Transformers Animated: The Complete Series (6-Disc Collection) [DVD]
Release Date: Now Available on DVD Exclusively At Amazon
A Review By: Kevin Lovell
Disc Rating: 9/10
Plot Summary:
In this incarnation the young Optimis Prime and the Autobots must stop the Decepticons from getting the powerful artifact called the Allspark, an artifact capable of changing all of Earth’s machines into an army of Decepticons. Set in the near future Detroit, the Autobots have a new human ally, a girl named Sari, who after an encounter with the Allspark, gains the ability to heal and revive the Transformers.
I know a lot of fellow Transformers fans out there are absolutely thrilled that ‘Transformers Animated’ can at long last be added to their collections on DVD in whole for the first time ever. The Complete Series set (which is available as an Amazon exclusive) includes all three seasons (forty-two episodes in total) of the series in one more than reasonably priced 6-Disc DVD collection. Fans that already own the first two seasons on DVD and therefore would prefer to only purchase the third season (which was never made available on DVD prior to now) can rest assured, because Shout Factory has also made available a separate release for ‘The Complete Third Season’ on its own.
‘Transformers Animated’ is an incredibly fun series, but fans familiar with previous Transformers entries might need to allow themselves a few moments in order to adapt to some of the differences. When I first started watching the series, I was a bit thrown by the younger and different appearances of some of our familiar heroes and villains. Once I allowed a few episodes for me to adapt to the differences, I immediately fell in love and found this to be quite a treat of an animated series.
‘Transformers Animated’ provides a new look at the Autobots and Decepticons and in a futuristic setting (once again on Earth of course) and delivers all of the action packed and emotional moments that have made Transformers a franchise that so many have loved over the years and that new generations are still continuing to discover today. In addition to all of the action and heart we’ve come to appreciate and love from Transformers, ‘Transformers Animated’ also delivers a surprising amount of laughs, so many in fact that I rarely found an episode where I wasn’t cracking up at least a few times. For fellow Transformers fans that may not have had the pleasure of this series before, I would highly recommend checking it out, I’m almost positive you will be very pleased that you decided to do so.
VIDEO:
The video on the DVD release of ‘Transformers Animated: The Complete Series’ is presented in a 16×9 friendly 1.78:1 aspect ratio representing the aspect ratio in which it was originally broadcast. The video presentation on this one is even better looking than the previous couple of Transformers sets released. The more recent production and the widescreen presentation certainly both provide more to work with and this release does not disappoint. I found myself stunned at just how sharp and detailed the colors were, at how bright and fantastic it looks as a whole, even on a 46” HDTV. Fans of the series can rest assured, the video presentation on this one will not disappoint.
AUDIO:
The audio on the DVD release is a Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo soundtrack on all forty-two episodes in the series. The audio presentation is pretty impressive for a lossy stereo soundtrack, and for those (like me) who have the ability to utilize simulated surround on your receivers, this stereo soundtrack provides for the effect more than adequately and I was quite surprised just how wonderful the episodes sounded in simulated 7.1 using my receivers Dolby Pro-Logic IIX feature. As with the video presentation, the audio presentation also holds up quite nicely and sounds superb for a lossy stereo soundtrack.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
The DVD release of ‘Transformers Animated: The Complete Series’ also includes audio commentaries on select episodes, which was certainly a pleasant surprise. With the incredibly reasonable prices on these great collections of episodes and the previous couple releases not including any, I was more than satisfied with the sets not including bonus content, but it’s definitely never disappointing to see.
*Please note that the above images are taken from the DVD and resized. They additionally will suffer quality loss as a result of .jpg compression. Larger versions of each image can be viewed by clicking on the image. All images and content included on this DVD release are the property of their respective owners.
Disc Rating: 9/10