The Transformers: The Movie (1986)

The Autobots must stop a colossal planet consuming robot who goes after the Autobot Matrix of Leadership. At the same time, they must defend themselves against an all-out attack from the Decepticons.

Director:

Nelson Shin

Writer:

Ron Friedman

Stars:

Orson Welles, Robert Stack, Leonard Nimoy

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Norman Alden	...	Kranix (voice)
Jack Angel	...	Astrotrain (voice)
Michael Bell	...	Prowl / Scrapper / Swoop / Junkion (voice)
Gregg Berger	...	Grimlock (voice)
Susan Blu	...	Arcee (voice)
Arthur Burghardt	...	Devastator (voice)
Corey Burton	...	Spike / Brawn / Shockwave (voice)
Roger C. Carmel	...	Cyclonus / Quintesson Leader (voice)
Victor Caroli	...	Narrator (voice)
Regis Cordic	...	Quintesson Judge (voice) (as Rege Cordic)
Peter Cullen	...	Optimus Prime / Ironhide (voice)
Scatman Crothers	...	Jazz (voice)
Bud Davis	...	Dirge (voice)
Walker Edmiston	...	Inferno (voice) (scenes deleted)
Paul Eiding	...	Perceptor (voice)

Storyline

This theatrical movie based on the television series (which was also based on a popular multiform robot toyline) did not go over very well at the box office. The movie takes place in 2005, twenty years after the television series, and chronicles the efforts of the heroic Autobots to defend their homeworld Cybertron from the evil Decepticons. Both factions are seething with anger, and that hatred has blinded them to a hideous menace headed their way. That hideous menace is the colossal planet known as Unicron, who has been ready to consume anything that stands in its way. The only thing that can stop Unicron is the Autobot Matrix of Leadership, which is possessed by the Autobots and which the Decepticons, through Unicron's orders, plan to take away from them.

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Plot Keywords:

optimus prime character | megatron character | weapons fire | robotic animal | bozo as epithet | 

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Taglines:

A monster planet destroys everything in its path, while Optimus Prime and Megatron battle to the death.

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Genres:

Animation | Action | Adventure | Family | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA Japan

Language:

English Japanese

Release Date:

8 August 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

Transformers: The Movie

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,779,559, 10 August 1986

Gross USA:

$5,849,647

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$5,860,601

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sunbow Productions, Marvel Productions, Hasbro

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Matrix of Leadership never came up in the earlier drafts of the script, yet it is the main driving force behind the finished movie's plot.

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Goofs

(at around 34 mins) In Autobot City, Blaster is missing the speakers on the front of his legs when he first detects the distress signal from Spike and Bumblebee.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Kranix: Arblus, look! It's Unicron!

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Alternate Versions

Both Hungarian dubs of the movie contained several crass translation errors and misnamings.

• Most famously, the first dub referred to the Decepticons as Toads. It contained further oddities as well: both Springer and Cliffjumper are called Jumper, Kup is inconsistently named Policeman or Cop, Hot Rod is named Fishing Rod, Arcee becomes RC, Cyclonus is called both Cyclonus and Cyclone, Soundwave's name shifts from Scouter back to his original name, and the Ick-Yak is called "IQ Jack". Soundwave's cassettes do not get names, but one of the originally nameless Sweeps is christened Claws. This version is also notorious for being dubbed by a mere five voice performers, with their roles changing in every scene and the spoken lines almost never lining up to the mouth flaps. The only characters with multiple lines that retain their voice actors through are Unicron, Galvatron, Daniel, Arcee, Springer, Blurr, Grimlock, Ironhide, Jazz, Soundwave, Wreck-Gar and Kranix.
• The second dub renamed Unicron to Unikornisz ("Unicorn"), Astrotrain calls someone by the name "Gettison" (a mishearing of the line "Jettison some weight"), Devastator is simply called the Mega-Robot and the Ick-Yak is named the Mega-Mistort, but Wheelie does not get named. Like the first dub, this one also switched voice actors around, at times from one sentence to the next. The only characters to retain their voice through are Optimus Prime, Unicron, Galvatron, Daniel, Arcee, Wheelie and Wreck-Gar.

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Connections

References You Only Live Twice (1967)

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Soundtracks

The Touch
Performed by Stan Bush
Written by Stan Bush and Lenny Macaluso
Produced by Richie Wise

User Reviews

The ULTIMATE movie

This is the greatest movie in the history of filmmaking. If you check my other reviews, most of them are negative. However I'm not some snotty critic (who would want to be that). It doesn't take a lot for me to be happy with a movie.As long as it is well built, has a structure, and keeps me excited and entertained the whole time. A series of explosions with no storyline can get boring, but when it is built around interesting characters and the ultimate soundtrack, you've got something.

I have heard many negative comments about this ULTIMATE movie. First people say you have to be a long time fan to enjoy it. FOOLISH! Such an ultimate movie can be enjoyed by anyone! Of course us older guys remember the great cartoon, but once some young kids came over for a family gathering and LOVED the movie. They had no idea who Optimus Prime was, but came out of their seats when he launched himself into the sky destroying all who dare to attack his people and stand in his path! They were shocked just as many of us were when Prowl was shot down. Transformers the movie is a movie of the ages. It shouldn't get an Oscar. An Oscar is not worthy to be placed with such greatness. Long before Julia Roberts was famous, and long after she leaves fame, Transformers will have ALWAYS be loved and cherished by it's millions of fans around the world. Can a movie like Erin Brockovich do that? NO.

Another foolish complaint, in my opinion, is the hard rock soundtrack. This is the GREATEST soundtrack of ALL TIME! Every single song on the disc is a masterpiece that brings tears to one's eye due to it's greatness. Outdated? What do you want, the music from the cartoon series? That's even more outdated! What did you want, the New Kids on the Block to sing the songs? They sound more like the "new material" from the kid bands that dominate the airwaves today. To complain about the greatest soundtrack of all time is to look at gold and say it's too shiny. Please think about what you are doing.

This movie is one for the ages. It can be appreciated by everyone, except maybe some snotty newspaper writers. Do you remember watching your parent's old favorite movies and saying "this looks so old"? They would then reply that it's a classic and perhaps name all the awards it has won. Did that increase your enjoyment of the grainy oldness? No. Transformers the movie came out in 1985/1986. Years from now people, especially younger people, won't give a darn about most of those old, out-of-date movies that won awards in 1985/1986. They might as well be Teen Wolf. But they WILL care for Transformers, because it is the ultimate movie. Show a 20 year old guy Transformers and he will cheer. Show a 10 year old kid the movie for the first time and he will cheer. Show an old man the film and he will fall asleep. But that's just because he is tired. He does that with every movie. And Transformers is the ULIMATE movie!