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Transformers

Launched in 1984, the Transformers toyline was promoted through both a comic book by Marvel Comics and an animated series produced by Sunbow Productions. Although the comic outlived the animated series by a number of years, it was the animated series that truly captured the hearts and minds of children worldwide more so than any other piece of Transformers media from its twenty-three year history. With the original show's conclusion in 1987, original series exclusive to Japan were created which ran until 1990, and the franchise was later re-imagined with the fully CGI Beast Wars in the late 1990s. The current run of cartoons have been co-productions between America and Japan.

Transformers is a 2007 live action film adaptation of the Transformers franchise. The film stars Shia LaBeouf as Sam Witwicky, a teenager involved in the war between the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons for the All Spark. It also stars Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, Jon Voight and John Turturro, and it features the voices of Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime and Hugo Weaving as Megatron. Cullen voiced Prime in the 1980s cartoon. The film was directed by Michael Bay, executive produced by Steven Spielberg, and written by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman.

Development of the film began in 2003 when producers Don Murphy and Tom DeSanto wrote a treatment. Spielberg acquired the treatment the following year, and Orci, Kurtzman and Bay joined the project in 2005. The filmmakers aimed for a realistic depiction of the story, and in turn created a complex design aesthetic for the robots. In stressing their alien nature, the computer-generated characters were designed to have thousands of mechanical pieces move as they transform and behave. The United States military and General Motors lent their support during filming, saving money, providing vehicles, and the former helped create a realistic tone for the battle scenes.

Hasbro planned an enormous promotional campaign for the film, making deals with two hundred companies to release prequel comics books, toys, books and product placement deals with GM, eBay and a viral marketing campaign. Despite mixed fan reaction to the radical redesigns of the characters and reviews which criticized the focus on the humans over the robots, Transformers was a box office success: it became the twenty-eighth most successful film released, grossing approximately US$706 million worldwide. The film revitalized media interest in the franchise, and a sequel is expected for release on June 26, 2009.

Design

The filmmakers chose to incorporate real-world physics into their designs, accounting that a robot would need to match the size of their chosen disguise. Here is a the layout for Optimus Prime's robotic body within his truck modeA major decision made in designing the robots was having the size of the robot match their vehicle form. This acts as a rationale for why a Transformer would come to Earth and choose his particular disguise, as he would scan a vehicle that would contain a similar mass. The idea of travelling protoforms was developed as Roberto Orci wondered why "aliens who moonlight as vehicles need other vehicles to travel."A major influence in the designs were samurai armor, which goes back full circle to the Japanese origins of the toy line. There was also a desire to reflect their alien origins.

For most of the Autobots, a product placement deal with General Motors was made to supply their alternate forms, which saved $3 million. GM also provided almost two hundred cars to be blown up during the climactic battle. To supply most of the alternate modes of the Decepticons, as well as in keeping with making the film realistic, Bay had the support of the United States military. The film features F-22s, F-117s, and two V-22 Ospreys, the first time any of these have been used for a film. Two Ospreys were used, out of three that were in the U.S. Air Force inventory. Soldiers served as extras, and authentic uniforms were provided for the actors.

Sequel

Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg are expected to return as director and executive producer for Transformers 2, while Paramount has announced June 26, 2009 release. Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox and Peter Cullen are signed on to return. Before Transformers was released, Bay expressed interest in an aircraft carrier character, while producer Tom DeSanto was interested in the Dinobots, Constructicons, and Soundwave. Ehren Kruger was hired to write the script, alongside the returning Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman.The script was not completed because of the 2007 Writers Guild of America strike, but filming is expected to begin on June 2, 2008. Meanwhile, IDW Publishing are publishing their own sequel to the film, entitled The Reign of Starscream