The Energon Pub

[SKYWARPED_128]

It'll be a week at least before I can find the time to watch DOTM, but there's something I really want to know:

Is Mirage really called fricking Dino in the movie?

[Galvatron X]

Unfortunately...yes. As in "Dee-no", not "Die-no".

[SKYWARPED_128]

Oh well, at least the toilet humor was toned down--at least that's what I heard.

[Rodimus Prime]

Yes, Dino. Only mentioned a few times. I am guessing it's a reference to Dean Martin, who was Italian and his nickname was Dino. Of course, the car is a Ferrari 458 Italia, and the character had an Italian accent. Just a little stereotypical...

[Screamfleet]

it's better, since he's nothing like mirage.

[Autobot032]

Yes, Dino. Only mentioned a few times. I am guessing it's a reference to Dean Martin, who was Italian and his nickname was Dino. Of course, the car is a Ferrari 458 Italia, and the character had an Italian accent. Just a little stereotypical...

No...

From Wikipedia:

Dino, an Autobot who transforms into a red Ferrari 458 Italia and speaks with an Italian accent. He was initially meant to be called Mirage, and he goes by that name in the film's related media and toy line, but for the film his name was changed by request from Ferrari, into the nickname given to Alfredo Ferrari.

What it doesn't tell you is that the accent was their request also.

[Rodimus Prime]

Yes, Dino. Only mentioned a few times. I am guessing it's a reference to Dean Martin, who was Italian and his nickname was Dino. Of course, the car is a Ferrari 458 Italia, and the character had an Italian accent. Just a little stereotypical...

No...

From Wikipedia:

Dino, an Autobot who transforms into a red Ferrari 458 Italia and speaks with an Italian accent. He was initially meant to be called Mirage, and he goes by that name in the film's related media and toy line, but for the film his name was changed by request from Ferrari, into the nickname given to Alfredo Ferrari.

What it doesn't tell you is that the accent was their request also.

Also a good theory.

[Red 50]

Mirage... Wasn't he even a blue and white F1 racer?

I know that movie-verse designs go usually so far away from originality, but making Mirage a red sports car isn't, well, really fitting. Probably it's for the best that characters name was Dino.

[Autobot032]

Yes, Dino. Only mentioned a few times. I am guessing it's a reference to Dean Martin, who was Italian and his nickname was Dino. Of course, the car is a Ferrari 458 Italia, and the character had an Italian accent. Just a little stereotypical...

No...

From Wikipedia:

Dino, an Autobot who transforms into a red Ferrari 458 Italia and speaks with an Italian accent. He was initially meant to be called Mirage, and he goes by that name in the film's related media and toy line, but for the film his name was changed by request from Ferrari, into the nickname given to Alfredo Ferrari.

What it doesn't tell you is that the accent was their request also.

Also a good theory.

...it's not a theory, these are the facts.

Ferrari didn't want him in the movie unless compromises were made. One of them? Naming him Dino in honor of the late Alfredo Ferrari.

This is all real. Bay himself, Nelson, and industry insiders have discussed and reported this several times. Fact, not theory.

[SKYWARPED_128]

Yes, Dino. Only mentioned a few times. I am guessing it's a reference to Dean Martin, who was Italian and his nickname was Dino. Of course, the car is a Ferrari 458 Italia, and the character had an Italian accent. Just a little stereotypical...

No...

From Wikipedia:

Dino, an Autobot who transforms into a red Ferrari 458 Italia and speaks with an Italian accent. He was initially meant to be called Mirage, and he goes by that name in the film's related media and toy line, but for the film his name was changed by request from Ferrari, into the nickname given to Alfredo Ferrari.

What it doesn't tell you is that the accent was their request also.

Also a good theory.

...it's not a theory, these are the facts.

Ferrari didn't want him in the movie unless compromises were made. One of them? Naming him Dino in honor of the late Alfredo Ferrari.

This is all real. Bay himself, Nelson, and industry insiders have discussed and reported this several times. Fact, not theory.

Ferrari...these guys are kinda pushy, aren't they?

Personally, I think the name stands out like a sore thumb, even more so than Hun-garr. Even since the G1 cartoons, I've been wondering how robots from an alien planet could possibly be named after items and elements that are native to Earth, a previously unknown planet until the Ark crash landed there--I'm lookin' at you, Jazz, Bumblebee, and Arcee.

Of course, it didn't matter back then because it was just a marketing gimmick to sell toys...well, it still IS, but I was hoping they'd avoid that in the modern iterations.

[FanimusMaximus]

Can't we just say his name is Mirage and "Dino" could be his nickname? Because with Wheeljack, during the credits, his name came up as Que/Wheeljack.

[Autobot032]

Can't we just say his name is Mirage and "Dino" could be his nickname? Because with Wheeljack, during the credits, his name came up as Que/Wheeljack.

Well, once we get the toys, we can name them anything we want.

[Evil_the_Nub]

Can't we just say his name is Mirage and "Dino" could be his nickname? Because with Wheeljack, during the credits, his name came up as Que/Wheeljack.

That's how I'm calling it.

[Spleenzorio]

As cool as I think it is that they named him after an Italian (being Italian myself), I'm still going to call him Mirage just because that's more "Transformersesque" than Dino is. Plus whenever I think of Dino I see this:

[Alex Jones]

Just another example of the unfortunate effect of commerce interfering with artistic licenses.