Interview with Sam Register, Executive Producer of New Transformers Animated Series

Discussion in 'Transformers Animated Discussion' started by VaterKrieg, Jul 3, 2007.

  1. LuigiSpice

    LuigiSpice Well-Known Member

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    I've come up with a new theory. Anytime someone say, "We were fans of the 80's show, so we are very sensitive to the original mythos" I automaticly assume they never watched the original series until they got this job, and they are going to crap all over everything we hold dear about it.

    And just because a show is geared towards younger kids doesn't mean it can't appeal to adults if its written properly. I mean SpongeBob, Animaniacs, and even Seasame Street entirely enjoyable to adults because they work on many levels.

    Here's hoping for the writers of this iteration to have a little more respect for the brand than Mr. Bay and his friends.
     
  2. Llama G0d

    Llama G0d Six-winged god of llamas

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    Well, this all sounds very different, and yet similar... I'm excited. Possibly more by this than I am the movie. Not to slight the movie, mind, but I think I can predict what'll happen with that. (Eventually. I'm in the UK.) But this... I can't. And that's exciting. :) 
     
  3. redsquadron

    redsquadron Token idiot...

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    wow, everything you said (forgive me mauling your quote but I'm on a limited PSP) sounds excellent!
    No, Transformers isn't just "robots versus robots", it's also "Robots in Disguise", something even the original G1 show forgot all too quickly. This fresh new take on animated Transformers sounds really promising. The movie and now this?
    Great times for TF fans, or at least the potential for it to be if allowed.
     
  4. Sideswipe80

    Sideswipe80 Well-Known Member

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    When do you think we'll get to see pics of the toys? I'm really excited to see them.
     
  5. Eric

    Eric VOTE.

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    I might agree with that theory.
     
  6. Ed Bailey

    Ed Bailey Must.. spend.. money...

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    I fail to see how this can be considered "Great times for TF fans" or "at least the potential for it to be if allowed."

    This show is designed for seven year-olds. The movie has met mixed reviews. The console game has garnered pretty bad press. And all of the negative aspects of the latter two were predicted fairly well. Damn, I wish I knew were you all bought these rose-colored glasses.
     
  7. McBradders

    McBradders James Franco Club! Veteran

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    I wish I knew where you got these incorrect analogies, if I did I'd take them back and get a refund.

    The movie may have gotten "mixed reviews" but over 10 million dollars box office in two days is pretty damned impressive. Add to that the fact that the movie is actually verging on being pretty decent regardless of Transformers being in it. Oh, and the game isn't so bad either.

    And hello, Transformers have always been designed for seven year olds, it's their main freaking market. Welcome to the fandom, I'll pass you the cheat sheet later, it seems you need it.
     
  8. Beastbot X

    Beastbot X Old skool. In a lot of ways.

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    David Kaye said at Botcon that he always can't wait for the next script for the show, that it's the best-written show he's been in in quite some time. That's what's gotten my hopes up for the TV show more than anything else.
     
  9. Sideswipe80

    Sideswipe80 Well-Known Member

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    Thanks for that info Beast Box. I really can't stress enough how much I want to see these toys. Are they almost simiar to the Justice League toys in a way? I love those toys.
     
  10. redsquadron

    redsquadron Token idiot...

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    I just used my imagination chum. If you choose not to stretch yourself to accepting diverse interpretations of the source material, wanting the 'same ol', same ol'' ad nauseum, then that's your affair.
    No need to drag me down the same road with condescending barbs though, eh?
     
  11. Lance Halberd

    Lance Halberd oh hai

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    You know, I really wish you'd stop making so much sense all the time.


    You're giving fanboys a bad name.
     
  12. Dream Warrior

    Dream Warrior Well-Known Member

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    I'm curious to see the toys. I don't think I'll be getting any, but I will be very impressed if they are mostly accurate to the toon style. Ah, at least I have more classics to look forward to.

    [sarcasm] Oh, and all the hate that comes from both supporters and detractors of whatever TF product line comes along NEVER gets old. [/sarcasm]
     
  13. Party_Prime

    Party_Prime Beer Me!

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    if I go blind I might like this show, otherwise pass.

    How would you recreate TMNT or G.I. Joe? the same themes work, they fit best for the story. How is it that of a planet of transformers, we only get a handful thereof. They had to come up with a new new take because everything since RiD it has been the same main characters with very little variation on the overall arch. there has very little done in expanding or changing the characterization through each preceding series. this appears lazy in my opinion.
     
  14. Beastbot X

    Beastbot X Old skool. In a lot of ways.

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    In overall style, yeah, a bit. However, the downside of this new look is that there isn't nearly as much mold detailing on the toys as we're used to, in order to keep them more accurate with the cartoon.
     
  15. butz

    butz slippery when wet

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    The only thing that upsets me so far is the wait. The last couple shows being on at around 6 in the morning means I haven't been able to watch a new Transformers cartoon on TV for quite some time.
     
  16. GoldbuG1

    GoldbuG1 Member

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    IGN TV: So did I read right that the idea is to give the Transformers "more human-like qualities?"

    Register: What we really wanted to do was break some of the toy show rules from the '80s. One of the big rules was 'as many heroes and as many villains as possible in a single episode.' The reason was that the more those characters are seen on the air, the better chance they have of selling those toys. The reality is that the more characters you put on the air the less you get to know about each of them. Imagine if Seinfeld wasn't Seinfeld and his three friends, but Seinfeld and his 36 friends. How well could you know all of those characters? So there will be lots of Autobots and Decepticons in the series, but we wanted to get it down to a core number. So we got it down to a core five that have different characteristics and traits. So hopefully you'll get to know those characters well and have a better relationship with the characters on the show.


    I just don't agree with this. The original series had a large cast, but I think people still felt that the core group boiled down to mainly Optimus, Iron Hide, Jazz, Bumblebee, Hound, and Prowl and then to Hot Rod, Magnus, Arcee, Kup, and Springer. You can have an army and still focus on seven main guys. Seinfield had four main characters but still had lots of extras that people loved like Newman, Uncle Leo, Mr. Kastanza, etc. Silly logic.

    IGN TV: So five core Autobots? How about Decepticons?

    Register: There will be two or three core Decepticons. Another rule in the old shows was to have the villains in every single episode. Think about how many times Cobra Commander got his butt whooped in G.I. Joe. The problem with that is that it's cool to have the bad guys, but the good guys have to win. So the villain is handed his butt in 52 episodes, which kind of makes the villain a wimp. The more your villain is a wimp, the less heroic your heroes are. So we wanted to have the villains show up sparingly, and when they do show up it's a much bigger deal. The impact of the villains showing up is a bigger part of the story and a bigger conflict for the characters. That makes them more interesting and hopefully more heroic.


    This could be interesting if done right. I like how they're shooting for more story development instead of constant fighting.


    IGN TV: So do you see Transformers Animated working along the lines of a Justice League structure?

    Register: More of a Teen Titans structure. Justice League, the arc is a bit longer and maybe for an older audience. This show is for seven-year-old boys. There are a lot of rabid Transformer fans, and those same fans are on the crew and writing the show. But these Transformers are for seven year olds, for kids. My feeling is that if you're old enough to write a post on a Transformers message board, you're too old for this show. But that doesn't mean those fans won't like it. We got the same sort of reaction when we launched Teen Titans. People were very passionate in how they felt about it. The reality is, give the show a chance, but remember that you have sons and little brothers who are getting introduced to the Transformers for the first time, and this is the best way to do that.

    This just annoys me. Two of the most successful cartoon shows were Batman the Animated Series and X-Men. Both had complex enough stories to keep the interest and respect of older fans, while still appealing enough to attract new young fans. If you purposely dumb down your show you'll betray your audience. I just don't understand this logic. As an aspiring screenwriter, I really find it to be lazy. There's a way to find a happy medium that will make both sides happy.

    I don't know why Hasbro is so reluctant to make a cartoon show that will make the fans happy. Sure we'll all older now, but we've also some how been able to keep this franchise alive for twenty years.
     
  17. Da_Razorsaw

    Da_Razorsaw Highwire ownz j00

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    Really? G1 struck me as being all over the friggin place with its focus. You have a point with season three, but... in seasons 1? They seemed to pick central characters out of a hat.

    The Decepticons had a core group, but not the Autobots.

    X-Men and the other Fox Marvel shows had pacing that bordered on atrocious and literally jumped in and out of plots. I wouldn't call it successful as a piece of writing OR complex.

    And Teen Titans certainly found that medium very well, between being fun and being dramatic.
     
  18. Kranix2k

    Kranix2k Spare me this mockery!! TFW2005 Supporter

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    Where have you been? The entire concept of TFs have always been aimed at children, and has always been enjoyed by fans of all ages. Talk about Rose Colored Glasses, why do all haters put the blinders on and ignore the fact that Hasbro is a toy company, whose target market has always been kids? Its not the collectors or fans, people, that drives Hasbro. Get the hell over it already.

    The reviews of the movie have been "mixed" as you call them only because haters have a pre-disposed notion of what they think Transformers should be, have a bias against ANYTHING that Michael Bay does, or have ABSOLUTELY NO CLUE what the flying hell they're talking about (i.e. the "Pundit" from MSNBC). A majority of what ordinary people have been saying is pretty much positive, as has most of the fans here.

    The game, well, let's put it this way: no earth-shattering new concept has come out in the gaming world in a long, long time. The game has simply fallen into that same boring mold that most every other game has, and therefore the poor showing. I've bought the game, as I did the Armada game, and I regret both purchases.

    I'm getting on the logical path that most everyone refuses to take and, just as with the movie, will wait to see how the cartoon pans out. On the surface, I like the concept and what little we've seen of the artwork. I loved Teen Titans, and I hope that I love the new cartoon as well.


    BTW, this "core characters" concept apparently is the direction that Hasbro is going with ALL their toy lines. Ridiculously enough, they're even doing it with their My Little Pony line (a line that has thrived for years on literally hundreds of different designs) so the reaction out here doesn't surprise me. Heck, my wife and some other MLP fans have declared Hasbro's "new direction" to be the last gasp of contemporary MLP collecting. I understand WHY Hasbro is doing this, but I still feel sad that Hasbro is slowly phasing out the collectibility of their products.
     
  19. Op_Prime

    Op_Prime One With The Matrix TFW2005 Supporter

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    Holy Shit! You totally reminded me that "Prime Target" is one of my favourite G1 episodes. I really liked Lord Chumley and his over the top British big game hunter antics. Just good ol cheesy fun. I would very much like to see a character like him in the new series.

    Because of that, my stance on the Transformers vs Humans angle has gone from worried to cautiously optimistic.
     
  20. LuigiSpice

    LuigiSpice Well-Known Member

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    DVR. The three greatest letters EVER!!