Editing Unknown Generation 1 animation studios

[[Image:Map-phils-gold.gif|right|300px|thumb|They're in there...''somewhere''...]]

For the production of the second season of the original ''[[The Transformers (cartoon)|Transformers]]'' animated series, [[Marvel Productions]] and [[Sunbow Productions]] utilized multiple overseas animation studios.  Among them was an as-yet-'''unknown Filipino animation studio'''.  Little is known about the studio, including their ''name'', thanks to the show's credits not identifying any specific animation studios.

It has been confirmed that for season 2 of ''The Transformers'', Japanese studio [[Toei]] animated a total of 39 episodes, leaving the remaining 10 to be divvied up between [[AKOM]] and the Filipino studio.  At least 3 episodes from that season are immediately identifiable as AKOM productions, leaving a remaining 7 to be the work of the Filipino studio.

They would not appear to have animated any of season 3.  Toei has been confirmed as having animated 13 episodes from that season, leaving 17 episodes to be animated by other studios.  AKOM clearly animated 16 of those episodes, while it has been long believed that [[Tokyo Movie Shinsha]] animated "[[Call of the Primitives]]". 

...But seriously, if you know who these guys are, do us a solid, okay?

<!--==Episodes==

This mysterious studio's work is not as distinct from Toei's as Akom's episodes are, so identifying exactly which episodes were done by it has always posed a challenge. TFWiki offers this heavily-researched, but still hypothetical list, with explanations:

*"[[A Prime Problem]]"
*"[[Auto Berserk]]"
*"[[Make Tracks]]"
*"[[The Secret of Omega Supreme]]"
*"[[Kremzeek!]]"
*"[[Triple Takeover]]"

This studio's work seems to go hand-in-hand with outdated [[character model|animation models]] not seen anywhere else in the series, which together form a trail of linking breadcrumbs. Firstly, "Auto Berserk," "Make Tracks," and "Kremzeek!" all consistently feature an alternate head design for [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]]. Of these three, both "Auto Berserk" and "Kremzeek!" use an alternate color model for Smokscreen which also appears in "Triple Takeover," while "Make Tracks" uses an alternate color model for Tracks, which is ''also'' seen in "Triple Takeover," as well as "The Secret of Omega Supreme." And tying this string of episodes together even tighter, both "The Secret of Omega Supreme" and "Triple Takeover" color [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]]'s helmet grey instead of purple. These errors all center on new season two characters, which makes it harder to pin down any earlier episodes as being the studio's work, but "A Prime Problem" features the same soft line quality and warm colors as "Auto Berserk," as well as moments of rare fluidity to the animation, and a white airbrushing to certain drawings to create a shiny "metallic" effect.-->

==Possibly not Filipino==
The lack of any real information about this studio, or even evidence proving the studio was located in the Philippines (beyond Paul Davids' interview), suggests that the origins of the studio may be incorrect. The only animation studios open in the Philippines at the time ''Transformers'' season 2 was animated were Optifex, who worked exclusively for Hanna-Barbera, and Burbank Animation. While Burbank did work on Sunbow/Marvel shows made around the same time, like ''[[Jem]]'', ''[[My Little Pony]]'' and ''Defenders of the Earth''<ref>http://goforlaunchproductions.com/mainBio2.html</ref>, their resume does not appear to include any ''Transformers'' episodes.  This suggests Davids may have been mistaken in his recollection.

==Notes==

*[http://www.philippinecompanies.com/companyprofile/1427/toei-animation-phils-inc Although Toei has a Filipino branch], they were not established until 1986, which would have to be well ''after'' production of season 2 of ''The Transformers'' had already been completed.

*Unlike [[AKOM]], which had an obvious style unique to themselves, the work of the unknown Filipino studio is not so clearly distinct from the efforts of [[Toei]].  Toei's work, even in the seasons where their contributions can be officially identified, was radically uneven.  As such, it is next to impossible to distinguish episodes by the Filipino studio from episodes by Toei, at least when going exclusively by "visual cues".  Bummer.

==External links==

*[http://cybertronchronicle.freewebspace.com/60-astrominutes/paul-davids/paul-davids-3.html Interview with production coordinator Paul Davids at the Cybertron Chronicle], confirming the use of a studio from the Philippines: "Three to four weeks 'in-house' to prepare character designs, backgrounds, color models, record voices and edit soundtrack, complete the storyboard, and ship the show to Korea or Japan (and a few times we used an animation facility in the Philippines)."

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category: Animation companies]]