Well I plan on you being there to protect my janglies while you mangle his.
Double team him man!!!
To keep things on-topic...is there anything we could do as a collective to voice our utter disdain for this cartoon and start some action on getting a decent one going.
DC have just released a new cartoon movie taken straight from one their comics. New Frontier...awesome story. One of the most refreshing stories I've read in years.
I would kill to see the IDW stuff on the screen.
Rank 8 - Deluxe Member
Um, there is not a collective disdain for the cartoon. Quite a few of us enjoy it for what it is, a children's cartoon for a children's toyline. I like the uniqueness of this animation for a TF series, the small but interesting cast, the Decepticons appearing as unique threats and the fact that it is fun.
Rank 8 - Deluxe Member
Agreed... I wouldn't say that I hate this cartoon either, there are some things that I do like about it. But at the same time I'm not overwhelmingly impressed by it either - it's not wowing my pants off like G1 and Beast Wars.
Well I Hate it and......
my Hate makes me strong!
Yeah I do appreciate it's a kids cartoon and all but I'm not a kid. As for TF's being a kid's toyline I think alot of us here are proof positive that TF's have evolved far beyond children and the powers that be lose alot of potential dollars by not considering us in their marketing strategies and execution.
Rank 8 - Deluxe Member
um.. not really. Adult collectors still constitute a minority niche market. Beast Machines showed us the folly of a too mature/adult oriented marketing approach toward Transformers (there were other problems w/ BM too, but the overtly adult theme of the show wouldn't have helped engage the majority child audience).
That's why adult-oriented TF lines like G1 reissues, Binaltech, Masterpiece etc are produced in limited production runs. Hasbro produced their reissues at a larger standard mass production run and tried marketing it toward children, which was a mistake... the adult collector market simply wasn't big enough to support it at that scale and as a result was an overall failure compared to Takara's efforts (can't wait to open my Sky Lynx!).
Having said that, there's no reason why the story cannot be written at dual levels to appeal to both kids and adults simultaneously - just as G1 (particularly the Marvel comics) and Beast Wars did. Why aren't they doing this with Animated? I think i_amtrunks nailed the reason - they can't be donkeyed. (-_-)
And yet as a general rule, all these lines sell out completely and sell for more (and sometimes alot more) in the secondary market which indicates there is more adult collectors than Hasbro thinks there is.That's why adult-oriented TF lines like G1 reissues, Binaltech, Masterpiece etc are produced in limited production runs.
Also a more mature cartoon would conceivably bring older anime fans and some adults in general into the TF fold.
Rank 1 - New or Inactive
when i was in primary school and BW came out
we kids did not see the season long arcs or subtle comments
we liked it because of the 3d animation and explosions and transformers
But
animated is not BW
and Animated is made in the 21st century
children born after 1989 have the "poison water" in their system, plus the tv and toy people are too lazy to have this show appeal to the entire fandom, the 07 movie was for adults now in 08 we [hasbro] let the kiddies have their turn to play with toys-its science guy
Rank 8 - Deluxe Member
Well that all depends on how you define "more mature." Are you talking about something that is entirely focused toward older fans, like Beast Machines, or are you talking about something that is dual focused, like Beast Wars?Originally Posted by TheDirtyDigger
I think it would be a mistake to ignore the kid market - they are still the majority market share and the staple bread and butter for Transformers toy sales. But I agree that a show that also has another layer that can appeal toward older collectors would assist in drawing in that niche market.
This formula was already well proven with Beast Wars.
Exactly - Beast Wars succeeded on two levels and was able to appeal to both age groups. Kiddies loved it for the animation and transforming robot action, whilst older fans loved it for the G1/G2 references, subtle adult humour (including sexual innuendo) and complex story arcs.
And there we have it. They just can't be effed to put in the effort. Writing Beast Wars was a lot of effort for Larry DiTillio and Bob Forward, who admit that they knew nothing about Transformers when they were first hired to write Beast Wars - but they went and thoroughly educated themselves about Transformers history and lore... they read comics, watched cartoons and communicated with fans online. They did their homework - and it really showed well! They have my undying admiration for having done all that... I doubt Mainframe/Hasbro would've paid them any extra for doing it - it was done purely as an act of dedication and love for their fans.
The 2007 movie didn't ignore kids either. Aside from the moment where the soldier gets impaled by Scorponok and occasional swearing, the movie is reasonably kid-friendly. Kids can watch this movie and marvel at the amazing special effects and see giant transforming robots beating the crap out of each other in photorealistic live action - let's face it, that stuff appeals to the kid in all of us.
There's no real reason why Animated couldn't have been written to also appeal to older audiences too other than the sheer "meh" laziness factor from the writers.
While I realise that that there's almost zero chance of that happening...yes...that is my preferred preference.Well that all depends on how you define "more mature." Are you talking about something that is entirely focused toward older fans
I know it's a toy line but the story behind it is one of war and serious issues with characters that have defined adult persona.
Saying that also, I would be immensely satisfied if they just animated the IDW stuff.
Rank 8 - Deluxe Member
Why is it so bad to have a mature series?
Anyone remember the X-Men 90s cartoon? It was filled with serious themes such as discrimination, genocide, right for life, social inequality, in your face racism, etc, etc. It hardly had any stupid ass kiddy moments, even their Christmas special had an underlaying theme on social poverty.
Guess what? It was a massive hit with kids and these kids still love it as adults!!
Why can't Animated or 21st Century American Animation in general be the same and go forwards instead of backwards ?
Last edited by kup; 1st March 2008 at 09:38 PM.
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