Dave Cunningham
Autobots, roll out, indeed! If you’re a fan of the Hasbro franchise, then prepare to feast your eyes on the coming year as both Nickelodeon and Netflix have set their expectations on new projects for the Transformers banner.
What are the projects for Transformers?
The first of which is a half-hour animated action-comedy produced by the legendary kids’ network itself, Nickelodeon––the home of many childhood favorites such as Avatar: The Last Airbender and Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide. The animated show will revolve around a new, how should we call it, species (?) of Transformers who are making an effort to find their purpose among the foundation of the Autobots and Decepticons. In short, they have to choose between the good and the bad. However, the twist here is that they’ll be adopted by a human family instead of just coming to save the earth after a creepy robot talks about your extinction. These particular robots will have to navigate their way through these obstacles––considering that the human and robot relationship isn’t really for everyone.
As for Netflix, the streaming giant will be developing Transformers: BotBots––an animated comedy that will revolve around the little rascals called the “BotBots.” These small robots disguise themselves as everyday mall objects and have already been part of Hasbro’s collection of toys in 2018. The 20-episode animated comedy will tell the story of the BotBots, how they spend their days hiding on shelves, and how nights come to life with all the crazy adventures. However, things change as “The Lost Bots” accidentally runs into a mall security guard––eventually blowing covers of both parties and putting all of them in danger. The only way to rescue themselves is to disregard differences and work together.
This isn’t really something we’re accustomed to when it comes to the franchise––but I sure am loving how crazy it sounds.
Who are attached to the projects?
The former, being the one produced by Nickelodeon, will be executive produced by Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles‘ Ant Ward and fellow Transformer genius, Nicole Dubuc who worked for Transformers: Rescue Bots. The show will also be developed and co-executive produced by Ward’s good friend from Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Dale Malinowski. The whole project will be produced by none other than Nickelodeon Animation Studio themselves.
As for the Netflix series, Transformers: BotBots, it will be executive produced by showrunners Kevin Burke and Chris “Doc” Wyatt––the legendary duo that co-produced Iron Man: Armored Adventures and Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.
Are there anymore toy-inspired animated projects coming?
Come on, we’re talking about the ever-evolving entertainment scene here. Of course, there are other animated projects and toy-inspired projects coming to your doorsteps! One of the most hyped and guiltily searched for by fans is the upcoming My Little Pony series––a series being developed by Netflix.
As expected, My Little Pony G5 will be following the events of the streaming giant’s My Little Pony film which will be premiering later this fall. The movie will be following the story of Sunny Starscout, a young Earth Pony, as she maneuvers her way to unite the disconnected world of Equestria after losing its magic. She isn’t alone, however, as she is partnered alongside a lost Unicorn named Izzy. Together, they set off for the mission and prove to everyone that cute is the new strong.
My Little Pony G5, on the other hand, will be the continuation of the adventure of Sunny Starscout and her friends. So, if you grew up watching these cute little munchkins––then this might be the toy-inspired animated project you’ve been looking for.
When is the release date of these projects?
Ah, yes, the good ol’ fashion release date. Knowing Netflix and its early development backgrounds, release dates are pretty hard to get a hold of––so let’s patiently wait for this one and the same goes for the other series.
