My wife and I watch THE TRANSFORMERS MOVIE (1986) for the FIRST time

Jen and I watch the 1986 Transformers movie for the first time! This was recommended to us after we completed the series of live action films.
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[@michaeljohnson8868]

If you've never seen the first 2 seasons of the G1 show from '84-85 this movie may not hit you the same way, especially during the entire 1st act.

[@tigerbread78]

Yep

[@mattd6642]

The number of G1 autobots killed was enormous. They really thinned out the toy line for the next gen series. I enjoyed the original series, and my mother let me watch it because the good guys were easy to discern from the bed guys. There really was no gray area. Sometimes a good guy would do a bad thing (under the influence of the Decepticons) but the Autobots would forgive and allow them to return.

[@schalo1]

Facts!

[@jamief1263]

Agree, that’s how transformers should be. If the Michael Bay films were songs, the Transformers wouldnt be billed as the artist, they would just be features, it should be called American Military with Transformers.

[@r3mdh]

The first 30 minutes (Lithos to Starscream’s death) were a 1980s boy’s wet dream. Imagine having all of those toys and then the ability to build some sets (Autobot City, Cybertron) out of cardboard or something and being able to play this out? I can tell you as someone who was interested in this franchise from the day I saw the commercial for the new cartoon on WUAB TV-43 (Cleveland) in the fall of 1984, I was hooked. Christmas of 1984 was amazing: I got Thundercracker and Jazz for Christmas and Optimus Prime and Megatron three days later on my birthday. My parents - how do I even begin to thank them?! - must have gone out of their minds trying to find those toys on the shelves of Kaybee Toys and Children’s Palace. As an adult, I can truly appreciate how difficult that scavenger hunt must have been and how many times they must have gone to those stores hoping to see these Holy Grails on the shelves, only to leave empty-handed. I love you, Mom & Dad. ❤

[@AgentChachi]

I liked that your wife felt the pain that we all did as kids seeing Optimus die. Her reaction was sweet and sincere.

[@7Wounds]

Same same same!!

[@joshmontemayor1212]

I 1st saw Optimus' death scene around the time the 2007 movie came out & I was sobbing uncontrollably.

[@davidsavage5630]

I think Optimus' death was a necessary evil. It was what made them realize some of these characters were bigger than toy sales and had become full-fledged icons. After this they realized you could interchange SOME of the Transformers but that there's now a core group that are going to be the foundation for everything Transformers for....forever. Continuities may change but you'll always at LEAST have Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, the Dinobots, Ironhide, Megatron, Starscream, Soundwave, Devastator, Shockwave, Unicron etc.

[@Redefining-Doug]

The death of Optimus Prime traumatized me when I saw it.

[@lapelcelery42]

"He was the only one I liked"

[@jonrazo7912]

It's not an exaggeration to say that this movie taught me about death. I was 9 when this came out in 86 and I had never lost so much as a pet, let alone a grandparent. I got home from that movie and locked myself in my room and cried for hours afterward.

[@Bensonders]

SAME! I was 6 when I saw the movie and I was absolutely devastated. Optimus was my hero and seeing all the G1 Transformers get brutally slaughtered was scarring. And yeah, at that age I didn't know or understand that the good guys can lose or even die. They have to win!

[@theashrook6129]

Saw this at age 7. Was definitely my intro to death.

[@Dampealx7]

I was around 7 at the time. When Prime turned grey...and Daniel started to cry, I was a mess. And that music...emotional damage.

[@LiquidArmProduction]

Wait, so are you the kid of legend?

[@obiwon_ben8028]

I agree completely I was 10 and this was so upsetting to me.

[@mrtin9128]

"Megatron must be stopped, no matter the cost!" Gets my inner child wailing everytime 😭

[@julezwinfield7732]

Especially his stance when he says it. It is the most regally drawn pose I have ever seen to this day even. Next time you watch it pause it when he says it and just stare at that pose. Gosh!

[@mrg466]

Are you one of those kids who locked themselves in the closet? Did mommy have to take you out the theater, ballin away?

[@filipcesnjak2944]

This is the best Transformers movie ever, it has the touch, it has the power...😁

[@gregory6798]

The song (You got the Touch) and (Dare) made you feel strong and anything could be possible.

[@crshh]

Not only that, nothing's going to stand in it's way. Not tonight!

[@gregory6798]

Your right about that!!

[@trypticon8619]

This will always be the greatest transformers movie

[@austinsnow2397]

Dare to be stupid

[@gaiali453]

The animation in this movie was way ahead of its time. This movie's producers also learned about fan backlash very quickly if anyone is familiar with what happened after killing off Optimus Prime. lol

[@charlesjohnson7458]

If I could, I would give your comment 100 thumbs up!!!! lolololololol

[@supercloudreed]

but he do come back for i think the last part of the show and the first part of Head Masters.

[@mrg466]

Yeah, little kids were ballin! And Mommy got pissed , because their kids lost their minds and were locking themselves in the closet and wouldn't come out their rooms! Then parents went to war with the movie producers!

[@petewillson205]

Yeah parents were mad it was extremely violent-had cuss words-killed Optimus and all the OG characters within 1st 20 min of film--and played non-stop rock and roll. It was everything an animated movie wasn't supposed to be a movie geared at 9 yr old boys and families. Theirs just no way to describe it--let's say you came to a movie to watch Andy grithiff show but NYPD blue was playing.

[@flyerfan8]

I didn’t realize how traumatized I was by this movie until I was watching Michael bays transformers and Prime says “one shall stand and one shall fall” and I, and everyone else in the theater, broke out in a cold sweat.

[@hgc7000]

That 1980s cartoon movie ptsd is real!

[@jacob4920]

lol exactly my reaction! I remembering uttering the words in the theatre seat: "Oh, you wouldn't DARE!" Like, I was literally threatening Michael Bay not to kill Optimus at that moment. And then OP dies in the second flick, and barely left an impact on me. Go figure.

[@unplugged123]

me too. it triggered something in my subconcious and the line felt like something important was going to happen... lol

[@randomkappasgarage]

everybody in the theater I saw it in was cheering... the nostalgia hit

[@Lastjustice]

Yeah I was like no...don't kill Prime again..I don't want to cry in front of my nephew....

[@aaronb4043]

It's sad when people are miserable watching this movie. It's an honest masterpiece of animation.

[@joshmontemayor1212]

To be fair, when this movie 1st came out, everyone was crying over Optimus getting killed off. You can't have Transformers without Optimus.

[@GramoChopin]

Jus watching this reaction for the 1st time. im only 31 but when i think of Transformers. i think of this one. Not Michael Bay and the over abundance of explosions.

[@alimfuzzy]

These people have no charisma or anything interesting to say... how do they have so many followers.

[@arthurrimbaud7287]

I like it too, but let’s not get carried away.

[@jacobkubacki2719]

They need to watch the series to know what’s going on. Id be like WTF? Too if I hadn’t grown up with the series.

[@treygoldsworthy1402]

I will definitely highly recommend watching Transformers Prime series someday, even though the CGI animation takes some getting used to, it has some of the best Transformers storytelling in the entire franchise.

[@neokerberos]

Agree, even if I don't like the mecha designs, Prime is a good serie. But I must admit that is mostly because it remind me the original G1 seasons. To my point of view, Prime is just a reactualized G1 serie, which is of course a good thing!

[@littleredruri]

@@neokerberos It takes the best aspects of the movies and G1 and melds them into the (almost) perfect transformers show.

[@bad2dabohn1992]

Sincerely hoping they do at some point. Prime to this day still is such an engaging awesome show

[@jkhoover]

They will never watch it. People have got to stop recommending the most random shows and movies. You have to be an extreme fan to watch it, and it would tank their channel if they tried to do it for the channel, like the Star Wars cartoon.

[@Rorujin]

Funnily enough, is written and created by Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, writers of the first two Bayformers and utterly hated by nerds on the Internet.

[@joenobody5631]

More channels need to react to this movie. It's too iconic to be ignored.

[@SilhouetteJudas]

I had this movie on DVD when I was a kid and watched it over and over and over and over again

[@buffmaxima8612]

Lol I have it on vhs, DVD, blue ray, all of the anniversary and reanimated versions and most recently the digital copy 😄

[@Derekloffin]

Apparently hasbro is rather punchy with the copyright strikes, so that's probably why it has been generally avoided.

[@joenobody5631]

@@Derekloffin That figures. I've never understood that. A copyright claim, sure. But a strike? That's just being dickish for dickishness' sake.

[@oldschoolde5183]

This film was really made for fans. The deaths hit hard. Optimus was the kicker.

[@joenobody5631]

It was really made for the toy company. Killing off the Transformers kids already had in order to replace them with new toys kids would want their parents to buy for them. Apparently they had no idea how attached kids were to these characters.

[@Lastjustice]

@@joenobody5631 Yeah they just thought they could treat characters are interchangable parts and swap them out and kids would happily accept the new batch. It doesn't help that freaking Hotrod's actions directly caused Prime's death making that an even harder to accept scenario for fans. It would be like if they had a Justice league movie where Jimmy Olsen gets Superman killed in the beginning, and we are expected to root for the B team after all the known heroes got slaughtered.

[@damien5748]

No it wasnt made for fans.. it was simply a 90 minute animated commercial to promote the 1986 toys.....and thats why a number of the chracters were killed off....no more no less.

[@joenobody5631]

@@Lastjustice I never forgave Hot Rod for that dumbassery. 😂

[@sergedeleon9592]

Many fans weep of primes demise that time

[@purplefishmonkeybutt]

Jen's reaction to Prime's death was like every child in the theater.. total disbelief, complete heartbreak, so many crying children.

[@joshmontemayor1212]

Not to mention that the movie got a HUGE backlash for killing Optimus off & Hasbro got TONS of letters from angry parents.

[@purplefishmonkeybutt]

@@joshmontemayor1212 It's kind of weird to say that I have friends who talk about this moment in therapy.

[@DylanMadd]

If you grew up on the cartoon like me, this was a game changer. My favorite character died horribly on the big screen. It blew my mind as an 8 year old.

[@randomkappasgarage]

Me... at *4*

[@gregory6798]

Hell yes it was a game changer!! In some ways it looked some like Transformers TV was about to end.

[@tmntman3086]

Jen's reactions were quite amusing to watch. I was glad to see that Optimus' death hit her as strongly as it was intended. You both mentioned in the end how it was hard to keep up with the movie since you weren't familiar with all of the characters going into the movie. The funny thing is, neither were the kids who saw the movie for the first time in theaters. This movie was used in part to wipe out the large number of pre-existing characters that were no longer going to have toys as well as introduce a slew of new characters. So most of the cast of the movie post Optimus' death were completely new characters in this movie. However, the cartoon did have a habit of just dropping new characters into the story with no explanation of where they came from. So perhaps the kids of the time were just used to that by this point.

[@jkhoover]

Jenn sounds like every kid in the 80s when Optimus died. This movie actually changed the GI Joe animated movie. They were planning to kill a main character too, but changed it with voice over.

[@Chuck_EL]

yup duke was the one its why he got "sick" then was all better quickly

[@jkhoover]

@@Chuck_EL He didn't get sick. He was stabbed in the heart with a snake by Serpentor.

[@chuckt9us]

@@jkhoover "Cobralalalalalalalala!"

[@acereporter73]

I *STILL* have not forgiven Hot Rod. He knows what he did...

[@chuckt9us]

@@acereporter73 one kid on the block got Rodimus Prime for Christmas that year, he didn't want to show us. He didn't get clowned that much, we knew his Mom had no idea.

[@tevanos]

You really can't walk into this movie without being familiar with seasons 1 & 2 of the show. It's like watching Return of the Jedi without watching New Hope or Empire. The four Autobots on the shuttle that get killed were pretty essential characters in season 1 & 2. Their deaths were significant to kids at the time.

[@mrg466]

Exactly, this is why so many people are lost and Mike Bay is no help at all!

[@Bad_Wolf_Media]

This is one of Orson Welles's final roles, with the recording completed just before he passed away. This movie is absolutely a product of its time, but it definitely hits all the nostalgia notes for those of use who grew up in this era. To Jen's issue with not being able to identify who was who, there were a couple of seasons of the cartoon that led up to this, so the old-school characters were well known to fans, but the point of the movie (including killing Optimus) was intended to wipe the slate of the old characters to make room for new characters/toys. And finally, since Holden mentioned Prime's trailer that he was pulling around, they showed him with the trailer in live-action right at the end of Bumblebee.

[@umi_grumz]

"it definitely hits all the nostalgia notes for those of use who grew up in this era" bruh I grew up in the 2000s and still firmly believe this is the best Transformers film

[@darthdmc]

It was Orson Welles final role.

[@Brazbit]

Recording was not quite finished when he passed away. Leonard Nimoy filled in uncredited for the final few lines of Unicron.

[@Thunderwing88]

@@Brazbit That is I myth that was corrected long ago.

[@Goldfire-tt3dv]

@@Brazbit That myth has been confirmed to be wrong by multiple accounts.

[@MrBabymeowmix]

Man. . .their reaction to this movie really hurts my soul. I guess, since they've only ever seen the Michael Bay movies, it makes sense. This will always be the best Transformers to me though.

[@joshmontemayor1212]

To be fair, everyone was crying over Optimus' death when this 1st came out.

[@darthphayde508]

Definitely a nostalgic movie for me. I was 9 when it came out, very much saw Prime as a role model, so seeing him killed, as well as the other characters was pretty upsetting. Hasbro just thought they were resetting the toy line, not realizing how attached kids had gotten to these characters, there was a huge letter writing campaign over this, to the point that they altered Duke's death in GI Joe the Movie. They did end up bringing Prime back in the next season of the series after this.

[@JeremyW55]

wow did not know this... Loved Gi Joe the Movie! A Movie waaay Better than the Live action which did kill Duke off.... Why would you kill the dude that was GI JOE. and I was Kinda Upset Since the Rock played Road Block (which I thought was a good fit) Didnt give any shout outs to Sgt Slaughter with both the being in the WWE

[@easy_e_1976]

Still my favorite to this day. The soundtrack rocks!!

[@mauz4588]

"Spike" is Steven Witwicky, the character that Sam Witwicky, from the Bay movies, was loosely based on. Spike was a teenager in the series prior to the movie. The movie jumped ahead a number of years to where Spike had a son, Daniel. A lot of the characters you were unfamiliar with were characters that were entirely new for the movie. Most of the familiar faces from the series have been in the Bay movies in some form, just not as readily recognizable or as frequently as they were from the original series. And Jen probably should feel targeted... I know I was one of the voices suggesting this movie because I wanted to see her reaction to what happens with Optimus Prime. It was traumatic for the kids who were fans, and now she's shared in that trauma! I think either you or her also mentioned something previously about maybe wanting to see more of the Autobots/Decepticons and less of the humans in the later movies. Up until the movie, the series took place almost entirely on Earth, with a little bit of Cybertron. The movie was the first time we saw the broader Transformers universe, so that was something that was entirely new to viewers as well.

[@CraZY.pRIME.]

The Steven part is from IDW in 2005 its kind of a retcon. Never was part of G1.

[@nightwingjosh8491]

Carly from the 3rd movie is meant Daniel's mother

[@jacob4920]

IMO, the Bay movies completely destroyed the Witwicky character. It wasn't Shia Lebouf's fault. It was the way that the character was written, by Michael Bay, that made me want to throw my television out of the window at times.

[@do_a_glizzy_reveal]

bro wrote an entire essay☠️☠️☠️

[@Lastjustice]

In the first 2 seasons, there was a fair share of episodes that were human heavy. The ones about Spike were atleast the same human and you could go with it but they'd periodically introduce a new human/humanoid sidekick for the episode as they'd pair up with some member of the autobots and they'd never be seen again. Like the girl who fell for Powerglide(said girl teams up with powerglide), Autobop(Tracks and Raol break up an auto theft ring) ,Seachange (Seaspray meets a mermaid) Aerial Assault(Slingshot meets a arabic prince), and B.O.T. has trio of human characters show up and build a robot out of the parts of the decepticons. Season 3 has some very Daniel heavy episodes where he has Wheelie as his sidekick...ugh. (Like where they seek out the records vault to learn Ultra Magnus's birthday....just why is this an episode?)

[@davidm4566]

Fun fact: Ironhide and Optimus Prime are played by the same actor. When the 2 characters are arguing, it is the same guy arguing with himself LOL.

[@travisherndon94]

Dude Orson Welles killed it as Unicron while yes, he really didn't care about doing this role that deep, scary, intimidating voice like that's the voice of a true super villain.

[@Eidlones]

Orson Welles on being in Transformers: “I played the voice of a toy. Some terrible robot toys from Japan that change from one thing to another…I play a planet. I menace somebody called Something-or-other. Then I’m destroyed…I tear myself apart on the screen.”

[@brianegendorf2023]

You should see him in "Touch of Evil".. His voice in that movie is even scarier..

[@jacob4920]

@@Eidlones Sounds like my grandfather describing the show at the time. lol Older people, I remember, hated the stuff we kids were into, back in the 80's.

[@wallywest2360]

He was pretty far gone when recording lines for Transformers, his voice was not in the best shape. After getting the tapes the director was really conflicted, he couldn't use it but at the same time they had already advertised Welles being in the movie. They ended up running his voice through some electronic processing, similar to how they made Soundwave's voice, and cleaned it up a bit. Luckily ended up being usable. Welles passed away before the movie was released.

[@jacob4920]

@@wallywest2360 I thought Welles' voice was perfect for a villain as huge, and as terrifying, as Unicron. Dying or not.

[@dollysinn]

"Random music" uh huh ok, just happens to be the most appropriate themes for one of the most terrifying villains in Transformers lore, also composed by the impeccable Vince Dicola.

[@thuperr2017]

ye ngl i heard her say that and was like ???? huh????

[@DevilzFan]

I love this movie so much. As someone born in the late 70's, I was the prime age for the original Transformers. I remember being traumatized by the death watching this in the theater.

[@rankosaotome]

Same here.

[@MikeTXBC]

Same for me. The cartoons I grew up with were Transformers, He-Man, ThunderCats, G.I. JOE, C.O.P.S., Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and a whole slew of Saturday Morning cartoons, like Captain N, Muppet Babies, Dungeons & Dragons, etc.

[@TF80s]

@@MikeTXBC D&D was fantastic..and still is.

[@TheEddieguy82]

its was and still is a great movie would of like a 2nd movie we did get rebirth on vhs 3 part ep made in to a sort of full movie

[@stevencass8849]

This is a bit late, but it is impossible to overstate the effect this movie had on that generation of kids. Seeing our heroes, and villains, killed off like this was shocking to us. I absolutely love this movie, but I also understand why people who didn’t grow up with it are “meh” about it.

[@hgc7000]

Jen's reaction is pretty much spot on to my wife's reaction. I've been a super fan since I was a kid, so I had the show story going into the movie as a kid... in 1986... (oh gawd, that's been a bit) She finally went with me and the kids to see the 35th anniversary screening in theater. Its amazing on the big screen, but like Jen, my wife had a hard time with all the characters and what's going on with the story. She knows the main characters of course, but the story is a LOT to take in if you aren't familiar with the cartoon story. However, The wife did say that the soundtrack to this movie is "awesome", and one of the gold standards of 1980s pop music. She is correct!

[@zakkmylde1712]

I made my girlfriend watch the show with me before we saw this in the theater, it definitely helps to see at least the firat season before the movie.

[@healthandbeauty101]

Yeah, my wife literally fell asleep on the couch when I tried showing this movie to her. I was heartbroken cuz to me it is the greatest movie of all time.

[@hgc7000]

Oh no!

[@frankhorrigan2047]

Holy shit! What a nostalgia trip! I grew up in the 2000s when VCRs were on the way out but I wanted to keep the one we had specifically because my dad found this movie in a box of his old junk and I watched this movie until I eventually lost it and forgot about it. Thank you for reacting to this!

[@mrg466]

The original VCR version took out the swearing and nobody believed me, but now, I got the later release and they restored the swearing!

[@jameslabastille3988]

Thank you Holden for watching this with Jen! my favorite animated movie of the 80s! even had my kids watch this in the 2010s!

[@praxton]

Saw this in theaters when I was 9. Prime's death traumatized me. But his leaping flip from truck to robot blasting decepticons the whole way is still cinematic beauty.

[@joshmontemayor1212]

When I was a kid, Optimus' death had me sobbing uncontrollably.

[@bpo1975]

YES! You're finally reviewing a GOOD Transformers movie! 😁

[@nightnine9128]

The best transformers movie, hands down

[@Frostykid94]

The live action film sucks.

[@ryanangelastro504]

Bumblebee was pretty good too. So was the 2007 one (in a harmless popcorn flick way anyway).

[@RodConvoy1987]

Bumblebee didn't die, nor did Spike, Jazz, or Cliffjumper. Daniel saved them from being tossed into that acid pool inside Unicron towards the end of the film. Both Spike and Bumblebee have been on the original 80's The Transformers cartoon since the first episode, and had been friends since.

[@MightyTANK1]

Jen: I feel targeted Entire Transformers fanbase: first time?

[@bad-people6510]

Get ready for the most rockin' and violent 90 minute toy commercial you've ever seen.

[@GenerationWest]

I think without context of the show, was kinda surprised that the fans SUGGESTED this so hard, knowing you need the shows. Ironhide's voice was in the movies, because Peter Cullen voiced both Optimus and Ironhide in the 80's show only. Arcee was barely a cameo in the movies. She was in Transformers 2, for a hot second with two other female motorcycle Transformers, and in Bumblebee, she was in War for Cybertron section. Bumblebee wasn't important as a character as will be now, but was around... After this series, Bumblebee was gone for DECADES until the movie happened. I sometimes forget how large the cast is, because once the 90's and early 2000's hit, 80% of the cast is either gone and replaced, or get new personalities.

[@bluemodelt]

I didn't understand the suggestion either. I mean I loved the movie but I grew up with the cartoon and the toys.

[@totalnonstopactionrivals6811]

But most of these characters appeared in the live action films either as cameos or just unrecognizable because Michael bay doesn’t like being accurate 😭. I think if they watched this before Bumblbee then they would’ve had more appreciation for the war on cybertron opening scene of bumblebee especially with the designs being more accurate to the original source compared to Michael bay’s film. They should really watch the Netflix original anime trilogy series on transformers, I think they’d love it & they’d love the lore more especially in bumblebee.

[@GenerationWest]

@@totalnonstopactionrivals6811 Yeah, a good chunk of the later Transformer material is really good and consistent. As much as I love the 90's and mid 2000's stuff, it would be a STRUGGLE to get through if you don't really care.

[@jimbosolo9667]

@@totalnonstopactionrivals6811 To be fare thats not accurate. Blaming Bay for the live action characters is wrong. Firstly hasbro came up with and signed off the designs. 2nd Their are 4 versions of G1 Prime etc, and G2 Prime was a long flamed nose Truck which the live action Prime is based on. Also in every version of Transformers across all the media character names have jumped sides, and likeness's etc completly different to what has come before it. Grimlock in Armada trilogy was a construction vehicle for example. Prowl in Animated was a moterbike. The nameless con in Bumblebee that looked like G1 Starscream was called offscreen Blitzwing despite having nothing to suggest who it was.

[@mr.bill.8236]

I was 8 when this movie came out and I absolutely loved it. It still has a place in my heart. Perhaps if you two were older and watched the show, you would have appreciated it more. Unicron is my absolute favorite.

[@glitchedsouls7593]

The reason there were so many characters in the movie was mainly due to the fact that the cartoon had 2 seasons, and this was the third year of the toy line, meaning tons of characters were in it. It’s a lot easier in the pilot episodes where it’s only like 10 on both sides

[@zakkmylde1712]

There were so many characters in this because they wanted to introduce the new toys. This whole movie is one long toy commercial and the characters that got killed were the toys that were no longer on shelves. Most of the new characters weren't in the show until after the movie so knowing the old cast had almost no effect.

[@gregory6798]

By them killing off some original characters it made room for new ones. I heard the one they killed off was the one that lease was saling in stores. Any kid in '86 never thought that was the reason. First heard that's the reason on KZbin.

[@matthewclarke4127]

I remember a kid at school complaining that they were bringing out too many Transformers characters for him to keep track of. I very much disagreed with him.

[@Daveo3]

fun fact, Welles (unicrons VA) didnt actually know a thing about the franchise or the character, he described his role in the movie as voicing "the big toy that fought all the little toys"

[@luisphone8684]

I’ll say it again, you guys will really enjoy Transformers Prime. It has great characterization towards the autobots and the decepticons, and amazing world building and stakes. You guys would love it

[@nathanlaird]

You're only dipping your toe in a deep ocean by watching just this movie. As children, we internalized an entire mythos over many years, cartoons, sticker books at the grocery store, comic books, books, had lunch pails, underoos, socks, shoes, shirts, school folders, trapper-keepers, halloween costumes, and more. Would draw them, cover the walls with their posters. My 5th grade science project was on Transformers and their benefit of building an engineering mind in children, figuring out all the steps to transform. I built many of my own transformers out of legos. Optimus is the John Wayne of my generation. There are deep philosophical values we learned from this show. All the Bay films were a slap in the face compared to what we had. Respecting and protecting weaker species, sacrifice of self for others, the futility of war, seeking peace and only defending, not murdering (I was disgusted when Prime brutally beheaded in Bay films), environmental preservation, understanding that our task as a living being is to seek peace and unity 'until all are one' (a spiritual belief of both the East and West), alternative forms of life (being less human-centric in our cosmology), respect for the wisdom of elders, and more. So many deep messages. I'm still waiting for a modern movie to do justice to the Transformers that live within me.

[@rendevera3134]

I had a VHS copy of this movie as a kid, and rewatched it so many times. As I grew older though, it was pretty obvious that the entire plot was designed so they could sell new models of the toyline.

[@bang3rachi]

that was the reason for the entire show tbh like the toys came before the show.

[@DavidRomigJr]

This was a great movie in theaters. You didn’t need to see the first two seasons to enjoy this. It took place roughly 20 years after season 2. The big surprise was most of the characters from the first two seasons died (when that never happened in the first 2 seasons). Apparently they did this to replace the toys with new toys. So this movie was mostly new characters. But there was such an outcry from fans that Optimus Prime was resurrected in season 3. Optimus Prime died because his spark chamber was damaged. Ultra Magnus didn’t take damage to his spark chamber; his body was just blown apart, so it was possible to simply put him back together which the Junkions seems to be exceedingly good at. Unicron was also partially resurrected in season 3. The ghost of Starscream managed to reactivate his head in an effort to convince him to generate him a new body.

[@bobbyclarkston8836]

This movie was really meant for the fans who followed the tv series for years. Not for someone like Jen who only knows the Transformers universe through the live-action films. There were only a handful of Autobots and Decepticons when the series began, with characters like the Constructicons, Insecticons and Dinobots being introduced along the way. And spoilers for those that haven’t seen the series … but Optimus Prime is brought back to life in the season after “The Movie’ so don’t cry Jen. After all, they’re only cartoons 😜

[@doodechannel4024]

Michael Bay movies are crap for the most part. Movies 1 and 3 were watchable. The rest are just terrible. The best part about 3 was Leonard Nimoy as Sentinel.

[@brokenheroics8223]

I watch this movie every time I want to feel like a kid again. I remember going to the movie theaters the day it opened. "Until all are one!"

[@robertespley248]

I wonder what Jen would do if she ever found out that Peter Cullen (Optimus Prime) also voiced Eeyore (winnie the pooh) and the Predator ?

[@Jason-jo3te]

This movie traumatized my entire generation. The smoke coming out of Prowl's mouth, Prime dying and turning gray, all so they could get rid of the old toys and introduce the new ones.

[@daverowe03]

This movie is my childhood. This came out a week before my 12th birthday and I loved every bit of it!

[@daverowe03]

I do have to admit that even my 12 year old self felt too old for this movie. It was totally made to sell the new line of toys by killing the characters from the first two seasons. Hot Rod/Rodimus Prime and most of the featured Transformers in this movie were part of the New and what seemed to me ar the time, cheaply made toys. *Spoiler-- They brought Optimus Prime back to life. Then the show just kind of ended.

[@meachapegan1264]

@@daverowe03 They brought him back killed him again then brought him back and it ended lmao

[@timothycarter6341]

This will always be my favourite movie. I was a fan of the show, comic and of course the toys back in the day, and the film was beyond what I expected. Unicron transforming blew my tiny young mind.

[@matthewhobbs81]

If you had at least season one watched, that would have been enough to introduce you to the characters and learn various traits of them. One thing in particular that a first time watcher wouldn't know, is that the dinobots, for as strong as they are, they are very much comic relief in the show. They had the back story of being designed like real dinosaurs in that they had tiny brains, and thats why they talked in third person all the time.

[@scottvanhille5688]

Such a classic. The song "The Touch" by Stan Bush is iconic. I turned 6 when this came out. Weird Al Yankovic did the song "Dare To Be Stupid" for this film. Great seeing Ultra Magnus (Robert Stack, host of Unsolved Mysteries show)), Peter Cullen (Optimus Prime aka Orion Pax), Scatman Crothers (Jazz), Leonard Nimoy aka Spock (Galvatron), For Jen's benefit, he voiced Sentinel Prime in Part 3, Orson Welles (Unicron), Kranix, Ironhide, Bumblebee, Starscream, Laserbeak, Megatron, Prowl, Hot Rod, Kup, Grimlock, Devastator, Astrotrain, Arcee (the female autobot from the second Transformers film), Spike, Cyclonus, Dirge, Inferno, Perceptor. Haven't seen it in years. Thanks for the upload! Daniel Witwicky is Sam's ancestor aka the son that appeared to Jen like Shia LeBouf. The narrator sounds a lot like Jeffrey Wright.

[@dredyoung1]

I totally get their feelings about the movie. I had time to watch everything before this. Seeing Spike adventure with his dad till he became a dad himself. Learning all the Autobots and Decepticons. Knowing the importance of the Autobots killed in the ship. Growing with Optimus making his death really impactful. The movie being canon with the cartoons to the point where after school episodes pick up right where the movies left off so I get it. I'm just glad they watched it

[@torquetheprisoner]

it was a good marketing ploy cos some kids would just wonder why that toy is not on the shelf anymore with out reason so killing the character would give a better reason for it not to be on the shelf

[@bryanwoods3373]

I think that's part of what's not helping Jen. It's much easier to follow when you have those 3 or 4 seasons that lead into the movie. She might still have not enjoyed it, but watching the pilot and a smattering of episodes would have given her more of an investment.

[@briandarkwolf458]

This was cool to come across. First, as difficult as it was for you to keep all of the characters straight, keep in mind this was still only a portion of the characters that were a part of the franchise at the time. There were a number of fan favorites that we didn’t get to see on screen. Second, this movie was largely bittersweet. I don’t remember a single kid walking out of the theater smiling because they held out hope that optimus would somehow be brought back. The fallout was so bad that at the end of the next season of The Transformers, they had to bring Optimus Prime back because the whole killing him thing was also killing the franchise. It also didn’t help that the star of the movie was a cool muscle car that ended up becoming a pimped out uhaul truck. The movie is iconic and there is a lot of great about it, but all of the main characters were brand new as of the movie and there were a metric butt ton of heroes we saw die or dead on screen, and Optimus Prime dying was just too much. The show lasted one more full season (which was already greenlit and set to air) and then they barely managed to convince the networks to allow 3 episodes to introduce the next generation of toys/characters after these ones. The points you brought up as negatives are the exact reasons that the franchise nosedived into an unstoppable decline after the movie for years after this and not really getting a second chance until the 2000s.

[@mrg466]

Yeah, but Mike Bay just pissed on G1!

[@adamschwab9948]

Jen’s synopsis is pretty much what everyone thought back in 1986.

[@philfitnesspt6139]

@A Fùcking Bird er no they didn't 🤔

[@Rocket1377]

No, it's what "professional film critics" (who had never watched the 1984 cartoon) thought. Fans who were familiar with the characters loved this movie; you need to know the lore to fully appreciate it.

[@terryrocks2j]

The voices are so much better in the cartoons than the live action films.

[@doodechannel4024]

I had a love/hate relationship with this as a kid. Loved that they made a movie, but hated that they killed off the most important characters. If they wanted to sell more product, they could have simply upgraded the vehicles they transformed in to. It was purely a product marketing decision that got so much hate mail (snail mail) that they ended up resurrecting Prime later.

[@macfine]

It was a lesson they took into beast wars. Occasional deaths, but a lot of upgrades

[@SJHFoto]

Another thing was the toys were made cheaper after this. The 1986 toy line introduced all plastic toys (they weren't based on the old Japanese toys). The earlier ones were die-cast metal.

[@Lastjustice]

@@haabat1342 Not really. The beginning is only part that makes any sense, and rest is them just hopping to random planets to kill time till the finale. Most Adults who had to sit through it hated it. It bombed for a reason.

[@HammerJammer81]

I remember being 6 and bawling my eyes out over and over with this movie. THE BEST Transformers movie PERIOD. This movie was written the way it was to sell a new line of toys. HASBRO misjudged and therefore, Optimus is revived shortly after this movie.

[@DenverStarkey]

actually it wasn't shortly after. he wasn't brought back to life till season 4 . the final season of the OG cartoon (in the US). the japanese variant of the cartoon ran for 7 seasons.

[@matvangogh]

@@DenverStarkey no it. was the last eps. of season 3 Dark Awakening And the Return of Optimus Prime parts 1and 2

[@DenverStarkey]

@@matvangogh the last episode on season 3 he was a zombie so it wasn't like his return. and dark awaking and return of optimus prime were at the tail end of season 4 ,. season 4 only had 3 more eisodes after his return. i have the series collection boxed set and have watched all seasons numerous times. so no he was not brought back quickly. they took two years to bring him back.

[@ILoveJahangeer]

Guys! You have to remember that this was released in 1986…1986. If you watch it for the first time, as an adult, it’s just not gonna work.

[@shadow_walkerOZ]

My favourite 80's cartoon was always Robotech. Harmony Gold were looking for a toy line to make a cartoon out of but everything was taken, so they looked to Japan and found 3 separate animated shows with toys and basically just edited them, re-dubbed and mashed them together to make one coherent television show. It's very underrated, but also very awesome.

[@gregory6798]

The one thing that made it awesome was the music played in it. That's one thing why I love it still till this day. Was 12 when hit the theaters. Watching the movie trailer I like lot of my friends didn't believe Optimus Prime would die. It was such a shock that some kids left the theater at that happen. But one thing that was so cool was hearing in two fight scenes Bumble Bee and said( Oh Shit, What we do now!!) And when Ultra Magnus said ( Open Damn It Open) Being a kid back then no body saw that coming!!

[@rickhunter8484]

Awesome to hear.

[@fatmancomics]

Jen's opinion is the same as many of us original fans. We didn't have a hard time keeping up but we were disappointed in Optimus' death. We also felt targeted and didn't care for the characters that were made for the movie.

[@Wezt334]

I know this entire script word for word, this was my go to movie as a kid

[@Geekaylee]

For years I thought someone being found innocent of something meant they got punished!

[@michaellarnach4161]

100%, A friend brought a copy to a party like 20 years ago and didnt believe me when i said i knew it word for word - it took like 10 minutes before he changed his mind. 😆

[@Davestar2112]

There's 2 seasons of the TV shows that come before this, that's why you're overwhelmed.

[@kingsam1926]

I highly recommend watching Transformers Prime series, truly it is the best transformers you can watch because of the storyline, action, designs and much more

[@philfitnesspt6139]

Nah nothing beats original g.1 well season's 1 & 2 anyways. Prime is ok but nothing like original.

[@kingsam1926]

@@philfitnesspt6139 well most people prefer prime over g1

[@heavyarms7prime]

@@philfitnesspt6139 Beast Wars and Animated beat G1 all day.

[@kingslayerx1716]

@@philfitnesspt6139 g1 is overrated

[@madcrx3070]

12:17 the reason Spike swears here is because it moved the movie from a G rating to a PG rating. PG movies got more screenings than G movies so it was a neat strategy to get more viewings.

[@shoobirdy]

I've never heard it talked about or confirmed but I always thought the idea for Bumblebee's speech in the Bay movies was inspired by Wreck-Gar and the other Junkions ("We talk TV"). This was my favourite movie for me growing up, cried many times at Optimus, had a childhood crush on Arcee, wanted to be Rodimus Prime etc. 🤣 Glad you watched it, even if it wasn't your thing. Edit: forgot to mention the soundtrack absolutely rules - Stan Bush and Vince DiCola are heroes!

[@michaellarnach4161]

Brah 👏 Everything you just said, all of it.

[@braddollahite]

Oh I forgot to add, there is a hilarious KZbin video of showing like an unsolved mystery about the death of Optimus prime and how hot rod "came into the leadership" . Lol it was hilarious.

[@sebastianmyers4933]

I'm 14 and this is my favorite transformers movie. There's still hope for us.

[@John_Locke_108]

Yes! So glad to hear you say that! Imagine living in a time when this was the only Transformers movie. This was a really big deal when it cane out and it felt like a dream come true.

[@sebastianmyers4933]

@@John_Locke_108 My dad has shown me this movie since I was enjoying the live action ones. Back then I had one problem and that was the lack of bumblebee but now I can't stop loving it. I love all the "new" characters it introduced me to.

[@evanflynn4680]

This movie was definitely aimed towards the fans of the cartoon. I remember when they wanted to make more toy sales they'd just do a few episodes introducing a new character or group of characters and have the toys ready to hit the shelves the day the episodes were aired. I forgot that Jen hadn't seen any of the cartoons at all, and Holden might have been too young to watch the content that came out before this movie. All those characters from those episodes and the new characters made especially for this movie would have been hard to keep track of.

[@SpockvsEgon]

We were in a similar spot when this movie came out. This movie was made to break our Transformers toys and force us to buy new ones, so most of our favorite characters were killed or sidelined in favor of characters we had never seen before and didn't care about. The total cast replacement killed the TV show's ratings.

[@philiprawles6262]

I personally love the 1986 movie, you have to remember the Transformers TV series was made to sell toys, and this movie was their way to kill off the characters from the series and introduced new ones like Ultra Magnus, Hotrod/Rodimus to sell new toys that were coming out. That's why original characters like Jazz and Bumblebee who didn't get killed off don't have very much screen time, they wanted kids to be introduced to the new guys.

[@たいよりない先生]

Your wife goes off like that when Prime dies, I wonder how she would've reacted had she grown up in that era and experienced what we did as kids. An entire generation was scarred like none before.

[@rickfest]

I remember watching this film at the cinema when I was a kid. Still love the movie after all these years, I was one of those kids in tears when Prime died but us UK audiences got a voiceover saying he would return after the uproar in the US over his death. My favourite animated movie of all time, hands down! Also, this is the last ever film made by Orson Welles. Good quiz knowledge 🤣

[@daniellobo1680]

You're a great husband for making your wife watch this great movie...... if she had watched the cartoons back in the 80s, then she might have enjoyed the movie. Apparently she's too young to have watched the 80s cartoons

[@shainewhite2781]

The moves based on the TV series that ran from 1984-1987. I watched all the episodes on the now defunct HUB Network. Frank Welker will always be my Megatron!

[@wingedbluj1674]

And the reason so many characters die is because their toys were discontinued, including Optimus himself.

[@tj_mcdonnell]

I was there opening weekend. A mother took her kids and left the moment that first curse word hit. We all went back to our elementary school classes that Monday...in silence. We were children that admired Optimus Prime 5 days a week, for years. Only to find out that is was all a heartless marketing ploy to encourage the sales of new toys. To this day, watchng this very video, I almost got choked up again. Jen's reaction helped me keep it together. Jen's reactions to "Wheelie" and the headache joke were perfect.

[@RossWrock]

If you want a fantastic cartoon series, with more adult content, but still amazing writing that appeals to all ages, try "Gargoyles." It's a Disney series from the 90's, but unlike anything Disney has done before. Lots of great voice actors (pretty much the entire cast of Star Trek: TNG), and lots of history and Shakespeare woven into the theme. Season 3 went a bit off the rails with showrunner leaving, but Seasons 1 & 2 are FIRE!!!!!

[@nicarmendariz9079]

@@legendarystudioclips6018 Nah your trippin because gargoyles went hard asf

[@RossWrock]

@@legendarystudioclips6018 How'd you get lost? Gargoyles was a Disney production thru and thru. Look it up.

[@4523bgb]

@@legendarystudioclips6018 for real man....first 2 seasons of Gargoyles is LEEEEEGENDARY.

[@4523bgb]

@@legendarystudioclips6018 also legendary.

[@gbone1971]

Don't sleep on Gargoyles because it's Disney. It had to be edgier than the normal Disney cartoon to keep up with Batman the Animated Series and Power Rangers.

[@katerinaquinn5482]

LMAO I love when you make a bad joke and she just looks at you rolling your eyes

[@AnthonyC342]

Finally!!! Been waiting so long for Jen to watch this, so excited Edit: shame Jen didn’t enjoy it, I don’t think she fully understood the story, I think watching the cartoon first helps

[@joshmontemayor1212]

I can't say I blame her for not liking the movie. When it 1st came out back in 1986, people left theaters after Optimus' death scene. Not to mention that everyone was crying over Optimus getting killed off.

[@marcusgurley9495]

I’ve seen this so many times, it’s awesome to see through the eyes of someone for the first time. You have to watch this in its episodic order to get the full appreciation. Great video! Looking forward to seeing other stuff.

[@dr8644]

Before I show someone this movie I always show them the first 3 episodes of the original series. That way they can have an idea of what’s going on. There’s 4 seasons to the original cartoon. I believe this movie takes place between the 2nd and third season.

[@Rocket1377]

To really appreciate it you need to watch the entire first season, minimum. The cartoon introduces the Dinobots, the Constructicons, and many other characters, who you don't meet in the first 3 episodes.

[@rbourne35]

@@Rocket1377 I would go in between. First three, S.O.S. Dinobots, Search for Vector Sigma, War Dawn. Maybe few others. But I think it establishes enough of the lore and backstory without sitting through a full season. And who needs all the conflicting backstories for the Constructicons?

[@bad-people6510]

"Oh wow, they straight up swore." Also the thing where they violently killed a dozen characters and genocided a planet before the opening credits.

[@patrickpugh8101]

As a kid who grew up watching all the original cartoons that introduced us to each of those original transformers slowly, this movie was such a momentous occasion! We had two or three seasons of the original cartoon and this movie hit and it killed so many of those original characters. All the ones I had gotten used to. Spike was a kid when the show started, and he was an adult here. So time had passed. A lot had happened. And when Optimus died it hit so hard as a kid. This was one of the first times my young kid self experienced what it meant to lose something.

[@DracoSuave]

The 'random music' is actually a synth soundtrack done by Vince DiCola who was the one who did the soundtrack for Rocky, was a legend.

[@kamacassy4073]

I might just be forgetting something, but has Jen ever said why she has such a stigma against anything animation-related? Cause like… there’s soooooo much amazing content from both animated films and series, with incredibly beautiful visuals and engaging plot lines.

[@trollofduty007]

As a kid I was not ready to have all my favourite characters brutally murdered in front of me, but it happened

[@OverlordIntecris]

I feel like she might enjoy some of the elements from Transformers Animated, they've got a smaller cast of characters with great voice acting and reasonable enough plot in the Pilot. Plus, Bumblebee is there, and sassy

[@ofnazareth9376]

I love your wifes reaction to the death of Optimus Prime. Now imagine that as an 8 year old who sat in a movie theater watching his hero get wasted like he was worthless not understanding this was just a ploy to sell more toys. So yeah....traumatized for the almighty dollar.

[@smellgoodphotography7722]

Y’all ain’t had a clue about transformers

[@tanguman2]

this is one of those movies that left an entire generation of 1980s and 1970s kids with PTSD from a movie with the death of a hero. The Never Ending Story, American Tail, The Land Before Time.......these movies left deep emotional scars

[@WyzGyzEntertainment]

You cannot imagine what it was like growing up watching Transformers: The Movie. It's one of my favorite 80s movies. My friends and I heard the movie explored the topic of death, something we never saw in the TV series. We just had to see it for ourselves. Eventually, when it came out on VHS, my cousins and I watched it 6 or 7 times straight, as we tried to learn to draw the characters. The 80s were my jam! BTW, they did have Arcee in the live action movies but they really redesigned her so instead of legs she rolled around on one of her wheels. Plus, they had two fellow motorcycle companions who looked almost like her. Only differences were mainly their colors. The ONLY real gripe I had that I didn't like about the movie were all the scenes with strobe lights. I don't have epilepsy, but worry some how I'll get them if I watch enough strobe lights.

[@sevvforshort5597]

The reason you won’t know half of the characters is because you kinda needed to watch the show before hand it was a heavy requirement to know what was going on. Also they killed so many characters to make way for a new cast of transformers but people really hated to a point a person locked themselves in a closet because prime died or so the story goes. I always give it 10 because the soundtrack is god tier and I wasn’t even born around the time the show came out my dad introduced it to me and I fell in love with it.

[@Ghost8386]

I saw this movie when I was 4 years old in 1988, and it made me sad and happy. Also, this movie has a fantastic soundtrack.

[@ronniearnold9165]

That is why that the Autobots and Decepticons have different colors and symbols to separate them from each other.

[@christophercafe8464]

I have this movie on blu-ray and multiple DVD releases. This is still one of my favourite movies. It was amazing in my childhood and I have distinct memories of my friends and I seeing this. Plus the music is just awesome. YOU GOT THE TOUCH!!!!!!!!!

[@christophercafe8464]

Also, I own the special release of the whole 96 episodes of the cartoon series that was released in its own Matrix box. It's an awesome edition. G.I.Joe was my main love but Transformers was 2nd. I have all the comics too. The anime I recommend is Your Name by Makoto Shinkai. His movies are exceptional and masterpieces.

[@michaellarnach4161]

Dude, imagine my shock/ surprise/ laughter when dirk diggler starts singing it in boogie nights - 🤣

[@christophercafe8464]

@@michaellarnach4161 I have to see that part again. Haha

[@the_death_phantom533]

The reason why so many transformers from the original TV show were killed in this movie like Ratchet, Ironhide, Prowl, Optimus, Starscream, Megatron, etc. was because they're toys weren't selling, so for the movie it allowed them to introduce new characters like Ultra Magnus, Arcee, Cup, Hot Rod, Springer, Blurr, Wheelie, Wreck-Gar, etc. Now the reason why Bumblebee, Jazz and Cliffjumper were still alive by the end of the movie is because their toys were still selling pretty well.

[@PerfectHandProductions]

I cannot tell you how much I loved this film as a kid. I still have fun watching it.

[@brendanfalvy1281]

To be clear, they also just threw us 20 years into the future here too. Half the Transformers were new to us, Spike was suddenly an adult, and this was the first time WE got introduced to Daniel and Hot Rod. There were some CHOICES made that really threw everyone for a loop. Transformers seasons 1 and 2 were set in 1984-85, then the movie time jumps to 2005, kills Optimus Prime and switches up a selection of main characters. But I really love some of the more creepy episodes that came out of the last season. They go kinda off-beat and dark. You're right though, a lot of the writing (as seen especially here in the film) was made to introduce new toys that were already rolling out to stores.

[@aaronykam]

Watch seasons 1 and 2 of the G1 cartoon, then come back to this, scores will be significantly higher!

[@rockstarbd82]

I can totally understand (as excited as I was for you guys to react to what many here consider the best transformer's film ever) how you guys feel very "thrown into the middle" of a story you're not too familiar with (other than Michael Bay's Hollywoodization of the characters). I would suggest, (if you guys are ever curious) to watch a handful (don't have to watch ALL of them) of G1 Seasons 1 & 2 episodes which provides more relatable storylines to the characters of the film. Then re-watch the movie to see if it feels any different. Here's a few of the popular/relevant ones that I would recommend to beginners of the series: [Season 1] -More Than Meets the Eye (pilot episodes 1, 2, and 3) -SOS DinoBots (debut of the DinoBots) -The Ultimate Doom (parts 1, 2, and 3) (partly what Transformers Dark of the Moon based its story on) -War of the Dinobots -A Plague of Insecticons (debut of the Insecticons) -Heavy Metal War (debut of Devastator) [Season 2] -Megatron's Master Plan (parts 1 & 2) (also partly what Transformers Dark of the Moon based its story on) -The Key to Vector Sigma (parts 1 & 2) -StarScream's Brigade [Season 3 (after the events of the Movie)] -Ghost in the Machine (if you want to see what happens to StarScream) -Dark Awakening (pre-story to the last 2 episodes) -The Return of Optimus Prime (parts 1 & 2. Guaranteed to cheer you up from the film.) All are available to watch for free on KZbin. Thank you so much again for reacting to this. Your guys reaction to Optimus dying was pretty much the same way it hit most of us who saw it as kids. Although hopefully like us as well, this film will age like a fine legendary wine for you the way it has for us in that it was certainly a bold story and decision to make (even if it was for the purpose of selling new toys) that became a nice reminder of 80s nostalgia for us all. "YOU GOT THE TOUCH!!!!!!" haha

[@AllenMS828]

Count me among the many people who first saw this in the movie theater as a little kid (7 or 8 years old) and cried when Optimus Prime died. He'd been my favorite character, and my mom had even made me a costume of him for Halloween one year. So it was extremely upsetting to me. I've heard this described as "the movie that traumatized a generation," and I think that's a pretty accurate assessment of it. 😆

[@user-so4ol8bv6j]

It was ordered by Hasbro at the time to eliminate as many of the discontinued toys at the time. Megatron was disconnected because he looked too much like a real gun, and the new at the times rules forbid real looking guns. As for Optimus Prime, Hasbro didn't understand that he was "Autobot papa", and his death would traumatize so many children .