Filmmaker Jeff Cioletti, creator of the Silent but Deadly films, is returning to the San Diego Comic-Con with his latest documentary, “UnWound.” The screening, which will include a director’s Q&A, is scheduled for Saturday, July 19 at 1:30 p.m. in room 4 of the San Diego Convention Center.
“UnWound” explores the world of toy robots, beginning with the earliest Japanese scrap-metal pieces from the 1940s. It tracks more than six decades of history, including the modern-day remote-controlled battling robot craze. Old favorites such as Machine Man, Mr. Machine and Rock Em Sock Em Robots make appearances, as do toys based on TV and movie characters from the 50s, 60s, 70s and beyond. (Yes, good friends such as Robby from “Forbidden Planet,” Robot from “Lost in Space” and Star Wars legends R2-D2 and C-3PO feature prominently). The film incorporates insight from writers, collectors and academics, as well as a visit to Pennsylvania’s Toy Robot Museum—home to more than 3,500 pieces.
But the centerpiece of the film is a suspenseful toy auction in which a man anxiously waits for his childhood toy to go on the block. Items from what’s known as the “Golden Age” of space toys tend to fetch eye-popping sums when they go under the gavel.
“UnWound” is the third documentary produced and directed by Cioletti, whose previous films “Millennium’s End: The Fandom Menace” and Chronotrip have screened at Comic-Con in previous years.
