I’m a Transformers fan from back in the day.  I still remember my excitement when the movie came out.  Unicron?  Cartoon swearing?  You’ve got the touch?  I wanted to own every toy.  Sadly, poverty limited me to only Bumblebee.  I’d like to think I was open-minded when it came to a new series, but upon viewing learned my thoughts will forever be inexorably linked to the original.

Transformers Animated takes place in near future Detroit.  Optimus Prime is an academy bot who teams up with some maintenance bots (Bumblebee, Bulkhead, Prowl and Rachet).  Earth girl and spunky spitfire Sari befriends this team of Autobots.  In fact, the all-spark has infused Sari’s key with the ability to heal Autobots (amongst other things).  Bodiless Megatron uses the friendly (and gullible) Professor Sumdac, Sari’s father, in an effort to return to a fully-functioning state.  All the while, the battle for the all-spark is on.

I was hesitant to let this new show into my heart because of the love I have for the old one.  In addition to that, there are certain bits which are nigh intolerable such as Blitzwing’s multiple personalities including Arnold.  The villains of this season bounce between Decepticons and altered humans like Meltdown (whose corrosive touch can even affect Transformers) and Headmaster (I have a joke here, but I’m afraid kids might read this).  The Headmaster is a nod to a comic run I remember.  I support anything that includes Dinobots.

Like the series itself, the vocal talent is a mixed bag.  Tom Kenny (SpongeBob Squarepants, The Batman) does a phenomenally spot-on Starscream.  Though I’m not at all times a fan of her character, Tara Strong (The Fairly Oddparents, Teen Titans) is, as always, a welcome addition to any cast as the voice of Sari.  Peter Stormare (Prison Break, Constantine) lends his voice to villainous Meltdown.  On the other end of the spectrum, David Kaye lacks the grit, depth and unique quality of Peter Cullen’s Optimus Prime.

At first viewing, the only holdover from the original series was a slightly revamped theme song.  It took me more than a few episodes to get comfortable with the characters and use of humor.  Ultimately, this series reminds me more of Teen Titans than the Transformers of old.  Once I let go of my pre-conceived notions, I started to enjoy this new incarnation.

AUDIO/VIDEO/EXTRAS

Transfomers Animated comes with 13 full-screren episodes on two DVDs.  English and Spanish audio tracks are available.  Each DVD gives you both the Play All and Episode Selection options.

Disc One has a Photo Gallery Sneak Peak at Season Two.  I’m not sure exactly how this is a sneak as these are limited to character stills.

FINAL WORD

Word to the wise – though this is packaged as Season One, it’s missing the first three episodes that aired as a movie and, because of this, viewers enter the series cold.  Not that you can’t quickly get up to speed, but it was weird for me to have the Autobots already friends with Sari and her magic key, a new character and concept I knew nothing about going in.

Newcomers and kids especially will find Transformers Animated immediately likable.  For those of you hoping to rekindle the series from your youth, this will not completely fill that space in your heart.  Fans of the old school Transformers will require a little more time to cross over.