DR Movie is a Korean animation studio that was established in Seoul in 1990 and frequently works with Japanese companies on anime titles. Since 1991, the studio has been in an exclusive partnership with the Japanese animation studio Madhouse, and in 2001, Madhouse became a partial owner/investor. In 2006, Madhouse's parent company Index Holdings invested 600 million yen. DR Movie has been responsible for the animation production end of several Madhouse anime, starting with Tenjho Tenge in 2004 and continuing notably with Claymore in 2007. DR Movie has also been looking to make partnerships with Chinese animation companies for future productions, and as of March 2007 entered into a joint venture studio in Qingdao, China.
Besides Madhouse, DR Movie also has worked extensively with Nickelodeon, Sunrise, Warner Bros Animation, Gonzo, and Studio Ghibli. DR Movie is the only Korean contract studio with which Ghibli has worked.
Additionally, DR Movie maintains a production facility in Busan, known as Busan DR.
In a series of flashbacks played in reverse chronological order it is related that in 1939, Professor Trevor Bruttenholm investigated a series of murders in Eastern Europe. Erzebet Ondrushko, a vampire who bathed in the blood of innocents to stay young, was responsible. She had sold her soul to the Queen of Witches, the goddess Hecate, and had just kidnapped the fiancee of one of the townsmen. When the search party confronted Erzebet in her castle, all members of the party were horribly killed, and Bruttenholm was left to face her alone. He tricked her into the sunlight, effectively destroying her.
The film starts in the middle of an unspecified mission which sees Hellboy, Liz Sherman and Abe Sapien battling bat-worshipping Mayan zombies who are lead by a gigantic zombie bat. The group are eventually able to defeat their opponents when Liz unleashes her pyrokinetic powers, although she is still unsure of her ability to control her powers.
Background
In June 2044, the Robotech Expeditionary Force (REF) fleet gathers at Moon Base ALUCE for its final attempt to drive the alien Invid from the Earth. This time, the REF has important technological advantages thanks to the help of the Sentinel races; the Karbarrans provided the industrial resources to construct this armada, while a secretive and highly advanced cybernetic race known as the Haydonites have provided advanced technology including Shadow devices, which make REF ships invisible to Invid sensors, and Syncro-Cannons, which are significantly more powerful than the REF's earlier weapons. The REF fleet is led by newly completed SDF-4 Izumo, a Super Dimensional Fortress over 1.3 km (0.8 miles) long under the command of General Gunther Reinhardt.