About two weeks ago we announced the San Diego Comic-Con 2010 Transformers: Prime schedule. And on that schedule, we learned that the talent behind the upcoming cartoon will be there to meet us. One such person is Jose Lopez; the Character Designer of Transformers: Prime.
Till now Mr. Lopez was in a silence about his involvement. Now however, he has updated his blog to let us know that he’ll be at the SDCC2010 to give us a sneak peek of his work.
“Hi everyone!Comic-con is just around the corner and this year its arriving with a big Bang! Late last year I started designing and art directing characters for the new TRANSFORMERS – PRIME show and we finally get to share a very cool sneak peek of what we got in the works. So please come to the panel, hang with us and let me know what you think of our new show. I’ll post more info as I’m permitted but trust me this is truly an all star team.
Also I’ll be at my regular spot Table H9 in the small press area sharing my table with the amazing John Nevarez. Stop by and say hi, don’t be shy, ask people around, I don’t bite I believe John doesn’t either, so you really have no excuse. I hope to see you there.
I’ll be back with more info.
Lopez”
Mr. Lopez also kindly told us what exactly we will find and who we will meet at this year’s Comic-Con.
4:30-5:30 Transformers Prime on The Hub— The talent behind Transformers Prime, the new TV series from Hasbro Studios featuring a groundbreaking mix of 2D animation and CGI, will showcase exclusive footage and characters followed by a Q & A session in this can’t miss panel! Panelists include Executive Producers Bob Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and Jeff Kline, along with the voice of Optimus Prime himself, Peter Cullen, and President and CEO of The Hub, Margaret Loesch. Joining this all-star team on stage will be Executive Director, Boys & Action at Hasbro Studios, Mike Vogel, Supervising Director Dave Hartman, and Character Designer Jose Lopez with moderator Ted Biaselli, Director of Programming for The Hub. The Transformers Prime animated TV series will premiere in 2010 on the new television network The Hub. Room 7AJose Lopez is the principal designer on Transformers: Prime. His previous credits include character design work on Cartoon Network’s Generator Rex, Warner Bros. Animation’s Green Lantern: First Flight and The Batman, and Sony Pictures Television’s Jackie Chan Adventures. If you want to check some samples of Mr. Lopez’s previous work, Visit : World’sFinestOnline.com
Cal
The last time we got that resulted in Transfomers AEC. Pray this isn't the case.
AntiSperglord
Oh yeah, it's not impossible for a mix to be done well, and I'd love to keep my hopes up! Unfortunately Transformers cartoons have a really lousy track record with this sort of thing, and don't really have the same target audiences or budgets as shows like Futurama or The Simpsons. And since Japan is handling the CG… yeah. Plus, 90% of the fan audience is comprised of weeaboo fuckronauts who fawn over pictures of prepubescent anime girls who wear cat ears, so I don't think there's much in the way of motivation for them to make something that doesn't look ******ed.
I mean I'd love to be utterly and completely wrong, believe me. There's nothing I'd like more than to be able to turn on a Transformers show and not immediately feel the brain cells leaking out of my ears and nose because some dorky, speccy eat-more wanker grew up watching Dragonball-Z or Pokemon and decided it was the height of animation or something.
Basically, it's been more than 10 years since a Transformers cartoon was made that was worth watching to anyone over the age of 2 and a half, and I'm fully expecting to get burned again. (although Animated was a step in the right direction) Here's hoping 6th time's a charm though, eh?
swarlock
2D and CGI. Sounds good if it's done right.
deymasc
The first TF film was OK…and I won't even begin to comment on the disappointment for ME, that was Star Trek. LOL
I will admit that the first time I saw the first TF movie I was awestruck…but after repeated viewings that died quickly. ;o)
deymasc
I have seen a couple of episodes and I wasn't impressed. Sorry.
deymasc
Matter of opinion.
Rogzilla
Come on guys, we don't know what they are going for here. It could work really well just as much as it could suck. Like I said before, Futurama intergrates the 3D characters, backgrounds and vehicles into the same spaces as other 2D elements very well.
Also, a LOT of animated shows use a combination of computer effects and traditional animation. In a lot of cases, you can't even tell.
Sure, the Unicron series did it badly but hey, compare Toy Story to Toy Story 3. It is really jaring to see how much has changed. And they were the same company!
My point is don't prejudge based on one bad experience, especially when there are examples of it working so well.
AntiSperglord
Now betting that 50% of this show is shitty static 3D renders sliding across a multicoloured anime background.
Josh
having any kind of job where you to create stuff like this for a property like this REQUIRES a thick-skin. you cant operate without it
*knows from experience*
im sure he'll be fine, heh.
Sprocket
No, I'm saying doing a TV show is different from doing a DTV movie, especially when it's one with a hardcore fanbase like Transformers. I'm just saying I hope he's thick-skinned, that's all.
His work on Public Enemies and Green Lantern wasn't exactly bold, but it was well-done. I've no doubt his work on Prime'll be fine too.
Josh
the dude did 99% of the character design work for DC's Green Lantern: First Flight movie
he's certainly capable of handling big projects for big properties [if thats what you're saying]
plus. his art is amazing. just look at his blog
ive got no worries
MrSoundwaveGuy
Word. I started watching Fringe after it was announce Orci and Kurtzman were working on the show. After that my excitement grew quite a bit
Sprocket
I don't think many people are even aware he designed a few characters in The Batman's third season. All the drama I saw about the Batman's character designs dissipated after the first season, and that was all directed at Jeff Matsuda. It's like how no one bothered criticizing Irineo Maramba for his work on Animated: it was all directed at Derrick Wyatt.
This is the first time he's been the primary character designer on a TV show, and it's a Transformers show, no less. I just hope he knows what he's getting into.
SPLIT LIP
Obviously not.
Because Fringe is freaking awesome!
Paxtin
Sorry, I have no love for anything that came out of the Unicron Trilogy. And that includes the mediocre toys. (Maybe some of the Scouts.)
Cybertron's script just felt clunky and most of the dubbed voices ranged from either being annoying, to just plain bland. Like the voice actor was just phoning it in for a paycheck.
I actually did like Galaxy Force better because it took itself a little more seriously. It wasn't completely serious, but it didn't feel dumbed down like Cybertron did.
RID was fun because it was really just so stupid that it either made you love it, or hate it.
Weremole
Have you seen Fringe?
Spin-Out
Sprocket, chill.
Sprocket
Are you a plant or something? This is like the third or fourth time you've said almost this exact thing.
Honestly man, there's such a thing as being TOO positive.
Spin-Out
Cybertron had crap writing? They turned a show that would have been as bland and overly serious as Armada into something genuinely fun by not taking it too seriously, just like with RiD.
I dunno; they did a hell of a job with the first TF movie AND with Star Trek.
Paxtin
Heh, I like this comment posted on his blog from Anonymous:
I'm sure he's use to it though from his work on the Batman, as comic book nerds are not much better.
I'm not that worried about the whole 2D-3D mix thing. I honestly didn't mind it on Cybertron…It was the crap writing I didn't like. Though the original, Galaxy Force, wasn't that bad.
I'm sure there are people who are going to hate it outright, just case, but I believe they can pull off something good. One thing here is obviously the humans will be stylized characters, so that may help in the contrast between them and the CG transformer characters.
Very much looking forward to seeing it.