Netflix's Voltron revival looks familiar in first pic

Netflix will premiere a new Voltron cartoon later this year, and the company has released the first picture from the upcoming series. The teaser comes courtesy of USA Today and ahead of the first footage from DreamWorks Animation's series, which is set to premiere at WonderCon later today.

The fighting robot's new design hews closely to its classic look, something that its executive producers said is important to the studio. Like its predecessor, Voltron: Legendary Defender will follow a team of Earthly heroes who get caught up in intergalactic warfare. Each of the five heroes commands a lion-shaped robot that can combine to form the powerful Voltron.

A key difference from the more anonymous astronauts of the 1980s series, however, is that these characters have backstories. According to USA Today, the team is looking to Star Wars and Game of Thrones for inspiration in crafting a mythology for the series.

Voltron: Legendary Defender's first season will consist of 13 episodes. It's one of several Netflix series in the works by DreamWorks Animation, including one by Guillermo Del Toro. Currently available Netflix series from DreamWorks include those based on movies like Madagascar and How to Train Your Dragon.