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Rating: Country: USA Release Date: June 16, 2009 Distributor: Shout! Factory Director: · Peter Wallach Cast: · Peter Cullern · Frank Welker · Chris Latta · Michael Bell · Casey Kasem · Scatman Crothers Related Sites: · Visit the Shout! Factory for other fine offerings! Grade: A-

Cartoons have always been a big part of my life. From George of the Jungle, Bugs Bunny and Scooby Doo to The Simpsons and Family Guy, I still enjoy the freedom of medium -- the creators can do things in animation that would be too difficult, expensive or absurd in live programming. In 1984, a new show hit the air that drew children to what would become a phenomenally successful toy, comic, television and film franchise: The Transformers.

Transformers: The Complete First Season (25th Anniversary Edition), is a trip down memory lane for a child of the 80s like me. Since Gigantor in 1956 through 1999's "The Iron Giant," children have always been drawn to giant robots. The Transformers were different -- they weren't just robots, they could also be hot rods, big rigs, fighter jets, even dinosaurs! Best of all, the Hasbro marketing machine was sharp enough to understand how to achieve maximum market saturation. Toys, TV and comic books probably took up 70%-80% of my time when I wasn't eating, sleeping or in school, so of course my little brother and I wanted to get our hands on everything with that iconic Transformers logo on it.

The 25th Anniversary Edition looks and sounds quite sharp. The animation may not be as sophisticated as 21st century kids have come to expect, but it still gets the point across. Robotic hands protrude from what were exhaust pipes just moments ago, jet engines become armored legs, and ominous robotic heads emerge from just about anywhere on various vehicles. The storylines have held up surprisingly well, with themes of protecting energy resources, tolerance (of the Dinobots), and friendship. While watching, I soon remembered an aspect of the show that had struck me even in my youth -- these robots had distinct personalities and relationships with each other. When a heroic Autobot was struck down by an evil Decepticon, the other Autobots often gathered around in support, offering hope that their fallen comrade would recover (which they often did). Like many cartoons, there was an element of violence -- the Autobots and Decepticons were at war after all -- but the themes of the show had a deeper lesson to tell, if more subtly than GI Joe's "public service message" segments.

The greatest pleasure in watching these episodes 25 years later is, for me, the voice acting. I admit, I was probably in high school before I realized that Sesame Street's Ernie and Kermit the Frog were almost exactly the same voice. Now I'm pretty good at picking out where I've heard a voice actor before. The actors on Transformers -- like most cartoon voiceover talents -- don't get nearly enough credit. Peter Cullen voiced Optimus Prime, commander of the Autobot heroes. He got his start as the announcer for the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, and also performed on the Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour. He's still voicing Optimus Prime today for the live action film franchise, as well as voicing Disney's Eeyore, Winnie the Pooh' stuffed donkey friend. I didn't notice it in 1984, but Cullen's performance as Prime reminds me a little of John Wayne when I watch it now. Prime's arch-rival, the menacing Megatron (who originally transformed into a gun, but has since changed into less politically incorrect devices), is voiced by veteran voice actor Frank Welker. With some 600 programs to his credit, he's lent his voices and vocal sound effects to almost every cartoon you can imagine since the late 1960s. Welker is perhaps best known as Fred from the Scooby Doo gang, but he also voiced many other Transformers, including Soundwave, who always reminded me of Battlestar Galactica's Cylon Centurions. The late Chris Latta, equally famous for his maniacal Cobra Commander voice, portrayed Starscream, my personal favorite Transformer who often sought to usurp leadership of the Decepticons from Megatron. I recognized Prowl, the police car Autobot, as Michael Bell, who had voiced both Lance and Sven from Voltron as well as GI Joe leader Duke. Another Scooby Doo alum, veteran radio personality Casey "Shaggy" Kasem, voiced Bluestreak and the "shoot first, ask questions later" Cliffjumper.

In hindsight, the casting of Scatman Crothers voice for Jazz underlines the lack of voice acting diversity at the time, and the fact that the only African American performer that I'm aware of on the show -- playing a character named for a music genre long associated with African American musicians -- makes me wince a little. But in 1984 I never noticed things like that, and Jazz was one my favorite characters, Crother's raspy voice easily standing out from the crowd.

Special features include a featurette on the origin of the TV series, toys and comic book, a collection of vintage toy commercials and a printable script of one of the episodes. The package also features an Autobot logo magnet (my refrigerator may now become a giant robot warrior at any moment), and an episode guide.

I would hope that new viewers would find the shows as exciting as I did 25 years ago. My contemporaries will likely sigh and say, "They don't make cartoons like that anymore. My kids are stuck with Spongebob and Pokémon." Whether you're wanting to take a trip back to your childhood or present your own children with a retro-cool alternative to the modern cartoon options, Transformers: The Complete First Season (25th Anniversary Edition) is highly recommended.