Happy to be Lost in Space

As a kid, I have fond memories of waking up in the early morning before school with my younger brother and rubbing our eyes in front of the TV to watch the day's Lost in Space episode. My dad grew up with the show and as soon as he introduced us, we were hooked. The low budget didn't matter; we just wanted to laugh at Dr. Smith and the robot having an insult match or fear for Will as a "terrifying" plank of wood with a face drawn on it threatened his life. It was super campy, but we loved it. It had a lot of heart and imagination.

I was admittedly a little worried about the new show, because more often than not, remakes tend to cop out, thinking they just can rip off the name and assume the fans will follow. (Yeah, I'm talking to you Reboot: Guardian Code. And as far as I'm concerned, the 1998 Lost in Space movie never happened.) But I was thoroughly impressed. This was definitely my kind of show. No longer campy, this was a realistic portrayal, from the family problems they had to face to the mental effects of stress on its characters. I loved what they did with the costumes, environments, the chariot and the theme song. Definitely worthy of the name. And there were some laughs too, like Debbie the chicken. 😂😂🐓

I could go on about what I liked and didn't like about the show, but I know there will be a lot of other opinions out there, and I figured since my blog focuses more on retro that I'd talk a little bit about something I really enjoyed from the original: the intro animation. I loved it so much that I had taped it on VHS just so I could pause it on each character and draw them out on a piece of paper. Here's the sketch from my childhood archives 😆

Before I started this post, I tried to do some research on the artist but unfortunately couldn't find anything. What I can tell you is that it is based on a style made very popular during the time by a Graphic Designer named Saul Bass (pronounced 'bass' like the fish). Some of Bass' most popular pieces were done for big names like Alfred Hitchcock and Stanley Kubrick. He created iconic posters and intro animations for movies such as The Shining, The Man with the Golden Arm and Vertigo.



Prior to that, titles in intro sequences were static. But Bass wanted the sequences to give the viewer a feel for the movie that was about to come. Stylistically, he is remembered most for the look of his cut paper elements. 

It really changed the game, and inspired television and movies throughout the 1960s. You can definitely see how he inspired Lost in Space. As a Graphic Designer myself, I am a big fan of his too. At a time when it's so easy to craft everything using technology, it can be a lot of fun to get hands-on with some construction paper, and make some unique shapes that you just can't get with a computer.

Anyway, back to the show. I definitely recommend giving it a watch! You don't need to know anything about the old series to enjoy it, but there are a lot of references in there that the fans can appreciate. Definitely a fun ride!