BotCon Q&A- Transformers Animated

[Kaylee]

Posted over at TFArchive, these sound very positive indeed imo! Emphasis on characterisation (directly similar to that of Beastwars), diverse plots, Decepticons reserved as a real huge threat rather than the day-to-day beaten characters etc.

Snipped:

[16:31] awa64: 6) SIZZLE REEL
[16:32] awa64: -New 2008 cartoon. 3 ep mini-movie in January. Show starts later in January and continues through from there.
[16:32] awa64: Partnering with CN, production stateside once again.
[16:33] awa64: "Partnership with CN has been great, from directors to character/prop/bg designers, writers, producer--all great."
[16:33] awa64: "These guys are fans of Transformers. More knowledgable than the design team about the geeky stuff. Plenty of easter eggs."
[16:33] awa64: New style and tone is purposeful. Things needed to be freshened up, diversified.
[16:34] awa64: More relatable stories and characters.
[16:34] awa64: Original name WAS Heroes, going for a more simple story, more heroic stuff.
[16:34] awa64: New possibilities for the toys.
[16:34] awa64: Not going to lose tradition, but moving foreward.
[16:34] awa64: Showing the press release again.
[16:35] awa64: "Kid-Relatable != Dumbing Down"
[16:35] awa64: Means more that "hey, there'll be humor and character-based stuff."
[16:35] awa64: Great action scenes.
[16:35] awa64: Specifically taking place more in cities, to show people's reactions to Transformers on earth. Less Robots in Disguise, more Fish Out Of Water.
[16:36] awa64: Writing Style: "Episodic, but ties into an overall arc."
[16:36] awa64: "Smaller cast of Autobots with strong character development for all of them."
[16:36] awa64: "Action driven, with humor." "Major focus on personality and abilities." "Rich action sequences." "Familiar and new characters."
[16:37] awa64: "A return to the kind of style and characterization we had during the Beast Wars days."
[16:37] awa64: "Most characters have special abilities--are kinda superheroes."
[16:38] awa64: "Think like Hound and Mirage from G1."
[16:38] awa64: "Human supervillains and Decepticon villains."
[16:38] awa64: Diversifying from just Decepticons, adding human villains, to allow the Decepticons to be a BIGGER threat than the Humans.
[16:39] awa64: "When Megatron shows up, it's going to be a big deal."
[16:39] awa64: When there's a Human supervillain, there's usually a Decepticon pulling the strings.
[16:40] awa64: Artistic style: "Highly stylized and fluid animation, more energetic and expressive bots, major focus on personality and abilities, grow from mechanical to emotive designs, familiar and new characters, realistic and stylized Transformers."
[16:40] awa64: Cybertron robots looked great, but when they talked, their lips flapped and nothing else--no emotion.
[16:41] awa64: Working to get strong, emotive expressions.
[16:41] awa64: "Realistic and stylized Transformations."
[16:41] awa64: Re: the Tazmanian Devil transformations... yeah, they'll happen, but it won't be continual. It'll be a bit different every time.
[16:42] awa64: Handled like G1 when you see bots transforming. Will be consistant with toy transformations, though.
[16:42] awa64: CHARACTER DESIGN AREA
[16:42] awa64: Model sheets from G1. Pulled strings to get 'em in. Autobots start.
[16:42] awa64: Prime. He's got a mouth.
[16:42] awa64: Cybertronian modes in the opening movie!

Full text from Nevermore at TFArchive.

[BB Shockwave]

[16:39] awa64: "When Megatron shows up, it's going to be a big deal."
[16:39] awa64: When there's a Human supervillain, there's usually a Decepticon pulling the strings.

What did I say before? Nudge-nudge. Villains with cybertronian Tech. Megs as a Lex Luthor type mastermind. I like where this is going... pretty similar to my Amalgam comics Justice League of Cybertron storyline I'm working on...

Thanks for the info, Karl!

[BB Shockwave]

More info from TFW2005:

Use this thread to discuss Botcon 2007 - Panel: Hasbro Transformers Future Product Unveiling Images and Information.

Full Botcon 2007 gallery here: Botcon 2007


ams reporting in following the Hasbro New Product Unveiling Panel - no pictures or filming were allowed in the panel.

Powerpoint entitled Transformers: What's New in 2008?

Early looks at things that are a year out

Marketing director, brand manager, design director

New toys for spring 2008

New movie toys

Allspark Power is core to the theme of the movie, will be the theme of the toys - has the power to create TFs and additional power

redecos of key characters and brand new molds

voyager Incinerator - double prop helicopter
deluxe Landmine - jeep vehicle from sector seven dune buggy
deluxe Stockade - Sector 7 SUV
leader Desert attack Brawl
leader Nightwatch Optimus Prime
more Robot Heroes - BW Megs, Galvatron, Cheetor, a G1 Dinobot


TF Animated

sneak peak of TF Animated
where we are, how we got there and why - partnership between Hasbro and CN
challenged by scheduling of previous series, needed to take a new approach to get back into a good time slot for kids, good time coming off the movie, a whole new way to look at the franchise

Hasbro has been very involved, don't be as worried as some folks seem to be

New series for 2008 - 1st ep in Jan
Production back in US
Partner with CN
New style and tone
Relatable stories and characters
New possibilities with toys
Don't lose tradition, but move with the times

CN has been awesome, great partners, huge fans, very fan-friendly


Set on earth in near future in Detroit, alien TFs are thrust into a world populated by humans and automatons. As visitors to earth, the Autobots --Prime, BB, Prowl, Bulkhead, Ratchet-- work in the human world, interacting with the natives

NOT dumbing down the franchise


WRITING STYLE

Episodic, but has overall seasonal arc

Smaller cast of bots with significant character development for each individual character
Action-driver, with a dose of humor
Major focus on Personality and Abilities
Rich action sequences
Familiar and New characters
Human super-villains and Decepticon villains - Decepts will be a much bigger threat/scare for the Autobots, Decepticon influence behind super-villains


ARTISTIC STYLE

Highly stylized and fluid animation
More energetic and expressive bots
Major focus on personalities and abilities
Grow from mechanical to emotive designs
Familiar and new characters
Realistic and stylized transformations
Tasmanian-devil style TF, a little bit, but no cut scenes for TFs, it will be consistent with the toys and you will see them transform


STYLE AND TONE

Optimus Prime
Cybertronian mode - stylized truck - we will get toys for these - ace shield up and face shield down
Earth mode Prime will have trailer, sometimes with, sometimes without

Bumblebee, resembles classics alt mode, human-friendly

Bulkhead - big strong guy, military vehicle, similar to FF's Thing, has big wrecking ball

Prowl - motorcycle - kung fu, into nature, enigma, resident ninja

Ratchet - standard looking ambulance, medic, most seasoned Autobot, the only one who's been in legitimate combat, leader, bold personality

Grimlock - Dinobot, very true to his G1 look, two other dinobots will be appearing - "they are three crazy dudes"


Megatron
Cybertronian mode - fusion cannon intact, will look completely different y the end of the series

Starscream - sleek jet, forward-swept wings, Chris Latta-style voice (Kenny), G1 colors

Blitzwing - triplechanger - G1 colors, been trying to get him into the line--also throwing in a split personality, will have different faces (like Man-E-Faces from Heman)


Lugnut - new character, like Incredible Hulk, devoted servant of Megs, over the top, purple and green, missiles for hands, resembles Cybertron Jetfire alt mode

Black Arachnia - TM2 colors - different origin story, starts out as a different character, very complicated villian, you will care for her


Humans
Cpt. Fanzone (police chief), Sari and her father Isaac Sumdac
Her interaction is nothing like what's been done in the past three shows
Not annoying kid telling robots what to do, Autobots looking to her to learn about Earth, she is also a bit of an outcast

Human villains - four shown - one is the Angry Archer, some can run fast, some can spew acid, etc

The Ark - grey, gold, burgundy - heavily G1-inspired
The Nemesis - similar to the original, more angular, DWARFS the Ark

Detroit looks more futuristic, CN actually sent their designers to Detroit to draw buildings, manufacturing industry in Detroit is now robots instead of cars

TOYS
Hasbro+Takara+CN together worked out the designs, total collaboration on daily basis


Toys developed at the same time as animation designs
animation style allows us to show more personality with each character
90%+ animation/toy accuracy
new sculpting style
no more full line gimmicks, focus on personality
transformation is the feature
signature weapons and poses - attitude and stance - highly poseable, better than in the past, can convey a lot of attitude with the characters

Prime grey proto shown - deluxe and voyager, faces match up well with animated designs, proportions and stance , deluxe is Cybertron, voyager is earth mode

saw BB and Bulkhead (robot mode only for bulkhead) Bumblebee looks like Classics in vehicle mode

Prowl, organic, stylized look

preliminary 3D model of Grimlock and autocad

Voyager Megatron - VTOL alien space fighter (Cybertronian mode)

Lugnut and Blitzwing will be voyagers

Blackarachnia, bulkier alt mode, not kibbly in robot mode


THE FUTURE

Working on Season 2 already (second set of 13 episodes), more familiar and new characters
Possibility of Season 3 and 4
Desire to create brand new characters with cameos by G1 favorites


Animated Sizzle showed all Autobots in action & transforming
Centers around Allspark, have to protect it, Optimus has big axe, Megs has sword
Very well-received by crowd in attendance

FALL 2008
Classics 2.0??
will be umbrella'd as UNIVERSE
meld realism of movie and classics


deluxe Sunstreaker and Sideswipe (same mold, but can be TF'd differently - chests will be different) - transforming accessory weapons and projectiles, realistic, but not licensed

voyager Octane - 2 vehicle modes and one robot, airport tanker truck plus large bomber jet

possible Ultra scale in the future?

2 segments for FALL 2008 - Transformers Animated and Transformers Universe (everything else), 2 distinct styles, TF animated will have heavy licensing, Universe will as well


Q&A

Any plan for Universe or animated to have <couldn't hear>... Yes.

What size is animated Grimlock... <couldn't hear>

Why not cartoon based on movie... two different Universes

<couldn't hear next question>

toys will launch around March, movie line will be out through the end of summer 08

minicons? no rules against it, but no firm plans at the moment - maybe spring '09

oversized robot heroes? wait to see how well they do, make decisions based on expansion

other BW figures? just Blackarachnia for now, definitely open to using those figures

new UM that isn't a Prime repaint? YES!

Titanium and Alternators? unfortunately we had to make some choices, tooling dollars in Alts, and metal parts on Tits, weren't getting the return, decided to focus on Classics for collectors

How many Classics in Universe? fall of '08, maybe 4-8 deluxe, 3 ultras instead of voyagers

trailers for Prime instead of just cab? given production costs, getting difficult to make a full feature, voyager prime will have a partial trailer that tfs into a GIANT axe

Classics characters? Dinobots? Jazz is likely, Arcee maybe, no dinos focusing on realistic vehicles

any combiners? yes, but not working on it right now

remaining Titaniums? tooling not done so no, maybe ported over to classics at some point

vending machine? will definitely look at it, nothing certain, would we stop anything currently in production and start that, cool for a collector, but not as exciting for kids

Thundercracker in animated? still on the table

any chance for Cosmos? showed it last year, dropped out of classics, sent it to Titaniums, now off the table again, will keep trying

where will the Tit line be cut off? WW Prowl, WW Grimlock, challege to get the retailers to buy because they're not selling as well, probably will be hard to find

other Classics? Prowl as a police car, then Silverstreak and Smokescreen maybe, Ironhide, probably Ratchet eventually

trying to bring G1 va's to do occasional guest on animated? up to cartoon network and Susan Blu, not Hasbro, Weird Al did a character

can we get the Botcon classics stuff at retail? absolutely not, would devalue what people have spent, didn't know we would come back to Classics when that was greenlit, it is an exclusive, period

harder to do all 6 seekers in one line? they do sell, but want to have a decent variety, can't do too many... second Classics line will be longer and contain realistic styling in non-movie years, so maybe

will Sideswipe and Streaker have different heads? yes

G1 Dinobots reissue? we have been told the molds cannot be found

Astrotrain repaint in different color? not sure, maybe an exclusive but not top of the list

other vehicles, steamrollers, garbage trucks, etc...? yes, maybe in the animated series

What is Classics Octane plane? a Hercules

Human action figure line? Perhaps

Movie Jazz Solstice in Alt style? no plans

Dinobot grammar? familiar to what you've seen in the past

minor characters like Fallen--any chance of Jhiaxus? yes, we will be going beyond the S1 and S2 guys

any TFing base or playset? something clever coming up in the next year and half, blends playset with bigger robots

other 6" Titaniums? Skywarp not happening, MAYBE Soundwave redeco?

Voyager movie Bonecrusher? we'll see - talking about it next week

why Brawl subtitled as Devastator? surprise to us, just a continuity error

favorite animated sculpt, sizes, and new characters? Bulkhead is a voyager, Ratchet a deluxe, new character called Lockdown, is basically a Boba Fett style, Classics Galvatron that is NOT a redeco of Galvatron

end of panel

Sound better and better by the minute. Grimlock, Dinobots, Blitzwing, Blackarachnia... And season 2 is already in the works. I do hope they don't go wild with creating new characters, though.

[Kaylee]

It does sound very positive imo