A new Transformers cartoon movie coming later this year
Since I'd written again about Hasbro's most famous toy robot franchise a short while ago, I thought of noting that, after a number of live action movies in the past 17 years, there's going to be another animated take on the toys coming to theaters in September, titled Transformers One. Gamespot recently listed movies they're anticipating, and it's the 13th on the page:
Since we're on the topic, the Oakland Press interviewed veteran Marvel writer/editor Bob Budiansky several weeks ago at the Great Lakes convention, where he told what he thought made the Transformers a success back in the day:
All that aside, I do appreciate Budiansky's work as a comics writer/editor (and even artist, since he had practiced drawing at times). But I think it's a shame the toy documentary he'll appear in will be a Netflix broadcast, since, as I've noted before, I can't stand how PC they are, and there's only so many reasons why it's better not to subscribe to their services. As for the aforementioned brand new Transformers cartoon film, it'll remain to be seen how well it fares, artistically first and foremost, and if only GI Joe could see the same, but only if talented writers and other contributors were tasked with developing such a project, and only if it weren't "woke".
Transformers One marks the beginning of a new animated trilogy set in the Transformers universe. The film is animated, but we think it's worth putting in here since it'll surely have explosions on par with the previous Transformers movies. The voice cast is star studded, too, including Chris Hemsworth as Optimus Prime, Bryan Tyree Henry as Megatron, as well as Scarlett Johansson, Keegan-Michael Key, Jon Hamm, and Laurence Fishburne.Well this sure is quite surprising somebody thought of going back to an art form that could've served the robots and human characters just as good, if not better, than the overrated live action "blockbusters" Michael Bay first directed in the late 2000s, clogged to the brim as they were with special effects galore like countless other movies since the turn of the century. And it makes me wonder - why couldn't GI Joe also see this kind of approach taken? The only problem is that talented writing is vital, not to mention some respect for patriotic values, and the filmmakers can't be left-wing ideologues who refuse to develop metaphors for issues like Islamic terrorism that the Joes could combat, in addition to Cobra. This is at least partly why the previous live action movies were such failures. If the Transformers movies were originally handled with respect and care, why couldn't the GI Joe movies receive the same? Refusal to respect any kind of patriotism, not to mention civilized values, is why GI Joe will never succeed as a movie franchise, if any more film adaptations are made.
Since we're on the topic, the Oakland Press interviewed veteran Marvel writer/editor Bob Budiansky several weeks ago at the Great Lakes convention, where he told what he thought made the Transformers a success back in the day:
He shared his insight on what makes “Transformers” so popular.Certainly, I think it's great Budiansky succeeded in making the robots a big favorite in their time. But I do wonder how he feels about some of them being kicked to the curb in that aforementioned 1986 movie-length toy commercial? After all, Budiansky was the guy who developed Ironhide and Ratchet, and even if the damage to fictional characters can be reversed, I'd personally feel insulted if the company pulled that after all the hard work I'd done if I were in Budiansky's shoes. I do recall once finding info that Budiansky conceived at least 2 characters who were comic-only, specifically so that, if the robots were to be scrapped in-story, nobody would complain they'd bought a toy model for nothing. Well let's be clear about something. Even if the toys-as-comics-characters were knocked off, does that invalidate the toys' value, or vice versa? Decidedly, no. What matters is the merit in the finished product, certainly in comics.
“The germ of the idea was that you have these beautifully designed toys that turned from different vehicles into robotic lifeforms. A kid could change it from one thing to another, which had a lot of toy-etic value. It had that allure for someone who was the right age,” he explained. “Hasbro’s approach was to make it a comic and cartoon. More than just a toy, it filled in a lot of blanks by providing all these stories in animation and comics. That gave it a lot of life. People of a certain age fell in love with the ‘Transformers.’ It (allowed) Hasbro … to license the ‘Transformers’ for more stories and the opportunity to revive the brand and make it bigger than ever. Good, bad, or indifferent, ‘Transformers’ is being pumped out in different platforms. There’s a lot of content out there for people who like the ‘Transformers.’”
Budiansky appeared on the “Transformers” episode of Netflix’s “The Toys That Made Us” documentary series.
“It upped my profile. People come up to me at cons, ‘I didn’t know you were the guy behind all these characters. You did so much to build the brand.’ It’s nice to be known for my work and have more people want my autograph. It’s an ego boost in that sense. It’s a win-win for me. People are now more aware of my contributions to the world of the ‘Transformers,’” he said.
All that aside, I do appreciate Budiansky's work as a comics writer/editor (and even artist, since he had practiced drawing at times). But I think it's a shame the toy documentary he'll appear in will be a Netflix broadcast, since, as I've noted before, I can't stand how PC they are, and there's only so many reasons why it's better not to subscribe to their services. As for the aforementioned brand new Transformers cartoon film, it'll remain to be seen how well it fares, artistically first and foremost, and if only GI Joe could see the same, but only if talented writers and other contributors were tasked with developing such a project, and only if it weren't "woke".
Labels: animation, good writers, history, licensed products, marvel comics
