Attention ’80s Kids: An Animated ‘Transformers’ Prequel is On the Way
Lucky is one word used to describe the generation of people who grew up enjoying ‘80s cartoons, movies, and music. While there are reasons not to remember that time with warm and fuzzy thoughts, it’s the era that brought us Ghostbusters, The Goonies, Care Bears, and Transformers.
It’s also an era that continues to influence Hollywood. Fans of ‘80s cartoons and toys will stand by The Transformers as being one of the most mesmerizing things on TV. You know it and more than likely, you had your favorite characters.
Like He-Man, G.I. Joe, and other favorites from that time period, Transformers is receiving a new lifeline for the small screen.
Keep calm, ‘Transformers’ will not be live-action
Your first thought was probably, “What? Another Transformers movie?” Yes and no. Deadline reported that Paramount and Hasbro are collaborating for an animated feature film based on the original cartoon series from the ‘80s.
According to the outlet, the story will explore the origins of the Autobots and Decepticons on their home planet of Cybertron. If you remember, there was a time when Optimus Prime and Megatron were not enemies.
The movie will tap into that angle. Further, this film will not be connected to the live-action versions associated with the Transformers franchise (or Bumblebee).
The studio hired Joshua Cooley—whose latest work includes Toy Story 4—to direct the new tale, and the writing team includes talents from the Ant-Man film series.
The original cartoon began on Earth
In September 1983, the first episode of The Transformers animated series began airing on TV. Did you know its story came from Marvel? Based on a Japanese toyline, The Transformers fell in the lap of Marvel’s then-editor-in-chief to create an accompanying series.
Kids were introduced to Optimus Prime on their TV sets as the leader of Autobots, the only group who could stop the Decepticons from destroying the world. Those were his own words.
The first season saw the bad guys siphoning resources from Earth to save Cyberton, but viewers never knew what led to the war between the two groups or the destruction of their planet.
This prequel is supposed to change all that, and most likely, fans will witness it as a theatrical release. Hopefully, it will include Megatron’s snarky sense of humor and Starscream’s scheming personality.
What fans think about the prequel
Transformers lovers are excited to see these characters return to the big screen, with some Redditors calling it amazing and saying it’s about time there was a movie about Cybertron, Optimus Prime, and Megatron. No humans!
Some expressed concern about the animation quality and whether the storyline would be confusing without a Bumblebee film connection. However, this is an animated feature and it’s likely this will revolve around the cartoons that kids fell in love with on Saturday mornings in the ‘80s.
Per Deadline, this project has been in development for several years and because it’s animated, it is somewhat easier to work on while social distancing. A potential release date has not been announced.
