Transformers: Prime / G.I. Joe: Renegades (1 Viewer)

[Greg_S_H]

Transformers: Prime and G.I. Joe: Renegades start today on The Hub. Transformers is CGI, while G.I. Joe is traditional animation. Wiki says both will have a total of 26 episodes this season, though The Hub is advertising Transformers as a "five episode event." I don't know if they're scaling back their plans, or if they consider the first five to be an extended pilot. I think it's the latter.

 

[SWFF]

I couldn't get into THE TRANSFORMERS. I don't know if it's because I'm just not into them anymore, or that they did this new series in CGI. And, G.I. JOE, well, I like that it's the good old fashioned animation, but I don't like the concept of putting the Joes when they were younger and not even Joes yet. Plus, I think, it's gonna be hard to top that one hour animated movie that came out last year RESOLUTE. In that one, they actually used guns and people were killed. The series, being what it is, everyone's using a laser. I only saw bits and pieces of RENEGADES, but, I'll probably check it out for real when it premieres in December.

 

[Greg_S_H]

I quite liked the Transformers, even if it was too steeped in the Bay movie mythos. I've only seen one ep of GIJoe and wasn't that taken with it. Ripcord naming people and the ensuing pathos of his maybe demise was kind of nice, but I don't like what they've done with Scarlett post-Marvel comics.

 

[SWFF]

Marvel does this more than DC, but I don't like it when they take iconic characters and bump them back to childhood, so we can see "how it all began." There are exceptions, of course, but that G.I. Joe series already has two strikes against just for doing that. I wanna see these guys in their prime, for chrissakes. At least they included Snake Eyes, the coolest G.I. Joe character ever. Watching his battle with Storm Shadow in RESOLUTE was almost like shooting up crack cocaine. Not that I would know what that feels like, but I do have an imagination, and can only imagine the equating euphoria. I only caught the last ten minutes of that sneak peak when they were battling some kind of genetic experiment Cobra had let loose. Not bad, not bad. I'll give it that much.

 

[Greg_S_H]

I'll try to find Resolute. I haven't seen a Joe toon since the '80s. Cobra LA-LA-LA-LA-LA-LA-LA!

 

[SWFF]

Good Lord, you haven't seen G.I. JOE: RESOLUTE?! There have been some serious gaps in you education. [/url]

 

[Greg_S_H]

The last Joe movie I heard of was packed in with action figures. I don't know what that was. This one sounds kind of like the original Clone Wars, as it is described as "an hour in 11 parts." I have a free trial subscription to Netflix through my Wii, so I'll see if this is up.

 

[SWFF]

I had never heard of it until last summer when I suddenly wanted to know where I could find a copy of the '86 flick. I heard it was originally broadcast on the web in small parts that ran, like, 5 minutes, or so, and that I had missed an Adult Swim viewing of the entire thing put togather as an hour movie months before. Then after checking out a trailer and some scenes of it on YouTube, I impatiently waited until it hit DVD at the end of last year.


Now, take a gander at the trailer and the Snake Eyes, Storm Shadow fight. You will believe an animated G.I. Joe flick can be cool.

 

[SWFF]

Impressed, yet?

 

[Aaron Silverman]

I don't get the Hub. Are these shows available online, like on Hulu or something?

 

[SWFF]

Don't know, can't help there, unfortunately. G.I. JOE: RENEGADES officially starts its season this Friday, which is December 3rd, I think, at 5:30, with an episode titled, THE PACKAGE. Have you seen RESOLUTE, Aaron?

 

[Aaron Silverman]

Not as of yet. I liked the recent live-action movie, though.

 

[SWFF]

[COLOR= #b22222]TRANSFORMERS PRIME Series To Resume in February[/COLOR] From a press release....


MANIA.COM: The Hub, a television network for kids and their families, will premiere its original half-hour, full CGI animated series “Transformers Prime” in its regular weekly time period with a new episode Friday, February 11 (4:30 p.m. ET).


Announcement of the premiere date was made following the network’s recent record-setting performance of its mini-series event, a five-part presentation of original episodes of “Transformers Prime,” November 29-December 3. The highly anticipated programming event earned the network its best-ever audience deliveries among Persons 2+ and in Households. Also, for the five-day (Monday-Friday, 6–7 p.m. ET) time period average, “Transformers Prime” was the top co-viewed program among all kids cable networks with 43% of Kids 2-11 watching with Adults 18-49.*

Prior to the series’ February 11 premiere, The Hub will present an encore presentation of the “Transformers Prime” five-part mini-series, beginning Friday, January 14 (4 p.m. ET) with back-to-back presentations of the first two half-hour episodes of the mini-series. On successive Fridays in the same time period, The Hub will present two additional episodes of the mini-series, leading to the February series premiere.


The new animated series will feature archrivals the Autobots and Decepticons as they once again face-off in their epic rivalry for control of Earth. The all-new mini-series will feature iconic characters of the franchise, including Autobots Optimus Prime and Bumblebee, and the ominous Decepticon Megatron, as well as introducing new human characters to the action series.

The Hub, which rebranded from the former Discovery Kids on 10-10-10, is a joint venture of Discovery Communications and Hasbro, Inc., and is available to 61 million U.S. cable and satellite households.


“Transformers Prime” is produced for The Hub by Hasbro Studios. Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Jeff Kline are executive producers. Kurtzman and Orci served as co-writers and producers on the hit feature film Star Trek, and are currently co-writers and producers for the feature film Cowboys and Aliens from Dreamworks/Universal, set for release in summer 2011. Kline is also executive producer of The Hub animated series “G.I. Joe Renegades.”


*(Source: Nielsen Media Research; program based dayparts; most current; 11/29/10-12/3/10, co-viewing in NPower, L+7)

 

[Aaron Silverman]

You'd think they would mention that Orci & Kurtzman wrote the first two Transformers movies!

 

[Greg_S_H]

The Hub also plays the '80s Transformers and G.I. Joe. They're really terrible in hindsight. I like the approach of the new shows much more. I'm about the only one who thinks so, and I hate to speak ill of the dead, but Chris Latta really brought the '80s versions down. He's so over the top. It's okay for the robot, but it makes Cobra Commander a total clown instead of someone to be feared or to command respect from his crew. Anyway, of the two, I prefer the new Transformers, but G.I. Joe is getting better.

 

[Greg_S_H]

I got The Hub HD with FIOS, and these shows and Dan Vs. look great. The station ID bumpers look great. About the only thing not great is the fact that they show everything in 16x9, including Happy Days, Family Ties, Wonder Years, etc. I have to go to the SD channel to watch those properly. Not a big deal, but I had hoped those days were behind us.

 

[kascnef82]

Greg, I have that same issue. I have fios now. Cablevision thankfully doesn't have Hub in HD and has a thing for automatically putting hd channels on lower numbers; if they brought hub in HD, then it would suck. Fios thankfully has the SD version for those pre-HD shows, much like with TBS and TNT for their stretching HD content. Plus Fios' SD quality blows Cablevision out of the water. HD shows on the Hub's SD channel are letterboxed, so that I can switch to the HD version.

 

[Greg_S_H]

Welcome to the HTF. Yeah, regular Hub looks better on Fios than it did on Time-Warner, and the HD looks terrific when appropriate. The various Muppet movies I see ads for really look great--it's like you can see every fiber on the Muppets.

 

[Greg_S_H]

Was last night the season finales, because both felt like it? Renegades really overturned the status quo at the end, and the character's declaration at the end of Prime was pretty major. I started out liking Prime, but I dropped out of Renegade4s for a time. Now, I love them both. The Hub's scheduling has really shaken things up for me--staggered airings from January through July. With that, the Avengers' schedule, Jeopardy's schedule, the summer shows, and Men of a Certain Age's winter/summer schedule, TV seasons just don't mean the same thing any more. Additionally, I was saddened by the end card on Prime that mentioned the passing of Peter Cullen's brother, Larry. He served as an inspiration for the voice of Optimus Prime. Update: It was the season finale of Prime and the de facto series finale of Renegades. The Hub says Renegades is on hiatus until after the next Joe movie (summer 2012), but they say they are optimistic a return to animation will happen thereafter. Doesn't sound like this particular storyline will be carried over.