Editing Transformers: Combiner Wars (cartoon)

{{Nav-CombinerWars}}
[[File:CW-WebSeriesPoster.jpg|thumb|right|250px|"The 'Game of Thrones' of animation"<ref>http://www.hitfix.com/harpy/exclusive-transformer-combiner-wars-is-the-game-of-thrones-of-animation</ref>... if those thrones are made of porcelain.]]

'''''Transformers: Combiner Wars''''' is an animated web series. Co-produced by [[Machinima]] and [[Hasbro Studios]] with animation done by [[Tatsunoko Production]] and voice recording by [[Bang Zoom! Entertainment]]<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3Pdai_qdRw The Day I Became Optimus Prime]</ref>, it is targeted at older audiences, and ties into the concurrent ''[[Combiner Wars (toyline)|Combiner Wars]]'' imprint. <ref>[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/comic-con-transformers-animated-series-807464 Comic-Con: 'Transformers' Animated Series Coming to Machinima (Exclusive)]</ref> The series was run by [[Eric S. Calderon]], [[George Krstic]], and [[F.J. DeSanto]], though it seems that at least two of them no longer want people to know about their involvement.<ref name="imdb">[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5831646/fullcredits IMDB credits for ''Combiner Wars''], updated listing with only George Krstic writing credits, changed late September, 2016.  Changed ''again'' around 9/27/2016 to add back in all three writers.</ref><ref name="collider">[http://collider.com/transformers-combiner-wars-trailer/ Collider.com article] with writing credits for George Krstic and F.J. DeSanto, from July, 2016.</ref><ref name="tfw2005">[http://news.tfw2005.com/2016/01/29/final-script-transformers-combiner-wars-machinima-series-completed-308637 Tweet from Eric S. Calderon] celebrating the finished scripts, from January, 2016; tweet since deleted, archived by TFW2005.</ref>  

Four prelude videos were released weekly beginning [[June 28]] [[2016]], followed by the premiere of the series proper on [[August 2]], on the [[go90]] platform in the U.S., and on Machinima's YouTube channel elsewhere&hellip; until Machinima changed the episodes' settings to "private" a few weeks after the release of the final episode. A year later, they returned to general viewing audiences via Hasbro's official YouTube channel.

In November 2016, Machinima announced plans to create two sequel series, ''[[Transformers: Titans Return (cartoon)|Titans Return]]'' and ''[[Transformers: Power of the Primes (cartoon)|Power of the Primes]]'', forming a complete set of tie-ins into Hasbro's "[[Prime Wars Trilogy]]" line.<ref>[http://www.superherohype.com/news/386613-machinima-and-hasbro-announce-two-more-transformers-prime-wars-series Machinima and Hasbro Announce Two More Transformers Prime Wars Series]</ref> The first, ''Titans Return'', premiered in November 2017, while the second, ''Power of the Primes'', is scheduled for release in the second quarter of 2018.

{{bigquote|[...] so as we go through the story we’ll have very sophisticated story ideas and sophisticated visuals.|Eric Calderon, exaggerating wildly<ref>[https://bigcomicpage.com/2016/08/16/bcp-interview-eric-calderon-talks-transformers-combiner-wars/ Big Comic Page interviews Eric Calderon]</ref>}}

==Overview==
Forty years after the conclusion of the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]] on [[Earth]], the [[Autobot]]s and [[Decepticon]]s are no more and [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] and [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] are relics of the past. [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] is at last at peace, ruled by the triumvirate of [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]], [[Hot Rod|Rodimus Prime]], and the [[Mistress of Flame]]. However, the [[Enigma of Combination]], an ancient [[Artifacts of the Primes|artifact]] of [[Primus]], has triggered new conflict through the creation of huge, dangerous [[Combiner]]s, and now Cybertron's fragile peace is in danger of collapse.

==Cast==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] ([[Jon Bailey]])
*[[Hot Rod|Rodimus Prime]] ([[Ben Pronsky]])

'''Combiners'''
*[[Computron (G1)|Computron]] ([[Ricky Hayberg]])

'''Titans'''
*[[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] ([[Michael Green]])<ref>[https://twitter.com/ericcalderon/status/867825242051231746]</ref>
*[[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]]
|c2=
*[[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] ([[Jason Marnocha]])
*[[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] ([[Frank Todaro]])

'''Combiners'''
*[[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]] ([[Charlie Guzman]])
*[[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] ([[Patrick Seitz]])
**[[Scrapper (G1)|Scrapper]]
**[[Long Haul (G1)|Long Haul]]
**[[Scavenger (G1)|Scavenger]]

|h4=[[Camien]]s|c4=
*[[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] ([[Abby Trott]])
*[[Mistress of Flame]] ([[Lana McKissack]])
*[[Maxima]] ([[Amy Johnston]])

'''Combiners'''
*[[Victorion]] ([[Anna Akana]])
}}

==Episodes==
===Preludes===
{{collist|2|
# [[Prelude to Transformers: Combiner Wars - Optimus Prime|Optimus Prime]]
# [[Prelude to Transformers: Combiner Wars - Victorion|Victorion]]
# [[Prelude to Transformers: Combiner Wars - Starscream|Starscream]]
# [[Prelude to Transformers: Combiner Wars - Windblade|Windblade]]
}}
===Main episodes===
{{collist|2|
# [[The Fall]]
# [[The Council]]
# [[The Duel]]
# [[Unforgotten]]
# [[Homecoming (CW)|Homecoming]]
# [[A War of Giants]]
# [[Darkest Hour (CW)|Darkest Hour]]
# [[Destruction's Dawn]]
}}

==Criticisms==
While ''Combiner Wars'' was advertised as a series intended for mature fans, the series was roundly criticized by the fandom for a variety of reasons. Eerily, many of said criticisms also apply to the infamous ''[[Transformers: Energon (cartoon)|Energon]]'' cartoon.

===Storytelling flaws===
''Combiner Wars'' is split into eight five-minute episodes. As a result, the miniseries runs for forty minutes overall, which wouldn't be so bad if not for the obvious padding that permeates most episodes. "The Council", for instance, spends a minute depicting Starscream flying over an empty Cybertron before leading into the action.

The story's setting, meanwhile, is supremely ill-defined. The prelude videos for the series vaguely allude to the "[[Combiner Wars (event)|Combiner Wars]]" beginning shortly before the end of the Great War and somehow continuing to the present despite the end of Autobot-Decepticon hostilities. No explanation is ever given for how or why this war started, or indeed for what the Combiners are ''doing'' exactly that constitutes a war. Caminus's cities have apparently been wrecked by the Combiner Wars, but whether this is collateral damage from Combiner brawls or the result of Combiners just plain smashing stuff, we are never told. The [[Enigma of Combination]] is a similarly nebulous concept, with no real explanation provided of what it is, where it came from, or what it does, beyond the fact that it has created some (all?) of the Combiners. At one point, Rodimus Prime talks about using it to "control" the Combiners, but apparently by this meant creating a new Combiner army. Later, the council talk again about using it to "control" the Combiners, but ''this time'' in the context of actually taking control of the existing Combiners.
[[File:DarkestHour-starcloud.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Pictured: A combiner.]]

Beyond this, for a series named ''Combiner Wars'', the series puts ''very'' little focus on the characters that it was ostensibly created to advertise, treating them as interchangeable background extras. While [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] receives some dialogue and characterization, [[Victorion]] appears out of nowhere seconds before she's assimilated by [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] – even though she was the only combiner to receive a [[Prelude to Transformers: Combiner Wars - Victorion|prelude video]] that hyped her up as a key player in the series. It's not really clear what combiners are supposed to ''be'' in this continuity: Starscream mentions that they're "still Autobots and Decepticons", implying that the combiners adhere to the usual factions, but other instances of dialogue treat them as though they're an entirely new faction of Transformers who have, by all indication, materialized overnight to wreak havoc on all and sundry. The closest we get to any kind of "combiner war" on-screen is the brief scuffle between [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]] and [[Computron (G1)|Computron]] in "The Fall", which lasts for all of a minute. While the Council describes this combiner threat as a massive, out-of-control problem, the threat they pose in the actual show feels very empty – Menasor, for instance, dies from one slice of Windblade's sword. The combiners are never actually seen ''combining'', and the only components seen individually are three of the Constructicons. Even when their limbs are severed, the show doesn't acknowledge the fact that these can ostensibly become individuals. In the climax of the series, it briefly appears Starscream will become a super-combiner with the other combiners forming his limbs. Instead, he becomes ''a giant screaming head''. No, really. Speaking of disembodied body parts, the series ends with Windblade summoning [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]]... And all we see of him is his ''arm'' rising up from the ground instead of ''actually transforming from the city''.

In terms of characterisation, while Optimus Prime and Megatron generally hew close to classic Generation 1 fiction, other characters received wildly different interpretations that proved unpopular with the target audience. [[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]], usually depicted as a kind and heroic diplomat, was re-imagined as a vengeful psychopath aiming to kill anyone and everyone associated with Combiners, thus quickly gaining her the fan nickname "Murderblade". Starscream's [[Prelude to Transformers: Combiner Wars - Starscream|prelude video]], meanwhile, introduces us to him as an individual who was genuinely seeking redemption for his prior deeds, which is at least an interesting new take. We see this new role borne out for most of the series, until the eleventh hour; in "A War of Giants", he is suddenly revealed to have been playing a scheming long-game, despite the audience having been assured of his good intentions by an internal monologue!

To give SOME iota of praise to the show, while almost every other character has been broadly criticized, Megatron was almost universally praised. His personality being a combination of wizened old soldier and constant snarker, the above-expected quality of his vocal effects, and the excellent performance of [[Jason Marnocha]] led to him being widely regarded as a runaway success. He's so well done, it's difficult to believe he's actually appearing in the same show as everyone else.

===Production flaws===
====Timing====
''Combiner Wars'' ended up being rather infamous for having ''very'' poor timing. While the ''Combiner Wars'' toyline debuted in late 2014, the existence of this series was first announced in July 2015, and the scripts for the first seven episodes were not finalized until ''January 2016''. As a result, the lead time required for animation led to the series debuting in August 2016... by which time ''Combiner Wars'' had already ended as a general retail line and been succeeded by the ''[[Titans Return (toyline)|Titans Return]]'' line.

====Animation====
Despite the fact that the series is animated by the legendary [[Tatsunoko Production]], the series suffers from below-''[[Transformers: Cybertron (cartoon)|Cybertron]]''-quality CGI, with cel-shading distressingly similar to ''Energon''. The problems are compounded by the very noticeably low framerate – possibly an attempt, like the concurrently running ''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 cartoon)|Robots in Disguise]]'' series, to emulate hand-drawn animation, but not one that's at all successful. Characters have very basic mouth flaps when speaking, and whilst they can at least pull off facial expressions a ''little'' better than in ''Energon'', it's still generally [[Dull surprise|unexpressive]].

Alright, let's just be honest here: this series makes ''Energon'' look like a ''masterpiece''.

==Home video releases==
===Transformers: The Last Knight===
:''Main Article: [[Paramount Pictures]]''

*'''Transformers: The Last Knight''' (2017)
Available as a Target exclusive, the Blu-ray combo pack release of ''[[Transformers: The Last Knight]]'' comes with the complete Combiner Wars cartoon. (You heard that right.)

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://www.go90.com/shows/3OhDENwXXKe Transformers: Prime Wars Trilogy on Go90] (US only)
*[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNXV9Mb7egjGj0W8Me3FogqTLmt5XtK6u "Transformers Combiner Wars: Animated Shorts" playlist on YouTube]

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[[Category:Combiner Wars| Cartoon]]
[[Category:Media]]