Atlantis, Arise!: Difference between revisions
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* Spike's declaration that "Nergill's gone!" doesn't mean much, since the animation never actually makes it clear that Wheeljack carried him out of Sub-Atlantica. | * Spike's declaration that "Nergill's gone!" doesn't mean much, since the animation never actually makes it clear that Wheeljack carried him out of Sub-Atlantica. | ||
* What are Prime and the others standing on after they evacuate Sub-Atlantica? Even Spike is above water almost to his waist! | * What are Prime and the others standing on after they evacuate Sub-Atlantica? Even Spike is above water almost to his waist! | ||
* The sign that the Autobots past says 'New York' (Right Arrow) 'Baltimore' (Forward Arrow)and Washington DC (Left Arrow). It is also | |||
Backwards. | |||
===Continuity errors=== | ===Continuity errors=== | ||
Revision as of 22:48, 14 September 2010
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 There's fire burning... underwater. Don't ask. | |||||||||
| "Atlantis, Arise!" | |||||||||
| Production code | #700-23 | ||||||||
| Production company | Sunbow Productions | ||||||||
| Airdate | October 3, 1985 | ||||||||
| Written by | Douglas Booth | ||||||||
| Continuity | Generation 1 cartoon continuity | ||||||||
The Decepticons ally with the undersea realm of Sub-Atlantica. But they may be more treacherous than Megatron expected.
- Japanese title: アトランティス浮上! (Atlantis Fujō!, "Atlantis, Arise!")
- German Generation 2 title: "Die Unterwasserstadt" ("The Underwater City")
- Russian title: "Воскресшая Атлантида" (Voskresshaya Atlantida, "Atlantis Is Resurrected")
Synopsis
Soundwave summons Megatron to the control room, saying that Laserbeak and Buzzsaw have detected massive energy readings underwater. The Decepticons investigate and encounter the Sub-Atlanticans, a race who hope to conquer the surface world one day. Megatron negotiates a deal with Nergill, King of Sub-Atlantica, offering Decepticon military technology in exchange for access to their geothermal storehouses. Starscream distrusts the Sub-Atlanticans, who communicate with each other telepathically.
Near the Autobot base, Spike, Bumblebee, and Hound are playing a game of football with the Dinobots. Wheeljack arrives before the Dinobots accidentally kill anyone, telling them there is a massive energy reading emanating from near the Decepticon base. Optimus Prime dispatches Bumblebee, Brawn, Hound, and Wheeljack to investigate, with Spike tagging along. The Decepticons and Sub-Atlanticans attack and take Wheeljack prisoner. After raising the city from the bottom of the ocean, the Decepticons and Sub-Atlanticans prepare to attack Washington, D.C. as a sign of their new alliance. Nergill communicates with his soldiers, telling Megatron that they will imprison Wheeljack in his dungeons. However, at Starscream's orders, Soundwave unscrambles the message and learns that Wheeljack is to be taken to their laboratory to develop weapons against the Autobots and Decepticons alike.
The Autobots head for Washington, hoping to stop the Decepticons and Sub-Atlanticans. Prime has Spike and Bumblebee head for Sub-Atlantica, hoping to rescue Wheeljack, while the Autobot leader takes the others to Washington. The Sub-Atlanticans raise a force field over Washington, trapping the Autobots inside. In Sub-Atlantica, Nergill has developed a magnetic dysfunction ray which will shut down Transformers; he's tested it on Wheeljack, leaving him immobile. Starscream discovers this and is shot by Nergill, who learns that it is less effective on Decepticons. As Nergill leaves, Starscream attempts to drain power from Wheeljack, but Bumblebee and Spike stop arrive just in time to stop the Decepticon and restore Wheeljack.
Nergill strolls into Washington, with Wheeljack, Bumblebee and Spike sneaking in behind him. Nergill uses the disruptor to defeat Prime's team of Autobots, bringing the battle to an end. As the Sub-Atlanticans secure the Capitol building, his soldiers ask when to move against the Decepticons, but Nergill decides to wait a little while longer. Meanwhile, Megatron (sitting at the Lincoln Memorial) tells Thundercracker that they will deal with the Sub-Atlanticans soon enough.
Wheeljack calls in the Dinobots, who manage to penetrate the force field and come to blows with the Decepticons. As Megatron and Grimlock grapple, Nergill is on the verge of shooting them both until Starscream arrives and bashes Nergill aside, declaring that he is now an enemy. Grimlock grabs the disruptor and destroys it, causing the Autobots to revive. The Decepticons and Sub-Atlanticans retreat back to their own city, with the Autobots in pursuit.
Back at Sub-Atlantica, Megatron demands an answer to Starscream's treason charge against Nergill, but Nergill informs him that the Autobots are coming. They invade the city, and the Dinobots begin smashing everything in sight.
Nergill decides to destroy the city, hoping to destroy the Transformers as well. Spike, Wheeljack, and Bumblebee follow, hoping to stop Nergill, with Rumble and Ravage in pursuit. The two Mini-Cassettes realize Nergill's intentions, and Rumble tries to bury him in rubble, but it's not enough. Wheeljack likewise tries to stop the sub-aquatic king, but it's too late. Nergill throws a device into his energy containers, which starts a chain reaction that begins to destroy the city. The Decepticons retreat; Prime orders the Autobots to clear out, then rescues Wheeljack's team (and strangely finds Grimlock there as well). Prime and the others escape, watching from the nearby sea as the Sub-Atlanticans and their home disappear under the waves. Prime says they probably won't see Nergill again for a long time.
Featured characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Autobots | Decepticons | Humans | Others |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
Quotes
"Are you sure humans do this for fun?"
- —Hound, after playing a game of football with the Dinobots
"No! That could ruin Wheeljack's function circuits!"
"So... what? Ruining Autobots is my life!"
- —Bumblebee and Starscream
"Autobots bite off more than they can chew, then send for Dinobots! Come, Snarl, Sludge. We go!"
- —Grimlock, responding to the SOS call by Wheeljack. Apparently he does not want Slag or Swoop.
"Mmm, we are here."
- —Grimlock is a master of subtle and astute observation
"Me Grimlock here again, Optimus Prime, to pull your diodes out of laser fire."
- —Grimlock is getting a little tired of rescuing Optimus Prime
"Okay, Grimlock. Time for you and the Dinobots to act prehistoric!"
- —Optimus Prime
"You don't frighten me, you mechanical throwbacks!"
"Good, Megatron! We love stupid enemies!"
- —Grimlock has no grasp of irony.
Notes
Animation or technical glitches
- Someone mistook the strange glint of sunlight reflecting off of Buzzsaw for a laser beam, and inserted a Decepticon laser sound effect accordingly.
- Soundwave has some extra black shading around his eyeband as he reports to Megatron.
- As Megatron pontificates about "an underwater city of such size", a strangely-timed edit has the scene cut to an exterior shot of Decepticon Headquarters, as if that were supposed to be the underwater city in question. If it's meant to be an establishing shot, why isn't it at the beginning of the scene?
- The Decepticon Headquarters docking tower appears to be listing about 15 degrees or so as it emerges from the water, as if a stock view from one point-of-view angle was copied onto a new background drawn at a different point-of-view angle.
- When the Decepticons leave their base, Starscream's jet mode has a yellow underbelly. For an animation error, it's unusually appropriate!
- As he orders Soundwave to unscramble Nergill's message, Starscream's left pectoral is colored gray instead of red, and isn't really drawn in correctly, almost as if the animators intended his arm to be covering it during the scene.
- Considering how bright and well-lit everything is, Sub-Atlantica must be in about 25 feet of water.
- As Hound's camper roof unfolds, his turret gun clips right through it.
- Bumblebee appears to be using one of the Sub-Atlanticans' weapons as he fires at Starscream and company.
- During Wheeljack's "But nobody else is gonna follow you either" line, only the front side of his "ears" flash.
- Soundwave is drawn with a totally transparent tape door as Starscream has him unscramble Nergill's second message. It appears to be a deliberate choice to show the cassette mechanism within, but it conflicts with the usual white coloration of his chest panel.
- As Megatron makes his dramatic proclamation of Sub-Atlantica's destination, the bottom of Starscream's cockpit cowling is colored yellow instead of gray.
- Starscream is shown among the Decepticons leaving Sub-Atlantica to conquer D.C. The very next shot shows him lurking within the city as Nergill exposits to himself.
- As the Autobots drive toward Washington, Optimus mispronounces their foes' names as "Sub-Atlanta-cans".
- The "highway" that the Autobots use to drive to D.C. has an "exit" for the Chesapeake Bay that's more like a T-shaped intersection. Bumblebee somehow manages to negotiate it at full speed without flying out of control.
- The animation is very inconsistent as to whether the little red bulb on the Sub-Atlanticans' headwear is supposed to flash when they talk.
- The Dome Of Invulnerability guy is missing his telepathic waves as he refuses Megatron's order.
- Laser bolts bounce right off the Washington Monument without leaving so much as a burn mark. With weapons that ineffectual, it's no wonder nobody ever dies in this show!
- Laserbeak's attack on Hound is strangely truncated; Laserbeak fires non-glowing lasers, and then suddenly vanishes out of the shot.
- The shot that Hound fires at Laserbeak doesn't line up with his gun barrel.
- The electrical bolts enveloping Starscream right after Nergil blasts him are not animated to jigger for the first few seconds.
- The inside of Sludge's robot-mode mouth is white when he says "Alright!"
- When the Dinobots break through the force field, Starscream is among the group fighting them off, even though he is still lying inert within Sub-Atlantica at this point.
- Before Megatron bashes the Washington Monument, Prime and Prowl are standing there watching. After Megatron bashes the Monument, the shot returns to the same Prowl-and-Prime angle. But Prowl is gone, and the earlier artwork of Prime is still there watching as another Prime runs to catch the monument!
- The Autobots shown entering the city and attacking Megatron include Prime, Hound, Brawn, Prowl, Ironhide, and Sunstreaker. Sunstreaker and Ironhide disappear after the battle begins; only Hound, Brawn, Prowl and Prime are shown being disabled by Nergill and being revived later on. Ironhide finally shows up again after the battle is over; Ratchet and Trailbreaker appear out of nowhere as the Autobots roll out of D.C. During the Sub-Atlantica battle, Sideswipe appears (also out of nowhere), and Sunstreaker finally reappears.
- Slag's face is white instead of red as he exits Prime's trailer. In the next shot, his whole head is gray.
- A strangely angled shot, looking up from below the water, is supposed to show Prime, Wheeljack, Bumblebee and Grimlock swimming out of Sub-Atlantica. It's very easy to mistake it for a shot showing them flying through the air. They don't move any of their limbs, they move across the screen very rapidly, and the water itself is backlit by the sunset colored sky.
- Spike's declaration that "Nergill's gone!" doesn't mean much, since the animation never actually makes it clear that Wheeljack carried him out of Sub-Atlantica.
- What are Prime and the others standing on after they evacuate Sub-Atlantica? Even Spike is above water almost to his waist!
- The sign that the Autobots past says 'New York' (Right Arrow) 'Baltimore' (Forward Arrow)and Washington DC (Left Arrow). It is also
Backwards.
Continuity errors
- Megatron refers to Laserbeak and Buzzsaw as "vultures". They're supposed to be condors.
- If Nergill "communicates telepathically", as Soundwave claims, why is his mouth moving all the time?
- Superhuman Spike:
- Spike can survive in the "deepest part of the Atlantic ocean" wearing only a bathing suit and using a simple oxygen tank and goggles. Amazing that he isn't crushed under the weight of the ocean or frozen to death.
- Spike can somehow speak clearly to the Autobots without removing the mouthpiece for his breathing apparatus from his mouth; hell, he can even perform this trick underwater.
- How can Bumblebee calculate Sub-Atlantica's destination from watching it sail along the coast for like two seconds? It could be going anywhere!
- The "conquest" of Washington is incredibly half-hearted. The Decepticons and the squiddy guys run around in the street for a bit, scare some tourists, blow up a couple of cars, and put up a force field. About the only conquery thing they do is set up a giant vacuum tube computer in the capital building.
- The Sub-Atlanticans have to wear aquatic masks over their faces when they're on dry land. Yet they don't wear them inside their city, which appears to be just as water-free as the surface.
- The water-based Sub-Atlanticans don't think to create a force field that extends under the water?
- More an omission than an error, but it's never explained just what Starscream was trying to do to Wheeljack.
- Wheeljack says that they'd better warn Prime about the dysfunction ray... then proceeds to say something totally vague and uninformative ("There is great danger! Nergill must be stopped!")
- How many times do cartoons have to be told that it's not a force field if it shatters like glass? (Does this mean that the streets of D.C. are now covered with piles of shattered force field bits?)
- Some "dome of invulnerability". The Dinobots get through it in about five seconds flat.
- Starscream's third appearance in DC isn't an animation error; he's central to the plot! How did he get free of the dysfunction ray?!
- Who knew that destroying a gun could un-shoot the gun's prior victims? That's exactly what happens -- Grimlock destroys the dysfunction gun, and suddenly the Autobots are un-dysfunctionalized!
- Fire under water? really?
District of Columbia errors
- Despite the Autobots being near the Chesapeake Bay, the backgrounds show huge rocks and expanses of sand, as if they were in the desert.
- As Hound fights near the reflecting pool, there's lots of tall buildings behind him. D.C. doesn't really have many tall buildings, certainly not near the Mall.
- Both the plot and the animation seem to imply that DC sits on a major body of water. Or did Sub-Atlantica just sail right up the Potomac?
- The Lincoln Memorial is strangely Megatron-sized. Also, the statue part apparently just comes right off. Who knew?
- Somehow, the rotational forces involved in the Washington Monument's partial fall do not cause the masonry structure to snap like a dry twig.
- Apparently, damaged masonry structures like the Washington Monument can be melted back together. Who knew?
Continuity notes
- Gadgets and powers:
- Two groups of Autobots drive on the water, using the water ski-like hydrofoils that showed up in several other episodes. (At most points, the hydrofoils are not shown, but Bumblebee's can be glimpsed after the first commercial break.)
- Hound has a folding sunroof. That is awesome. His toy did not. That is not awesome.
- Bumblebee has a bizarre direction calculator thing that comes out of his back.
- Shoulder artillery: Wheeljack uses a missile from his shoulder launcher to seal the cave shut behind the other Autobots. The only other time he actually fires missiles (instead of laser beams from the tip of the missile) is in "A Plague of Insecticons".
- Grimlock also grumbled about having to save the Autobots in "Day of the Machines". It'll finally come to a head in "Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 1".
- Hey, that shot of Soundwave ejecting Laserbeak during the DC battle sure looks familiar... why, it's copied from "Transport to Oblivion"! Again!
- In the Decepticon campaign of Transformers The Game, Megatron also takes the Lincoln Memorial throne as his own.
Real world references
- As the obligatory "conquer Washington" episode (G.I. Joe had one too), "Atlantis, Arise!" features several D.C. landmarks, including the Washington Monument, the White House (where the Decepticons first land), the US Capitol Building, and the Lincoln Memorial and its Reflecting Pool, as well as a mention of the Chesapeake Bay.
Trivia
- This episode is one of a handful that begins with a (rather pointless) narrative voiceover from Victor Caroli.
- They have in fact seen the last of Nergill.
Home video releases
- Laserdisc
1994 — Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers — Convoy Set (Takara) — Japanese audio only.
1998 — The Transformers — Autobot Edition (Pioneer LDC) — Japanese audio only.
- DVD
2001 — The Transformers — DVD Box 1 (Pioneer LDC) — Japanese audio only.
2002 — The Original Transformers — Season 2 Part 1 (Rhino Entertainment)
2002 — The Original Transformers — Season 2 Part 1: Vol. 2 (Rhino Entertainment)
2003 — Transformers — Season 2 Part 1 (Metrodome)
2004 — Transformers — Bumper Collection Special (Metrodome)
2004 — Transformers — Collection 2: Series 2.1 (Madman Entertainment)
2006 — Transformers — The Complete Generation One Collection (Metrodome)
2007 — The Transformers — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)
2008 — Transformers — Volume 03: Stagione Due Parte Prima (Medianetwork Communication) — English and Italian audio.
2009 — Transformers — Season Two: Part One (Metrodome)
2009 — The Transformers — Complete Collection: Decepticon Edition (Madman Entertainment)
2009 — The Transformers — Season Two, Volume One: 25th Anniversary Edition (Shout! Factory)
2009 — The Transformers — The Complete Series: 25th Anniversary "Matrix of Leadership" Collection (Shout! Factory)
