Could Dragon Ball movies be done like this?

[songohan619]

I think I would have made a trilogy.

It would be based on the Manga, so everything story based would JUST be based of the manga, without any influence of the manga.
The music would be done by Henry Jackman.

Movie 1:

Dragon Ball: Goku`s Journey

The movie starts at the start of Dragon Ball, and features the following storypoints:

Goku meets Bulma like in the original story.
Goku and Bulma meet Master Roshi thanks to Umigame, like in the original story.
Goku stays with Master Roshi, while Bulma continues to search for the Dragon Balls.
Goku and Master Roshi is contacted by Chi Chi, and they go to the Fry Pan, where they meet Bulma.
They fix the problem with the fire, like in the original story, but Chi Chi gets a crush on Goku.
Goku trains with Master Roshi, like in the original story.
Krillin gets introduced, like in the original story.
They both enter the Tenkaichi Budokai, and meet Tenshinhan and Chaotzu. Chi Chi also enters the tournament, but Goku doesnt recognize her.
After the Tenkaichi Budokai, the Piccolo Daimoh arc begins, but with Yamcha, Tenshinhan, Chaotzu and Master Roshi helping out more than the original. This is also Pilaf`s introducion, but he is a human, he is just very small. And he has no sidekicks.
The Piccolo Junior arc is like in the original story.
The movies end with Goku and Chi Chi`s wedding, with Master Roshi as the reverend.

Things taken out:
Yamcha
The Red Ribbon Arc
Emperor Pilaf Arc
Shu and Mai

Movie 2:

Dragon Ball: Invasion

The movie opens with Radits landing on earth, and meeting Piccolo.
The arc is the same as the original, but without the Saibamen.
The movie ends with the Z Warriors at the Hospital.

Things taken out:

Yamcha
Saibamen

Movie 3:

Dragon Ball: The Last Challenge.

The movie begins where the last one ended.
They start to discuss how to get their friends back.
Popo shows up, and the Freeza Arc stars, as in the original story.
The arc is the same as the orignal, but the Ginyu Force is removed from the story, and Dodoria and Zarbon take their place when they are needed.
Goku dies at Planet Namek.
The movie ends showing Gohan all grown up, and going to school, meeting Videl, marrying her, and having Pan.

Could something like this work?

[Makaioshin]

There is a lot more that goes into a movie than "x event happens". Dragon Ball is also a weekly comic/cartoon and the story wouldn't translate well into a movie if you just take it as is with a few less characters.

[songohan619]

There is a lot more that goes into a movie than "x event happens". Dragon Ball is also a weekly comic/cartoon and the story wouldn't translate well into a movie if you just take it as is with a few less characters.

I know, this was just some basic ideas I had.

[Beji]

No I don't think so. Taking out important points and mushing them into movies sort of leaves an emptiness. If Yamcha was gone, who would fill Bulma's love life? Not Goku, since you said gohan is there later on. How do you take away the Ginyu force, with Goku showing up and making a huge scene, freeza would have to be much weaker then, or Dodoria and Zarbon would have to be stronger and much dumber.. to not have stopped Vegeta and the rest before Goku arrived. It doesn't work for me.

[Fizzer]

The pacing of that first one would be really bad, in my opinion. A movie needs a beginning, a middle and end, and ideally there shouldn't be other potential "endings" followed by would-be "beginnings" stuck in the middle of it. Events need time to breath. In a rush of "this happens and then this and then this" there's no room for tension or emotion

If you start cutting out arcs, you're always going to have to make changes to other arcs to compensate, and you might end up with Dragon Ball: Evolution. Personally, I'd be wary of turning the "Dragon Ball era" into less than five films, and I do not believe that less than four can be done without ending up with films that are bad, unfaithful or both.

[DBZfan29]

It's my dream to one day adapt the series to a trilogy. I've been rereading the manga and picking the best bits out. Things aren't obviously just about the story even Toriyama has said it with the new movie. For something to truly be Dragon Ball, and not just Z, you have to have the right character work and subtleties that makes us all want to bow down to Toriyama... haha.

[linkdude20002001]

I feel like the first movie could be like:

Son Gokuh chapter — We meet Bulma, Oolong, Yamcha and Pu-erh, Chichi and the Ox Demon-King, and the Turtle Sage and Seaturtle. We don't meet Pilaf. They don't find all the Dragon Balls because the last one disappear from the radar. Bulma and Yamcha realize they don't need them anyways. Gokuh goes off to train under the Turtle Sage. We meet Kulilin (and Lunch?).

22nd Tenka’ichi Budōkai chapter — We meet Tenshinhan, Chiaotzu, and the Crane Sage. Stuff happens. Tenshinhan and Chiaotzu become good. Kulilin dies and the Si Xing Qui is stolen, along with the tournament roster.

Piccolo Daimaō chapter — We meet Tambourine, Yajirove, Cymbal, Pilaf, Shu, Mai. Stuff happens. Bulma and everyone hide, and she hides the Dragon Balls using her spiffy technology. We meet Piccolo. I dunno. Awesome ending? Piccolo makes New Piccolo. Sequel.

[Insertclevername]

I'll stand my statement and say "Path to Ultimate Strength" is a great way to condense the beginnings of Dragon Ball into one (Hunt for Dragon Balls arc and Red Ribbon arc). The next movie could be a combination of both 21st and 22nd Tenkaichi Budokai, along with the first half of the Piccolo Daimao arc. You have the training, Lunch and Kuririn from the 21st TB arc, then have the line up of the 22nd (With appropriate power scaling; for those who care). Then with a seamless transition, the Piccolo Daimao section would start up immediately (It would be a long film but I think it could work). The next film would be the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai...dunno where how I'd handle it from there.

[Super Gazellian]

As much as I hate to say it, a live-action Dragonball movie would never work. The problem is Goku being a child. Being in live-action would give people a hard time believing that a child could do half the stuff that Goku does, even if the choreography was taken seriously it'd just look ridiculous.

So why not just Z? He's an adult in that, plenty of cinematic opportunities and gripping storylines, that' work right?... Well, no. I'm sure a lot of people already feel this way considering every time this topic comes up no one begins with Z. What do we actually have in the beginning of Z? A shit load of death and new realisations for the characters. Awesome as it is, if you're watching this for the first time in the cinema, "Oh shit the main guy we've known for 10 minutes is actually an alien and now his newly discovered evil brother just got him killed" it's gonna mean barely anything to you. I was thinking of maybe even doing a flashback at the beginning to just go over the gist of Dragonball, but there still wouldn't be enough depth to cover everything and make you care for Z.

I guess you could go with the evolution route and make a Goku a teen, but a lot of the character relationships would certainly have to change and what you get is, well, evolution xD

[DBZ Mick]

I think there's way too much plot to condense into a single movie, then there's also character development and so on...