Created by
Manabu Ono
Cast
Sarah Edmondson …. Lori (voice)
Sam Vincent …. Coby (voice)
Ryan Hirakida …. Bud (voice)
Gary Chalk …. Optimus Prime (voice)
Brian Drummond …. Jetfire, Jolt (voice)
Paul Dobson …. Landmine, Overhaul (voice)
Kirby Morrow …. Hot Shot (voice)
Richard Ian Cox …. Scattorshot (voice)
Richard Newman …. Vector Prime (voice)
Brian Dobson …. Red Alert, Clocker (voice)
Michael Dobson …. Starscream, Brakedown (voice)
Lisa Ann Beley …. Override (voice)
David Kaye …. Megatron (voice)
Mark Acheson …. Crumplezone (voice)
Louis Chirillo …. Ransack (voice)
Mark Oliver …. Thundercracker (voice)
The Show
The 1980’s must have been the best time ever for toy manufacturers to make money. All they seemingly had to do was take a toy line they wanted to promote, churn out a half hour cartoon, and suddenly, you’ve got a national phenomenon on your hands that kids can’t get enough of. This formula worked successfully over and over again for toy lines/cartoons such as Masters of the Universe, Thundercats, G.I. Joe, and tons of others. Perhaps the most popular of the bunch was Transformers, the story of the heroic Autobots and the Decepticons, huge robots that could transform in to various objects and vehicles and battled for the fate of their home planet, Cybertron, as well as Earth. In addition to the animated series and toys, The Transformers spawned a successful comic book line and a full length theatrical feature.
With the revival of 1980’s cartoon series, it was inevitable that the heroes and villains of planet Cybertron would return. Unfortunately, the results have come no where close to the level of quality Optimus Prime and his gang has produced before. Beast Wars came the closest to the original series’ tone with the Transformers landing on earth in a prehistoric time period and transforming in to different animals. Then came Transformers: Robots in Disguise, Armada, and Energon, which were all like taking the childhood of millions of kids from the 80’s and stomping them into the ground.
The trend has not improved with Transformers: Cybertron. As with the previous series, everything having to do with the Autobots and Decepticons is passable, but the Autobots are saddled with human characters. These children, Coby (Sam Vincent), Lori (Sarah Edmondson), and Bud (Ryan Hirakida) are your standard TV anime characters and would have no problems fitting with the children of Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh! or the like. The Transformers themselves look awesome, as they have been redesigned, with their hand drawn characters giving way to new cool looking CGI incarnations. This give the show a much needed and updated look during the opening credits. Unfortunately, the kids and all the backgrounds are still standard TV animation which looks absolutely awful.
This DVD set, subtitled Robots in Disguise – A New Beginning, encompasses four early episodes of the new series. They include:
Haven – The Autobots arrive on Earth and construct a new base with the help of their new human friends. The episode ends with a clash with the Decepticons.
Hidden – The Autobots are having problem fitting in on their new planet, so enlist the help of Cory, Bud, and Lori to help them. The biggest problems occur when Autobots, who are transforming into various planes and submarines, keep having run-ins with the military. Once again, the episode ends with a clash with the Decepticons.
Landmine – The description reads Optimus Prime sends Hot Shot and Red Alert to the Speed Planet to search for the first Cyber Planet Key., while Bud finds the Autobots’ first clue to the location of the Omega Lock. If you know what this description is talking about, then this DVD set is for you.
Space On the Speed Planet, Hot Shot disobeys Optimus and decides to defend innocent civilians under attack from Megatron’s forces. Meanwhile, Bud and Scattershot are shot out of space and plummet toward Earth.
If you love ho hum animation, bad dialogue and unexciting storylines, this show is for you. Transformers: Cybertron is a waste of time and a horrible mark on the legacy of one of the 1980’s best animated series. If you’re a completist, then there’s probably no stopping you anyway, but anyone else stay away.
Score: 1.5 /10
The DVD:
The Video
The picture is fine here. Bright colors abound as giant robot shoot laser beams at each other. The show is presented in its original aspect of 1.33:1.
Score: 8.0/10
The Audio
The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo audio track is also nice. Unfortunately, all there is to hear most of the time is bad dialogue even for a kid’s show.
Score: 8.0/10
SPECIAL FEATURES: Trailers
Trailers – You get various trailers here for Spongebob Squarepants: The Movie, Rugrats, and other Transformers DVD’s.
Score: 1.0/10
