World Transformers: Animated series news/discussion

[Spade]

Starscream could kill a man with that chin. And I suppose they thought Movie Megatron was going to be so widely accepted that they would be fine porting over his exact same look from the film to the animation? Oh yeah, that'll help loads in people accepting this cartoon.

 

[Jochimus]

Why does Starsceam have this stupid ass long face...

...because it's better than insect mandibles?

I kinda like his Disney-villain chin; in that respect, it kind of plays up the character's long-standing sense of vanity.

 

[Lunar_Wolf]

Here you can see the decepticons in shadow. Megatron, Starscream, Blackarachnia, and possibly Lugnutz and Blitzwing.

Starscream's face looks like it's melting. Megatron looks like the movie version, which is not bad. Whoever that is left to Megatron, looks like G1 Megatron.

Some of the designs I'm fine with, others I hate.

 

[lars573]

Starscream's face looks like it's melting. Megatron looks like the movie version, which is not bad. Whoever that is left to Megatron, looks like G1 Megatron.

Some of the designs I'm fine with, others I hate.

I'm fairly sure it's Blitzwing. If it is, that is but one of his faces. His gimmick is a split personality. He has many faces (like Man-E-faces from He-man) and a spinning head thing going on in the toy.

 

[Remy LeBeau X3]

I'm not trying to sound like a pessimist but I don't like the way the characters are drawn, or the fact that Optimus is the youngest Autobot in this show either. I don't really see it being successful. In my opinion if there is to be a new animated Transformers cartoon, the characters should look closer to their movie counterparts, I mean let's face it that is why there's even going to be a new tv show. They should bank of the movie plot as much as they can. I think the characters should also be the same ones from the movie. It'll give them more personality and of course they can add some more characters too. If they did this in animation or CGI like the Transformers movie game, that would be killer.

 

[Lunar_Wolf]

I'm not trying to sound like a pessimist but I don't like the way the characters are drawn, or the fact that Optimus is the youngest Autobot in this show either. I don't really see it being successful. In my opinion if there is to be a new animated Transformers cartoon, the characters should look closer to their movie counterparts, I mean let's face it that is why there's even going to be a new tv show. They should bank of the movie plot as much as they can. I think the characters should also be the same ones from the movie. It'll give them more personality and of course they can add some more characters too. If they did this in animation or CGI like the Transformers movie game, that would be killer.

I agree.
The animation so far looks horrid.
I'll fully judge it when I see a trailer and see what the animation looks like in action.

 

[lars573]

I'm not trying to sound like a pessimist but I don't like the way the characters are drawn, or the fact that Optimus is the youngest Autobot in this show either. I don't really see it being successful. In my opinion if there is to be a new animated Transformers cartoon, the characters should look closer to their movie counterparts, I mean let's face it that is why there's even going to be a new tv show. They should bank of the movie plot as much as they can. I think the characters should also be the same ones from the movie. It'll give them more personality and of course they can add some more characters too. If they did this in animation or CGI like the Transformers movie game, that would be killer.

Doing that would for sure kill the show, imagine a TF show without Megatron. At least until TF2 comes out then he magically shows up. Look at MTV's Spider-man. It was totally hamstrung before it got out of the gate because it did what your talking about. Hasbro has stated that the movie is it's own thing. Sperate from everything else continuity wise. Teaching them young that TF's aren't the same from one thing to the next.

 

[Chris B]

I'm interested in seeing how this show plays out. It is the first North American-produced Transformers series in awile, which is a good thing for me. None of the Japanese stuff did anything for me.

 

[Jochimus]

Some more TF:A info from the SDCC panel - http://tformers.com/SDCC-Transformers-Animated-Panel/8194/news.html

3:05: Transformers Animated
+ Panel members from "Transformes Animated" are Sam Register, Matt Youngberg, Derrick Wyatt, and Mary Isenberg + The show is make for 6-11 year old demographic
+ Since kids dont read comics any more.

Sad, but true, I imagine.

+ This has been a partnership with CN and Hasbro.
+ They are using Hasbro, CN and Japanese desigers to do this.
+ The aim to offer a new look for the Transformers after the movie went for the realistic look
+ Everyone at CN and Hasbro are all big TF fans. They know and love the brand and are excited to see some new ides coming along.
+ Derrick Wyatt said his challenge was to design new TFs to be more humanesque and expressive.
+ Matt Youngberg is working with the Japanese to make the production more fluid and more full of life.
+ Japanese studios do that kind of work best so they went with the animation in Japan.
+ Eric Sebenhaler says the challenge was to go from brick styling to a more organic style that CN wanted to see. Eric works with CN guys sharing deisgn ideas and such.

In other words, the radical design change was what CN wanted.

+ Aaron Archer says that they wanted to focus on four characters with more to come and choose what characters and vehicles they would like to add to the story
+ Also, Dinobots are coming back!

Hells yeah!

+ The Animated show is a reinterpretation show. New feel.

Um...what else is new?

+ Some video stuff is being showcased.
+ This carton is influenced by the Mighty Orbots
+ Voice of Lickdown will lance hendrikson.

I'm sure that's LOCKDOWN (sp), and damn...Bishop voicing a TF? Some G1 voice actors, Weird Al as Wreck-Gar, and now this...VERY interesting.

3:19 P.M. Animated Toys
+ Extra special care to match faces to toon look.
+ A lot the toys have a glossy finish and a matte / stain finish - new look
+ Toys shown:
Autobots: We see a Deluxe, Voyager Prime - Cybertronian Verision and Earth Modes; Bumblebee, Bulkhead, Prowl, Ratchet, Deluxe Slug and Grimlock;

Wonder if that's supposed to be SLUDGE instead of Slug.

Decepticons: Starscream and Megatron, Lugnutz is a lot like Hulk, and Blitzwing is a 2-faced character; Deluxe Lockdown transforms into a Corvette-type vehicle - their version of Bulkhead; Deluxe Blackarachnia and Soundwave - Soundwave has a guitar that turns into Laserbeak;

I honestly hope one of the sites posts some pics, just to see whether this is cool or cheesy as hell.

+ Steps in toy to vehicle - vehicle to toy being shown.

Well, judging by previous reports, Hasbro really relied a lot on Takara to make the Animated designs work as transformable toys. *prays for pics later on*

 

[Lunar_Wolf]

I hope we see some pictures. I hope the toys look good. With the rather odd designs, I'm worried about the toys.

 

[lars573]

Wonder if that's supposed to be SLUDGE instead of Slug.

Maybe, probably not though. They didn't keep up the usage so they may have lost it.

 

[Jochimus]

A couple of the protos at SDCC - http://tformers.com/ig.php?mode=album&album=8194&start=0

Bumblebee

Bulkhead

Starscream

 

[lars573]

Anyway pics. First up the ones that they didn't bring prototypes for.

Deluxe (Cybertronian form), and Voyager (earth form) Optimus Primes.

For clarity the the Cybertonian form is the coloured one.

Prowl and Ratchet.

The two Dino bots they showed

Slug and Grimlock. Grimmy is voyager and Slug is deluxe.

 

[lars573]

Soundwave+Laserbreak and Blackarachnia

Laserbeak is the guitar Soundwave is holding in bot mode BTW.

Blitzwing and Lugnut

Megatron (Cybertronian form) and Starscream

 

[lars573]

Starscream

 

[Jochimus]

Preview clip at SDCC: http://enewsi.com/

A couple eyebrow-raising moments and the obligatory little brat protagonist aside, I kinda like it.

 

[Nathan]

It's interesting. All Autobots have been re-done from scratch, but for the Decepticons they seem to re-use the designs from previous cartoons/Movies. Megatron is clearly based on his latest Movie incarnation, Blacharachnia is from Beast Wars and Starscream looks like from Armada.

 

[Jochimus]

Prowl and Optimus

 

[Super Kal]

I think I'll just stick to Transformers Armada...

 

[Lunar_Wolf]

Preview clip at SDCC: http://enewsi.com/

A couple eyebrow-raising moments and the obligatory little brat protagonist aside, I kinda like it.

Thanks for posting this!

First off the animation is not as bad as I thought it might look.
I still don't like how the TF move at times. Almost they are move out of proportion or like they are made of jelly. The whole anime crappy effect to the show I don't like. Prowl also did the ****ing Taz spin

Music is awesome!

Grimlock looks kickass.

Love Starscreams voice.

The girl looks very ****ing annoying.

The toys look good.

 

[Jochimus]

Prowl also did the ****ing Taz spin

Now that I think about it, the Taz-spin transformation is probably with reference to him being a ninja-type as he's been described - in other words, he's transforming THAT FAST (you'll note the other TFs do have definitive transformations).

TF:A looks to be Hasbro's effort to "reintroduce" G1 to a new generation, given how much more G1 homage this show has in comparison to all the more recent series (the Skyspy, Arcee, the Dinobots, the Ark instead of the Axalon [Primal's ship in BW], Weird Al/Wreck-Gar, the theme song) - obviously a twenty-plus year old cartoon won't cut it.

 

[Starscreamer]

Grimlock, Arcee and Starscream look like G1 carbon copies...also notice those 3 got the biggest cheers. People WANT G1 (OR SOME FORM OF IT) back because its what worked best

 

[Lunar_Wolf]

Grimlock, Arcee and Starscream look like G1 carbon copies...also notice those 3 got the biggest cheers. People WANT G1 (OR SOME FORM OF IT) back because its what worked best

prime got no cheers

 

[Spade]

It was...okay. I was really turned off by the designs. Bumblebee sounds like a Rattrap ripoff. Prime's design is bad enough, but the face and VA are way, way off. Megatron was speaking a little low-key but he suffices. Starscream was a good highlight. All in all, the material seems like it's capitalizing a bit too much off of giant mecha animation like Armada and only scoring patchy positives for me. I get the feeling that the highlights of the whole really will be the G1 references. Something about the kid and the setup tell me that I'm going to be weathering the series rather than enjoying it.

 

[Lunar_Wolf]

It was...okay. I was really turned off by the designs. Bumblebee sounds like a Rattrap ripoff. Prime's design is bad enough, but the face and VA are way, way off. Megatron was speaking a little low-key but he suffices. Starscream was a good highlight. All in all, the material seems like it's capitalizing a bit too much off of giant mecha animation like Armada and only scoring patchy positives for me. I get the feeling that the highlights of the whole really will be the G1 references. Something about the kid and the setup tell me that I'm going to be weathering the series rather than enjoying it.

The kid is ****ing freaking. Looks deformed.