It all started with a tiny statement:
“ Finn Arnesen, who runs international distribution for us, is introducing our new Transformers series, which is a lot of fun because it really harkens back to the old Transformers: Generation 1 days. It’s a lighter, brighter more comedic show. It’s still full of all the wonderful characters that our fans love, but it’s really a complete reimagination of our Transformers series, which we will be rolling out next year.”
That’s how Transformers: Robots In Disguise came into our lives. With three years of Transformers entertainment and becoming the third longest running Transformers cartoon series to date, RID 2015 is now coming to an end.
The final episode of Transformers: Robots In Disguise will air in the United Kingdom at 7:30AM via Cartoon Network on November 4th, 2017. Titled as Freedom Fighters, United States will see the same episode on Saturday, November 11th on CN.
Transformers: Robots in Disguise was produced by Hasbro Studios and Darby Pop Productions in the United States, and animated by Polygon Pictures in Japan. Developed by Adam Beechen, Duane Capizzi, Jeff Kline featuring a star-studded voice cast of Peter Cullen, Will Friedle, Stuart Allan, Darren Criss, Ted McGinley, Khary Payton, Mitchell Whitfield, Constance Zimmer and many others, RID is a spin-off series to its predecessor Transformers: Prime.
Though we bid farewell, do not forget the wise words from Optimus Prime: “Above all, do not lament my absence, for in my spark, I know that this is not the end, but merely a new beginning. Simply put, another transformation.”
Thank you, cast and crew of RID. And thank you very much to all who shared, enjoyed and discussed the show. We’ll see you all with Transformers: Cyberverse.
We end this news post with the very first image from the series:
bellpeppers
Transformers: Friendship is Magic
VortexPrime
DON'T GIVE THEM THESE IDEAS lol!
PredaconElder
Seems like they want to go for the Seasame Street/Barney Crowd. Maybe they should have Bee sing a song every episode and making friends with Decepticons.
Jumacas
And lo and behold… That is exactly what they seem to be making yet again… Bumblebee playing sports with his friends on Cybertron….
maxxzander
thank god finally!!! now pls give us something more adult oriented like tf prime…..we already have rescue bots for the kids….we dont need another childish kiddies tf show…
Bobby Bolivia
Thanks lord. Okay what\'s next.
ANTDOG
I liked the show despite tr time slot
W-P38
Never watched it; not a single episode. The last mainstream TF animation I watched (and was obsessed with) was Armada. I'm a child of the 80's, and grew up with G1, Robotech, Voltron, Mazinger, and then followed Headmasters, SG Masterforce, and Victory. The CGI Beast Era throughout the 90's was like the dark ages for me. Then, suddenly, after RID/Car Robots "tested the waters" for original TF (Autobot/Decepticon) fans and Dreamwave stepped in with the return of G1 (New comic, Masterpiece, Commemorative, Collection) alongside a new Japanese-animated series and comic for Armada, I was back. And that's when my adult collecting really started. I think Armada marked the return to the franchise for many G1 fans.
I just can't do the newer "American" styled CGI kiddie-looking cartoons. As soon as Animated started, it was over for me. And the Prime/aligned continuity with movie aesthetics looses me completely. I never thought I'd be nostalgic about anything other than G1, and recently I'm loving Armada again. The series starts a bit slow, but toward the end is outstanding.
I will always associate Transformers with its roots as a Japanese robot anime, so Armada gets respect, whereas Animated, Prime, RID, and even Machinima's work (CW and TR for me count as G1, the lines are clearly about the Japanese trilogy, despite IDW's and Machinima's creative license) all get tossed in with BW and BM. And I'm guessing Cyberverse won't be any different.
Just one fan's story and resulting perspective.
SilverOptimus
My best guess is that it has something to do with the 'premises' of the show. With a show like MLP:FIM there is absolutely limitless possibilities when it comes to characters and 'lands'; New characters can be introduced without affecting the continuity as much as they can. Existing characters can have many repaints and retools with little effort. New kingdoms can be introduced every season therefore contributing to even more play sets.
But that doesn't mean MLP:FIM is immune to getting staled. I watched the show until Season 4 when I gave up due to lack of time and I was getting bored with the show. Equestria Girls is a spin-off to get away from the monotony and include new designs for the franchise.
Transformers shows on the other hand have fixed scopes. There is only so much you can do within the scope. I always felt RID as Ben10. Even Ben10 was rebooted few times if I'm not mistaken (only watched Season 1).
Even the very description of upcoming Cyberverse limits it to a certain scope. There is a limit you can go on a show which confines itself to recovering lost memory. A new Season must either do something new or focus on a whole new "era" of Transformers.
On MLP, you can make a minor tweak to a character and make that character a new product to be sold based on a specific episode or so. And when the whole concept of MLP is based on customization of the ponies to the user's liking, you have a lot to work on. Whereas there's only so many times you can change one Bumblebee on a specific show. On MLP it's so easy to design characters when they all share a similar base model. They are all ponies. Transformers characters designs require a lot of creativity to distinguish one from another. Uniqueness is a key in a franchise like Transformers. And it takes time, and effort.
Hasbro keeps an eye on the sales of their products. If the toy sales are not happening, they consider to do something new. Collector community is not enough to keep a product alive on the shelves. If the product is not accepted by the general audience, a dip in sales occur. MLP sales are good enough for them to keep doing what they are doing. As the saying goes "Why fix if it's not broken?".
TV Shows are bound by lot of contracts. These contracts include the contracts between broadcasting companies, licensed products, animation studios etc. They all expire. Some are renewed, some not.
As you can see, quite a lot of factors weigh in on a lifetime of a show. The ones I mentioned above may very well be just a fraction of those factors.
Mako Crab
I liked both Prime & RID, so it’s sad to see it go. Sad to see the show go through yet another rebranding, another reboot with all the same characters.
I should e-mail Hasbro & ask them what the secret is that’s allowed MLP: FIM to thrive without being rebooted or rebranded, while TFs can’t seem to scratch by much longer than 3 years at a time.
PredaconElder
It's like putting a rabid dog down.
Good riddance RID. Maybe Hasbro will put together something watchable after Bumblebee Adventures.
Mirage00
Never was too fond of this show. Rather disapointing after Prime. Animation is to dull. Low hopes for Cyberverse but I hope I\'m wrong.
WO3004
Well I for one am very sad that it\'s ended. Watched it earlier and I still think that the Prime segment of the Aligned continuity has been the best, in my opinion.