The Energon Pub

Ok now that the new movie is out along with the toys, and with the end of Animated, the question now has to be asked "Were dose Transformers go from here"?

Dose it creep back into the shadows until the next movie, or will there be a new cartoon series to fill the gap, or will Universe be the only toyline along with reissues/remoulds of old lines?

I don't remember any Botcon announcments about a cartoon apart from Universe picking up again in 2010.

I'd like to see a cartoon of the movie characters used as a filler between ROTF and TF3.

I'd love to see them do more with the Autobots and their everyday lives on earth and how they interact with the humans and Decepticons.

Hasbro said at BotCon that they are in talks with Discovery Networks about a new channel, and that they want to put a TF series on that network. No info on what the new series will be. Regardless, it's undoubtedly coming, probably not long after the movie toys fade out.

Universe will return after the Movie line as well. Other than that, we're all in wait-and-see mode right now.

In the more general direction of fan-speculation, my girlfriend and I had a conversation earlier, wondering whether a cartoon based on the Movieverse would be well-received by the fandom.

Savage wrote:In the more general direction of fan-speculation, my girlfriend and I had a conversation earlier, wondering whether a cartoon based on the Movieverse would be well-received by the fandom.

Well, as I said, I'd love a movie-verse cartoon.

I think it would be better received. The movie designs would be simplified for a cartoon and would probably create a better balance for those who don't like the hyper-realistic designs of the movie. A cartoon might be enough to get those who hate the live-action designs to warm up to them.

I'd also think a "Shattered Glass" series would do very well. They could make a whole new set of designs so that the Botcon 2008 set's value would not be damaged. They could probably do a couple seasons of Shattered Glass. I think it would be interesting to take the concept and see how it would be accepted to the general public. It went over quite well in the fandom so I can only guess kids would like it too.

I doubt that Shattered would ever get the full on treatment, and by keeping in the form it has now, it allows a full universe that can pull elements from all forms of Transformers, plus GI.Joe is President, and the Cons have friends made from Cartoon villains, buffoons, and a Marvel-only character that they have seemed to have forgotten about.

As for a movie-verse cartoon, I just don't see it working out, also with Hasbro's new TV deal and the way they have chosen to drop Animated and the CN connection there, I can't see then developing a cartoon property where they would continue to give parts of the profits to another company.

I get the feeling in the back of my brain (kinda like some skewed Spidey-sense but probably just a side effect of the drugs I did in my youth) that Hasbro is going to slow down a bit and take a more methodical approach to the new cartoon series and upcoming toy lines. Now would be a good time for them to lay EVERYTHING out on the table and see what direction they should take with this franchise. It would also be a good oppurtunity to solicit input from the fandom to give themselves a better idea of what may or may not fly on ALL levels even though the 5 to 12 age range is their ideal. There have been a lot of good discussions about this over the last few days in regards to the direction of the new cartoon and I would be absolutely thrilled if a Hasbro higher-up could be a fly on the wall for these discussions. Lots of great ideas from everyone that could be both profitable for Hasbro and that would satisfy a multitude of the fans from all age ranges. We as fans should take the "down-time" as it were to pool together our ideas, likes/dislikes, polish them up and present them to the powers that be. At least it gives us something to do since many of us will be doing less spending on TF stuff due to job cut-backs and a crappy economy in general.
Maybe if we are patient and persistent some of the stuff wh have only been able to hope to have happen will finally come to pass.
However, those who are missing the cartoon series could always try giving the Comics indutry a little boost and get your "fix" that way.