; that changed the way creatures and robots are designed.

What films, games, books, or any general piece of art or media do you think had a lasting impact on the way robots or scifi/fantasy creatures are commonly portrayed today?

I think Start Wars had a huge impact, and also concept artists like feng zhu and others have played a role. There are also a number of huge influence from japan that have found their way into the western world, especially on the scifi front.

Anyways I'm curious to hear peoples perspective on this .

Valandar

The biggest influences, IMHO, would be:

Metropolis
Forbidden Planet
Star Wars
and Terminator.

From the Japanese end, I'd say Mazinger Z, GoLion (Voltron 5 lions over here), Gundam 0079 (and of course later versions), Macross, and to a lesser extent Dougram, Aura Battler Dunbine, Armored Trooper VOTOMS, and just about anything by Masamune Shirow.

Ruz

metal mickey

smash robots

Murdoc

Sid mead probably had a little something to do with it maybe

jocose

Sid mead is a legend, that's a good point. I often times hear his name referenced as an inspiration.

CheeseOnToast

metal mickey
http://dirtymartini.files.wordpress....tal-mickey.jpg
smash robots
http://www.doyouremember.co.uk/assets/smash-robots.jpg

you forgot :
http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/gallery/k9/800/k9_01.jpg

Seriously though, no-one mentioned Alien yet?

Swizzle

I think a large part of this also has to do with the fact that as puppetry, animatronics and special effects in general got more advanced, designs that would never have worked before are now possible. You don't need a guy in a rubber suit to get a creature onscreen anymore.

lefix