add site
services
publishers
database
health videos
toolbar
stats
live show
health store
more stuff
JOIN/LOGIN
| advertise add site services publishers database health videos
| | about toolbar stats live show health store more stuff JOIN/LOGIN |
Transformers Animated is an American animated television series based on the Transformers toy line. The series debuted on The Cartoon Network on December 26, 2007 and has been shown on NickToons in the UK since March 2008. It is produced by Cartoon Network Studios and animated by Japanese animation studios. Thus far, two 90-minute movies and 39 additional episodes have been released over three seasons.[2] The European Jetix began to air the series on October 11, 2008. In Japan, there is a tentative plan to begin broadcast and release of the toy line come Spring 2010.[3] The show's continuity is separate from any other previous Transformers series, despite using footage from the first series (The Transformers) in its first episode as a historical film.
[edit] SynopsisMain article: List of Transformers Animated episodes Five Autobots (Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Ratchet, Prowl, and Bulkhead) find the fabled Allspark only to become a part of the long-lasting battle between the Autobots and their enemies, the evil Decepticons. A space battle ends up stranding the Autobots in the 22nd century Detroit where they take on roles akin to that of superheroes, fighting both Decepticons and human supervillains. The story takes place in Detroit, and the Transfomers' battle is renewed in this future city on Earth. Instead of being known as the Motor City, it has now become the Robot City due to Dr. Isaac Sumdac's non-alien robotic creations. Sari Sumdac, his 8-year-old daughter, is the main human character that the Autobots saved when they landed on Earth. [edit] Season 1In the first season, Megatron's disembodied head was revived, and worked with Issac Sumdac, under the disguise of an Autobot, to rebuild his body. This usually involved incidents such as the creation of the Dinobots and Soundwave. Finally, the Decepticons Lugnut and Blitzwing manage to revive Megatron with Sari's stolen key. Megatron killed Starscream and fought the Autobots, a battle that ended with Issac Sumdac captured and the AllSpark seemingly destroyed. [edit] Season 2In the second season, the Autobot Elite Guard (consisting of Ultra Magnus, Sentinel Prime, and Jazz) came to Earth to retrieve the AllSpark, only to learn of its destruction. When they were about to take the earth-bound Autobots back to Cybertron, Starscream was resurrected by an allspark fragment, and proved to the Elite Guard of the Decepticon activity on the planet, as well as the remaining fragments of the AllSpark. Throughout the season, the Autobots continued to retrieve fragments of the AllSpark, and all the while meeting new friends and foes. Meanwhile, the Decepticons continued to construct a Space Bridge to reach Cybertron, and by the end of the season, completed it. The ensuing battle resulted in Megatron and Starscream's head imobile in space, and the loss of Autobots Blurr and Omega Supreme (who was revealed to be the Autobot ship). Meanwhile, Sari discovers she does not have any proof that she is Sumdac's daughter or even if she exists, so she was evicted from Sumdac Tower and ended up living with the Autobots. At the end of the season, Sari eventually discovers she isn't just a human, but a robot. [edit] Season 3In the third season, Decepticons are battling the Autobots for control of Space Bridges everywhere, hoping to join in Megatron's planned invasion from last season. Megatron and Starscream are soon freed from the depths of space and manage to take control of Omega Supreme. It is meanwhile revealed that Sari is a techno-organic being created from Issac Sumdac's DNA and a protoform ("basic frame" of a Cybertronian), but only after Sari drains the Key of its powers when she upgrades herself into a teenage body. Megatron and Starscream come to Earth and attempt to kill the Autobots, only to end up on an endless random warping cycle. Issac Sumdac and Bulkhead continued to work on a Space Bridge, whilst the fugitive Wasp comes to Earth for revenge on Bumblebee. Wasp escapes, and Shockwave is revealed to be a spy to the whole of Cybertron. Shockwave escapes with Ultra Magnus' hammer, and leaves behind a mortally wounded Ultra Magnus. Sentinel Prime, who had come to Earth to catch Wasp, returns to Cybertron with the captured Lugnut, Blitzwing, Swindle, and two Starscream clones, but Lugnut and Swindle escape, and Lugnut finds Megatron, Starscream, and Omega Supreme. Shockwave brings them Arcee (who contains Omega's activation codes), and soon three clones of Omega Supreme are created, in Lugnut's likeness. The final battle results in the deaths of Prowl and Starscream, and Megatron is captured and brought to Cybertron by the Autobots, who are hailed as heroes upon arrival. [edit] CharactersMain articles: List of robots in Transformers Animated and List of organics in Transformers Animated The main transformers are Optimus Prime, Prowl, Ratchet, Bulkhead, Bumblebee, Megatron, Starscream, Blitzwing, and Lugnut. The Optimus Prime of this series is much younger than previous incarnations. Professor Isaac Sumdac, Sari Sumdac, and Captain Fanzone are the humans or (as the Transformers call them) "organics".[4] [edit] Locations
[edit] ProductionThe series is animated by Japanese animation studios MOOK DLE, The Answer Studio (the Japanese studio that animated Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!), and Studio 4°C. Formerly known by the working title Transformers: Heroes, its new simplified title was designed to specifically distinguish it from the live-action film released in July 2007, months before the first episode aired.[2] The series is distributed internationally by Entertainment Rights.[7] The show's supervising director is Matt Youngberg (Teen Titans, The Batman) [8], with Cartoon Network vice-president Sam Register as executive producer and Vincent Aniceto as line producer. Additionally, Beast Machines writer Marty Isenberg returned as the head writer for this series.[citation needed] Art director/lead character designer Derrick Wyatt (Teen Titans, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, Legion of Super Heroes) created the “brand new look” that this series introduces. The first episode was due to be screened in full on November 3–4, 2007 at the NTFA Mini-Con, a Transformers convention in Arlöv, Sweden, but US toymaker Hasbro pulled their approval of the screening of the full episode, despite it being green-lighted by Hasbro Nordic at first. The episode had to be cut down to the first 11 minutes.[9][10] After the series' normal run began in January 2008, the first two seasons were aired nearly back-to-back, creating nearly a year-long delay in between the second and third seasons. The long-awaited final season finally premiered in North America on March 14, 2009 with a 90-minute (three episode) special. After a lack of communication and much speculation, it was officially announced at BotCon 2009 that the series was over, at least in a televised format. During the production of the show, voice actor David Kaye (Optimus Prime) was living in Vancouver Canada and flying to California once a week for nine months straight. This led him to a decision to move to California permanently.[citation needed] A guidebook for the show, The Allspark Almanac, was released in 2009 and covers the first two seasons of the show. [edit] CastDavid Kaye, who voiced Megatron during Beast Wars, Beast Machines and the Unicron Trilogy, now voices Optimus Prime, Grimlock, Lugnut, Highbrow, Cliffjumper, Warpath, the human Sparkplug, and the News and Security Bots.[11] Kaye said that most of the characters outside the core cast (Prime, Bulkhead, Bumblebee, Prowl, Ratchet) will be single-episode cameo appearances. Corey Burton, who voiced Shockwave and Spike Witwicky from the original series, reprises them along with providing the voice of Ratchet, Megatron, Ironhide and Cyrus "The Colossus" Rhodes in this show.[12] Tom Kenny voices Starscream, Scrapper, Waspinator, Jetfire, Skywarp, Sunstorm, Thundercracker, Ramjet, Rattletrap, Professor Isaac Sumdac, Tutor Bot, the Burger Bot robot, and an unnamed commercial announcer and cop.[13] Tara Strong voices a girl named Sari Sumdac, one of the supporting human characters, as well as Red Alert, Strika, Slipstream, Teletraan I, Mayor Edsel's Aide, Daniel, Carly, Slo-Mo, and the Receptionist Bot.[14] Jeff Glen Bennett as Prowl, Ultra Magnus, Soundwave, Mixmaster, Grandus, Captain Fanzone, Angry Archer, and the Condiment Bot[15] Other cast members and guest stars include:
Susan Blu and John Moschitta, Jr. played previous incarnations of their characters in The Transformers: The Movie and Seasons 3-4 of the original TV series. Judd Nelson played the incarnation of his character in The Transformers: The Movie. "Weird Al" Yankovic supplied the song "Dare to Be Stupid" for the soundtrack of The Transformers: The Movie, which played during the scene where the original Wreck-Gar was introduced. [edit] Home video releases[edit] North AmericaThe North American releases feature full-screen video and stereo sound in both English and Spanish.
[edit] United KingdomWhereas in North America the series was released in complete seasons, the UK instead got several single-disc "volumes" containing four episodes each, also featuring full-screen video, but with audio and subtitles in English and German.
[edit] GermanyGermany saw the same releases as the UK.
[edit] Video gameMain article: Transformers Animated (video game) This is the first Transformers Animated game. Released for the Nintendo DS platform in October 2008. [edit] Channels[edit] References
[edit] External links
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ↑ top of page ↑ | about thumbshots |
