The Transformers: The Movie

This article is about the 1986 animated film. For the 2007 live-action film, see Transformers (film).

The Transformers: The Movie
Theatrical release poster
Directed byNelson Shin
Screenplay byRon Friedman
Based onThe Transformers
by Hasbro and Takara
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyMasatoshi Fukui
Edited byDavid Hankins
Music byVince DiCola
Production
companies
Distributed byDe Laurentiis Entertainment Group[1]
Release date
  • August 8, 1986 (1986-08-08) (United States)
Running time
85 minutes[3]
Countries
LanguageEnglish
Budget$5–6 million[5][6]
Box office$2.6–5.8 million (North America)[6][7]

The Transformers: The Movie is a 1986 animated science fiction action film based on the Transformers television series. It was released in North America on August 8, 1986, and in the United Kingdom on December 12, 1986.[8] It was co-produced and directed by Nelson Shin, who also produced the television series. The screenplay was written by Ron Friedman, who created Bionic Six a year later.

The film features the voices of Eric Idle, Judd Nelson, Leonard Nimoy, Casey Kasem, Robert Stack, Lionel Stander, John Moschitta Jr., Scatman Crothers, Peter Cullen, Frank Welker, and Orson Welles, who died 10 months before the film's release, in his final film role.[9] The soundtrack comprises electronic music composed by Vince DiCola and songs from rock and heavy metal acts including Stan Bush and "Weird Al" Yankovic.

The story is set in 2005, 20 years after the TV series' second season.[10] After a Decepticon assault devastates Autobot City, Optimus Prime wins a deadly one-on-one duel with Megatron, but ultimately sustains fatal injuries in the encounter. With Megatron gravely injured, the Decepticons are forced to retreat, saving the Autobots. The Autobots are hunted across the galaxy by Unicron, a planet-sized Transformer intending to consume Cybertron and who transfigures Megatron to become the enslaved Galvatron.

Hasbro's exclusively toy-focused agenda demanded a product refresh, to be contrived by the on-screen death of many prominent starring characters, at the protest of some creators of the film and TV series. The deaths of many established characters, especially Optimus Prime, inadvertently upset the young audience, prompting a letter-writing campaign.

At the time of its release, the film underperformed at the box-office and received generally negative reviews for its plot and violent deaths, while praising the animation, voice acting and score. Over time, perceptions of the film has improved, and it has gained a cult following.

  1. ^ a b c d "The Transformers -- The Movie". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Archived from the original on December 4, 2020. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  2. ^ Owen, Luke (August 8, 2019). "Till All Are One: A Production History of The Transformers: The Movie". Flickering Myth. Archived from the original on September 21, 2024. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  3. ^ "TRANSFORMERS (U)". British Board of Film Classification. August 21, 1986. Archived from the original on March 15, 2019. Retrieved May 2, 2015.
  4. ^ a b "The Transformers: The Movie (EN) [Original title]". Lumiere. Archived from the original on December 24, 2019. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  5. ^ Dormehl, Luke (August 2011). "Transformers: The Movie retrospective". SFX Magazine (211).
  6. ^ a b Knoedelseder, William K. Jr. (August 30, 1987). "De Laurentiis : Producer's Picture Darkens". The Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference mojo was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ James, Caryn (August 9, 1986). "Movie Review - - Screen: 'Transformers,' Animation For Children". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 9, 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2017.
  9. ^ "California Death Records". RootsWeb.com. Archived from the original on March 23, 2008. Retrieved May 24, 2017.
  10. ^ "Transformers: The Movie". IGN. January 29, 2002. Archived from the original on March 12, 2012. Retrieved January 15, 2017.