"Transformers" (1984) TV series 1984-1987

Director:

Peter Wallach

Writer:

Roger Slifer (live-action sequences)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Release Date:

17 September 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Action | Adventure | Family | Fantasy | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

More than meets the eye!

Plot:

Two opposing camps of alien transforming robots fight in a war that has the fate of Earth in the balance.

Plot Keywords:

Alien | Robot | Battle | Actor Playing Multiple Roles | High Tech

Cast

Frank Welker	...	Megatron / ... (72 episodes, 1984-1987)
Peter Cullen	...	Optimus Prime / ... (63 episodes, 1984-1987)
Chris Latta	...	Starscream / ... (63 episodes, 1984-1987)
Corey Burton	...	Spike Witwicky / ... (58 episodes, 1984-1987)
John Stephenson	...	Thundercracker / ... (54 episodes, 1984-1987)
Dan Gilvezan	...	Bumblebee / ... (51 episodes, 1984-1987)
Casey Kasem	...	Teletraan I / ... (51 episodes, 1984-1986)
Don Messick	...	Ratchet / ... (49 episodes, 1984-1986)
Michael Bell	...	Prowl / ... (48 episodes, 1984-1987)
Jack Angel	...	Ramjet / ... (41 episodes, 1985-1987)
Scatman Crothers	...	Jazz (34 episodes, 1984-1986)
Gregg Berger	...	Grimlock / ... (30 episodes, 1984-1986)
Ken Sansom	...	Hound / ... (30 episodes, 1984-1985)
Michael Chain	...	Hoist / ... (29 episodes, 1985-1986)

Series Directed by
Andy Kim		(49 episodes, 1985-1986)
Bob Kirk		(49 episodes, 1985-1986)
Al Kouzel		(49 episodes, 1985-1986)
Bob Matz		(49 episodes, 1985-1986)
Norm McCabe		(49 episodes, 1985-1986)
Margaret Nichols		(49 episodes, 1985-1986)
Karen Peterson		(49 episodes, 1985-1986)
Tom Ray		(49 episodes, 1985-1986)
Robert Shellhorn		(49 episodes, 1985-1986)
Bob Treat		(49 episodes, 1985-1986)
John Walker		(13 episodes, 1984)
Jaeho Hong		(3 episodes, 1987)
Peter Wallach		(unknown episodes)

Series Writing credits
David Wise		(16 episodes, 1985-1987)
Donald F. Glut		(12 episodes, 1984-1986)
Doug Booth		(12 episodes, 1984-1985)
Earl Kress		(7 episodes, 1984-1986)
Michael Charles Hill		(6 episodes, 1985-1987)
Flint Dille		(6 episodes, 1985-1986)
George Arthur Bloom		(4 episodes, 1984)
Paul Davids		(4 episodes, 1985-1986)
Steve Skeates		(4 episodes, 1986-1987)
Larry Strauss		(3 episodes, 1984-1986)
Beth Bornstein		(3 episodes, 1985-1986)
Buzz Dixon		(3 episodes, 1985-1986)
Bryce Malek		(2 episodes, 1984-1985)
Dick Robbins		(2 episodes, 1984-1985)
Reed Robbins		(2 episodes, 1984-1985)
Peter Salas		(2 episodes, 1984-1985)
Antoni Zalewski		(2 episodes, 1985-1986)
Dennis Marks		(2 episodes, 1985)
Carla Conway		(2 episodes, 1986)
Gerry Conway		(2 episodes, 1986)
Joey Kurihara Piedra		(2 episodes, 1986)
Cherie Wilkerson		(2 episodes, 1987)
Marv Wolfman		(2 episodes, 1987)
Roger Slifer		(unknown episodes)

Series Produced by
Joe Bacal	....	executive producer (98 episodes, 1984-1987)
Tom Griffin	....	executive producer (98 episodes, 1984-1987)
Margaret Loesch	....	executive producer (98 episodes, 1984-1987)
Nelson Shin	....	supervising producer / producer (98 episodes, 1984-1987)
Michael Charles Hill	....	associate producer (95 episodes, 1984-1987)
George Singer	....	producer (79 episodes, 1985-1987)
Roger Slifer	....	associate producer / co-producer (74 episodes, 1985-1987)
John Walker	....	producer (49 episodes, 1985-1986)
Gwen Wetzler	....	producer (49 episodes, 1985-1986)
Flint Dille	....	associate producer (44 episodes, 1985-1986)
Gerald Moeller	....	producer (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
Kenichi Morohashi	....	producer (unknown episodes)
Edward Lee Rapp	....	producer: live action sequences (unknown episodes)
Atsushi Shimizu	....	producer (unknown episodes)
Tim Spiedel	....	producer (unknown episodes)

Series Original Music by
Johnny Douglas		(98 episodes, 1984-1987)
Robert J. Walsh		(82 episodes, 1985-1987)

Series Cinematography by
Michael Sullivan		(unknown episodes)
Michael J. Sullivan		(unknown episodes)

Series Film Editing by
Al Breitenbach		(3 episodes, 1987)

Series Production Design by
Floro Dery		(unknown episodes)

Series Production Management
Lee Gunther	....	executive in charge of production (98 episodes, 1984-1987)
Carole Weitzman	....	production manager / director of production / ... (98 episodes, 1984-1987)
Jim Graziano	....	director of production (82 episodes, 1985-1987)
Yung Shin	....	production manager (79 episodes, 1985-1987)
Eric Early	....	post-production supervisor (33 episodes, 1986-1987)
Steven Heth	....	post-production supervisor (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
Elise Goyette	....	production manager (3 episodes, 1987)
Gerald Moeller	....	production manager (3 episodes, 1987)
Mel Lombardo	....	production manager: live-action sequences (unknown episodes)

Series Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Kyungmi Kim	....	assistant director (3 episodes, 1987)
Mooyoung Song	....	assistant director (3 episodes, 1987)

Series Art Department
David Shin	....	storyboard artist (79 episodes, 1985-1987)
Peter Chung	....	storyboard artist (65 episodes, 1984-1986)
Gregg Davidson	....	storyboard artist (65 episodes, 1984-1986)
George Goode	....	storyboard artist (65 episodes, 1984-1986)
David Russell	....	storyboard artist (65 episodes, 1984-1986)
Doug Lefler	....	storyboard artist (62 episodes, 1984-1986)
Gerald Moeller	....	storyboard artist (62 episodes, 1984-1986)
Rhoydon Shishido	....	storyboard artist (62 episodes, 1984-1986)
Wendell Washer	....	storyboard artist (62 episodes, 1984-1986)
Vincenzo Trippetti	....	storyboard artist (49 episodes, 1985-1986)
Del Barras	....	storyboard artist (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
Bill Barry	....	storyboard artist (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
Danny Bulanadi	....	storyboard artist (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
Soo Young Chun	....	storyboard artist (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
Jooin Kim	....	storyboard artist (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
Yeun Young Sang	....	storyboard artist (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
Leo Sullivan	....	storyboard artist (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
Floro Dery	....	storyboard artist (16 episodes, 1984)
Bob Smith	....	storyboard artist (16 episodes, 1984)
Lindsay Dawson	....	storyboard artist (13 episodes, 1984)
Don Goodman	....	storyboard supervisor (13 episodes, 1984)
Gabriel Hoyos	....	assistant designer (13 episodes, 1984)
Leandro Martinez	....	assistant designer (13 episodes, 1984)
Brian Ray	....	storyboard artist (13 episodes, 1984)
George Scribner	....	storyboard artist (13 episodes, 1984)
Victor Dal Chele	....	storyboard artist (3 episodes, 1984)
Jim Fletcher	....	storyboard artist (3 episodes, 1984)
Paul Gruwell	....	storyboard artist (3 episodes, 1984)
Don Sheppard	....	storyboard artist (3 episodes, 1984)
Michael J. Sullivan	....	production designer: live-action sequences (unknown episodes)

Series Sound Department
Jim Blodgett	....	sound effects editor (95 episodes, 1984-1987)
Michael L. DePatie	....	sound effects editor (95 episodes, 1984-1987)
John Detra	....	sound effects editor (95 episodes, 1984-1987)
Ron Fedele	....	sound effects editor (95 episodes, 1984-1987)
Michael Tomack	....	sound effects editor (95 episodes, 1984-1987)
Allison Cobb	....	sound effects editor (79 episodes, 1985-1987)
Nicholas James	....	sound effects editor (79 episodes, 1985-1987)
Scott Brownlee	....	voice processing / voice recording engineer (68 episodes, 1984-1987)
Bruce Elliott	....	sound effects editor (65 episodes, 1984-1986)
Richard S. Gannon	....	sound effects editor (65 episodes, 1984-1986)
Efraim Reuveni	....	sound effects editor (49 episodes, 1985-1986)
Ellen Burr	....	recording coordinator (33 episodes, 1986-1987)
Joel Iwataki	....	voice recording engineer (33 episodes, 1986-1987)
Matt Cope	....	sound effects editor (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
Karen Doulac	....	sound effects editor (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
Jacquie Freeman Ross	....	dubbing supervisor (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
Leonard T. Geschke	....	sound effects editor (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
Brad Gunther	....	sound effects editor (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
David Hankins	....	sound effects editor (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
John Hart	....	dubbing supervisor (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
Richard Raderman	....	sound effects editor (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
Joseph G. Sorokin	....	sound effects editor (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
Warren Taylor	....	sound effects editor (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
Peter Tomaszewicz	....	sound effects editor (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
Richard C. Allen	....	sound effects editor (13 episodes, 1984)
Sylvester Rivers	....	voice recording engineer (3 episodes, 1987)
Roy Braverman	....	sound effects editor (unknown episodes)
Peter Reale	....	sound re-recording mixer (unknown episodes)

Series Animation Department
Dennis Venizelos	....	key background artist / background supervisor / ... (92 episodes, 1984-1987)
Pat Agnasin	....	background designer / model designer (79 episodes, 1985-1987)
Fred Carrillo	....	background designer / model designer (79 episodes, 1985-1987)
Phyllis Craig	....	color modeler (79 episodes, 1985-1987)
Romeo Francisco	....	background designer / model designer (79 episodes, 1985-1987)
Gabriel Hoyos	....	background designer / model designer (79 episodes, 1985-1987)
Robert Schaefer	....	key background artist / key background designer (79 episodes, 1985-1987)
Floro Dery	....	background designer / model designer (65 episodes, 1984-1986)
Del Barras	....	background designer / model designer (49 episodes, 1985-1986)
Philip Phillipson	....	key background artist (49 episodes, 1985-1986)
Romeo Tanghal	....	background designer / model designer (49 episodes, 1985-1986)
Eufronio R. Cruz	....	background designer / model designer (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
Ernie Guanlao	....	background designer / model designer (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
Andrew Phillipson	....	key background designer (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
Jeff Richards	....	key background designer (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
Rico Rival	....	background designer / model designer (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
Fred Warter	....	key background designer (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
George Goode	....	background designer / model designer (3 episodes, 1984)
Andy Kim	....	background designer / model designer (3 episodes, 1984)
Nam-Ryeol Baek	....	animator (3 episodes, 1987)
Sungok Cho	....	animator (3 episodes, 1987)
Hangyong Chung	....	animator (3 episodes, 1987)
Chigeun Kang	....	animator (3 episodes, 1987)
Kyoungkwan Kim	....	animator (3 episodes, 1987)
Youngduk Kim	....	animator (3 episodes, 1987)
Nosoo Kwak	....	animator (3 episodes, 1987)
Choi Byoung Nam	....	animator (3 episodes, 1987)
Byungchong Oh	....	animator (3 episodes, 1987)
Chiman Park	....	animator (3 episodes, 1987)
Eynam Park	....	animator (3 episodes, 1987)
Myunghi Park	....	animator (3 episodes, 1987)
Youngchan Shin	....	animator (3 episodes, 1987)
Sang Il Sim	....	animator (3 episodes, 1987)
Baekyup Sung	....	animator (3 episodes, 1987)
Joe Landari	....	animator: live action sequences (unknown episodes)

Series Editorial Department
Trent Johnson	....	telecine colorist (82 episodes, 1985-1987)
Robert T. Gillis	....	supervising editor (65 episodes, 1984-1986)
Sarah Swiskow	....	telecine supervisor (33 episodes, 1986-1987)
Steven C. Brown	....	supervising editor (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
Rick Gehr	....	assistant to supervising editor (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
Andrew Golov	....	telecine supervisor (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
Terry Jennings	....	post-production services (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
L. Ed Walsh	....	post-production services (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
Larry Whelan	....	assistant to supervising editor (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
Dave Weathers	....	assistant editor (3 episodes, 1987)
Lisa Orlando	....	supervising editor: live action sequences (unknown episodes)

Series Music Department
Anne Bryant	....	composer: main theme (98 episodes, 1984-1987)
Ford Kinder	....	composer: main theme (98 episodes, 1984-1987)
Johnny Douglas	....	conductor (95 episodes, 1984-1987)
Mark Shiney	....	music editor (95 episodes, 1984-1987)
Robert J. Walsh	....	conductor (82 episodes, 1985-1987)
Peter Collier	....	music editor (79 episodes, 1985-1987)
Joe Siracusa	....	music editor (65 episodes, 1984-1986)
Richard C. Allen	....	music editor (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
Robert Mayer	....	music editor (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
Robert Randles	....	music editor (30 episodes, 1986-1987)

Series Other crew
Jay Bacal	....	creative director (98 episodes, 1984-1987)
Wally Burr	....	voice director (98 episodes, 1984-1987)
Paul Davids	....	production coordinator (79 episodes, 1985-1987)
Bryce Malek	....	story editor (62 episodes, 1984-1986)
Dick Robbins	....	story editor (62 episodes, 1984-1986)
Terri Gruskin	....	production assistant (49 episodes, 1985-1986)
Terry Lennon	....	supervising director (49 episodes, 1985-1986)
Tom Ray	....	sequence director (46 episodes, 1984-1987)
Flint Dille	....	story editor / supervising story editor (35 episodes, 1985-1987)
Hildy Mesnik	....	production coordinator / production assistant (35 episodes, 1985-1987)
Warren Batchelder	....	sequence director (33 episodes, 1984-1987)
Gerry Chiniquy	....	sequence director (33 episodes, 1984-1987)
Norm McCabe	....	sequence director (33 episodes, 1984-1987)
Lizabeth Aguiar	....	production assistant (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
Bob Bemiller	....	sequence director (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
Myrna Bushman	....	assistant to supervisor (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
Rudy Cataldi	....	sequence director (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
Chuck Downs	....	sequence director (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
Lillian Evans	....	sequence director (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
John Freeman	....	sequence director (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
Steve Gerber	....	story editor (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
Elise Goyette	....	production coordinator (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
Mitsuko Y. Hays	....	production assistant (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
Caroline Heyward	....	sequence director (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
Andy Kim	....	supervising director (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
Bob Kirk	....	sequence director (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
Bill Knoll	....	sequence director (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
Ray Lee	....	supervising director (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
Bob Matz	....	sequence director (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
Margaret Nichols	....	sequence director (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
Spencer Peel	....	sequence director (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
Karen Peterson	....	sequence director (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
Stan Phillips	....	sequence director (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
Bob Treat	....	sequence director (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
Neal Warner	....	sequence director (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
Lisa Wilson	....	assistant to supervisor (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
Marv Wolfman	....	story editor (30 episodes, 1986-1987)
John Gibbs	....	sequence director / supervising director (16 episodes, 1984)
Jeff Hale	....	sequence director (16 episodes, 1984)
Yung Shin	....	production assistant (16 episodes, 1984)
Brad Case	....	sequence director (13 episodes, 1984)
Dave Brain	....	sequence director (3 episodes, 1984)
Dan Thompson	....	sequence director (3 episodes, 1984)
James T. Walker	....	sequence director (3 episodes, 1984)
John Walker	....	sequence director (3 episodes, 1984)
Laurie Pessell	....	production assistant (3 episodes, 1987)
Kôzô Morishita	....	director: Toei Animation (unknown episodes)
Marty Robinson	....	head puppeteer: live action sequences (unknown episodes)
Cherie Wilkerson	....	executive script consultant (unknown episodes)

Production Companies

• Sunbow Productions
• Marvel Productions
• Hasbro
• Akom Production Company
• Toei Doga
• Tokyo Movie Shinsha (TMS) (episode "Call of the Primitives")

Distributors

• Claster Television (1984-1987) (USA) (TV)
• Filmwelt
• Guangdong Qianhe Audio & Video (2007) (China) (DVD) (remastered edition)
• Rhino Entertainment Company (USA) (DVD)
• Shout! Factory (2009) (USA) (DVD) (first season)
• Sky Channel (198?) (Netherlands) (TV)
• Veronica Omroep Organisatie (1988-1990) (Netherlands) (TV)

Other Companies

• Saturday Morning Incorporated  post-production services (1986)
• Sound Trax Studios  voice processing (1984) (as Soundtraxx)
• Starwild Music Inc.  music
• Vitello Productions  post-production services (1987) (as Paul Vitello and Associates)
• Wally Burr Recording  voice processing (1985)
• Wildstar Music Inc.  music

Also Known As:

Super God Robot Force
Tatakae! Chô robot seimeitai Transformer (Japan)
The Transformers (USA) (new title)
Transformer 2010 (Japan) (third season title)
Transformers: Generation 1 (USA) (informal title)
Transformers (Argentina) (Spain) [es]
Transformers (Greece) [el]
Transformers (West Germany) [de]

Runtime:

Argentina:30 min | USA:30 min (98 episodes)

Country:

USA | Japan

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:U (video rating) | Singapore:G | Canada:G (TV rating) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG (DVD rating) | USA:TV-Y7 | Australia:G (some episodes)

Company:

Sunbow Productions

Trivia:

Episode 2.01 "Autobot Spike" is the last time Reflector speaks.

Goofs:

Continuity: The cartoon is notorious for its lack of continuity and the number of its plot-holes - at least compared to later Transformers shows. For example, robots that could fly in one episode suddenly lose this ability, the Decepticon group called the Constructicons have three contradicting origins, and it is also common for newcomer characters to simply appear in an episode with no explanation given as to why they haven't been seen before. As such, it is not surprising that most of the cast ended up being ignored and forgotten when new characters had to be added.

Quotes:

Dirk Manus: Slimy, worm-fingered creep!
Quintesson: Unlikable, dry-skinned biped.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in To Die For (1995)

"Autobots, transform and roll out!"

Ah, what a gem this was and still is! Sixteen years later, this series still has not lost its sparkle. This is due to the obvious care that was put into this production. Kudos to the animators for successfully animating a slew of WAY cool transforming robots (which, I am sure, is not very easy to do). Kudos to one of the best voice casts ever assembled for a production for bringing the characters wonderfully to life. (The cast list reads like a miniature "Who's Who" among voice artists.) Special thanks must go to Frank Welker, who brought Megatron (among other characters) wonderfully to life. And then, of course, there was the Autobot leader who became so beloved by kids everywhere that he rose to the status of genuine icon for many a child: OPTIMUS PRIME. Now, I liked "Beast Wars" and thought that Gary Chalk was good as Optimus Primal, but the one TRUE voice of the REAL Optimus Prime will ALWAYS belong to Peter Cullen. They could not have gotten (nor will ever get) a person so perfect for the role as him. He brought both gentle warmth and fearless commanding to Prime, and those traits are what made him last, in my opinion. Here's hoping the series will continue to do the same.