Rating: Not Rated
Starring:
David Kaye as Optimus Prime
Jeff Bennett as Prowl
Bumper Robinson as Bumblebee
Bill Fagerbakke as Bulkhead
Tara Strong as Sari Sumdac
Corey Burton as Ratchet
Tom Kenny as Isaac Sumdac / Starscream
Special Features:
2 Transformers Animated Shorts
Other Info:
Fullscreen (1.33:1)
Dolby Digital Stereo Sound
Spanish Language
Running Time: 68 Minutes
Synopsis:
The following is from the DVD description:
“A ragtag group of Autobots led by Optimus Prime are in a remote sector of Cybertron cleaning space bridges when they stumble upon the most import artifact in Transformers history; the Allspark! The Decepticons who are only scary myths for many Autobots are in hot pursuit of the Allspark; now this new band of Autobots must fight for their lives and the future of Cybertron. The Autobots are able to escape the Decepticons and crash land on an unknown planet called Earth. They land in Lake Erie and remain in stasis for 50 years. Meanwhile Megatron sabotaged by Starscream lost the Allspark and fell to Earth in scattered pieces. A young scientist named Isaac Sumdac discovers him and uses his technology to create the modern robotics industry in Detroit. The Autobots awaken from stasis during an emergency. Deciding to help the new organic life forms they convert into emergency vehicles and fight off a scary creature. Unable to stay in disguise they change into their robot forms able to save the day! In doing so they become new celebrities and heroes to the humans. Optimus Prime and his band of Autobots make Detroit their adopted home and vow to protect the Allspark and Earth from the Decepticons and anyone else who try and cause chaos. Megatron comes online during all of the commotion and discovers his headless body in Isaac s lab! Autobots hold the key to his rise and eventual rule of the universe!”
“Transformers Animated: Transform and Roll Out” is not rated.
Mini-Review:
My kids started watching “Transformers Animated” when it first aired on Cartoon Network and they haven’t missed a single episode since. And while it’s fantastic fun for 6 year olds, I’ve enjoyed watching it, too. This DVD contains the first 3 or so episodes.
As a longtime Transformers fan, I get a kick out of seeing how they manage to combine little elements from all the previous Transformers incarnations into something new. You see Arcee and Wreck-Gar (voiced by Weird Al Yankovic!) from the “Transformers” movie. Megatron and the Allspark are modeled after the recent live action film. You see a spider Transformer from the Beast Wars series. As the series progresses you get to see new incarnations of the Dinobots, Blitzwing, Headmasters, Blurr, and more. If any of that makes sense to you, then you know why it’s fun for a Transformers fan.
But there’s a lot new here, too. First of all, this series is more geared towards children than any previous Transformers show. That may irk some older fans, but I’m OK with it. The animation is much more anime inspired, too. This leads to cool action, unique character designs, and feel much more akin to the toy robot’s Japanese origins. The story also shows a young Optimus Prime as a rookie leader in charge of a bunch of misfit robots. He’s unsure of himself and he makes mistakes. It much more shows the development of the hero we know and love. While the established characters remain true to their personalities, there are a few new characters, too. There’s Bulkhead, the muscle of the group, and Prowl, the ‘ninja’ of the group. Plus there’s the precocious little girl, Sari, and her inventor father. I have a feeling that a number of these characters will become as beloved as established Transformers characters.
If you’re a Transformers fan, this is required viewing for you. And if you have a young Transformers fan in your household, this is a required addition to your DVD collection.
While we’re shorted on bonus features, we do get two new, original shorts. One shows Optimus Prime speaking at an elementary school. Another shows Bumblebee making fun of Prowl to his peril. They’re less than a minute or so combined, but it’s fun to see some original animation.
