Commercial/Beast Wars

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Generation 1 continuity family « Beast Wars » Toyline 10th Anniversary toyline Various merchandise Commercials Cartoon Comics Video games Uprising

Just as Beast Wars represented a revamping of the Transformers brand, the commercials represented a change in the approach to advertising. As a way of changing the feel of the advertising (and possibly as a cost-saving measure) Victor Caroli was phased out as the narrator. Starting with the Dinobot/Waspinator/Tarantulas commercial, SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY!!! became the narrator for the remainder of the Beast Era.

The focus of the advertising shifted from covering nearly the entire line to focusing mainly on the larger Mega and Ultra size classes. As lower price point figures tend to sell better, a heavier push for the slower-selling large figures made sense.

The other major emphasis of Beast Wars advertising was, naturally, that the toys' alt modes were beasts. For the first three years of the toy line, the commercials always showed the toys in a natural environment, such as a jungle or a beach. To further impress the idea of the toys being beasts out in the wild, kids were not shown playing with the toys. Instead, transformation of the toys was done by a pair of hands whose owner was never shown. To be fair, G2 ads didn't show children playing with the toys either. However, the Color Changers commercial has voice-over comments from a kid which imply he's playing with the toys, and nearly all the 1994 ads depicted children interacting with CGI characters. This changed in the last year of Beast Wars advertising, as both the natural environments and the owner-less pair of hands were discarded in favor of showing children playing with the toys indoors.

1996

The legend begins again... only to be forgotten about once the show starts.

"All right Mr. De Mille-bot, Waspinator ready for Waspinator's close-up."

• Wave 1 Deluxe class toys [1]

Animation: CGI Bat Optimus Primal and Crocodile Megatron transform and slug it out in a swamp. Animated by AFCG Inc in their last effort for the franchise.

Narration: Victor Caroli, in what is probably his last work with Transformers until the 21st century.

Toy segment: New MAXIMALS! Dinobot vs. Terrorsaur. "Evil Waspinator, full of venom, changes like never before, from insect — to high-tech — and puts the sting on Cheetor! But treacherous Tarantula mutates and counter-attacks!"

Notes: Includes tail-end bit for the free 2-pack comic.

In the beginning, came the beasts, and all that creeps, crawls and flies. But nature lies, they're robots in disguise!

• Cheetor and Waspinator [2] - Edited from the previous commercial. Under the skin... lurks a robot within! Includes both Bat Primal and Crocodile Megatron in the end shot alongside Waspinator and Cheetor.
• Dinobot, Waspinator, Tarantulas [3] - Edited from the previous, with narration by SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY!!! and cartoon excerpts of both changing to robot mode.

• Wave 1 Mega class toys (Scorponok versus Grizz- I mean Survi- I mean Polar Claw) [4]

Narration: SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY!!!

Toy segment: Polar Claw and Scorponok fire their drones at each other to no avail.

A robot in disguise with a killer bee inside!

• Scorponok and Polar Claw [5] - Edited from the previous commercial to include clips from the show of Scorponok and Rhinox and add both David Kaye ("PREDACONS TERRORIZE!") and Garry Chalk ("MAXIMALS MAXIMIZE!" and "POLAR CLAW MAXIMIZE!" - though it's unclear if this is supposed to be Primal or Polar Claw himself saying the latter) to the narration.

Hey kids, own your very own vomiting Barney!

• Ultra class toys (Optimus Primal versus Ultra Megatron) [6] (Version 1), [7] (Version 2)

Animation: Cartoon excerpts, with both changing to robot mode.

Narration: SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY!!!

Toy segment: Optimus Primal and Megatron battle amongst plant life.

Notes: This commercial remained on television even into Beast Wars' third or fourth year, long after production stopped on the toys shown in the commercial. An alternate version of the commercial feature cartoon footage accompanied by the leaders' respective voice actors.

• Season One cartoon promo [8]

Animation: Excerpts from Beast Wars (Part 1) and Beast Wars (Part 2).

Narration: Beast Wars promo guy and various local announcers

It's 3-D computer animation that's so real, so exciting, you won't believe your eyes!

1997

Left on the cutting room floor.

• Cybershark and Inferno [9]

Animation: Cartoon excerpt - Inferno transforms, as rendered in "Spider's Game". A crude CGI Cybershark emerges from a shoreline, changes to robot mode and fires.

Narration: SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY!!!

Toy segment: Inferno and Cybershark roam around a rocky diorama.

New Inferno is evil king of the anthill! With stinger missiles he's the ultimate surprise! (This line is what earned this narrator the placeholder title of SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY!!!)

• Inferno, Jetstorm, and Bonecrusher [10] - Takes the Inferno toy segment from the previous ad and tacks on a short scene at the end featuring Jetstorm and Bonecrusher shooting each other in their beast modes.

• Magnaboss and Tripredacus [11]/[12](Early version)

Animation: CGI Magnaboss and Tripredacus smack each other around a little.

Narration: SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY!!!

Toy segment: Magnaboss and Tripdredacus combine and ineffectively bounce missiles off each other.

Notes: An early version of this spot introduces Tripredacus as being a new release and has a different static shot showing just Tripredacus next to an in package version, rather than the two combiners standing next to each otheer. The narrator also has a different set of lines after the introduction of Tripredacus.

Version 1: Tripredacus versus Magnaboss. Transformers to the third power. From triple threat to big bad bot, Ultra teams are ultra hot!

Version 2: Transformers with three times the power. It's the ultimate rumble in the jungle! This triple team equals one big bot! Beast Wars are three times as hot!

• B'Boom and Transquito [13]

Animation: CGI B'Boom pounces on Transquito. They transform and shoot at each other.

Narration: SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY!!!

Toy segment: Each toy goes through all three modes in a rocky "desert" set. B'Boom blasts Transquito, burying him in rocks. From beast to bot, the action's three times as hot!

Maximal heroes battle Predacon creeps! There's much more than meets the eye to new Mega Beasts!

B'Boom and Transquito [14] - Edited down version of the previous commercial.

• MicroVerse Orcanoch and Arachnid [15]

Animation: CGI Orcanoch leaps out of the water and transforms.

Narration: SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY!!!

Toy segment: A kid with a '90s bowl-cut transforms Orcanoch and Arachnid on a tiled floor in front of a huge aquarium. The Maximal killer whale storms to the surface - the Predacon spider attacks with an insectoid assault! The whale takes a stinging hit, then launches a killer counterattack! The commercial then plugs the Goosebumps Terror Tower set.

MicroVerse micro universe! Maximum action! Incredible new worlds of micro play are within your grasp!

Neither playset seems to have been named at this point.

1998

"Hey, you got wolf in my eagle!" "You got eagle in my wolf!"

• Fuzors [16] (15 second) /[17] (30 second)

Animation: An eagle and a wolf scream in horrifying agony as they're sucked inexorably toward their searing, fiery death in a lava pit. The lava explodes and beast mode Silverbolt flies out.

Narration: SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY!!!

Toy segment: Noble Fuzor Silverbolt fights the evil Predacons Aquasting and Sky Shadow!

Two mighty beasts fused in one!

• Mega class Transmetals (Megatron versus Optimus Primal) [18]

Animation: Cartoon excerpt - Transmetal Megatron transforms to robot mode; Primal flies past the camera.

Narration: SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY!!!

Toy segment: Optimus Primal battles the evil Megatron and knocks over a few tin cans.

Mechanized, metalized, in disguise, BEAST WARS! Metalized machines with three modes of mean! TRANSMETALS!

• Season Three cartoon promo [19]

Animation: Excerpts from Deep Metal, most involving Depth Charge.

Narration: Beast Wars promo guy and various local announcers

Join the new bots on the block, Depth Charge and Optimal Optimus!

• Beast Wars on Toonami [20]

Animation: Excerpts from The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest and the second season of Beast Wars.

Narration: Moltar (C. Martin Croker)

All next week at 5:30 Jonny Quest packs his bags, and Toonami goes to war.

• Toonami Beast Wars toy giveaway [21] (ad) / [22](cue to call)

Animation: Various excerpts from Aftermath and Coming of the Fuzors parts 1 & 2.

Narration: Toonami Gal

We've got five hundred Beast Wars Transformers to give away and a toll free number to do it. You get through, you get one.

• Changing of the Guard promo [23]

Animation: Various excerpts from Changing of the Guard.

Narration: Beast Wars promo guy and various local announcers

What's new on Beast Wars? A module of doom pits Maximal against Predacon, and Depth Charge against Optimal. In a cyber battle, that could end the universe.

• Beast Wars/My Little Pony Happy Meal [24]

This was an end tag to a generic, kid-aimed McDonald's commercial. A kid and his dad watch a McDonald's restaurant change into a robot. Kids are then shown playing with the toys inside of a presumably different McDonald's restaurant before the spot cuts back to father and son. Dad: "Cool." Kid: "But where's the door?"

What's changing at McDonald's?

• Ultra class Transmetals (Depth Charge versus Rampage) [25]

Animation: None.

Narration: SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY!!!

Toy segment: Evil new Transmetal Rampage and Heroic Depth Charge triple change.

"Metallic machines, three modes of mean! Evil new Transmetal Rampage triple changes from cluster-missile crustacean! Heroic Depth Charge triple changes from metallic manta ray to grenade loaded ultra robot!"

• Rampage and Depth Charge [26] - Edited from the previous commercial to include clips from the show of Rampage and Depth Charge.

• Optimal Optimus [27]

Animation: Excerpt of Optimal Optimus transforming to robot mode.

Narration: SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY!!!

Toy segment: Optimal Optimus's four modes are demonstrated.

Four modes of disguise, one massive size!

1999

You mean the pool table DOESN'T come with the toy?!?

• Deluxe and Mega class Transmetals II [28]

Animation: Cartoon excerpt - Cheetor breaks out of his room, from "Feral Scream Part 2".

Narration: SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY!!!

Toy segment: Evil Dinobot battles the heroic missile maned feline Cheetor and Cybershark!

Notes: This commercial marks the shift from using real-time figure transformations to fast motion transformations. The segments are marked as "Sped-Up Footage" in this commercial. Subsequently, they would be marked as "Fast Motion" or "Fast Motion Sequence". Apparently, it was also thought necessary to mark part of the Dinobot segment with the disclaimer, "Props not included". For this ad, a synthesized digital voice saying "Transformers!" (apparently taken from older Generation 1 ads) plays at the end, alongside an animation showing the "Transformers" text (from the BW logo) shifting into place over a shifing metal wall; the same animation and sound clip was used for the sole Animorphs commercial.

"Dinobot's gonna whip your robot!"

• Ultra class Transmetals II (Megatron versus Tigerhawk) [29] (30 second)/[30] (15 second)

Animation: Cartoon excerpt - Megatron battles Tigerhawk from "Other Victories".

Narration: SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY!!!

Toy segment: Megatron and Tigerhawk fly around a canyon diorama and take shots at each other.

Notes: Megatron's "transportation" mode (pictured) is mistransformed.

"Without sacrifice change, there is no victory!"

• Beast Wars on Fox Kids [31]

Animation: Excerpts from Beast Wars Season One.

Narration: Brian Cummings and various local announcers

Weekdays are primed for... "Beast Wars!"

• Who Wants to Be a Transformer? [32] (Incomplete)

Animation: Various cartoon excerpts.

Narration: Jess Harnell, trying way too hard to be like Regis.

Notes: This promo is a parody of the popular TV game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, with the narrator trying to impersonate prime time Millionaire host Regis Philbin. When Scorponok is revealed as a possible answer to the first question, Quickstrike is shown instead. Another possible error is the shot of Rattrap and Dinobot shown when "Predacons" is listed as an answer, although Rattrap and Dinobot were Predacons for one episode each.

Is that your final answer?

• Who Wants to Be a Transformer? [33] - A severely edited down version of the previous commercial.

2011

• Shout! Factory Season 1 DVD Set Trailer [34]

Animation: Excerpts from Beast Wars (Part 1), Beast Wars (Part 2), Power Surge, Other Voices, Part 1, Other Voices, Part 2, Equal Measures, Fallen Comrades, Double Jeopardy, The Spark, Dark Voyage, The Probe and Chain of Command.

Narration: Unknown.

The narrator describes the plot of the show and details the features of the DVD set.

• Shout! Factory Season 1 DVD Set Commercial [35]

Animation: Excerpts from Beast Wars (Part 1), Beast Wars (Part 2) and The Probe.

Narration: Unknown, same as the trailer.

A heavily abbreviated version of the trailer omitting the descriptions of the set.

External links

• Beast Wars commercial compilation