The Transformers: The Movie (1986)

Director:

Nelson Shin

Writer:

Ron Friedman (written by)

Release Date:

8 August 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Action | Adventure | Family | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Beyond good. Beyond evil. Beyond your wildest imagination.

Plot:

The Autobots must stop a colossal planet consuming robot who is after the Autobot Matrix of Leadership.

Plot Keywords:

Planet | Robot | Battle | Transformer | Transforming Robot

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Norman Alden	...	Kranix / Arblus (voice)
Jack Angel	...	Astrotrain / Ramjet (voice)
Michael Bell	...	Prowl / Scrapper / Swoop / Junkion (voice)
Gregg Berger	...	Grimlock (voice)
Susan Blu	...	Arcee (voice)
Arthur Burghardt	...	Devastator (voice)
Corey Burton	...	Spike Witwicky / Brawn / Shockwave (voice)
Roger C. Carmel	...	Cyclonus / Quintesson Leader (voice)
Victor Caroli	...	Narrator (voice)
Regis Cordic	...	Quintesson Judge (voice)
Scatman Crothers	...	Jazz (voice)
Peter Cullen	...	Optimus Prime / Ironhide (voice)
Bud Davis	...	Dirge (voice)
Paul Eiding	...	Perceptor (voice)
Walker Edmiston	...	Inferno (voice) (scenes deleted)
Ed Gilbert	...	Blitzwing (voice)
Dan Gilvezan	...	Bumblebee (voice)
Eric Idle	...	Wreck-Gar (voice)
Buster Jones	...	Blaster (voice)
Stan Jones	...	Scourge (voice)
Casey Kasem	...	Cliffjumper (voice)
Chris Latta	...	Starscream (voice)
David Mendenhall	...	Daniel Witwicky (voice)
Don Messick	...	Gears / Scavenger (voice)
John Moschitta Jr.	...	Blurr (voice) (as John Moschitta)
Judd Nelson	...	Hot Rod / Rodimus Prime (voice)
Leonard Nimoy	...	Galvatron (voice)
Hal Rayle	...	Shrapnel (voice)
Clive Revill	...	Kickback (voice)
Neil Ross	...	Bonecrusher / Hook / Springer / Slag (voice)
Robert Stack	...	Ultra Magnus (voice)
Lionel Stander	...	Kup (voice)
Frank Welker	...	Megatron / Soundwave / Rumble / Frenzy / Laserbeak / Ravage / Wheelie / Auto-combatant / Junkion (voice)
Orson Welles	...	Unicron (voice)

Directed by
Nelson Shin

Writing credits
Ron Friedman		(written by)

Produced by
Joe Bacal	....	producer
Masaharu Etô	....	associate producer: Toei Animation (as Masaharu Etoh)
Tomoo Fukumoto	....	associate producer: Toei Animation (as Tomoh Fukumoto)
Tom Griffin	....	producer
Lee Gunther	....	executive producer
Margaret Loesch	....	executive producer
Nelson Shin	....	co-producer

Original Music by
Vince DiCola

Film Editing by
David Hankins

Casting by
Carol L. Dudley		(as Carol Dudley)

Production Management
Jim Graziano	....	executive in charge of production
Takuya Igarashi	....	production manager
Kô Meguro	....	production manager
Gerald Moeller	....	production manager
Satoru Nakamura	....	production manager
Carole Weitzman	....	senior production manager

Art Department
Del Barras	....	storyboard artist (as Delfin Barras)
Peter Chung	....	storyboard artist
Floro Dery	....	original concept designer
Jim Gomez	....	storyboard artist (as James Gomez)
Ernie Guanlao	....	storyboard artist
Su-yong Jeong	....	storyboard artist (as Soo Young Chun)
Jooin Kim	....	storyboard artist
Doug Lefler	....	storyboard artist
Jeong-hwan Oh	....	storyboard artist (as Chung Hwan Oh)
Si Ok Park	....	storyboard artist (as Sioak Park)
Rico Rival	....	storyboard artist
David Shin	....	storyboard artist
Sang Il Sim	....	storyboard artist (as Sangil Shim)
Romeo Tanghal	....	storyboard artist

Sound Department
Ken Berger	....	adr engineer
Jim Blodgett	....	sound editor
Roy Braverman	....	sound effects editor
Scott Brownlee	....	sound processing
Ted Chapman	....	sound editor
Allison Cobb	....	sound editor (as Alison Cobb)
Jim Cook	....	pre-dub mixer
Brian Courcier	....	supervising sound effects editor
Michael L. DePatie	....	sound editor
John Detra	....	sound editor
Karen Doulac	....	sound editor
Ron Fedele	....	sound editor
Jim Fitzpatrick	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby
Jacquie Freeman Ross	....	dubbing supervisor (as Jacquie Freeman)
Leonard T. Geschke	....	sound editor (as Lenny Geschke)
Robert L. Harman	....	pre-dub mixer (as Bob Harman)
Craig Harris	....	additional sound processing
Jerry Jacobson	....	dialogue editor
Nicholas James	....	sound effects editor
Samuel F. Kaufman	....	machine room operator
David Koehler	....	re-recording recordist
Peter Reale	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Peter S. Reale)
John W. Singleton	....	sound editor (as John Singleton)
Warren Taylor	....	sound editor
Bill Thiederman	....	sound re-recording mixer (as R. William A. Thiederman)
Michael Tomack	....	sound editor
Peter Tomaszewicz	....	sound editor
David Van Meter	....	adr engineer (as Dave Van Meter)
Claus Wedemann	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby (as Claus Weideman)
Howard Wilmarth	....	sound re-recording mixer (as W. Howard Wilmarth)

Special Effects by
Masayuki Kawachi	....	special effects (as Mayuki Kawachi)
Shôji Satô	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Masaru Banzai	....	animation camera operator
Masatoshi Fukui	....	chief camera operator
Yukio Katayama	....	animation camera operator

Animation Department
Hitoshi Abe	....	inbetween animation checker
Pat Agnasin	....	background designer
Pat Agnasin	....	character designer
Ryuji Ajiri	....	inbetween animator
Yoshiharu Azuma	....	inbetween animator
Nam-yeol Baek	....	key animator (as Baik Nam Yeoul)
Del Barras	....	background designer (as Delfin Barras)
Del Barras	....	character designer (as Delfin Barras)
Kristine Brown	....	painter (as Kris Brown)
Dario Campanile	....	background art director
Fred Carrillo	....	background designer (as Fred Carillo)
Fred Carrillo	....	character designer (as Fred Carillo)
Phyllis Craig	....	model color key artist
Virginia Creamer	....	xerox
Eufronio R. Cruz	....	background designer
Eufronio R. Cruz	....	character designer
Hiroaki Daichi	....	inbetween animator (as Hiroaki Daiji)
Liane Douglas	....	painter
Robin Draper	....	painter
Kazuo Ebisawa	....	background painter
Akihiro Enomoto	....	assistant animation checker
Romeo Francisco	....	background designer
Romeo Francisco	....	character designer
John Freeman	....	animation director (as John Patrick Freeman)
Yoshimitsu Fujitaka	....	key animator (as Shigemitsu Fujitaka)
Koichi Fukuda	....	key animator
Tomoko Fukui	....	inbetween animator
Junko Furuya	....	ink and paint supervisor
Myrna Gibbs	....	painter
Marta Glodkowska	....	painter (as Marta Skwara)
Ernie Guanlao	....	background designer
Ernie Guanlao	....	character designer
Teruo Hattori	....	inbetween animator
Kazuo Hayashi	....	assistant animation checker
Shigeru Hayashi	....	inbetween animator
Gabriel Hoyos	....	background designer
Gabriel Hoyos	....	character designer
Bill Hudson	....	xerox
Takashi Hyôdô	....	assistant animation checker
Reiko Igarashi	....	ink artist
Takehiro Iima	....	inbetween animator
Yoshinobu Ineno	....	key animator (as Yoshinobu Inano)
Mihoko Irie	....	ink artist
Mario Ishiyama	....	inbetween animator
Masao Itô	....	assistant animation director
Debra Jorgensborg	....	painter (as Debbie Jorgensborg)
Takahiro Kagami	....	key animator
Yoshinori Kanemori	....	key animator (as Yoshinori Kanamori)
Sandy Kennedy	....	xerox
Kazuo Kinugasa	....	color checker
Kazuya Komai	....	inbetween animator
Hiroshi Kosakai	....	ink and paint department manager
Yoshitaka Koyama	....	key animator
Baik Seung Kyun	....	assistant animation director
Shigeo Matoba	....	key animator
Bob Matz	....	animation director
Norm McCabe	....	animation director
Yoshito Miki	....	key animator
Yôichi Mitsui	....	key animator
Gerald Moeller	....	animation director (as Gerald L. Moeller)
Toshio Mori	....	key animator
Tomoe Morimoto	....	inbetween animator
Kôzô Morishita	....	supervising animation director
Hiroshi Morita	....	color checker
Shigeru Murakami	....	key animator
Kuniko Murata	....	ink and paint supervisor
Shigenobu Nagasaki	....	key animator
Takako Nakamura	....	inbetween animator
Kazunori Nakazawa	....	inbetween animator
Margaret Nichols	....	animation director
Kazuhiro Ochi	....	assistant animation checker
Masatoyo Ogura	....	ink and paint department manager
Masahiko Ohkura	....	assistant animation checker (as Masahiko Okura)
Kei Okazaki	....	inbetween animator
Lew Ott	....	background designer
Lew Ott	....	character designer
Hannah Powell	....	painter
Rico Rival	....	background designer
Rico Rival	....	character designer
Harriette Rossall	....	painter
Takao Sakano	....	inbetween animator
Toshikatsu Sanuki	....	background painter
Nobuyoshi Sasakado	....	key animator
Akira Satô	....	inbetween animation checker
Takao Sawada	....	background art director
Robert Schaefer	....	background art director
Mike Sekowsky	....	background designer
Mike Sekowsky	....	character designer
Heidi Shellhorn	....	painter
Tadami Shimokawa	....	assistant background designer (as Tadaumi Shimokawa)
Masanori Shino	....	key animator
Mary Ann Steward	....	ink and paint supervisor
Ryuichi Sugimoto	....	background department head
Kiyomi Sugita	....	inbetween animator
Akira Sugiura	....	inbetween animator
Shizuo Tanaka	....	inbetween animator
Romeo Tanghal	....	background designer
Romeo Tanghal	....	character designer
Britt Teegarden	....	painter (as Britt Greko)
Kiyomitsu Tsuji	....	key animator
Kôichi Tsunoda	....	final checker: chief animator
Toshikazu Usami	....	assistant animation checker
Yasuyoshi Uwai	....	key animator
Britt Van der Nagel	....	painter
Jun Watanabe	....	inbetween animator
Tadashi Yahata	....	inbetween animator
Miyo Yamada	....	inbetween animator
Satoshi Yamaguchi	....	key animator
Shigeyasu Yamauchi	....	assistant animation director
Ryôkichi Yoshizawa	....	inbetween animation checker (as Ryukichi Yoshizawa)

Editorial Department
Ivan Bilancio	....	assistant editor
Steven C. Brown	....	supervising film editor
Heather C. Elliott	....	assistant editor (as Heather Elliott)
Tamra Fitzgerald	....	assistant editor
Shinichi Fukumitsu	....	assistant editor
Jack Hooper	....	negative cutter
Shinji Shimizu	....	assistant editor
Susan L. Vovsi	....	assistant editor (as Sue Vovsi)
Dave Weathers	....	assistant editor
Larry Whelan	....	assistant supervisor: post-production

Music Department
Charlie Calello	....	musical technical advisor (as Charles Callelo)
Peter Collier	....	music editor
Vince DiCola	....	music producer
Ed Fruge	....	music editor
Ed Fruge	....	music producer
Robert Mayer	....	music editor (as Bob Mayer)
Tony Papa	....	music score engineer
Spencer Proffer	....	music producer
Robert Randles	....	music consultant
Mark Shiney	....	supervising music editor
Casey Young	....	synthesizer programmer

Other crew
Maddy Aaronson	....	talent coordinator
Emi Araki	....	translator
Mark Bakshi	....	production staff
Walt Barric	....	technical advisor
Doug Booth	....	associate story consultant
Michael Brochstein	....	technical advisor
Chris Brown	....	technical advisor
Deena Burkett	....	main title design
Wally Burr	....	voice director
Al Carosi	....	technical advisor
John Costello	....	technical advisor
Bob Darcy	....	technical advisor
Paul Davids	....	production staff
Joan Davis	....	production secretary
Paul Denault	....	technical advisor
Flint Dille	....	story consultant
George Dunsay	....	technical advisor
Eric Early	....	technical advisor
Jim Engle	....	technical advisor
Chuck Fisher	....	technical advisor
Bill Ford	....	technical advisor
Carl Fritz	....	technical advisor
Sid Good	....	technical advisor
Elise Goyette	....	production coordinator
Deborah J. Green	....	publicist
Terri Gruskin	....	production coordinator
Norman Hajjar	....	technical advisor
Mitsuko Y. Hays	....	translator
Deborah Heineman	....	technical advisor
Art Heller	....	technical advisor
Bob Horne	....	technical advisor
Heide Kahme	....	technical advisor
Pat Kiley	....	technical advisor
Ellen Kroner	....	publicist
Paul Kurnit	....	technical advisor
Debbie Lehrhoff	....	production secretary
Matt Lizak	....	technical advisor
Richard Marcej	....	technical advisor
Gene Margoluis	....	producer's representative
Kevin Massey	....	technical advisor
Joyce Masterson	....	production secretary
Hildy Mesnik	....	production coordinator
Bill Millar	....	main title design
Bob Mitchell	....	technical advisor
Melissa Mitten	....	technical advisor
Yoko Okamoto	....	script continuity
Susan Marie Panettieri	....	technical advisor
Gene Pelc	....	executive production coordinator
Andy Perlmutter	....	technical advisor
Susanne Pollak	....	technical advisor
Bob Prupis	....	technical advisor
Steven Raskin	....	technical advisor
Jack Ratier	....	technical advisor
Steve Reiss	....	technical advisor
Jeff Reynolds	....	technical advisor
Mike Riley	....	technical advisor
Brent Robertson	....	technical advisor
Steve Rodyn	....	technical advisor
Julie Rud	....	technical advisor
Robert Rundbaken	....	technical advisor
Bill Schmidt	....	technical advisor
Steve Schwartz	....	technical advisor
Rosemary Serluca	....	technical advisor
Kevin Shaw	....	shipping coordinator
Yung Shin	....	production staff
Alison Shinners	....	technical advisor
Roger Slifer	....	associate story consultant
Howard Steinberg	....	technical advisor
Alfa Tate	....	account supervisor
Ed Torton	....	technical advisor
Hildy Travis	....	technical advisor
Norm Young	....	technical advisor

Production Companies

• Sunbow Productions
• Marvel Productions
• Hasbro

Distributors

• De Laurentiis Entertainment Group (DEG) (1986) (USA) (theatrical)
• Metrodome Distribution (2007) (UK) (theatrical)
• Avid Home Entertainment (1990) (USA) (video)
• Family Home Entertainment (FHE) (1987) (USA) (VHS)
• Guangdong Qianhe Audio & Video (2007) (China) (DVD) (remastered edition)
• International Video Entertainment (IVE) (video)
• MCA (1987) (Canada) (video)
• Malofilm Home Video (1990s) (Canada) (video)
• Metrodome Distribution (2005) (UK) (DVD) (reconstructed edition)
• Paramount Pictures (Canada only)
• RCA/Columbia-Hoyts Home Video (1987) (Australia) (VHS)
• Rhino Home Video (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Seville Pictures (2000) (Canada) (DVD)
• Sony BMG Music Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Reuben Cannon & Associates  casting
• Wally Burr Recording  voice recording and processing
• B & B Sound Studios  ADR
• Sound Trax Studios  music supervision (as Soundtracs)
• Scotti Bros. Records  soundtrack album on (as Scotti Brothers Records and Tapes)
• CBS Records  soundtrack album distributed by
• Todd-AO/Glen Glenn Studios  re-recording
• f-Stop  opticals (as F-Stop)
• Toei Animation Company  animation
• Technicolor  prints

Also Known As:

"Toransufômaa: Za mûbii" - Japan
"Transformers: The Movie" - USA (DVD box title)
"Transformers" - Hungary (imdb display title)
"Transformers - Der Kampf um Cybertron" - West Germany
"Transformers - O Filme" - Brazil
"Transformers: La película" - Argentina
"Transformers: The Movie" - Greece (TV title)

Runtime:

84 min | Argentina:85 min

Country:

USA | Japan

Language:

English | Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

UK:PG (Reconstructed Edition) | Singapore:PG | Argentina:Atp | Canada:G (Nova Scotia/Québec) | UK:U | USA:PG (No. 28235) | West Germany:12 | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Australia:PG

Company:

Sunbow Productions

Trivia:

Both Nelson Shin (director) and Flint Dille (story consultant) has confirmed that, due to his failing health, Orson Welles had much difficulty recording all his dialogue for the film and all his recorded lines also included labored breathing and heavy wheezing. Shin considered all of Welles' recorded lines to be unusable but decided to put the recordings through a voice synthesizer to give Welles' voice a clearer, more ominous tone. According to Shin, Unicron's on-screen voice is not the "true" Orson Welles but instead, an enhanced, synthesized version of his voice.

Goofs:

Continuity: As Hot Rod is trekking through Unicron's innards, his Autobot symbol is missing when he climbs up onto the ledge.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Kranix:Arblus, look! It's Unicron!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Angry Video Game Nerd: Transformers (#4.10)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Nothin's Gonna Stand in Our Way

Either tap in or get lost. You'll be missing a great film if you don't though.

I'm biased. There's no two ways about it. They could have gotten two six years olds to draw the cels, a troop of monkeys to write the dialogue and then printed the film upside down and full of static and I'd still have loved it (if anybody out there says 'Didn't they do that anyway?', I'll thump them.) I am one of a dying but suprisingly populous breed: the Tranformers fan, and to me this film is like the Holy grail.

If you think I'm going to get all gooey and teary-eyed then go into nostalgia overload then forget it because I'm not. I say this with a straight face and a critic's eyes: this is a good film. It may be a two hour toy commercial. It may have made zip at the box offce. It may get bad press from idiotic fossils that just aren't prepared to make the effort to tap into the universe the film is set in. But the fact remains that to anybody that's grown up with Transformers, this film is marvelous. Why? Because it does it right! The characters act right. The style is right. It's all done so perfectly that no right minded Transfan could possibly complain. How many Batman fans (and I mean real Batman fans) can honestly say the same thing about their film franchise.

It's easy to get preachy about the violence in a film aimed at kids. It gives the moral majority something to do other than examine each Disney film for subliminal messages. I found it refreshing to actually see this kind of film refuse to pull its punches. It's an action film without tapping into the over-sentimental gushy stuff that usually turns kids off anyway. This is a war. Death and violence are part of it. Will it effect the children that watch it. Maybe, but I don't know which way. I saw first saw the film when I was 7. I saw all of my favourites get blown apart. I saw my absolute, total, complete and utter hero, the person that personified all that was good and noble to me (you know who I mean) get killed saving his friends in an ultimate display of bravery and courage. I cried. My mum cried. I still do. I think that one moment made me more afraid and ashamed of death and destruction than a dozen Private Ryans.

The animation is top notch, there's an amazing soundtrack and the voice talent is good too. Not perfect, but Nimoy's portrayal of Galvatron is incredible. Espicially when you consider that it was probably done as a 'For the money not the art' job. The script isn't bad either. It has a host of sharp, quotable one-liners that would put Bruce Willis to shame ("I've got better things to do tonight than die.") The story is a rip off of Star Wars but what isn't and who cares? It's cool. The animation is superb. I said that earlier but I really do believe that it's better than Disney at some points. Certainly better than the average output at the time. It doesn't compare with today's graphics but it hasn't aged badly at all. The sountrack can sound a little too cheesy at times but the energy and verve of the film is there and it backs up the visuals with ease.

In the end it won't matter. This film won't mean a thing to anybody that doesn't know who Jazz, Bumblebee and Soundwave were to begin with. They won't watch it. They won't like it. And you know what? We don't care. Those of us that can name all five mebers of the Stunticons know better. They gave us what we wanted. And we remain eternally grateful.