Transformers Animated

Transformers Animated is a cartoon series which debuted in early 2008, 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 shows like Teen Titans and Ben 10, while animation is being provided by Japanese studios Mook, The Answer Studio, and Studio 4°C.

Animated sees several G1 voice actors reprise their old roles (Susan Blu, Corey Burton, John Moschitta, etc.), and is the first Transformers show featuring David Kaye in which he won't be voicing Megatron.

Overview
Animated follows the adventures of a small crew of Autobots, who come into possession of the all-powerful AllSpark artifact. Stranded on Earth and living among the population of Detroit, they face off against a series of human villains and their mighty Decepticon foes, who seek to possess the AllSpark. Though they were originally a lowly space bridge repair crew, these five Autobots must rise to their circumstances to deal with threats large and small.

The series eschews the ever-continuing space opera storylines of the Unicron Trilogy cartoons to return to the episodic approach of Beast Wars; most episodes are standalone stories, but with larger story arcs that stretch through the whole series. The focus is on characterization, dynamic action, and humor.

The episodes center not only on the war between the Autobots and the Decepticons, but also on the Autobots' interactions with many of Detroit's human supervillain denizens, including a maladjusted marksman, a speedy racer, and a guy who looks good in a pimp suit. The idea is to present the Decepticons as more of an ongoing background threat instead of having them be repeatedly defeated each episode and look like bumbling fools. The arrival of a Decepticon in battle is a big deal, requiring multiple Autobots working together to stop 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.

Season 3 is already in the works, and season 4 is quite possible.

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.

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.

Trivia

 * Transformers: Animated reunites Jeff Bennett, Bill Fagerbakke and Cree Summer as regular cast members. Respectively, they have previously voiced Brooklyn, Broadway and Hyena from the Gargoyles series, three characters not unlike their Transformers counterparts. Another voice actor for Gargoyles, Kath Soucie, has made a guest appearance.
 * The series is the first in over a decade to re-establish the classic Generation 1 convention of blue eyes for Autobots and red eyes for Decepticons.
 * As well as the aforementioned Generation 1 voice actors, Townsend Coleman returns to a Transformers series. He voiced Rewind in the original Generation 1 cartoon.
 * It seems like the Autobots like faceplates in this series. (i.e. Optimus, Prowl, Bumblebee, Sentinel Prime.)
 * Yes, they have large chins. Shut up about it.
 * For some reason, a lot of fans want to believe that Animated is full of references to the anime Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, selecting lots of random, generic, anime-influenced hand motions and assorted design quirks throughout season 1 as "obvious" nods to the series. Then Derrick Wyatt announced that he hadn't even seen the show until the production of Season 1 was finished. HA. Of course, the possibility exists that the second season may see some Lagann references, as Wyatt notes that it and Diebuster have since inspired the production staff, but Wyatt singles out Mighty Orbots and the British comic 2000 AD 's ABC Warriors strip as the biggest influences on the character designs, with Lagann/Diebuster producers Gainax animation studio as a constant source of influence.
 * 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 has personally seen these episodes (and no one has seen them in English as they were intended), gossip based on viewer reviews and screencaps has resulted in many plot developments and potential surprises being spoiled. Hooray.

External Link

 * Derrick Wyatt's blog