The Transformers: The Movie | |
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Original theatrical poster
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Directed by | Nelson Shin |
Produced by |
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Written by | Ron Friedman |
Based on |
Transformers by Hasbro |
Starring | |
Narrated by | Victor Caroli |
Music by | Vince DiCola |
Cinematography | Masatoshi Fukui |
Edited by | David Hankins |
Production
company |
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Distributed by | De Laurentiis Entertainment Group |
Release date
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Running time
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85 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $6 million |
Box office | $5.8 million (US) |
The Transformers: The Movie is a 1986 American animated science fiction action adventure film based on the animated TV series by the same name. It was released in North America on August 8, 1986 and in the UK on December 12, 1986.
The film was co-produced and directed by Nelson Shin, who also 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, who died the year before its release, and Scatman Crothers, who died months after its release.
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. After the death of Optimus Prime during a devastating assault on Autobot City, the remaining Autobots are pursued by Galvatron, the regenerated form of Megatron and servant of Unicron, a planet-devouring Transformer who sets out to consume Cybertron. Set to a soundtrack of synth-based incidental music and hard-driving metal music, composed by Vince DiCola, the film 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.