Transformers is a 2000 American animated science-fiction action adventure film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. The 40th animated film produced by the studio, it was directed by Steven Spielberg, from a screenplay and story by Brad Bird. Development began in 1996, when the film was conceived as a continuation of the Generation 1 cartoon. But was later changed into an entirely seperate movie with no connections to the cartoon. It received generally favorable reviews from critics, who praised it for its action and voice cast, and as one of the best films released during Disney's post-Renaissance era
Synopsis[]
Humanity is at stake when two races of robots, the good Autobots and the villainous Decepticons, bring their war to Earth. The robots have the ability to change into different mechanical objects as they seek the key to ultimate power. Only a human youth, Sam Witwicky can save the world from total destruction.
Voice cast[]
Autobots[]
- Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime, the awe-inspiring leader of the Autobot forces. Selfless and endlessly courageous.
- Michael J Fox as Bumblebee, one of Optimus Prime's most trusted lieutenants. Although he is not the strongest or most powerful of the Autobots, Bumblebee more than makes up for this with a bottomless well of luck, determination and bravery.
- James Garner as Prowl, the Autobot military strategist. As such, Autobot Commander Optimus Prime keeps Prowl near at hand for his indispensable expertise. Prowl is quiet, competent, loyal, and possessed of almost endless patience.
- Darius McCrary as Jazz, Optimus Prime's right-hand man. Unlike Prowl, Prime's military strategist, Jazz responds well to change and improvisation. Whatever surprises the Decepticons spring, Jazz can deal with it.
- Robert Foxworth as Ratchet, the Autobots' Chief Medical Officer. If something's broke, he can fix it. Ratchet is known for his irreverent bedside manner; he loves having a good time, and his party-loving nature has given him a dry wit. He is not a particularly mighty warrior, which sometimes leads him to believe that he is expendable. Optimus Prime has trouble convincing Ratchet that this is far from the truth.
- John Mahoney as Hound, He sees humankind as beautiful and wishes he could interact with their ecosphere the same way they do, to feel what they feel and to see what they see.
- Tara Strong as Arcee, an expert in hand-to-hand combat and one of the best sharpshooters on record.
- Christian Bale as Ironhide, Gruff and ornery, he prefers actions to words, and dislikes talk for talk's sake. But though he may be rough around the edges, he's still optimistic and upbeat. The upside to being through more than your share of trouble means trouble ain't so big a scare anymore.
- Jason Scott Lee as Cliffjumper, always ready to charge into battle, a gung-ho little hero who'll take on any threat with a cry of "Lemme at 'em!" He's daring, dedicated, and determined, and takes the business of fighting evil seriously, but he's not a patient 'bot; he'll often act without thinking, shooting first and asking questions later, or picking fights that he really can't hope to win. He's even been known to blow out his own tires by speeding into action too quickly!
Decepticons[]
- Frank Welker as Megatron, the founder of the Decepticon uprising, and their most well-known and feared leader. As a young, charismatic leader forged in battle and the heritage of war, he began to believe in a grand purpose for his race
- Corey Burton as Shockwave, Megatron's right-hand man, His thoughts processes and is the source of his every inspiration. He sees emotion as a weakness and a distraction. His cold and calculating modus operandi is supported by his frightening and exceptionally powerful form.
- Mark Hamill as Starscream, the treacherous Decepticon Air Commander and the deadliest of the Seekers. Starscream believes that he is more suited for command than Decepticon leader Megatron.
- Brian Blessed as Thundercracker, claims the skies as his arena. He looks down in contempt on those who cannot leave the ground — he considers them lesser beings. He will often attack the flightless beings below him for no other reason than to satisfy his scorn.
- Jess Harnell as Barricade, considered "fractious" even by Decepticon standards, yet is willing to give Starscream the benefit of the doubt and follow where he leads, at least for the time being. Though not totally dedicated to the service of the Decepticons' current leader, he is much more cautious and reserved about expressing mutinous dissent than say most.
- Ving Rhames as Brawl, main distinguishing characteristic is VOLUME. No matter if he's talking (yelling), moving (clanking and rattling), or fighting (yelling, clanking, rattling, and blasting) you're sure to hear him doing it, as is anyone else in the county. As if that wasn't enough, he is also a ball of barely contained rage and violence with a hair-trigger temper.
- Frank Welker as Soundwave, one of Megatron's most reliable troops, and he has positioned himself comfortably and irreplaceably in the Decepticon upper command structure. Though "only" Communications Officer, Soundwave stands at Megatron's side as a confidant, comparable in rank to Starscream and Shockwave, but unlike them, entirely loyal to his leader.
- Garry Chalk as Skywarp, a dangerous tool in the hands of a capable adversary. Thankfully for the Autobots, Skywarp is the only Decepticon known to possess that ability.
- Rodger Bumpass as Thrust, is one of Megatron's higher-ranking Decepticon soldiers (and a total wack job). Great at scheming but terrible at improvisation, Thrust considers himself the "smart guy" of Megatron's servants.
Humans[]
- Shia Labeouf as Sam Witwicky, the main human protagonist.
- Mark Atherlay as Spike Witwicky, Sam's older brother.
- Carrie Francis as Carly Bottison, Sam's girlfriend
- J.K. Simmons as Sparkplug Witwicky, Sam and Spike's father
- John Turturro as Agent S. Simmons
- D.B Sweeney as Marco Morales, Sam's friend
- Tobey Maguire as Rico Morales, Marco's brother
- Dennis Bateman as Hogarth Simmons, S. Simmons' Brother
- Random Actors as Citizens, Military, and Police
Reception[]
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Transformers holds an 93% approval rating based on 200 reviews and an average of 9/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Transformers isn't the most ambitious animated film, but its brisk pace, cool characters, and big cheers make for a great time for the whole family." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 90 out of 100 based on 45 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Franchise[]
In late 2000, Disney announced the sequel, Transformers 2: Fallen's Ascension, which was released in June 25th, 2002. 2 weeks after it was released, it was announced that they were making Transformers 3 & 4, along with a series called "Transformers: The Series"(which aired June 2003 to December 2008). They were released with the titles, Transformers 3: Unicron Dynasty and Transformers 4: Collision of Earth. A spin-off tv series called "Beast Wars" aired in 2006-2009. They were plans for a fifth Transformers film, but was scrapped due to Steven Spielberg being not interested in developing a fifth movie. In June 2022, a Bumblebee spin-off was announced simply called "Bumblebee" (which was animated traditionally since 2011 and was released in December 23, 2022 as a Disney+ original), along with a live-action adaptation of the 2000 film (which was released in July 25, 2023)
Trivia[]
- This movie was originally going to include Sideswipe, Elita-1, and Blitzwing but they we’re cut because they’re too early to include them.
- This the first Disney animated feature to be based on a toyline
- This is the second time Brian Blessed plays a character in a Disney movie, first being Tarzan
- One of Shockwave tattoos when he is in his vehicle mode says "A1-13", which is the number of the animation classroom at the California Institute of the Arts.
Gallery[]
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