Beast Machines: Transformers facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Beast Machines: Transformers |
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Beast Machines Transformers complete series DVD boxset
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| Genre | |
| Developed by | Marty Isenberg Robert N. Skir |
| Composer(s) | Robert Buckley |
| Country of origin |
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| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 26 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Ian Pearson Mark Ralston |
| Producer(s) | Asaph Fipke |
| Running time | 21 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
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| Distributor | Hasbro |
| Release | |
| Original network | |
| Picture format | 480i |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original release | September 18, 1999 – November 18, 2000 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | Beast Wars: Transformers |
Beast Machines: Transformers is an exciting animated TV show from Canada and the United States. It's part of the huge Transformers world. This show is a direct sequel to Beast Wars. It continues the story from the original Transformers series.
The series aired on YTV and Fox Kids from 1999 to 2000. It was one of the first Transformers shows made entirely with computer graphics. Unlike many other cartoons, Beast Machines had a very planned and continuous story. The show's intro song was "Phat Planet" by Leftfield. It also wrapped up the Generation 1 cartoon era.
Contents
What the Story Is About
After winning the Beast Wars, the good guys, called Maximals, finally return home. These Maximals are Optimus Primal, Cheetor, Blackarachnia, and Rattrap. But when they get to their home planet, Cybertron, they find it empty. Their people are gone!
Instead, the planet is now controlled by robots called Vehicons. The worst part is, the Maximals are stuck in their animal forms. They have also lost most of their memories. They quickly hide underground. There, they find a supercomputer called the Oracle. It changes their bodies into new, powerful forms that are part robot, part organic.
The Maximals soon learn that their old enemy, Megatron, is behind everything. Megatron got back to Cybertron before them. He now controls the Vehicons. He wants to get rid of all animal forms and free will. He has trapped the "sparks" (the life force) of everyone on Cybertron. The Maximals must free their people's sparks. They also need to find out what happened to their friends Silverbolt and Rhinox. Their biggest goal is to bring organic life back to Cybertron.
Episodes
The show has two seasons with 26 episodes in total. Each season has 13 episodes. The first season starts right after the end of Beast Wars. The second season begins immediately after the first. The second season was also known as Battle for the Spark.
Toys and Characters
The toys made for Beast Machines were quite different from the characters in the show. Their shapes and colors often didn't match. Also, their sizes were not in proportion to each other. This happened because the show creators and toy makers worked separately at first. Later, some toys were made that looked more like the show's characters.
Many characters created as toys never appeared in the TV show. However, some did show up in the comic books. Interestingly, Botanica, a transforming plant character from the show, was never made into a toy.
The toy packaging was also unique. Most Beast Machines toy boxes had a picture of Cheetor on the front. This was true no matter which character was inside. Only the toy for Nightscream had his own picture.
When the toys were released in Japan as Beast Wars Returns, they were repainted. This made them look more like the characters in the TV show. Even some drone molds were used for the Vehicon Generals. McDonald's also sold simpler Beast Machines toys that looked more like the show's characters.
Toy Groups Not in the Show
Some toy groups had small stories on their boxes but didn't appear in the animated series:
- Beast Riders: These were two large vehicles shaped like animal heads. Bigger figures could ride them.
- Deployers: These were three Maximal drones without sparks. They could turn into weapons for larger toys.
- Dinobots: This group of Maximals were recolored versions of older toys. They were led by Magmatron and T-Wrecks.
Characters Not in the Show
Many characters were part of the Beast Machines toy line but didn't appear in the TV series. Some of these included:
- Blastcharge - A Vehicon missile truck.
- Buzzsaw - A Maximal wasp.
- Battle Unicorn - A Maximal unicorn.
- Dillo - A Maximal armadillo that turns into a weapon.
- Geckobot - A Maximal flying lizard.
- Hammerstrike - A Maximal hammerhead shark.
- Longhorn - A Maximal bull.
- Mirage - A fast Vehicon race car.
- Mol - A Maximal mole that turns into a weapon.
- Nightviper - A Maximal cobra.
- Primal Prime - A repaint of Optimal Optimus.
- Quickstrike - A Maximal wolf.
- Rav - A Maximal bird that turns into a weapon.
- Scavenger - A Vehicon demolition expert.
- Skydive - A Maximal pterodactyl.
- Snarl - A Maximal lion.
- Spy Streak - A Vehicon stealth jet.
What Came Next: Transtech
After Beast Machines finished, Hasbro planned a new series called Transtech. This show was supposed to bring back characters who had died in Beast Wars. It would also include characters from the original 1980s cartoon. They would all have new, organic-looking bodies that turned into vehicles, not animals.
Many ideas and even some toy prototypes were made. But Hasbro decided not to make Transtech. Instead, they brought Car Robots to America. This was a temporary show until Transformers Armada was ready.
Some believe that the ideas for Transtech Cheetor and Megatron inspired later designs. For example, Transformers: Cybertron Brakedown and Armada Megatron.
Transformers: Universe
The story of Beast Machines continues in a short comic book series called Transformers: Universe. These comics tell stories that happen during the second season of Beast Machines. They also show what happens after the Beast Machines TV show ends.
Voice Actors
- Optimus Primal, voiced by Garry Chalk
- Cheetor, voiced by Ian James Corlett
- Rattrap, voiced by Scott McNeil
- Blackarachnia, voiced by Venus Terzo
- Silverbolt, voiced by Scott McNeil
- Nightscream, voiced by Alessandro Juliani
- Botanica, voiced by Kathleen Barr
- Savage/Noble, voiced by David Kaye
- Megatron, voiced by David Kaye
- Diagnostic Drone, voiced by Christopher Gaze/Paul Dobson
- Tankor / Rhinox, voiced by Paul Dobson (episodes 1-9) and Richard Newman (episode 9-onward)
- Thrust, voiced by Jim Byrnes
- Jetstorm, voiced by Brian Drummond
- Obsidian, voiced by Paul Dobson
- Strika, voiced by Patricia Drake
- Waspinator, voiced by Scott McNeil
Images for kids
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A robot for kids
