The Transformers: The Movie is a 1986 Japanese-American animated feature film produced by Sunbow-Marvel Productions and animated by Toei Animation. It was released in the United States on August 8, 1986 and was distributed by the, De Laurentiis Entertainment Group. In other English speaking countries, the distributor was The Rank Organisation. This film takes place 20 years after the events of the Second Season of The Transformers.
Often referred to by fans simply as "TFTM" or (until 2007) "The Movie", this film opens with characters who had been featured in the first two years of the toyline and associated media (cartoons, comic books, etc.), but quickly introduces new characters and kills many of the old ones to make room - basically, the writers wanted to make all the kids watching cry. In particular, Optimus Prime, Megatron, and Starscream are all destroyed during the course of the film (each one comes back later).
The movie was a step up in almost every area from the television series, with a more sophisticated plot, more serious treatment of war and violence, a hugely ambitious scope and a greatly increased animation budget with well-known celebrities providing voice work. For these reasons the film remains very popular with children of the 1980s.
Plot[]
Prologue[]
A large planet ominously travels through the depths of space near giant stars. It approaches the inhabited planet of Lithone, dominated by robots, much like Cybertron. The large planet proceeds to consume the smaller world. The inhabitants, vehicles, buildings, and even large chunks of rock float off the surface of Lithone and spiral into the giant planet's maw. A single ship escapes and nothing of Lithone remains.
- "There's an evil new force in the universe: a monster planet that devours everything in its path... and it's heading for the small planet of Cybertron where a unique race of transforming robots continue to fight a civil war... a war between good and evil that has raged for millions of years. The evil Decepticon Transformers, led by the maniacal Megatron, have sworn to crush their enemies, the Autobots. To this end, they have relentlessly pursued them across the galaxy from planet Cybertron to planet Earth and back again. But the heroic Autobot Transformers and their courageous leader, Optimus Prime, are not easily defeated."
- ―Narrator
Act One[]
The story turns to Cybertron, and the narrator explains that it is the year 2005, and that the Decepticons are now in control of the planet. The Autobots are preparing to launch an assault to retake the planet from hidden bases on two of Cybertron's moons. The Autobots launch a shuttle to pick up a final shipment of energon from Earth before they strike.
Plans for the supply run are caught on video by Laserbeak, who reports back to Megatron. The Decepticons hijack the Autobot shuttle en route to Earth, wiping out its crew (including Ironhide, Prowl, Ratchet and Brawn). Using the Autobots' own shuttle, the Decepticons are able to get very close to the Autobots' base on Earth, Autobot City, before they are detected, and begin a devastating surprise attack on the unprepared city. However, Hot Rod spots the breach in the shuttle from a mountain lookout point with Spike's son Daniel Witwicky, opens fire on the shuttle, foiling the surprise and forcing the Decepticons to attack prematurely.
In response, the city is converted into a battle fortress, forcing the Decepticons to lay a long siege to wear down its defenses. The Autobots manage to send out a distress call, and Optimus Prime arrives the next morning with a relief force that succeeds in halting Megatron's forces as they storm the city. During the battle, both Optimus Prime and Megatron suffer mortal injuries, and a number of other characters are also killed. Eventually the Decepticons retreat, but the damage suffered by the Autobots has been severe.
Shortly after the battle, Prime lies on his deathbed. He passes the reins of leadership to Ultra Magnus and hands him the Matrix of Leadership. (Though Hot Rod actually touches the Matrix before Magnus does.) Prime relates a prophecy: "One day, an Autobot shall rise from our ranks, and use the power of the Matrix to light our darkest hour." He then gives the oath, "Til all are one", and dies. This sequence of events is observed remotely by Unicron, who appears unusually concerned by the survival of the Matrix.
Act Two[]
The Decepticons are making their escape aboard Astrotrain, but he is too overloaded to fly home under his own power. After putting the matter to a vote, the Decepticons decide to throw their injured members off the ship to better the chance of survival for the rest. One of the most severely injured Decepticons is Megatron, who Starscream has the honour of tossing out and, after a free-for-all for leadership breaks out among the others, claims leadership of the Decepticon army.
Megatron and the other Decepticons adrift then encounter Unicron in interstellar space. Unicron offers to rebuild Megatron and his minions in exchange for their service. Megatron, facing the alternative of being propelled further out into space, is forced to agree and reformatted into Galvatron. The other Decepticons follow suit and become Cyclonus, Scourge, and the Sweeps. Unicron supplies them a ship and sends them to kill Ultra Magnus and destroy the Matrix, since the Matrix is his only serious obstacle.
Galvatron first stops off on Cybertron to take his revenge by killing Starscream and reclaiming leadership of the Decepticons. Almost immediately afterwards, Unicron arrives in Cybertron's vicinity and devours at least two moons—both of the Autobots' moonbases are devoured, but not before getting distress calls out to Autobot City. During the bases' destruction, Spike and Bumblebee rig Moonbase 2 to explode, but this proves to be a vain maneuver, and they end up swallowed whole like Jazz and Cliffjumper. Under Unicron's coercion, Galvatron finally heads to Earth to kill Ultra Magnus, but Magnus and the other surviving Autobots flee under fire in a pair of shuttles. Galvatron's fleet pursues the shuttles, eventually manages to cause one (crewed by Kup, Hot Rod and the Dinobots) to crash on yet another metal planet, Quintessa, and detonates the other with a volley of missiles. However, the Autobots in the second shuttle escape unnoticed by detaching the command pod of their shuttle just before impact and the resulting destruction of the hind quarters of their ship.
The Autobots in the downed shuttle—Hot Rod, Kup, and the Dinobots—find themselves separated and in a hostile environment. Hot Rod and Kup are met by an Allicon squad, who they attempt to placate with Energon goodies each. However, the pair quickly runs dry of treats and are captured and taken before a Quintesson judge and his court. While being held over for trial, they learn the name and nature of Unicron from Kranix, sole survivor of Lithone. The pair is summarily tried and sentenced to death. Meanwhile, the Dinobots befriend a young, mischievous Autobot named Wheelie who has been living alone on Quintessa. Together, they crash the execution just as Hot Rod and Kup are fighting losing odds against the Quintessons' executioners, the Sharkticons. The tide quickly turns, and the Autobots commandeer a Quintesson cruiser.
Act Three[]
The other group of Autobots has landed on the planet Junkion to make repairs, but are assaulted yet again by Galvatron, who was tipped off to their survival and whereabouts by Unicron. During the battle, Ultra Magnus tries to open the Matrix to use its power, but is unable to do so, and instead is killed. Galvatron absconds with the Matrix, taking it away to Unicron, though with the intention of enslaving his master. The remaining Autobots—Perceptor, Springer, Arcee, and Spike's son Daniel—are then ambushed by Junkions, the eponymous natives of Junkion, who are also transforming robots. This battle is cut short, however, by the arrival of Hot Rod's group in their Quintesson cruiser. After the universal greeting is exchanged, they all make friends, and the Junkions restore Ultra Magnus to life to make amends. Together, the whole group travels to Cybertron in an effort to recover the Matrix.
Galvatron tries to open the Matrix to unleash its power against Unicron, but fails to pry it open. Unicron, not pleased with this attempted treachery, shocks Galvatron by transforming from a planet into a planet-sized robot. Unicron plucks Galvatron off his chest and swallows him, Matrix and all, and then begins attacking Cybertron itself in retribution. Shockwave scrambles the Decepticon forces to defend the planet, but they are ineffective against so large an enemy. Shortly the Autobots arrive from Junkion and fly the Quintesson cruiser straight through Unicron's left eye. This impact wrecks the ship, and the Autobots fall out inside Unicron. Hot Rod, separated from the others, eventually runs into Galvatron. During their fight, Hot Rod gets his hands on the Matrix and hears Optimus' voice speak the words, "Arise, Rodimus Prime." Hot Rod grows in stature, adopts a much sterner demeanor, and quickly dispatches Galvatron by tossing him through Unicron's hull out into space. He then opens the Matrix again, which fills Unicron with light and sets off detonations throughout his body. In the meantime, the other Autobots inside Unicron locate and rescue some of their comrades from the moonbases, including Jazz, Cliffjumper, Bumblebee and Daniel's father, Spike. The Autobots, including Rodimus, escape through Unicron's right eye just as he begins to fall apart and explode. The scene then immediately shifts to the surface of Cybertron, where, amid devastation and heavy losses to Decepticon forces, the Autobots are left to resume control over the planet. Rodimus vows an era of peace and prosperity, and the film closes with a shot of Unicron's severed head still floating in orbit around Cybertron. 'Til all are one.
- "The battle is over, but the galaxy-spanning adventures of the Transformers will continue, and the greatest Autobot of them all, Optimus Prime, will return."
- ―Narrator
Characters[]
Autobots[]
- Optimus Prime (5)
- Ironhide (6)
- Gears (7)
- Jazz (8)
- Cliffjumper (9)
- Bumblebee (10)
- Prowl (12)
- Brawn (18)
- Ratchet (21)
- Hot Rod / Rodimus Prime (30)
- Bluestreak (32)
- Huffer (33)
- Kup (34)
- Hound (35)
- Sunstreaker (36)
- Perceptor (39)
- Ultra Magnus (40)
- Springer (41)
- Arcee (42)
- Blurr (43)
- Blaster (45)
- Steeljaw (51)
- Ramhorn (52)
- Eject (53)
- Rewind (54)
- Windcharger (55)
- Wheeljack (56)
- Grapple (59)
- Grimlock (60)
- Sludge (61)
- Swoop (62)
- Slag (63)
- Snarl (65)
Decepticons[]
- Laserbeak (4)
- Shockwave (13)
- Soundwave (14)
- Megatron / Galvatron (15)
- Starscream (16)
- Mixmaster (17)
- Scavenger (19)
- Bonecrusher (20)
- Scrapper (22)
- Hook (23)
- Long Haul (24)
- Skywarp / Cyclonus, Sweep, or Cyclonus' Armada (25)
- Dirge (26)
- Ramjet (27)
- Shrapnel / Sweep (28)
- Kickback / Sweep (29)
- Thundercracker / Scourge (37)
- Blitzwing (38)
- Reflector (44)
- Spectro
- Spyglass
- Viewfinder
- Thrust (46)
- Rumble (47)
- Frenzy (48)
- Ravage (49)
- Ratbat (50)
- Bombshell / Cyclonus, Sweep, or Cyclonus' Armada (57)
- Devastator (58)
- Astrotrain (64)
- Seekers
- Decepticon soldiers
Humans[]
- Spike Witwicky (11)
- Daniel Witwicky (31)
Other[]
- Unicron (1)
- Kranix (2)
- Arblus (3)
- Junkions (66)
- Wreck-Gar (67)
- Wreck-Gar's twin brother (72)
- Allicons (68)
- Quintessons (70)
- Wheelie (69)
- Sharkticons (71)
Mechanic[]
- Lithonian Vessel
- Autobot Shuttle
- Junkion Vessel
- Quintesson Vessel