Transformers Animated (cartoon)

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Animated continuity family
Animated

Transformers Animated is a cartoon series which debuted on December 26, 2007, in support of the franchise of the same name.

The cartoon is produced by Cartoon Network, scripted in the United States, with character and background designs by the crews behind top even a single one. The human villains give the Autobots "everyday" threats, and some of their schemes are the result of Decepticon treachery. Note well: Human adversaries are not new in Transformers continuity.

While the series is not a sequel to the live-action movie, they have many thematic elements in common, most notably the central role of the AllSpark and the revelation that all modern technology has been reverse-engineered from the dormant body of Megatron. Hasbro also carried over some design elements from the live-action movie into Animated designs, including not just the aforementioned cube but also Ratchet's medical readout striped deco, Bumblebee's black racing stripe, and Megatron's helmet. These are meant to be "connection points," helping kids who had seen the theatrical film but had no prior Transformers experience ease into understanding the new series.

The series also includes many elements and homages to prior Transformers series. Most conspicuously, it has many parallels to Generation 1 character designs, personalities, and major characteristics; Shockwave and Blurr are even voiced by the same voice actors as their G1 analogues. Beast Wars gets nods in the form of the inclusion of new versions/homages of Blackarachnia and Waspinator, plus the overall plot structure: The main war is over, the good guys won, but now a small team of heroes never meant for combat roles must go up against an upstart cell of villains led by a charismatic rogue.

At BotCon 2009, Cartoon Network representatives confirmed longstanding fan rumors that the seed)|Wheeljack]]

Others

|c2=

Main Cast (Megatron's Team)
Constructicons
Starscream clones
Team Chaar
Others

|c3=

Main Cast
II]]

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Season 3: 2009
  1. TransWarped, Part I
  2. TransWarped, Part II
  3. TransWarped, Part III
  4. Three's a Crowd
  5. Where Is Thy Sting?
  6. Five Servos of Doom
  7. Predacons Rising
  8. Human Error, Part I
  9. Human Error, Part II
  10. Decepticon Air
  11. This Is Why I Hate Machines
  12. Endgame, Part I
  13. Endgame, Part II

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Studio 4°C shorts
  1. Career Day
  2. Evel Knievel Jump (aka "Prowl")
  3. Mime Time (aka "Bumblebee")
  4. Starscream Heckles Megatron (aka "Mocking Megatron")
  5. Explosive Punch
  6. Bulkhead Plays with Grimlock
  7. Ratchet Performs Surgery on Bulkhead

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Other shorts
  1. Meet Bulkhead
  2. Meet Ratchet
  3. Meet Bumblebee
  4. Meet Optimus Prime
  5. Meet Prowl
  6. Meet Megatron
  7. Meet Starscream

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Creative staff

There are some talented people working on this show. Among the more prominent-

Home video releases

United States

The American releases feature full-screen video and stereo sound in both English and Spanish.

  • Transform and Roll Out (DVD, June 22, 2008)
A single DVD containing the feature-length premiere "Transform and Roll Out".
Also includes the first two unaired shorts, "Career Day" and "Evel Knievel Jump".
  • A Target exclusive version came with a second disc containing the follow-up episode "Home Is Where the Spark Is".
  • Season One (DVD, August 19 2008)
A Two-disc set containing the complete first season, from "Home Is Where the Spark Is" to "e series was published by IDW Publishing starting in January 2008. The book used cartoon screen captures arranged in comic book style panels.

Reception

Transformers Animated debuted January 5, 2008, at 10:30am EST as the number one television show among boys 6-11 in both cable and network television. In addition, the strength of the showing helped lift the ratings of all its neighboring shows in Cartoon Network's "Dynamite Action" scheduling block. [1]

The immediate response to the earliest promotional materials from the online fandom was the painfully traditional one, with an added dash of overblown paranoia that the franchise would be far too "kid-oriented" for longtime fans to enjoy, based on nothing more than its artistic style. Attitudes took an eyebrow-raisingly sharp turn with the premiere of the first footage from the show at the San Diego Comic Con and Hasbro's presentation at BotCon 2007, and after the debut of the show, it was essentially only the most ardent "already-made-up-their-mind-to-hate-it" viewers who were speaking ill. In particular, many fears were alleviated with the airing of "The Thrill of the Hunt", which involved Ratchet savagely beating Lockdown for revenge, Ratchet coping with the loss of Arcee's memories, and a look at the horrors of war. This unusual level of maturity let many fans warm up to the new series.

The aforementioned ability of the series to carry on story arcs for multiple episodes and, in many cases, for an entire season also lends itself to enjoyment by older viewers. Multiple plot lines run simultaneously and are not resolved within a single episode, allowing a deeper, more intricate story entry in Derrick Wyatt's blog]</ref>

  • In May 2008, when North American broadcasts of the series were only four episodes into season two, all the remaining episodes of the season aired in Dubai. While almost nobody in the fandom had personally seen these episodes (and no one had seen them in English as they were intended), gossip based on viewer reviews and screencaps resulted in many plot developments and potential surprises being spoiled. Hooray.

References

  1. ↑ Transformers Animated Premieres #1 on All Television Among Boys and Boosts Kids 6-11 and 2-11 Delivery by Powerful Double-Digits
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