Forty years ago a research vessel found a missing spaceship commanded by a mysterious scientist on the edge of a black hole. Unfortunately it all happened two years after Star Wars. Unlike Disney’s 1982 hit Tron, which would gain a large fan following, Disney’s winter 1979 science fiction film The Black Hole got left behind or at least somewhere in-between. Nominated for Oscars for best cinematography, best effects, and best visual effects, the effects today don’t hold up so well, and the movie is known more for its soundtrack than anything else. But its promise was an interesting slate of leading actors: Robert Forster, Maximilian Schell, Anthony Perkins, and Ernest Borgnine (who probably should be an honorary borg here just on principal). If you hold any nostalgia for the movie, it’s probably because of the unique robots: V.I.N.CENT (which stands for Vital Information Necessary CENTralized) voiced by Roddy McDowall, and B.O.B. (which stands for Bio-Sanitation Batallion)–a robot who has seen better days, voiced by Slim Pickens. And one more–not only was the star of the movie named Maximilian (this confused me as a kid), so was the evil red robot. For fans of the movie, you’re in luck this year, as Disney Select is issuing all three as action figures.
