The Transformers (TV series)

Did You Know?

• In Japan, the first two seasons were collectively released as Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers, then rebranded as Transformers 2010 for Season 3.
• A Japanese-exclusive OVA, Transformers: Scramble City, was released in 1986 between seasons 2 and 3.
• Supplementary manga written by Masami Kaneda and illustrated by Ban Magami ran alongside each series in Kodansha's TV Magazine.

Background and production

The Transformers toyline and animated series were inspired by the Japanese toyline Microman by Takara, a descendant of the 12-inch G.I. Joe action figure series. In 1980, the Microman spin-off Diaclone was released, featuring inch-tall humanoid figures that could sit in scale model vehicles which transformed into humanoid robot bodies. In 1983, the Microman sub-line MicroChange introduced items that transformed into robots, such as microcassettes, guns, and toy cars. Hasbro product developer Henry Orenstein discovered Diaclone and MicroChange toys at the 1983 Tokyo Toy Fair and presented the concept to Hasbro's head of R&D, George Dunsay. Enthusiastic, Hasbro decided to release toys from both lines as one toyline, with color scheme changes to match the new series. By 1984, U.S. regulators had removed restrictions on promotional content in children's television, clearing the way for product-based programming. Hasbro had previously worked with Marvel Comics on G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, using a toyline, a tie-in comic, and an animated mini-series. Repeating that strategy, Hasbro marketing vice president Bob Prupis approached Marvel to develop the robot series, which Jay Bacal dubbed "Transformers." Marvel editor-in-chief Jim Shooter produced a rough story concept of two warring factions of giant transforming alien robots: the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons. Shooter called on editor Dennis O'Neil to create character names and profiles, but O'Neil's work did not meet Hasbro's expectations, and he declined to make revisions. The project was turned down by several writers and editors until editor Bob Budiansky accepted the task.

Broadcast history

The three-part pilot miniseries, retroactively titled "More than Meets the Eye," first aired in the United States in September 1984. It follows Optimus Prime's Autobots and Megatron's Decepticons as they leave Cybertron to search for energy, crash-land on Earth, and remain offline for 4 million years. Awakening in 1984, the Decepticons pillage Earth's energy sources while the Autobots, aided by humans Sparkplug and Spike Witwicky, protect the planet. The miniseries ends with the Decepticons believed dead and the Autobots preparing to return to Cybertron. The 13-episode first season, commissioned before the pilot aired, was broadcast weekly between October and December on Saturday or Sunday mornings. Story-edited by Bryce Malek and Dick Robbins, the season reveals the Decepticons survived and follows them constructing a space bridge to teleport resources to Cybertron. A loose story arc centers on this technology, culminating in the three-part episode "The Ultimate Doom," where the Decepticons teleport Cybertron into Earth's orbit. The paraplegic computer expert Chip Chase joins Spike and Sparkplug as a human ally. The season introduces new characters from the 1985 product line, including Skyfire, the Dinobots, the Insecticons, and the Constructicons, who merge into Devastator.

Supplemental sequences

The show's first three seasons each had their own custom opening, with brand-new animation and a distinct version of the theme song. The third season's debut, "Five Faces of Darkness," even got a special opening that showed events from that mini-series. For the fourth season, no fresh animation was made; instead, the opening mixed clips from the third season's intro with footage taken from 1987 toy commercials. The fifth season did the same, combining commercial animation with scenes from The Transformers: The Movie, and both used the musical arrangement from season three. A signature transition throughout the entire four-year run showed the Autobot and Decepticon logos flipping into each other, paired with a five-note musical cue. Commercial breaks were introduced and ended with short animated bumpers, each featuring a voice-over from narrator Victor Caroli. A set of five public service announcements was planned for the second season, using scripts recycled from the G.I. Joe series and ending with the line "...and knowing is half the battle!" These PSAs never made it to air but later turned up as extras on DVDs and in video games. For the third season, episodes ended with "The Secret Files of Teletraan II," short segments that used show clips and new narration from Caroli to give background on the Autobots, Decepticons, Quintessons, and other topics.

Home media

Seasons 1–4 were released on Region 1 DVD by Rhino Entertainment Company between April 23, 2002, and March 9, 2004. Due to missing 35mm film stock, some sections of the Rhino release use earlier incomplete animation, introducing errors such as mis-colored Decepticon jets, Skyfire colored like Skywarp, missing laser blasts, and a confusing sequence where Megatron teleports without disappearing. This version added extra sound effects in the remixed 5.1 surround soundtrack and later remixed 2.0 stereo soundtrack not present in the original broadcast. In 2005, Rhino lost the rights, and the license was acquired by Sony Wonder, who announced a 2007 re-release of the first season. In June 2007, Sony BMG dissolved Sony Wonder and moved the label to Sony Pictures Home Entertainment without releasing any DVD sets. In May 2008, Hasbro re-acquired the rights to Sunbow's catalogue, including Transformers. In March 2009, Shout! Factory acquired the license and released The Complete First Season on June 16, 2009, followed by Season Two Volume One on September 15, 2009, Season Two Volume Two on January 12, 2010, and Seasons Three and Four together on April 20, 2010. These releases corrected most Rhino animation errors by using lower quality sources from original broadcast masters, and discarded Rhino's added sound effects for a mix faithful to the original mono audio. On October 20, 2009, Shout! released the complete series in a box set titled Transformers: The Complete Series - The Matrix of Leadership Collector's Set. All four seasons are available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Tubi, Pluto TV, Plex, and The Roku Channel, using the Rhino masters.