Featuring the deaths of all your favorite Transformers characters.
The Transformers: The Movie is a 1986 animated feature film based on the animated series of the same name. It was released in North America on August 8, 1986 and in the UK on December 5, 1986.
The film was directed by Nelson Shin, who produced the original Transformers television series, and features the voices of Eric Idle, Judd Nelson, Leonard Nimoy, Casey Kasem, Robert Stack, Lionel Stander, John Moschitta, Jr., Peter Cullen and Frank Welker. It also marked the final roles for both Orson Welles and Scatman Crothers.
The story takes place in 2005, 20 years after the events of the TV series' second season and serves to bridge into the third season. Set to a soundtrack of synth-based incidental music and hard-driving metal music, the movie has a decidedly darker tone than the television series, with detailed visuals in Toei Animation's typical anime film styling, and Decepticon villains that are more menacing, killing without hesitation. The film features several grand battles in which a handful of major characters meet their end. The film's tagline was: "Beyond good. Beyond evil. Beyond your wildest imagination."
Plot[]
Unicron, a roaming artificial planet, devours robot planet Lithone. Though many inhabitants attempt to flee the planet in spaceships, only one escapes.
The evil Decepticons still control of the Transformers' homeworld, Cybertron. The heroic Autobots are using two of Cybertron's moons as staging areas, preparing to strike against the Decepticons. In need of energon cubes, an Autobot supply shuttle is readied for launch to Autobot City on Earth. A transmission is intercepted by the Decepticons, who ambush the shuttle and kill its crew, intending to use the ship to infiltrate Autobot City.
On Earth, Daniel Witwicky and Hot Rod fish in a lake near Autobot City, discussing Daniel's loneliness, as his father Spike is on one of the moon bases. They pick up the shuttle's signature, and race up to Lookout Mountain to see it land. They spot the Decepticons and launch a preemptive strike. After a brief battle, the Decepticons attack Autobot City. The Autobots, including Ultra Magnus, Blurr, Springer, Perceptor and Arcee, transform Autobot City into a fortress. As a siege ensues, Ultra Magnus orders Blaster to radio for assistance from the leader of the Autobots, Optimus Prime. The next morning, Optimus and the Dinobots arrive to repel the Decepticons.
After single-handlely taking down several Decepticons, Optimus confronts their leader and his arch-enemy, Megatron. Though Megatron is ultimately defeated, Optimus is critically wounded due to Hot Rod's unintentional interference. Starscream takes command of the Decepticons and retreats with their fallen leader and other wounded aboard Astrotrain.
Later, Perceptor informs the other Autobots that Optimus's wounds are fatal. Before dying, Optimus calls on Ultra Magnus to assume command of the Autobots and tries to give him the Autobot Matrix of Leadership, asserting that the Matrix will one day light the Autobots' darkest hour. The Matrix falls out of Optimus's hand as he dies, but is caught by Hot Rod, who then passes it to Ultra Magnus.
Astrotrain's shortage of fuel prompts the Decepticons to eject several of their injured—including Megatron. The remaining Decepticons argue over who should lead them. The Decepticon castoffs encounter Unicron, who offers to give Megatron and the others new bodies on the condition that they destroy the Autobot Matrix, which Unicron says is the only thing that can defeat him. Megatron agrees and Unicron converts him into a new form: the Decepticon warrior "Galvatron". His underlings are reformatted into Cyclonus, Scourge and the Sweeps. Unicron provides them with a craft in which they travel to Cybertron, where Galvatron obliterates Starscream and takes command of the Decepticons.
On Earth, the Autobots are alerted as Unicron consumes Cybertron's moons, along with Autobots Jazz, Bumblebee, Cliffjumper and Spike. Galvatron leads the Decepticons in another assault on Autobot City. The Autobots board a pair of shuttles and flee toward Cybertron. Hot Rod, Kup and the Dinobots are shot down over the planet Quintessa, while Ultra Magnus and company evade their pursuers and set down on the planet Junk for repairs.
Captured by Quintessa guardsmen, Hot Rod and Kup witness the sentencing and execution of Arbulus, a native of Lithone. While imprisoned they meet Kranix, now Lithone's last survivor, who tells them about Unicron before he is fed to the Sharkticons. Hot Rod and Kup are subjected to a mock trial by Quintesson executioners, who sentence them to execution. Battling the Sharkticons, they are rescued by the arrival of the Dinobots. Grimlock persuades the Sharkticons to rebel against the Quintessons while the Autobots escape. With help from the Dinobots' new ally, Wheelie, the group locates a ship and departs to join the other Autobots.
Galvatron hunts down the Autobots on Junk. Ultra Magnus fails to awaken the Matrix's powers, and is dismembered by the Sweeps. Galvatron, no longer willing to serve Unicron, steals the Matrix, stating that he will make Unicron his slave. The remaining Autobots are harassed by hostile Junkion natives, led by Wreck-Gar, until Hot Rod's party arrives and befriends them. The Junkions repair Ultra Magnus and provide a vessel to help the Autobots fight against Unicron.
Galvatron attempts to subjugate Unicron using the Matrix but is unable to unleash its power. Unicron transforms into a planet-sized robot and attacks Cybertron. Galvatron opens fire on Unicron, but Unicron swallows him. Decepticons attempt to counter Unicron's attack, to no avail. When the Autobots arrive Hot Rod crashes their ship through one of Unicron's eyes and they find themselves separated within his body. Wreck-Gar and the Junkions fight back against Unicron, but Unicron crushes their ship. The Dinobots also attack Unicron with little success.
Inside Unicron, Hot Rod confronts Galvatron while Daniel and the other Autobots rescue Spike and the survivors of Unicron's assault on Cybertron's moons. The Autobots and Decepticons work together to fight Unicron. Galvatron tries to assist Hot Rod, knowing that Unicron is a greater threat, only for Unicron to take control of Galvatron. Hot Rod recovers the Matrix and unleashes its power, transforming him into Rodimus Prime. Rodimus throws Galvatron deep into space freeing the Decepticon from control. Rodimus then unleashes the Matrix's true power, obliterating Unicron. Rodimus leads the Autobots out of Unicron's body before it explodes. The Autobots reclaim Cybertron. Unicron's head orbits Cybertron as a new satellite.
Character deaths[]
Among the Autobots shown dead on screen are Optimus Prime, Ironhide, Prowl, Ratchet, Brawn, Windcharger, and Wheeljack.
A substantial number of Autobots from the first two seasons of the show do not appear after the film, leaving their fates uncertain.
Aside from Starscream, Unicron, and several Sweeps, there are virtually no permanent Decepticon deaths in the movie, and what few that died were not killed by Autobots. Most of the Decepticons who were dead or dying are reformatted by Unicron, and while Galvatron makes a few references implying he has Megatron's memories, it is less clear with Cyclonus and Scourge, as Skywarp and Thundercracker (who became Scourge), are depicted as having grave markers in a subterranean Decepticon crypt on Cybertron in the episode "Starscream's Ghost". Shockwave's death was scripted but cut from the finished film, it was reinstated for IDW Publishing's adaptation of the feature, printed in 2006. However, a rather different-colored Shockwave makes a couple of appearances in the season premiere sequel Five Faces of Darkness. One of the intentions of the movie was to rid the Transformers cartoon universe of the majority of characters from Seasons 1 and 2.
The movie was produced by Sunbow/Marvel simultaneous to G.I. Joe: The Movie. The writers of the G.I. Joe film asked for permission from Hasbro to kill the Duke character. Hasbro not only approved the request but insisted that the writers of Transformers: The Movie adopt the same fate for Optimus Prime. However, Optimus's death sparked much controversy and incurred so much backlash that it caused the writers of the G.I Joe film to make changes so that Duke simply ended up in a coma (from which he eventually awoke).
Cast[]
| Role | English voice actor | Japanese seiyū |
|---|---|---|
| Optimus Prime | Peter Cullen | Tesshō Genda |
| Hot Rod/Rodimus Prime | Judd Nelson | Hiroya Ishimaru |
| Ultra Magnus | Robert Stack | Shō Hayami |
| Springer | Neil Ross | Kenyū Horiuchi |
| Arcee | Susan Blu | Masako Katsuki |
| Kup | Lionel Stander | Osamu Saka |
| Wheelie | Frank Welker | Kazue Komiya |
| Blurr | John Moschitta, Jr. | Ken Yamaguchi |
| Blaster | Buster Jones | Keiichi Nanba |
| Perceptor | Paul Eiding | Ken Shiroyama |
| Grimlock | Gregg Berger | Takurō Kitagawa |
| Slag | Neil Ross | Ken Yamaguchi |
| Swoop | Michael Bell | Yoku Shioya |
| Jazz | Scatman Crothers | Minoru Inaba |
| Cliffjumper | Casey Kasem | Takurō Kitagawa |
| Bumblebee | Dan Gilvezan | Yoku Shioya |
| Ironhide | Peter Cullen | Shō Hayami |
| Brawn | Corey Burton | Minoru Inaba |
| Megatron | Frank Welker | Seizō Katō |
| Galvatron | Leonard Nimoy | Seizō Katō |
| Cyclonus | Roger C. Carmel | Minoru Inaba |
| Scourge | Stan Jones | Yū Shimaka |
| Starscream | Chris Latta | Hirotaka Suzuoki |
| Soundwave | Frank Welker | Issei Masamune |
| Frenzy | Frank Welker | Ken Shiroyama |
| Rumble | Frank Welker | Ken Yamaguchi |
| Devastator | Arthur Burghardt | Yū Shimaka |
| Bonecrusher | Neil Ross | Toshirō Ishii |
| Hook | Neil Ross | Masashi Ebara |
| Scavenger | Don Messick | Keiichi Nanba |
| Scrapper | Michael Bell | Keiichi Nanba |
| Astrotrain | Jack Angel | Takurō Kitagawa |
| Blitzwing | Ed Gilbert | Masashi Ebara |
| Shockwave | Corey Burton | Yū Shimaka |
| Kickback | Clive Revill | Yoku Shioya |
| Shrapnel | Hal Rayle | Toshirō Ishii |
| Unicron | Orson Welles | Mizuho Suzuki |
| Quintesson Leader | Roger C. Carmel | Masashi Ebara |
| Wreck-Gar | Eric Idle | Toshirō Ishii |
| Spike Witwicky | Corey Burton | Masashi Ebara |
| Daniel Witwicky | David Mendenhall | Mayumi Tanaka |
| Kranix | Norman Alden | Toshirō Ishii |
| Narrator | Victor Caroli | Issei Masamune |
In addition to the above-listed characters, many additional Transformers appear throughout the film in non-speaking roles.