Cartoon Network and Hasbro Roll Out New Transformers Animated Series

[Ditchy McAbandonpants]

Nya-ha! Since all the cool kids have got Transformers Animated avatars these days, I'm going to follow the pack like the sheep that I am. Also, because Starscream is awesome.

I also wish to chime in on the TFA lovin', too. The embers of my long-dormant love of the franchise might have first been fanned by last year's live-action movie, but it wasn't until TFA started airing that they burst right back into flame again. Showrunner Marty Isenberg has been quoted as saying that his objective with TFA was to create the funnest Transformers series to date; if that's the case, Mr Isenberg, then mission well and truly accomplished. Animated is the complete show, everything a Saturday morning series should be: it's funny, it's exciting, it's well-written, it's smart, it's fresh. Moreover, it's also everything a Transformers series should be; it's clearly written with an encyclopedic knowledge of all facets of Transformers history, from G1 to Beast Era right through to the 2007 movie, yet does so in a way that's totally accessible to newcomers. The art designs are full of character and colour, offering fresh new takes on old favourites; the voice cast, as ORD has mentioned, is unrelentingly top-notch (I swear Tom Kenny is actually channeling Chris Latta's ghost as Starscream at times); hell, even their version of the famous theme tune is a particularly awesome one. OK, so perhaps the plotting and character development haven't yet quite reached the ambitious high-watermark left by Beast Wars, and perhaps the animation could stand to be a little smoother, but as far as I'm concerned these are nitpicks that the show has plenty of time to rectify. For now, I am absolutely loving the ride; this show (plus the equally outstanding The Spectacular Spider-Man) has once again made Saturdays as exciting for me as they were when I was eight years old, and that's got to be worth something.

PS - Oh, and the toys are works of absolute art. I know they're not technically available at mass retail yet, but with a little help from a good friend of mine, Mr. E. Bay (ahem), I've already managed to get my unwashed mitts on Voyager-class Optimus Prime, Starscream and Bulkhead, and let me tell you, good sirs: the sculpting is top drawer, the articulation amazing and the show accuracy absolutely astonishing, right down to the transformation technique. Anyone with even the slightest interest in Animated or indeed with Transformers in general should endeavour to pick up as many of these beauties as possible, if only to stop me from bankrupting myself buying them all.

PPS - Might this topic not be slightly more at home on the "Other Entertainment" board? Just a thought...