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One blistering summer afternoon last week, my girlfriend and I stumbled (literally) into a nearby McDonalds, desperate for something cold. I lapped up my cone like a dehydrated animal when I noticed the recent toy to which every Happy Meal accompanies. It was familiar yet oddly strange. Lo and behold, it was a Transformer; not just any Transformer but a slightly modified version of Optimus Prime. Intrigued, I scoured the display for more clues, beads of sweat dripping from my brow, until my search reached its conclusion. This version of Optimus stars in the new series on the Cartoon Network called Transformers: Animated. Must see!



Out in the far reaches of space, a small band of Autobots continue their daily grind of repairing space bridges. No hero-bots here: they lack courage, teamwork and argue every nanosecond. That is, until they discover the sacred Allspark, a supposedly mythical object that created all Transformer life, and are attacked by their evil counterparts, the Decepticons.



Saving its saviours, the Allspark whisks them away via space bridge - Megaton in tow - to Earth. Megaton crashes somewhere in Middle America, while the Autobot ship nosedives into Lake Erie where they remain in stasis for 50 years. Fast forward. We discover the Earth, more specifically Detroit, is brimming with life, Artificially Intelligent life. Robots are now an accepted aspect of society and humanity's helpful partners.



Little accidents are nothing to be afraid of. It is how the majority of discoveries are made. At least, that's how leading robotics developer, Dr. Isaac Sumdac, explains it, all the while a cockroach endowed with something akin to nano-technology initiates a feeding frenzy, becoming proportionately larger with each insertion of tech-related objects, all over the city. I'm reminded of Akira and think disastrous thoughts. The attack galvanizes the Autobots out of stasis and soon they become regular cyber-superheroes of the people.



This latest series has quite a climb ahead of it. Attach Transformers to anything after Michael Bay's bombastic cinematic take and you're asking for trouble. But there is enough for kids (and kids at heart) to remain faithful viewers. Each 'Bot has a distinct personality so kids can pick and choose their favourite. Prime is the courageous leader, Ratchet is running with "one servo in the can," Bulkhead is the loveable lummox, Bumblebee is youthful and befriends Sari (Dr. Sumdac's daughter), and Prowl is Niles Crane. I can only assume we'll meet more Transformers as the series progresses.



Why I didn't recognize Prime at first is because he's no longer the flaming big rig we're all accustomed to. He's now a fire engine. His form and colours are similar, and the series finds a practical application for his axe from the original, but it's a younger Prime, one who has yet to make a difficult decision that could cost lives. Isn't that what Lion-O was to the Thundercats? This time around, all the Autobots are emergency vehicles which, fundamentally, makes sense, but what happens when other Transformers are introduced? How many more emergency vehicles can there be? I see a prison bus transforming in the future.



Kids' shows are one of two things and because the tweeners of High School Musical didn't feel up for a crossover, Japanese animation it is. Optimus' face is backin' a whole lotta chin, Bulkhead possesses disproportionate appendages for his rotund mass and Bumblebee talks out the side of his face for most of the episode. Kids have no problem with this. It's silly, it's exaggerated, it's fun for them. Exaggerated form I can handle. There's no reason why the 'Bots must go through the same transformation process as Sailor Moon! *Sailor Mars! Sailor Mercury! Sailor Venus! Sailor Bumblebee!*



One of the better decisions is situating the Transformers in the near future. It felt awkward at first (sorry, I'm old school), but it allows for an easier transition for them on a new planet and quicker acceptance by a human race evolving technologically. It also allows for them to become wide-spread public figures, another advancement of the series. The Transformers have always been larger than life and the Autobots, heroes capable of handling what ordinary people cannot. Their involvement would only naturally create attention and make them instant celebrities.



By the second episode, I think I will have gotten over my whole Not Old School snark. There're only so many times, however, an Autobot can fall off a building until it completely demeans the moment... Wait, I spoke too soon! HE DIED! *Wait, act natural. Nobody died. They haven't watched it yet.*

With the addition of Dinobots, Constructicons and Soundwave in future episodes, there's plenty to get invested in. Plus, unlike other animated series, there's a hint at long term plans. Without spoiling anything, there’s a very specific reason Dr. Sumdac advanced Earth's technology teasing someone's imminent return. Refreshing to be sure, since kids today are developing faster than we think, requiring more complex stimuli and higher tech gadgetry for their ever-evolving minds. Be a part of the movement and roll out the red carpet for Transformers: Animated.

The TV Guyde