Arise, Bumblebee Prime? The tiny yellow Volkswagen that cost like $3 back in 1984 finally nabs a show-runner spot, as The Hub Network announces he’ll lead a fresh team of Autobots in a new Transformers animated series, in production for 2015.
Picking up years after the Transformers: Prime series and the special Transformers Prime Beast Hunters: Predacons Rising movie (which explains why Optimus Prime is not reporting for duty — yet), the next Transformers animated series stars Bumblebee as the Autobot leader.
Of course this version of Bumblebee never got the Volkswagen treatment, instead maintaining the sports car look from the live-action films. At least he finally got his voice back towards the end of the series, or voice actor Will Friedle (Boy Meets World) would have nothing to do but sit around looking sullen.
Friedle will be joined by Darren Criss (“Glee”), Constance Zimmer (“House of Cards”) and Ted McGinley (“Married with Children”) as voices for the series, which The Hub Network says will be a mix of 3D animation with hand-painted backgrounds. That explains why the first image of Bumblebee has no background. Painting takes a long time.
It will be neat to see how Bumblebee handles his new role in the Prime continuity. I’ve seen the character in a leadership position in the comics before, but never in an animated series.
As for the whereabouts of Optimus Prime, fans of the previous animated series know what happened to him. Could he still return in this new series? Of course he can. He always returns. It’s be death, taxes, and Optimus Prime, if two of those didn’t contradict each other.
Comments
7 responses to “Bumblebee Takes Command In The Next Transformers Animated Series”
I don’t understand fully, so its Transformers Animated but its following on from the Transformers Prime story arch?? Or is it just picking up where Animated left off? Not very clear
Wait wait wait. Didn’t they set up Smoke Screen to be the new Prime?
The art looks somewhat similar to the previous Transformers Animated series. Hopefully the tone is similar too.
In before “Trukk not monkee”.
This should be cool, as TF: Prime is a pretty enjoyable ‘transforming toy sales pitch’ series.
Why? Is it 1996?
Last I checked that’s still the catch cry of any nostalgia-tinted Gen1 fanboy when a new series comes out that isn’t a remake of the originals.
Hmm.. now I feel like digging out some of my copies of Superlink or Robots in Disguise/Car Robots to watch for novelty’s sake.
Would have been more interesting to follow through with the relatively unsubtle Smokescreen subplot. At least Hot Rod got to be a Prime for a while.