TED TURNER DEAD AT 87

 

You can read the full story here.

Among his many founded cable networks was Cartoon Network, whose airtime was populated by the acquired libraries of MGM/United Artists, Hanna-Barbera and Ruby-Spears. His environmental initiatives resulted in the creation of Captain Planet and the Captain Planet Foundation. 

JOHNNY BRAVO

 

JOHNNY BRAVO
(Cartoon Network, July 14, 1997-August 27, 2004)
 
Cartoon Network Studios
 
 

            Van Partible, born Efrem Giovanni Bravo Partible, attended Loyola Marymount University. His senior thesis project was an animated short film about an Elvis Presley impersonator called Mess O’ Blues. The short ended up becoming quite the spectacle and a source of pride for the university as, when Partible accidentally destroyed the soundtrack during editing, LMU graduate, writer, producer and voice over artist Lee J. Bognar assembled the cast and musicians to perform the soundtrack live when it was presented. Partible’s animation professor showed the film to a friend at Hanna-Barbera and Partible was asked to submit a pitch for their upcoming anthology showcase, What a Cartoon!

The proto-Johnny.

            Partible revised the main character from Mess O’ Blues. He took inspiration from James Dean, giving the character large blonde hair, a t-shirt with rolled-up cuffs and jeans rather than black hair and an Evils suit, as well as a top-heavy muscular build. He was inspired by Michael Jackson’s use of whip snaps and cracks whenever he struck a pose, which the character would do often to show off. Finally, he would be renamed “Johnny Bravo”, a play on Partible’s middle name and inspired by the alias Greg Brady (Barry Williams) used to secure a record deal on The Brady Bunch.

Johnny attempting to woo a woman by showing off.

            After the first three segments debuted as World Premiere Toons, Johnny Bravo became a series on July 14, 1997 with those original segments comprising its first episode. The series centered on Johnny (Jeff Bennett, continuing the Elvis impersonation), a narcissist and dimwitted self-proclaimed ladies’ man from Aron City (a nod to Elvis’ middle name). Johnny spent all of his time trying to impress a woman enough to go on a date with him (and who always rejected him in a comedically violent manner). Johnny lived with his mother, “Momma” Bravo (Brenda Vaccaro). Other characters included Little Suzy (Mae Whitman), a talkative and intelligent young girl that liked to agitate him; Carl Chryniszzswics (Tom Kenny), a geek that idolized him despite Johnny always bullying him; Master Hamma (Brain Tochi), a martial arts instructor that taught Johnny, but considered him weak and stupid; Pops (Larry Drake), the unscrupulous owner of the local diner that made food with strange ingredients and often advised Johnny; Donny Osmond, playing a version of himself that always irritated Johnny; and Jungle Boy (Cody Dorkin), a feral boy with super strength and the ability to talk to animals.

Johnny showing off for Daphne and the Scooby gang.

            Much of the series’ humor came from pop culture references and celebrity guest stars that included Adam West, Shaquille O’Neal, Seth Green and more, as well as other Hanna-Barbera characters such as the cast of Scooby-Doo, Speed Buggy, Jabberjaw and others. Partible had intended for the middle segment to be a parody of The New Scooby-Doo Movies with celebrity appearances, but ultimately guest stars were used informally. Johnny Bravo was put on hiatus before being renewed for a second season; during which time Warner Bros. took over Turner Broadcasting and fired Partible due to his inexperience. He was replaced by Kirk Tingblad for the next two seasons, who retooled the show’s look, tone and humor. Partible, on the basis of a new pitch he attempted with WB, was rehired and oversaw the final season of Johnny Bravo, which undid a lot of the changes made. Johnny Bravo proved a hit for the network, received numerous award nominations, and continues to be fondly regarded in cartoon retrospective articles and lists.

DEXTER’S LABORATORY

 

DEXTER’S LABORATORY
(TBS, TNT, Cartoon Network, April 27, 1996-June 15, 1998
November 18, 2001-November 20, 2003)
 
Hanna-Barbera Cartoons/Cartoon Network Studios

 

            While studying at the California Institute of the Arts, Genndy Tartakovsky screened a two-and-a-half-minute pencil test as his second student film for the producers of Batman: The Animated Series; earning him a job on the series. That same short would later earn him a slot in the upcoming Cartoon Network anthology series, World Premiere Toons (aka What a Cartoon!), which was developed to help find the network new content to turn into original programming as well as reinvigorate the classic short subject approach to animation. “Changes” debuted on the network on February 26, 1995, and it became one of the network’s highest-rated What a Cartoon! shorts. Not only did Tartakovsky end up making three more shorts starring his characters, but the network ended up giving him a full series order. Joining him on the production were fellow classmates and co-workers Craig McCracken, Rob Renzetti and Paul Rudish.

Dexter and Dee Dee with Dad and Mom.

            Dexter’s Laboratory centered on a pair of siblings. One was the boy-genius Dexter (Christine Cavanaugh & Candi Milo), who had a massive secret laboratory under his house where he used science to solve a wide range of problems or deal with his arch-rival: Mandark (Eddie Deezen). Dexter was inspired by Tartakovsky’s childhood in Chicago, where he was mocked for his “very thick accent” since his family immigrated from Russia. Dexter, in turn, had an accent since “all well-known scientists have accents.” Dee Dee (Allison Moore & Kat Cressida) was Dexter’s tall, carefree older sister who loved to invite herself into Dexter’s lab and end up causing a mess with his inventions while dancing around. She was designed first, as Tartakovsky wanted to animate a girl dancing. Dexter was created to be her opposite in both personality and shape. Their parents, known only as Mom (Kath Soucie) and Dad (Jeff Bennett), were unaware of their son’s activities. The series also featured two recurring segments. Dial M for Monkey followed Monkey (Frank Welker), Dexter’s pet who was secretly a crime-fighting superhero. Monkey fought crime alongside Agent Honeydew (Soucie) and a team of heroes called The Justice Friends. The other segment, The Justice Friends, followed three of their members: uber patriotic Major Glory (Rob Paulsen); electric guitar-wielding Valhallen (Tom Kenny); and the simple-minded purple Infraggable Krunk (Welker) as they shared an apartment together. They were parodies of Captain America, Thor and the Hulk in a sitcom with a superhero twist. They were inspired by Tartakovsky’s reading Marvel Comics while learning how to speak English.

Monkey with The Justice Friends.

            Dexter’s Laboratory debuted on April 27, 1996. Early episodes premiered on TBS and TNT before airing on Cartoon Network; all of which were then-owned by Turner Broadcasting. The simplistic art style was inspired by UPA shorts and the short The Dover Boys at Pimento University. Other influences included Warner Bros. cartoons, Hanna-Barbera cartoons and Japanese animation.  The series was a hit with the critics, and was Cartoon Network’s highest-rated original series. It was nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards and won three Annie Awards. After 2 seasons, the series was intended to end with the film Ego Trip. However, Cartoon Network ended up ordering 110 more episodes in 2001. As Tartakovsky was busy developing other projects, Chris Savino took over the series for an additional two seasons; with the third being ushered in by a 12-hour viewer’s choice marathon.

WHAT A CARTOON! / THE WHAT A CARTOON! SHOW

 

WHAT A CARTOON! / THE WHAT A CARTOON! SHOW

(Cartoon Network, February 20, 1995-November 28, 1997)

 

Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Cartoon Network Studios

 
 
           
            Fred Seibert was hired to be the final president of Hanna-Barbera before the studio was completely absorbed into Warner Bros.’ operations. He was tasked with rejuvenating a studio that had largely fallen from grace and keep then-owner Ted Turner—who just wanted its library for his 24-children’s network, Cartoon Network—from shuttering it altogether. That network, subsequently, also needed some new programming to lure in advertisers. Seibert decided to revive an idea he had during his tenure at Nickelodeon he felt wasn’t executed as he intended, which would also get the network repeated publicity and allow the studio to revisit its roots and produce short cartoons like during the Golden Age of animation. Hanna-Barbera would produce 48 short cartoons that Cartoon Network could air every other week, and Cartoon Network could take the most well-received and turn them into full-fledged shows to populate its schedule. Once Turner and Seibert’s boss, Scott Sassa, approved, the studio began searching for talent around the world with the promise that the animators were in charge, not the suits. And, for the first time in the studio’s history, individual creators were allowed to maintain their rights over the material submitted. Over 5,000 pitches were received to fill those 48 slots.

            Initially broadcast under the name World Premiere Toons, each 7-minute cartoon was a product of the original creators’ vision with no executive meddling. Creators from various levels of experience came on board, such as veterans like Don Jurwich, Jerry Eisenberg, David Feiss, Mike Milo, Robert Alvarez and Ralph Bakshi, and newcomers like Genndy Tartakovsky, Craig McCracken, Rob Renzetti, Butch Hartman, Van Partible, Seth MacFarlane and John R. Dilworth. Even founders William Hanna and Joseph Barbera each produced two shorts.

            The first short, Powerpuff Girls, premiered on February 20, 1995, during a special episode of Space Ghost Coast to Coast titled “1^st Annual World Premiere Toon-In”. The show was simulcast on Turner networks TNT and TBS as well as Cartoon Network. Further promotion involved showcasing the shorts at water parks and large municipal swimming pools. The following week, each What a Cartoon! debuted on Sunday nights until an accumulation was repackaged as World Premiere Toons: The Next Generation. They would again be packaged as World Premiere Toons: The Show until the summer of 1996 saw it become The What a Cartoon! Show. The experiment proved successful, turning Cartoon Network into an industry leader by the end of the 1990s and helping to revive television animation. The shorts would continue to air in reruns under various package names, and would lead to the creation of several full series: Dexter’s Laboratory, Johnny Bravo, Cow and Chicken, The Powerpuff Girls, and Courage the Cowardly Dog.

BABY LOONEY TUNES

 

BABY LOONEY TUNES
(Syndication, Cartoon Network, September 16, 2002-April 30, 2005)
 
Warner Bros. Animation

  

            A late entry in the babyfication trend started by 1984’s Muppet Babies, Baby Looney Tunes was Warner Bros. Animation’s first preschool animated series. The concept originated back in the 90s when companies released merchandise featuring the Looney Tunes characters as babies called Looney Tunes Lovables. Kathleen Helppie-Shipley, head of Warner Bros. Classic Animation, had wanted to do a series of educational videos that never moved forward. When Warner Bros. Consumer Products wanted to promote the Baby Looney Tunes licensees, they decided to do a feature-length, direct-to-video collection of shorts in the traditional slapstick Looney Tunes fashion. Earl Kress wrote the shorts with Spike Brandt, Gary Hartle and Kirk Tingblad set to direct each one. However, funding for the project suddenly disappeared. Brandt loved his short so much that on his own time and expense he cobbled together a full presentation. The higher-ups were impressed by it, and after a little convincing and negotiation, funding was found to produce “Little Go Beep”, which featured baby versions of Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. Additionally, Warner Bros. decided to make the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies libraries exclusive to Time Warner networks, making it easier to produce a series for release on Warner channels.

Babies Tweety, Taz, Bugs, Sylvester, Lola and Daffy.

            For the actual series, Warner had to follow more strict guidelines to achieve a TV-Y rating. That meant Baby Looney Tunes couldn’t rely on the slapstick and visual gags the franchise was known for. The show instead dealt with real world problems and morals that children would encounter and could relate to; including sharing, emotions, playing with others, inclusion, dealing with change, baking and more. Despite not being designed as educational, an expert was retained to examine the series. The main babies included Baby Bugs (Sam Vincent), just barely the oldest of the bunch that made him the leader; Baby Daffy (Vincent), who tended to be self-centered; Baby Lola (Britt McKillip), a fiercely independent tomboy that tended to take charge; Baby Sylvester (Terry Klassen), who was shy and anxious and tended to be manipulated by Daffy; Baby Tweety (Vincent), the youngest and smallest with an insecurity about his size, a deep curiosity, and a very logical brain; and Baby Taz (Ian James Corlett), who often mistook things for food and tended to break things with his spinning. They were eventually joined by Baby Petunia (Chiara Zanni), the most intelligent of the group with an adventurous streak, and Baby Melissa (Janyse Jaud), an easy-going girl with a highly logical and practical mentality. Caring for the babies was Granny (June Foray, the only American in the otherwise Canadian cast), sometimes with the help of her nephew, Floyd Minton (Brain Drummond). Other baby characters made appearances either in cameos during song numbers or as guest stars.

Granny taking care of the kids.

            Baby Looney Tunes debuted on September 16, 2002, initially syndicated to Warner affiliates before finding a permanent home on Cartoon Network. The series was developed by Sander Schwartz and featured music by Steve and Julie Bernstein, with a theme composed by Lisa Silver and Patty Way. The series ran for 4 seasons and one direct-to-video film. Additionally, two direct-to-video films utilizing puppets were released in 2003. Neither were released outside of VHS, but Musical Adventures was made available to stream on HBO Max and Tubi and Backyard Adventures on Binge in Australia. As for the series itself, it aired in reruns on both Cartoon Network and Boomerang until 2020. It became one of the first shows broadcast on the American version of the preschool programming block Cartoonio on Cartoon Network in 2021 and aired until 2023. The Warner Bros./Discovery merger saw the series air on Discovery Family, and then on retro animation network MeTV Toons. 

TRANSFORMERS: ROBOTS IN DISGUISE (2015)

 

TRANSFORMERS: ROBOTS IN DISGUISE (2015)

(Cartoon Network, March 14, 2015-November 11, 2017 US)
 
 
Darby Pop Productions (season 1-2), Hasbro Studios

 

 

MAIN CAST:
Will Friedle – Bumblebee, Ultra Bee, Butch, Righty, various
Constance Zimmer – Strongarm, Filch, Wingcode, Matronly Docent, various
Darren Criss – Sideswipe, various
Khary Payton – Grimlock, Bisk, Divebomb, various
Mitchell Whitfield – Fixit, Toolbox, Cinch, Major Mayhem
Stuart Allan – Russell Clay, various
Ted McGinley – Denny Clay, various
Peter Cullen – Optimus Prime
Eric Bauza – Drift, Back, Forth, Headlock, Pseudo, Silverhound, Ziegler, Major Mayhem
Roger Craig Smith – Jetstorm, Slipstream, Airazor, Blastwave, Major Mayhem, various

 

By the end of the first decade of the 21^st Century, Hasbro decided they wanted to transition into an entertainment company first, and a toy production company second. In 2008, they reacquired the rights to the 80s programs they made with Sunbow Productions from TV-Loonland AG. In 2009, they formed their own studio—initially called Hasbro Studios, later AllSpark—to develop, produce and distribute their own multimedia from concepts conceived by new division HasLab, run by Creative Manager Rik Alvarez. And in 2010, they launched their own network, The Hub, in partnership with Discovery Communications.

Map of Cybertron from the Binder of Revelation.

            One of their primary goals for Transformers media outside of the recent live-action films was to create a unified continuity between projects going forward; offering a kind of consistency in the brand. Within the previous decade, Transformers had undergone a number of reinventions between multiple animated series from both sides of the globe, the film series, and the comic books from Dreamwave and IDW Publishing. The groundwork for this idea, dubbed the Aligned Continuity, was laid out in the massive document called the “Binder of Revelation” written by Alvarez, Vice President of Intellectual Property Development Aaron Archer, and various other Transformers experts and fans. It took elements from every Transformers incarnation to date to outline the definitive franchise bible that would affect everything outside of the films. However, creative teams were still given the leeway to craft their own stories and art styles, and were not strictly beholden to established facts found in the Binder. It was essentially meant to be an outline for the broad strokes of the overall story that must be touched on. Archer would call this the “squint test”—as in if you squinted just right, it all lined up.

            The first entry under this new continuity was the video game War for Cybertron, released in mid-2010 by Activision, and supplemented by the novel Exodus, written by Alex Irvine and published by Del Rey Books. These would introduce a corrupted version of the Transformers’ power source, Energon, called Dark Energon. The first television show in this new continuity, and one of the earliest entries on The Hub, was Transformers: Prime; a co-production with Darby Pop Productions. The name was meant to symbolize the establishment of a new “prime” continuity for the franchise. Prime was developed by Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, the screenwriters for the live-action Transformers film and its sequel, Revenge of the Fallen. The series was their chance to delve into the mythology and character arcs of the Transformers that the limitations of the films—such as how long the expensive CGI characters could appear on screen—didn’t allow them to properly explore.

Team Prime: Bumblebee, Bulkhead, Optimus, Arcee and Ratchet.

            Team Prime consisted initially of Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen), Arcee (Sumalee Montano), Bumblebee (Will Friedle), Ratchet (Jeffrey Combs) and briefly Cliffjumper (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson & Billy Brown) as they operated out of a former military missile silo near the fictional town of Jasper, Nevada. They operated in secret from the humans (besides their traditional human allies) as they continued their battle against the Decepticons. Megatron (Frank Welker), Starscream (Steve Blum), Soundwave (Welker) and his minion, Laserbeak, were the only notable Decepticons amongst an army of identical drones, but others would join as the story progressed. The discovery that Earth’s core was really the planet-sized Transformer Unicron established that the planet was truly Cybertron’s twin. This led to a race between the factions for Cybertronian artifacts strewn across the planet and the Omega Keys to restore Cybertron; destroyed by Megatron with Dark Energon, which was more abundant on Earth. The Dark Energon in Prime was depicted differently from War for Cybertron as it was more of a legendary substance with supernatural abilities (like raising the dead) while in the game, it was merely a powerfully dangerous substance.

A prequel to Prime published by IDW.

            Although War for Cybertron was more influenced by Generation 1 and Prime took greater inspiration from the films, events from the game and novel were referenced in flashbacks on the show, and the sequel game, Fall of Cybertron, featured references to Prime. The only hangup in the grand plan was with IDW. HasLab had tried to convince them to reboot their comics to become more in line with the Aligned Continuity, but as they were already so deep into their own stories, they refused to abandon that investment of time and effort. They would, however, publish separate books related to Prime.

            Despite Prime’s overall success, it was decided to end the show after three seasons. Reasons for this included Prime’s out of control budget and The Hub receiving lower-than-expected viewership numbers, which would see Hasbro give a majority stake back to Discovery and the channel renamed Discovery Family the following year. Additionally, plans for Prime’s third season had to be abruptly scrapped and reworked when the franchise received a new head toy designer and introduced the Predacons–a race of ancient Cybertronian dragons–to the Prime line. They now had to be worked into Prime’s third season, subtitled Beast Hunters. Takara Tomy, Hasbro’s Japanese partners in the Transformers franchise, opted to not even air the Beast Hunters season in Japan. Instead, they created their own continuation of the Prime story called Triple Combination: Transformers GO! featuring original Japanese-themed characters battling the Predacons for the time-twisting Legendiscs.

The Unit:E comic.

            The ultimate goal of the Aligned Continuity was to eventually lead up to a grand shared universe that would incorporate all of Hasbro’s properties; in particular G.I. Joe, M.A.S.K., Action Man, Stretch Armstrong, the Micronauts, Jem and the Holograms, Primordia (a relaunch of 1986 toyline Inhumanoids), and even board games Candy Land and Battleship. This was highlighted in the comic Unit:E, given out at New York Comic Con 2011 (and, incidentally, was also the name of a federal agency in Prime). Unfortunately, this grand vision never came to pass.

Optimus and Bumblebee appear on Rescue Bots.

        While High Moon Studios, the makers of the Cybertron games, was fully on board with the idea, the creators of the animated shows wanted freedom from the Binder to do their own thing. That’s why Rescue Bots, based on the then-upcoming pre-school toys in the franchise, was said to be in continuity with Prime against HasLab’s plans. It was argued that a second series on the same network with the same production companies should be connected. Rescue Bots was kept largely insular from the larger Prime story, but Optimus and Bumblebee would make guest appearances.

The last gasp of the Aligned Continuity in game form.

        Additionally, Hasbro’s ambitions at being an entertainment company was falling far short of expectations. They had put a lot of money into the film adaptation of Battleship, which ended up sunk at the box office. High Moon Studios owner Activision laid off a large number of their staff, and assets from the two games they produced were cobbled together to create the lackluster midquel Rise of the Dark Spark; meaning now Hasbro lost their video game partner in their plans. A direct video game for Prime, Transformers Universe, was also scrapped after years of developmental difficulties. Finally, Hasbro started making budget cuts and shut down HasLab, laying off most of its staff (the HasLab name would later resurface as Hasbro’s crowdfunding arm for one-shot collectors’ items that wouldn’t see mass release to stores).

The Bee Team: Drift, Sideswipe, Grimlock, Bumblebee, Strongarm, Fixit, Optimus and Windblade.

            Even though the Aligned Continuity imploded, projects for it were still coming out. The next entry was a sequel to Prime called Robots in Disguise (not to be confused with the 2001 anime of the same name, and initially working under the title TF2). Developed by producers Adam Beechen and Jeff Kline and Duane Capizzi, the series was set three years after the defeat of Megatron. Bumblebee (Friedle, reprising from Prime) had become a seasoned police officer on the restored and prosperous Cybertron. A vision of a presumed-dead Optimus (Cullen) appeared to him and led him back to Earth to deal with the threat of recapturing the escaped Decepticons from a crashed maximum-security ship. This would be the first Transformers program where Bumblebee was the central focus; playing off of his growing popularity thanks to being prominently featured in the film franchise.

Russell and Denny Clay in their scrapyard.

            Initially joining Bumblebee was his partner, cadet Strongarm (Constance Zimmer), who could transform into a police SUV and whose by-the-book mentality often clashed with Bumblebee’s loose style, and Sideswipe (Darren Criss), a rebellious “bad boy bot” that Strongarm apprehended causing some vandalism in his futuristic sports car alt form and forced to come with her to Earth. The Bee Team’s ranks would be bolstered by the addition of Mini-Con Fixit (Mithcell Whitfield), who worked aboard the prison ship and ended up damaged in the crash, causing him to frequently glitch; Dinobot Grimlock (Khary Payton), a former prisoner whose headstrong destructive tendencies as both bot and T-Rex was put to use for the good guys;  bounty hunter Drift (Eric Bauza), a former Decepticon thief named Deadlock that operated with a code of honor and transformed into a futuristic car; Drift’s Mini-Con students Jetstorm, who was impulsive and often acted inappropriately, and Slipstream (both Roger Craig Smith), who was more obedient to Drift; and Windblade (Kristy Wu & Erica Lindbeck), an ancient warrior with a clairvoyant instinct for finding Decepticons that could transform into a VTOL jet. Additionally, they had two human allies: child-like junk collector Denny Clay (Ted McGinley) and his son, Russell (Stuart Allan), who came to live with his father while his mother was in Copenhagen. It was in their scrapyard, the Vintage Salvage Depot for the Discriminating Nostalgist, just outside of Crown City, where the Autobots set up their base.

Sideswipe finds someone he can relate to in Blurr.

            Occasionally the Bee Team would be joined by cool and collected Jazz (Arif S. Kinchen), who was tasked with cultural observance and analysis and became a sports car; medical officer Ratchet (Combs, reprising from Prime), tasked with tracking down rogue Decepticons with Mini-Con Undertone, and could become an ambulance; Blurr (Max Mittelman, reprising from Rescue Bots), a hotshot Rescue Bot who loved speed and never hesitated to show it in his race car form; and the powerful-yet-gentle Bulkhead (Kevin Michael Richardson, reprising from Prime), who transformed into a SUV.

Optimus meets the Primes.

            Optimus Prime had sacrificed himself to save Cybertron during Prime. But instead of dying, he was taken to the Realm of the Primes: an ethereal plane outside of time and space inhabited by the original Thirteen Transformers. There he was trained by Micronus Prime (Adrian Pasdar) to combat a coming threat. That threat would come sooner than anticipated and Optimus was sent to Earth infused with the power of the Primes. Once the threat was defeated, however, they took their power back, leaving Optimus weakened. He would join Bumblebee’s team and work under his old friend to aid in their missions.

Bumblebee with his Decepticon Hunter.

            A special weapon utilized by the Bee Team were the Decepticon Hunters, found on the prison ship. They were multi-purpose tools that could read its wielder’s mind and become whatever weapon or device they needed. However, there was a trick to them: the user needed to have an absolutely clear image in their head of what they wanted, or else it would change into random objects. Additionally, if a Decepticon Hunter wasn’t working perfectly, it could severely damage both itself and its user.

Steeljaw's Pack: Thunderhoof, Fracture, Underbite, Steeljaw and Clampdown.

            The primary antagonist was the wolf-like Steeljaw (Troy Baker), a brilliant schemer and revolutionary with goals to take over Earth as a new home for Decepticons under his rule, and who could become an off-road vehicle. He would form his own Pack that included Underbite (Liam O’Brien), a Chompazoid whose strength was determined by how much metal he consumed and could become a four-wheeled tank; Thunderhoof (Frank Stallone), a former crime boss with moose-like antlers and hooves that could become a tractor; bounty hunter Fracture (Kevin Pollak), who had no loyalties or scruples so long as he got paid, and could become a chopper; his Mini-Cons Airazor (Smith), a dimwit that took pleasure in doing bad things to others, and Divebomb (Payton), the smarter of the pair with razor-sharp claws he WASN’T hesitant to use; and Clampdown (Jim Cummings), powerful yet cowardly and always willing to do anything to save himself, who could become a hatchback.

The Stunticons: Slashmark, Heatseeker, Motormaster, Dragstrip and Wildbreak.

            Other villains included sword-wielding pirate Saberhorn (Fred Tatasciore), who could become a winged rhinoceros beetle and could combine with Decepticon Bisk (Payton), a powerful fighter who treated life like a video game and could become a sports car, to form Saberclaw; Scorponok (Victor Brandt), a gruff scorpion-like bot whose stinger-tail was lethal; cold and aloof Glowstrike (Grey Griffin), who enslaved her Mini-Con captors to rebuild the prison ship to get her off of Earth, and could transform into a ladybug; Soundwave (Welker) and his bird-like minion, Laserbeak, Megatron’s chief lieutenant and master tactician who wound up trapped in the Shadowzone—an alternate dimension that was essentially like a prison—but was eventually freed; Starscream (Blum), who had managed to survive the Predacons and found and attempted to utilize the Weaponizer Mini-Cons bred by the Decepticons for revenge on Megatron; the Stunticons, who plot to conquer the planet’s roads by finding Cybertronian weapons or by combining into more powerful forms, comprised of leader Motormaster (Travis Willingham), brutish Heatseeker (Mikey Kelley), timid Wildbreak (Dave Wittenberg), opportunistic Drag Strip (Maurice LaMarche), and the snobbishly snarky Slashmark (Kaye); the Scavengers, a group of Decepticons that made a living stealing Autobot relics from the Great War comprised of  crab-like Clawtrap (André Sogliuzzo), Paralon (Jason Spisak) who could become a scorpion, lobster-like Thermidor (Cummings) who could become a sports car, and porcupine-like Scatterspike (Robin Weigert) who could become an offroad truck; Cyclonus (Harry Lennix), a mighty Cybertronian starfighter with a chilling voice and boasts of the destruction he’d bring, but which hid the fact that he had a strong cowardly streak; and Megatronus (Gil Gerard), a powerful fallen Prime that blamed both planets for his eventual defeat and imprisonment; among others.

Grimlock protects his team.

            Transformers: Robots in Disguise was meant to return to the Transformers’ former home of Cartoon Network, but made several international detours along the way. The first 13 episodes of the series were dubbed in Chinese and premiered in China on December 31, 2014 on the website 1905.com; where they could be purchased for roughly $3-4 each until January 15^th. Purchasing them also entered viewers into a contest to win an assortment of Hasbro toys and a roughly $5 digital coupon. It then premiered on Canal J in France, Biggs in Portugal, and Cartoon Network in Hungary, Australia and New Zealand before finally hitting the United States on March 14, 2015. This would continue for the duration of the show, with episodes premiering in Singapore, Australian iTunes, Cartoon Network UK (which aired 2 episodes a week), Teletoon (now Cartoon Network) in Canada, and Gulli in France days or sometimes even months ahead of the US broadcasts.

The ultimate teamwork: Ultra Bee!

The series ran for 3 ½ seasons. The first season was more episodic, focusing on a “villain of the week” that would introduce a typically animal-based Decepticon that had to be recaptured by the Bee Team and put back into stasis. Only Steeljaw and members of his crew escaped this fate so they could become recurring threats. The series was decidedly lighter in tone compared to Prime, as Hasbro wanted to target an audience that was somewhere in maturity between Prime and Rescue Bots for a healthier consumer base. A number of running gags were established as a result: such as Bumblebee’s inability to come up with a unique rallying cry; Strongarm and Sideswipe engaged in a constant rivalry; Grimlock attempting to find a better disguise than being a giant dinosaur; and Fixit glitching and causing trouble for his teammates. Some of these running gags were further expanded upon in 11 online shorts that supplemented the season.

The Bee Team meets Mini-Cons.

The second season split the team—whose ranks were bolstered over the course of the previous one—into one group searching for Decepticons around the world while Bumblebee, Strongarm, Grimlock and Fixit stood watch over Crown City. The season saw a greater attempt to connect Robots in Disguise with Prime, bringing in characters from that show for guest appearances while also engaging in longer, building narratives. It was also heavily toy-driven, with characters who had newly-released toys being included and leading to a greater focus on Mini-Cons.

Enter: Starscream.

A short 6-episode mini-series was made following the second season, which was considered the third until the third was officially announced. Considered season 2.5, the mini-series saw the return of Starscream seeking to utilize the Mini-Cons created by the Decepticons. The true third season, titled “Combiner Force”, saw the Bee Team have to harness the power of combination to create Ultra Bee to deal with serious threats. Along with dealing with more Decepticon escapees, the Bee Team found themselves embroiled in a political conflict as Cybertron’s High Council had decided to label them criminals and sent the very Decepticons they captured after them.

The Autobot High Council.

The series was written by Irvine, Beechen, Capizzi, script coordinator/writer’s assistant Mairghread Scott, story editor Steven Melching, Marsha Griffin, Nicole Dubuc, Guy Toubes, Michael Ryan, Dean Stefan, Stan Berkowitz, David McDermott, John Loy, Zac Atkinson, Howie Nicoll, Derek Dressler, Len Wein, Johnny Hartmann, Martin Fisher, Andrew R. Robinson, Matt Wayne, Brian Hohlfeld, Shannon Eric Denton, Dan Salgarolo, Eric Lewald, Julia Lewald, Len Uhley, Julie McNally Cahill, Tim Cahill, Paul Giacoppo, Matthew Wilson, and two episodes were even written by Friedle himself. The series’ theme was composed by Kevin Kiner, Anne Bryant and Clifford Kinder with vocals by Nick Soole, and the rest of the music done by Kiner with Kevin Manthei during season 1. Characters were designed by Augusto Barranco and Walter Gatus.  Animation duties were handled by Polygon Pictures with 2D work done by GONZO and drop.

In Japan, the series aired as two separately branded shows. Transformers Adventure debuted on satellite network Animax on March 15, 2015—the first to be aired on satellite since Super Lifeform Transformers: Beast Wars Returns—which meant there was no reason for it to be edited for time like network broadcasts. Localization was headed up by Keiichiro Miyoshi, who had also done so for the live-action films, making it the first since Generation 1 to not be handled by Yoshikazu Iwanami. As a result, it lacked the fourth wall-breaking humor and extensive adlibbing that had become synonymous with the franchise under Iwanami. The intro featured a mix of episode clips and new animation by LandQ Studio and the theme “Save the Future!!” by Mitsuhiro Oikawa, and an all-new outro by Nakano Design with the theme “Try☆Transformers Adventure↑↑↑” performed by the main cast. Transformers Adventure –Prime of Micron- (New Enemies) combined the second season and mini-series episodes into a new series that debuted on July 3, 2016. The new title emphasized the connections to Prime. While Prime of Micron had new clips in its intro sequence, the outro and music remained the same. Much like Prime before it, the final season of Robots in Disguise was never dubbed or aired in Japan.

As with other Transformers media, Robots in Disguise had a supporting toyline from Hasbro, which was also released in Japan by Takra Tomy under the Adventure title. It featured the most amount of product across various price points than any other toyline that came before. IDW Publishing released a 7-issue limited series tying into the first season, written by Georgia Ball and drawn by Priscilla Tramontano. The first issue, #0, was released as a free comic during 2015’s Free Comic Book Day. Signature Publishing also released 3 issues of their own series in the United Kingdom, and became the first Transformers comic available through Australian newsagents since 2010. A one-shot manga appeared in the September 2015 issue of TV Magazine by Kodansha in Japan, and was packaged with a special stealth redecoration of Bumblebee. Marmalade Game Studio developed a mobile game that had a scan feature that allowed players to scan their toys and use those characters in the game. A 3D beat ‘em up, the player selected two characters for each mission to defeat the Decepticons and stop Steeljaw and Insecticon Barrage from creating a SpaceBridge to Cybertron. Marmalade also produced Nestlé Arcade, which featured an infinite running game based on the show. In participation with Nestlé, codes were made available on packages of Nesquik to unlock upgrades.

 

EPISODE GUIDE:

Season 1:

“Pilot, Part 1” (12/31/14 China, 3/14/15 US) – Bumblebee gets a vision from Optimus that sends him back to Earth with Strongarm and Sideswipe to discover a crashed and empty prison ship.

 

“Pilot, Part 2” (12/31/14 China, 3/14/15 US) – Minicon Fixit, Dinobot Grimlock and humans Denny and Russell Clay join the team to help round up the escaped Decepticons, starting with Underbite.

 

“Trust Exercises” (12/31/14 China, 4/5/15 US) – Bumblebee tries to build the team’s trust while having to stop Sharkticon Hammerstrike from recreating his home environment.

 

“More Than Meets the Eye” (12/31/14 China, 4/11/15 US) – Russell attempts to make friends with the local kids while Fixit tries to prove himself in the field by going after combiner Chop Shop.

 

“W.W.O.D.?” (12/31/14 China, 4/18/15 US) – Bumblebee must learn to lead as humans discover a stasis pod inhabited by Terrashock.

 

“As the Kospego Commands!” (12/31/14 China, 4/25/15) – Sideswipe’s loyalty is questioned when he and Bumblebee encounter Thunderhoof looking to get back to Cybertron.

 

“Collect ‘Em All” (12/31/14 China, 5/2/15) – While the team pursues a kleptomaniac Decepticon, Denny and Russell must fend off a greedy memorabilia collector.

 

“True Colors” (12/31/14 China, 5/9/15) – Bumblebee must figure out why Grimlock has suddenly turned on the team.

 

“Rumble in the Jungle” (12/31/14 China, 5/16/15 US) – Strongarm’s first solo mission in South America is hampered by an over-protective Bumblebee.

 

“Can You Dig It?” (12/31/14 China, 5/23/15 US) – Jazz pays the team a visit as Decepticon Ped seeks to monopolize their Energon supply.

 

“Adventures in Bumblebee-Sitting!” (12/31/14 China, 5/30/15 US) – Quillfire’s toxic quills reduces Bumblebee’s maturity, increasing the team’s difficulties in apprehending him.

 

“Hunting Season” (12/31/14 China, 6/6/15 US) – Bumblebee learns there’s a price on his head when Cybertronian bounty hunters come to Earth.

 

“Out of Focus” (12/31/14 China, 6/13/15 US) – The team attempts to stop a group of thieves while Optimus is trained in the Realm of Primes to face an evil that will threaten both worlds.

 

“Sideways” (6/20/15) – Clampdown leads the team to Steeljaw, who has assembled his own team of Decepticons.

 

“Even Robots Have Nightmares” (6/27/15) – Vampiric Nightstrike brings the team’s worst fears to life with his sonic scream, leaving only a panicked Russell to save them.

 

“Some Body, Any Body” (7/4/15) – Insane scientist Vertebreak kidnaps Sideswipe and transplants his head onto his body.

 

“One of Our Mini-Cons is Missing” (7/11/15) – Drift returns to Earth to search for his missing Mini-Con while Springload and Quillfire escape and take control of an experimental military tank.

 

“Deep Trouble” (7/18/15) – Grimlock hides his injury from the team as they head to the ocean to stop Octopunch from leaving Earth.

 

“The Champ” (7/25/15) – Fromer gladiator Groundpounder takes part in a televised fight and the team must rely on Grimlock’s strength to bring him down.

 

“The Trouble with Fixit” (8/1/15) – Denny attempts to fix a malfunctioning Fixit but ends up activating his guard program and causes him to view the team as Decepticons to capture.

 

“Lockout” (8/8/15) – Steeljaw’s gang penetrates the scrapyard to free their fellow Decepticons and lock out the Autobots with a sonic field.

 

“Similarly Different” (8/15/15) – Grimlock’s encounter of another Dinobot has him contemplating going back to his old ways.

 

“The Buzz on Windblade” (8/22/15) – Ancient Autobot Windblade teams up with the team in order to stop Zizza from taking control of humans’ minds.

 

“Ghosts and Impostors” (8/29/15) – Bumblebee tries to show his team the beauty of Earth by taking them to a ghost town that is unknowingly inhabited by a Decepticon waiting for them.

 

“Battlegrounds, Part 1” (9/5/15) – Strongarm, Windblade and Sideswipe are captured by Steeljaw’s gang and the Primes decide to deploy Optimus despite his training being incomplete.

 

“Battlegrounds, Part 2” (9/12/15) – Megatron returns to destroy both planets and it’s up to Bumblebee’s team and Optimus to stop him.

 

Season 2:

“Overloaded, Part 1” (2/20/16) – Optimus is stripped of the power of the Primes just as an ancient enemy he once defeated returns to wreak global havoc.

 

“Overload, Part 2” (2/27/16) – Bumblebee chases down Overload while Prime leads his own group against Polarclaw and the harsh arctic elements.

 

“Metal Meltdown” (3/5/16) – Strongarm tries to recreate her partnership with Sideswipe with Grimlock while they chase a new Decepticon, and Steeljaw discovers a new group of Decepticons.

 

“Suspended” (3/12/16) – A mistake in the field causes Strongarm to take herself off of active duty.

 

“Cover Me” (3/19/16) – Windblade’s concern for Optimus impacts the team on their latest mission.

 

“Brainpower” (3/26/16) – Grimlock attempts to make himself smarter by absorbing data from a data cylinder, but something goes wrong and impacts the team’s latest mission.

 

“Misdirection” (3/27/16 UK, 4/2/16 US) – The team goes off to investigate a Decepticon island while Steeljaw plots to infiltrate the scrapyard.

 

“Bumblebee’s Night Off” (4/2/16 UK, 4/9/16 US) – Bumblebee is encouraged to attend the concert of one of his favorite bands but ends up having to discreetly stop a Decepticon attack there.

 

“Impounded” (4/3/16 UK, 4/16/16 US) – Bumblebee and Strongarm are trapped in an impound lot and Grimlock’s search for better camouflage is interrupted by Quillfire’s return.

 

“Portals” (4/9/16 UK, 4/23/16 US) – Fixit’s attempts to fix the GroundBridge end up summoning Soundwave and Laserbeak to the scrapyard while Bumblebee is banished to the Shadowzone.

 

“Graduation Exercises” (4/10/16 UK, 4/30/16 US) – Slipstream and Jetstorm accidentally put Drift in danger when they try to prove they can work without their teacher.

 

“Decepticon Island, Part 1” (4/16/16 UK, 5/7/16 US) – The Autobots discover the Decepticon’s lair and that Steeljaw is leading his own army.

 

“Decepticon Island, Part 2” (4/16/16 UK, 5/14/16 US) – Tensions rise between Bumblebee and Optimus as the Autobots find themselves greatly outnumbered by the Decepticons.

 

Season 2 ½:

“History Lessons” (9/10/16 CAN, 10/22/16 US) – A trip to the original Autobot base reveals a new enemy with sinister plans.

 

“Strongarm’s Big Score” (9/17/16 CAN, 10/29/16 US) – Strongarm attempts to impress Fixit and ends up running afoul of a Scavenger.

 

“Pretzel Logic” (9/24/16 CAN, 11/5/16 US) – Grimlock ends up befriending a human monk while on a mission at a monastery.

 

“Mighty Big Trouble” (10/1/16 CAN, 11/12/16 US) – The Scavengers discover the long-lost Dark Star Saber made of Dark Energon, which Starscream plans to put to good use.

 

“Mini-Con Madness” (10/8/16 CAN, 11/19/16 US) – Optimus leads the team to rescue Bumblebee, Fixit, Slipstream and Jetstorm from Starscream.

 

“Worthy” (10/15/16 CAN, 12/3/16 US) – The team must prevent Starscream from linking with all seven Mini-Con Weaponizers.

 

Season 3:

“King of the Hill, Part 1” (4/25/17 FR, 4/29/17 US) – A missile-firing Stunticon proves to be too much for the team near a nuclear waste disposal site.

 

“King of the Hill, Part 2” (4/25/17 FR, 4/29/17 US) – The Stunticon continues to give the team trouble while they try to keep it from detonating the nuclear waste site.

 

“Defrosted” (4/25/17 FR, 5/6/17 US) – Grimlock wants to learn new fighting techniques from Drift while Soundwave sends another Mini-Con after the Decepticon Hunters.

 

“Blurred” (4/25/17 FR, 5/13/17 US) – After accidentally freeing Ragebyte, Sideswipe tries to recapture him out of fear of being replaced by Blurr.

 

“Sphere of Influence” (5/20/17) – The team discovers a sphere that alters Cybertronian minds and causes them to fight each other.

 

“Bee Cool” (5/27/17) – Bumblebee struggles to lead the team against two Stunticons while trying to be as cool as Sideswipe and Blurr.

 

“The Great Divide” (6/3/17) – A combiner accident causes Sideswipe to split into two beings, while Soundwave gets ahold of his Decepticon Hunter.

 

“Get a Clue” (6/10/17) – Strongarm investigates a strange series of Decepticon thefts.

 

“Out of the Shadows” (6/17/17) – Drift’s former mentor comes to recover the Mini-Cons he took from him, exposing his past to the rest of the team.

 

“Disordered Personalities” (6/24/17) – A combining experiment causes the team to switch personalities.

 

“Guilty as Charged” (7/15/17 UK, 7/29/17 US) – The team tries to rescue Strongarm’s old classmate from a powerful foe.

 

“The Golden Knight” (7/16/17 UK, 8/12/17 US) – Bumblebee and Fixit head to a remote English island to investigate an ancient Cybertronian signal.

 

“The Fastest Bot Alive!” (7/22/17 UK, 8/12/17 US) – Grimlock acquires super speed that he has a hard time controlling.

 

“Railroad Rage” (8/5/17 CAN, 8/19/17 US) – The team tries to prevent the Stunticons from getting the fusion engine being transported on a runaway train.

 

“Combine and Conquest” (8/12/17 CAN, 8/26/17 US) – Bumblebee’s new leadership style is put to the test when they must go up against Motormaster and the Stunticons.

 

“Moon Breaker” (8/19/17 CAN, 9/2/17 US) – When Optimus recruits Drift for a special mission, Sideswipe and Strongarm compete to see who’d be better to go than him.

 

“Exiles” (8/26/17 CAN, 9/9/17 US) – The team must abandon their base when Steeljaw attacks, and Sideswipe’s abandonment issues begin to rise.

 

“Breathing Room” (9/16/17) – Fixit tries to keep Steeljaw’s crew busy while Bumblebee, Sideswipe and Strongarm figure out a way to escape their capture.

 

“Prepare for Departure” (9/23/17) – As the team deals with retrieving radioactive fuel rods from Steeljaw, Grimlock tries to learn the difference between work and play.

 

“Prisoner Principles” (9/30/17) – Soundwave takes over Steeljaw’s gang as they threaten a nuclear power plant.

 

“Collateral Damage” (10/7/17) – Soundwave escapes the Shadowzone and sets up a Beacon Generator to summon Megatron.

 

“Something He Ate” (10/14/17) – Underbite eats part of the GroundBridge and gains the ability to teleport.

 

“Five Fugitives” (10/28/17) – Strongarm’s old mentor arrives from Cybertron to arrest the team.

 

“Enemy of My Enemy” (10/29/17 UK, 11/4/17 US) – Optimus warns of a Cybertronian invasion of Earth, splitting up the team to defend both of their homes.

 

“Freedom Fighters” (11/4/17 UK, 11/11/17 US) – The team must save Earth from the invasion while liberating Cybertron from the High Council.

 

Shorts:

“Fixit Jam” (4/29/15) – Russell and Grimlock retrace Grimlock’s steps to figure out where he saw Fixit last.

 

“To Catch a Phrase” (5/13/15) – Bumblebee continues to search for his signature catchphrase.

 

“Sticky Situation” (5/26/15) – Denny eats some messy food while riding inside Bumblebee.

 

“Carjacked!” (6/23/15) – A car thief ends up getting into some encounters with Transformers.

 

“Perfect” (6/23/15) – Denny helps Grimlock find his signature weapon.

 

“Knock, Knock!” (10/28/15) – Fracture and his Mini-Cons release a Mini-Con from a stasis pod known as a Cyclone: an unpredictable and unaligned version of Mini-Cons.

 

“The Power of Dibs” (10/28/15) – Sideswipe introduces Slipstream and Jetstorm to the human custom of calling “dibs”.

 

“Back and Forth” (11/6/15) – Fracture pursues the Cyclones to little avail.

 

“The Tragedy of Slipstream” (11/6/15) – Slipstream recounts what turned him into a criminal.

 

“A Level Playing Field” (11/6/15) – The Cyclones cause a brawl between the Autobot and Decepticon Mini-Cons.

 

“Two Plus Two Equals More” (11/6/15) – The Mini-Cons decide to form a truce in order to put a stop to the Cyclones.