TRANSFORMERS ONE COMES TO HOME VIDEO

Thank you to Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment for providing ageekdaddy.com with a FREE digital code to view TRANSFORMERS ONE

The animated movie TRANSFORMERS ONE shows that the history of archnemesis Optimus Prime and Megatron is more than meets the eye. These robots have been battling each other through comic books, movies, tv shows and the pretend play of kids ever since Hasbro introduced them as toys in 1984. Learn the origin stories of the Autobots and Decepticons in this first-ever fully CG-animated Transformers movie that is now available to add to your home entertainment video library via Digital and will be released December 17 on physical media [4K Ultra HD, Blu-Ray and DVD]. TRANSFORMERS ONE is rated PG by the Motion Picture Association of America [MPAA] for sci-fi violence and animated action.

As an 80s kid, I grew up playing with Hasbro's Transformer toys and watching the cartoons based upon them that aired on Saturday mornings. My kids have grown up loving Michael Bay's blockbuster Hollywood productions and being thrilled by the Universal Studios amusement park ride that immerses people in a battle between the Autobots and Decepticons. So, we all appreciated having a family movie night watching a Transformers flick. 

While TRANSFORMERS ONE is an animated movie, it still has a star-studded cast featuring a lot of familiar voices. The movie features the voices of Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johansson, Keegan-Michael Key, Steve Buscemi, Laurence Fishburne and Jon Hamm. Can you pick out who is who while watching the movie?

Directed by Josh Cooley, TRANSFORMERS ONE is the untold origin story of Optimus Prime and Megatron, better known as sworn enemies, but once were friends bonded like brothers who changed the fate of Cybertron forever. Originally humble work bots that can't transform, the two evolve to become some of the most powerful Transformers ever. But how do they become such hated adversaries? You'll have to watch the movie to find out!

What I can say is that my family had an entertaining evening watching the movie. Therefore, TRANSFORMERS ONE earns a Geek Daddy nod of approval. Whether a long-time fan or new to this franchise, TRANSFORMERS ONE rolls out a fun science fiction adventure that makes an exciting starting point for future stories featuring these robotic heroes and villains. Being that whether you are 50 or 5 years old TRANSFORMERS ONE has an all ages appeal making it attractive to different generations and therefore a great selection to have everyone in the family geeked about watching it for a movie night.

SEPTEMBER BREAKFAST AND A MOVIE AT MICHIGAN EMAGINE THEATRES

Each month, Emagine hosts a Breakfast and a Movie showing, at select theaters, of one of the newest family-film releases. The breakfast and a movie screening package will include a full breakfast buffet, a 44oz. popcorn, and a 21oz fountain drink as well as a ticket to the showing for $24 for children and $30 for adults.  September's Breakfast and a Movie feature presentation is TRANSFORMERS ONE.

TRANSFORMERS ONE is the untold origin story of Optimus Prime and Megatron, better known as sworn enemies, but once were friends bonded like brothers who changed the fate of Cybertron forever. In the first-ever fully CG-animated Transformers movie, TRANSFORMERS ONE features a star-studded voice cast, including Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johansson, Keegan-Michael Key, Steve Buscemi, with Laurence Fishburne, and Jon Hamm. TRANSFORMERS ONE is rated PG by the Motion Picture Association of America [MPA Movie Rating].

September's Breakfast and a Movie events in Michigan will take place at Emagine Royal Oak & Emagine Canton on Sunday, September 22, 2024. Breakfast is at 10:00 am / Movie at 11:00 am. For more information, visit emagine-entertainment.com/.

SKYBOUND PUBLISHING UNIVERSAL MONSTERS COMIC BOOKS

There has been a lot of fanfare about The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman obtaining the comic book publishing rights through his Skybound entertainment company for G.I. Joe and Transformers in what is being dubbed the creation of an Energon Universe. Did you know though that Skybound is also reinvesting in its horror roots by obtaining the comic book publishing rights for Universal Pictures classic monsters? Just in time for Halloween UNIVERSAL MONSTERS: DRACULA is being released by Skybound.

Inspired by Universal Pictures’ 1931 film, Eisner Award-winning writer James Tynion IV and artist  Martin Simmonds delve into the darkest corners of Dracula’s timeless narrative. In addition to Dracula himself, this series features popular characters from the classic Bela Lugosi starring film, including R.M. Renfield, Mina Seward, Doctor John Seward, Van Helsing, and more. The debut issue of Universal Monsters: Dracula will be an extra-length four-part comic book limited series.

The King of Vampires is on the prowl in this limited series Dracula comic book. When Dr. John Seward admits a strange new patient into his asylum, the madman tells stories of a demon who has taken residence next door. But as Dr. Seward attempts to apply logic to the impossible…his surrogate daughter Lucy begins to fall under the spell of the twisted Count Dracula!

Universal Monsters: Dracula #1 ($4.99) will be available at comic book shops and digital platforms including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, comiXology, and Google Play on Wednesday, October 25, 2023. Universal Monsters: Dracula will be followed by all-new limited series spotlighting iconic Universal Monsters from some of the biggest names in comics. Each series will feature variant covers from some stand out artists — Joshua Middleton, Francis Manapul, Julian Totino-Tedesco, and Jenny Frison.

TRANSFORMERS EARTHSPARK DVD GIVEAWAY

The first ten episodes of the Nickelodeon produced Paramount+ TRANSFORMERS animated series EARTHSPARK is being released May 16, 2023 on DVD. The show revolves around the first Earthborn Transformers called Terrans and their adventures in battling an evil half-human/half-robot cyborg known as the Mandroid. Does this TRANSFORMERS EARTHSPARK DVD release excite you? If so, you'll be geeked that Paramount Home Entertainment has provided a DVD for this blog to giveaway!

One randomly selected participant who submits an eligible entry via Twitter or the rafflecopter form below before 11:59 pm on May 18, 2023 will receive a DVD with the first ten episodes from Season 1 of TRANSFORMERS EARTHSPARK. Must be a United States resident over 18 years of age to participate in this promotion. Paramount Home Entertainment will be responsible for delivery of the DVD to the selected ageekdaddy.com giveaway entrant. Please note that they will not deliver to a Post Office Box. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Transformers war on Earth concluded years ago. Dot Malto, a veteran of the war, along with her husband, professor Alex Malto, and their kids Robby and Mo, move to the remote town of Witwicky, Pennsylvania, to start a new life. But Witwicky proves to be – MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE – and the family soon finds their lives intertwined with a group of Terran Transformers – the first Transformers robots born on Earth! When the evil half human/half-robot cyborg Dr. Meridian (aka MANDROID) threatens life as they know it, Robby, Mo, and the Terrans band together with legendary Autobots like Optimus Prime and Bumblebee to stop Mandroid once and for all!

The first half of Season 1 of TRANSFORMERS EARTHSPARK can now be streamed on Paramount+ with an all-new batch of episodes for the second half of the show's first season dropping this summer. Plus, the show has just been renewed for a second season! Are you geeked about new TRANSFORMERS adventures being created for Paramount+? 

TRANSFORMERS THE LAST KNIGHT

Summer blockbusters are meant to be a way to escape the realism of the world around us for a moment in time by being thrilled over watching a movie and snacking on popcorn.  They don't need to have a life altering impact on their audiences or masterfully written award-winning scripts.  What these movies must have are mind-blowing special effects, pulse raising action scenes, incredible stunts, and comedic situations.  People aren't looking for the film of the year but rather to have some summer fun where they'll be wowed and made to laugh while watching a movie.  TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT fits this mold perfectly!

The fifth movie in Michael Bay's cinematic saga, based upon the Hasbro Transformers toys that were popular when I was a kid growing up in the 1980's, THE LAST KNIGHT is a roller coaster of a movie that is meant to be a thrill ride.  It has adorable characters called baby dinobots that will make you go aww! Incredible vehicles that you wish you could drive or fly.  Stunts like Mike Wahlberg hanging out the door of a speeding car inches from the ground making the audience exclaim whoa!  Along with plenty of moments that will have you chuckling in your seat.  And let's not forget the stars of the show, incredibly detailed CGI fighting robots that while watching the movie you'll forget aren't real.

While TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT is based upon children's toys, parents should be aware that it is rated PG-13.  I took my eight year old twins to see the movie and personally didn't have any problem with them seeing anything contained in it.  There isn't any gore or nudity in the movie but it gets the PG-13 rating for intense action scenes, violence and cursing.  Because most of the violence is robot-on-robot in my opinion there isn't anything over-the-top concerning for parents to worry about when it comes to grade school aged and older children viewing it.  If you let your kids watch the Harry Potter or Star Wars films this movie should be just fine for them to see.

I wouldn't recommend taking preschool aged children to this movie for a few reasons though.  First there is a lot of swearing that young ears probably shouldn't hear.  You'll have to make a parent judgment on your comfort level about profanity. Second, while there really isn't any sexual content in the film there is a lot of innuendo which you may want to avoid young kids being exposed to.  Of course it may just go right over their heads like it did with mine.  Finally, there are some characters, robots and humans, who die in the film.  If death is a topic you want to steer clear of here's your heads up about that.

For adults if you enjoy action adventure movies with explosions and battle scenes go see this!  If you are more interested in movies with great dramatic plots than you'll probably want to go see something else.  I'll be honest the plot is full of holes like a piece of swiss cheese.  The script is OK while you are racing through THE LAST KNIGHT but afterward it will be hard not to think back and say that didn't make a whole lot of sense.  Of course it is a movie about larger than life alien robots so the script doesn't need to be more than meets the eye.

My son and daughter really enjoyed this movie, and my wife who normally doesn't share my appreciation of sci-fi/superhero type stuff admitted she had a good time too.  I really liked how King Arthur and Merlin were incorporated into the story and thought the dragon transformer featured in the show was just darn cool.  Being from the Motor City it was also interesting to see all the Detroit locations that were used in filming the movie. That combined with my really wanting to own a baby dinobot now gives A Geek Daddy nod of approval to TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT.  If you sit back and enjoy the ride you'll have a fun time!

For more information about THE LAST KNIGHT please visit www.transformersmovie.com.  You can also find out more about TRANSFORMERS by visiting the movie's social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Click here to take a look at the newest Transformers toys from Hasbro.

TRANSFORMERS GIVEAWAY

Is it a car, plane, dinosaur?! When it comes to Transformers what you're looking at is probably more than meets the eye!  Evolving from an '80s era toy line the Transformers are now a blockbuster Hollywood franchise with its newest movie hitting movie theaters across the USA on June 21, 2016.  To share my family's enthusiasm for the Transformers' fifth film, The Last Knight, A Geek Daddy has partnered with The Hopping Bloggers in hosting a fun movie themed giveaway. The prize pack includes:

• $25 Fandango Gift Card
• Transformers Movies 1-4 Blu-ray Box Set

Synopsis: Humans are at war with the Transformers, and Optimus Prime is gone. The key to saving the future lies buried in the secrets of the past and the hidden history of Transformers on Earth. Now, it's up to the unlikely alliance of Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg), Bumblebee, an English lord (Anthony Hopkins) and an Oxford professor (Laura Haddock) to save the world.

Connect with Transformers

Official Site | Facebook | Twitter | #Transformers

Enter to win this Transformers Prize Pack using the form below.
GOOD LUCK!

Entry-Form

NEW AUTOBOT CHARACTER ON ROAD TOUR ACROSS US TO PROMOTE UPCOMING TRANSFORMERS MOVIE

A new Autobot character named Sqweeks will be joining the ensemble of robotic heroes in the upcoming TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT movie.  This small robot transforms into a turquoise scooter and has become the loyal companion of a street-wise tomboy girl who was orphaned by the Decepticons during the Battle of Chicago which took place in the movie TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON.  Now the two are caught up in a new struggle between the Autobots and Decepticons when TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT arrives at domestic movie theaters on June 21, 2017.

To help promote the new movie, Sqweeks will be taking a road trip across the United States before the opening weekend of TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT.  Sqweeks will be taking selfies with people who stumble across him at the events he is visiting.  So if you see him make sure to take a photo with him and share it on social media so the rest of us can enjoy viewing your pic.  Keep an eye out for Sqweeks at the following events over the next few weeks:

June 1-4               Philadelphia – Wizard World Comic Con
June 3-4              San Diego – San Diego County Fair at Del Mar Fairgrounds
June 5                 Wilkes Barre, PA – WWE Monday Night Raw
June 9-11             Dallas – Taste of Dallas
June 10               New York – 116th Street Festival/Puerto Rican Pride Weekend
June 13               Boston - Boston Red Sox vs. Philadelphia Phillies
June 16-18          Detroit (Brooklyn, MI) – Firekeepers 500 NASCAR

TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT shatters the core myths of the franchise, and redefines what it means to be a hero. Humans and Transformers are at war, Optimus Prime is gone. The key to saving our future lies buried in the secrets of the past, in the hidden history of Transformers on Earth. Saving our world falls upon the shoulders of an unlikely alliance: Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg); Bumblebee; an English Lord (Sir Anthony Hopkins); and an Oxford Professor (Laura Haddock). There comes a moment in everyone’s life when we are called upon to make a difference. In TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT, the hunted will become heroes. Heroes will become villains. Only one world will survive: theirs, or ours.

Play Like Hasbro Twitter Party -- September 27, 2016

 **A Geek Daddy has been compensated for participating in & promoting this event **

Join A GEEK DADDY for a Twitter party on Tuesday, Sept. 27 from 11 a.m.-12 p.m. EST with Hasbro! I'll be co-hosting a fun hour of fun banter about The Toy Insider's favorite holiday gift ideas from Hasbro this year. Join in this fun chat and follow along using #PlayLikeHasbro for a chance to win great prizes, including Hasbro’s latest games, My Little Pony and Transformers products, Disney Princess dolls, and much more!  Hasbro will be giving away five themed prize packs throughout the hour plus an incredible grand prize during the Twitter party.

The lucky grand prize winner will receive more than $400 worth of the hottest holiday toys from Hasbro, including the coveted new Furby Connect! The grand prize includes:

Disney Frozen Little Kingdom Elsa’s Magical Rising Castle (4+)
Littlest Pet Shop Pet Shop Playset (4+)
My Little Pony Explore Equestria Crystal Empire Playset (3+)
Play-Doh Town 3-in-1 Town Center Playset (3+)
Transformers: Robots in Disguise Power Surge Optimus Prime (5+)
DreamWorks Trolls Glitterific Guy Diamond Doll (4+)
Star Wars Blade Builders Spin-Action Lightsaber (4+)
Pie Face Showdown Game (5+)
Furby Connect (6+)

For a chance to win a prize during the #PlayLikeHasbro Twitter Party you need to RSVP in advance, follow @TheToyInsider, @HasbroNews & @Geekdad248, and actively participate throughout the hour long event using the #PlayLikeHasbro hashtag in your tweeted comments.  CLICK HERE to RSVP.

This Twitter party is open to U.S. residents only. You must be 18 or older to play. You must RSVP and participate actively in the party to be eligible for a prize pack. This event is brought to you and sponsored by THE TOY INSIDER. The event was rescheduled from Friday, September 16, 2016. A GEEK DADDY is participating as a member of 2016 - 2017 The Toy Insider's Parent Panel and has been financially compensated for being involved with and promoting the event.

TRANSFORMERS: EARTH WARS

There is a new game available for iOS and Android devices featuring the TRANSFORMERS and I have to say its imagery takes me back to the 1980 toys and cartoons of my youth featuring these characters that transform between warrior robots and various types of vehicles.  Over the last 30 years there have been various updates and redesigns of the TRANSFORMERS in their Hasbro toy line, comic book series, movies and television shows; so I was wowed how in this app they resemble the original TRANSFORMERS of my childhood giving this real-time combat strategy game for mobile devices a cool retro vibe.  It even features the voices of the original Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen) and Megatron (Frank Welker) from the 1980s cartoon that first made the Transformers a pop culture hit. While TRANSFORMERS: EARTH WARS may be filled with iconic characters and classic imagery from the Transfomers Universe it also is full of the newest generation of features desired in video games for mobile devices, such as vibrant 3D animations, which makes it great to play for both kids and kids-at-heart.



Published by Backflip Studios (DragonVale, SpellFall, Paper Toss) and developed by Space Ape Games (Rival Kingdoms, Samurai Siege), TRANSFORMERS: EARTH WARS has players must choose to fight with Optimus Prime and the Autobots or Megatron and the Decepticons in a battle to decide the fate of planet Earth. Once allegiance has been sworn, gamers assemble a powerful team of playable characters, raid enemy bases for Energon stockpiles, and construct the Space Bridge to add reinforcements from Cybertron, all while playing in real-time against other players around the globe. The game is available now for FREE download on the App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, and on Google Play for Android devices. There are in-app purchases within the game that allow players to speed up getting through the stages of the game or to enhance the characters to improve the game play experience for people who are into going beyond free-mode in apps like this.

TRANSFORMERS: ROBOTS IN DISGUISE

Transformers, the toy series from Hasbro in which vehicles switch into robotic alien warriors, had a cartoon that was popular with all the neighborhood kids that aired on TV during my 1980s childhood years.  These robots in disguise have made a comeback to entertain today's generation of kids with a new animated television series.  In these adventures from Hasbro Studios, BUMBLEBEE, one of the most popular Transformer characters from the toys and movies, must lead a rogue team of AUTOBOTS to ward off a new threat to the Earth from the dastardly DECEPTICONS.  The 26 episode season of Season One for TRANSFORMERS: ROBOTS IN DISGUISE just wrapped up on Cartoon Network.

Miss the first season on Cartoon Network or want to watch it all over again? Shout! Factory has just released a DVD with all 26 episodes of TRANSFORMERS: ROBOTS IN DISGUISE which also has bonus segments including a San Diego Comic-Con Panel presentation, featurettes, and animated shorts. You can find the DVD for purchase at retailers such as Barnes & Noble, Best Buy, Target, and Walmart as well as on the Shout! Factory website.  A Geek Daddy also has a TRANSFORMERS: ROBOTS IN DISGUISE -- SEASON ONE DVD to giveaway to one lucky blog reader or social media follower.

Follow @Geekdad248 & RT for chance to win a TRANSFORMERS: ROBOTS IN DISGUISE - SEASON ONE dvd from @ShoutFactory #ad pic.twitter.com/RqdLhs9oI6

— A Geek Daddy (@GeekDad248) May 16, 2016

To be eligible for this giveaway you must follow @Geekdad248 on Twitter and retweet our original contest tweet embedded above before May 22, 2016 @ 11:59 pm EST.  Must be a US  resident over the age of 18 to participate.  One entry per person and we'll randomly select a winner from all eligible entries.

UPDATE: Congrats to Deb from St. Paul, MN who won the dvd giveaway.

When a CYBERTRONIAN prison ship filled with DECEPTICONS crash lands on Earth and unleashes its prisoners, BUMBLEBEE returns to the planet he once called home with a new team of AUTOBOTS - STRONGARM, SIDESWIPE, FIXIT and GRIMLOCK - to track down the escapees.  BUMBLEBEE must balance his job of fighting off evil with being equal parts squad leader and coach to a rascally team that needs constant coaxing to learn how to work together.  The results are comical when the cool rebel SIDESWIPE, elite guard cadet STRONGARM, bombastic dinobot GRIMLOCK and the overly-excited FIXIT must balance keeping the team together with chasing and capturing their new enemies in each adventure-filled episode.  Along with their new human allies, Denny and Russell, this unlikely team of robots in disguise must protect the Earth while preparing for an ominous threat suited only for a Prime.

Disclaimer & Rules / FTC Notice:  A Geek Daddy Blog will be responsible for selecting the winner of this contest, but Shout! Factory is responsible for fulfillment and delivery of the prize. By participating in this contest you waive any liability towards A Geek Daddy Blog or its publisher that may arise from your involvement with this promotion. A Geek Daddy Blog hosted this contest and blog post based upon Shout! Factory providing the prize to the selected winner. Only one entrant per mailing address per giveaway. Must be a US resident over 18 years old.  If you have won the same prize on another blog, you will not be eligible to win again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification. Prize will be delivered by UPS or FedEx so no P.O. Boxes are allowed as mailing addresses. A Geek Daddy Blog is hosting this giveaway as a benefit to our readers. Information for this post was provided by Shout! Factory. A Geek Daddy Blog did not receive any financial compensation for publishing this post but did receive one of the prizes for personal use.

Paramount Pictures & Hasbro Creating Film Universe

During the 1980's, Hasbro entertained children and promoted the toy manufacturer's products through several popular television cartoon and comic book series.  Paramount Pictures and Hasbro are going to try and bring back some of that magic from the 80's through the creation of an interconnected movie universe featuring popular toy brands from that era including G.I. JOE, M.A.S.K. (Mobile Armored Strike Kommand), Micronauts, ROM and the Visionaries.  I grew up watching the cartoons and reading the comic books tied to these toy lines, so it was exciting news that filled me with nostalgia when Paramount Pictures and Hasbro announced they've created a writers room of top Hollywood talent who will be focused on making these films a reality.

This group includes Academy Award Winner Akiva Goldsman (A Beautiful Mind), who will be responsible for overseeing the writers room as well as serving as Executive Producer on all the films within this cinematic universe, along with Lindsey Beer (Wizard of Oz / Kingkiller Chronicle ), Pulitzer Prize Winner Michael Chabon (The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay ), Cheo Coker (Luke Cage, Ray Donovan), Joe Robert Cole (Black Panther, People vs OJ ), Nicole Perlman (Guardians of the Galaxy, Captain Marvel), Jeff Pinker (Lost, the Dark Tower), Nicole Riegel (Soldier Girls), Geneva Robertson (Atlantis, Tomb Raider) and Brian K Vaughan (Under the Dome, Lost).  Allspark Pictures, Hasbro's film label, plans to produce the films based upon the cross-property universe.  Hasbro also plans on bringing in an unprecedented number of top artists and designers to assist Goldsman and the writing team with visualizing this all-new cinematic universe.  I love movie concept art so am especially looking forward to seeing what emerges from these artists as they help the writers script these films.

Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014)

Paramount and Hasbro's movie partnership has had mixed results since it began in 2007 with the release of the first TRANSFORMERS movie.  That film franchise directed by Michael Bay has earned more than $3.8 billion to date and its movies are amongst the highest grossing movies of all time.  Unfortunately, on the other hand the G.I. JOE movies the Hasbro / Paramount partnership created have squandered the popularity and goodwill that brand had developed with consumers. While the G.I. JOE movies have earned $675 million worldwide each has been lackluster.  From someone who has such wonderful childhood memories of playing with G.I. JOE toys in my backyard, watching the cartoons every day after school and waiting in anticipation each month for a new issue of their comic book to arrive at the news stand, I just have to say it is a shame how immemorable the movies Paramount and Hasbro have produced for this franchise are.  Hopefully this new cross-over cinematic universe will not only reboot G.I. JOE with a film that will wow people but also mimic Disney's efforts with Marvel creating something special through a series of movies that the adults who enjoyed these characters as kids can now share and enjoy with their own children. 

G.I. JOE - RETALIATION (2013)

I am optimistic that these new films featuring G.I. JOE, Micronauts, M.A.S.K. and ROM will be exciting and enjoyable to watch because Hasbro and Paramount are investing the resources and talent to make them extraordinary.  I wasn't into the Visionaries as a kid and they were a bit of a flop back then so not so sure how that is going to fit into the mix with these other franchises which seem a little easier to interconnect with each other but we'll give them the benefit of the doubt and hopefully will be positively surprised with the outcome. Hasbro and Paramount have made some incredible movies featuring the Transformers so we know with the right amount of effort and leadership they can do it again with this new cinematic universe. So I'll be eagerly keeping an eye out for news and information about how this project is progressing. Stay tuned for future updates from A Geek Daddy!

Transformers: Robots in Disguise - A New Autobot Mission on DVD

** A Geek Daddy received the featured product for free. Opinions are my own**

I remember a big part of my after-school routine in elementary school was running as fast as I could from the bus stop to get home in time to see the Transformers cartoon series on tv.  With dvds, digital downloads and streaming Internet videos, my kids are shocked to hear that if you missed a cartoon when it originally aired when I was their age you were pretty much out of luck to see it again until the summer reruns began.  I was truly captivated each afternoon taking in the adventures of the heroic Optimus Prime and his band of mechanical Autobots tackling the dastardly exploits of the evil Megatron and his villainous army of Decepticon robots in this animated series that aired in 1985 and 1986.  Hey what young boy wouldn't enjoy a television show about high-tech robots that can turn into cool vehicles who battle each other with laser guns and missiles!!!

Just as my own children are entering their elementary school years themselves, the Transformers are back in an all new animated series on Cartoon Network called Robots In Disguise.  The war for control of the Earth has been over now for decades with the Autobots being victorious and the Transformers have returned to their metallic home planet of Cybatron.  The fan favorite young gun from the original series, Bumblebee is now a veteran law enforcement officer on Cybatron supervising a young beat patrol cadet named StrongArm as they search to arrest a troublesome maverick named SideSwipe.  Just as Bumblebee and StrongArm capture SideSwipe the whole trio gets sent back to Earth through a series of mishaps via a one-way interstellar gateway.

Bumblebee, StrongArm and SideSwipe arrive on Earth to find out that an Autobot spaceship transporting hundreds of the most dangerous Decepticons from Cybatron to a distant prison world has crash landed there.  It's up to Bumblebee and his team to round up all these escaped prisoners and lock them up before they create too much havoc on the planet.  Each episode will feature an encounter with a new Decepticon on the loose.  Oh plus because the only thing cooler than a robot that turns into a cool car is one that turns into a dinosaur during their adventures, the Autobots pick up a Dinobot to join their team.

Don't worry if you missed the first few episodes of this new series as on October 20, 2015 Shout! Factory Kids, in collaboration with Hasbro Studios, released TRANSFORMERS: ROBOTS IN DISGUISE - A NEW AUTOBOT MISSION on DVD which features the first five entertaining episodes of the new tv series and special behind-the-scenes bonus content.  I watched this with my son and he was really thrilled by it.  We've watched the DVD three times now in just the one week we've had it.  You can order the DVD from Amazon and Walmart.

The DVD has a run-time of 110 minutes and features five action-packed TRANSFORMERS: ROBOTS IN DISGUISE adventures:

• Pilot, Part 1
• Pilot, Part 2
• Trust Exercises
• More Than Meets the Eye
• W.W.O.D.?

These cartoons feature a brand new anime inspired animation style that provides more of a focus on presenting human and animal characteristics of the Transfomers versus a focus on a robotic portrayal of them. My kids really liked this new style.  The series also features the voice talents of Will Friedle (Boy Meets World), Darren Criss (Glee), Constance Zommer (Entourage), Khary Payton (Teen Titans Go!), and Mitchell Whitfield (TMNT) plus Peter Cullen, the voice of Optimus Prime in the 1980s Transformers cartoons and the live-action theatrical motion pictures, when the character makes a cameo appearance in this series.

The new mission begins as Bumblebee must step up to be leader in the years after we left the AUTOBOTS in Transformers Prime. Summoned by Optimus Prime to save Earth from a new DECEPTICON threat, Bumblebee puts his light-hearted mettle to the test after assembling a rouge team of Autobots action heroes. Bumblebee must balance his job fighting off evil with being equal parts squad leader and coach to a rascally team that needs constant coaxing to learn how to work together. The results are comical when the cool rebel SIDESWIPE, elite guard cadet STRONGARM, bombastic dinobot GRIMLOCK and overly-excited mini-con FIXIT must balance keeping the team together with chasing and capturing their new enemies in each adventure-filled episode.

The TRANSFORMERS: ROBOTS IN DISGUISE series is currently airing on Cartoon Network in the U.S. and on Teletoon in Canada.  If you're like me and  have kids at home who are really into cool cars, dinosaurs, and high-tech robots you are going to want to roll out into action and pick up the start of this new chapter of the Autobots story on DVD.

Get a Bundle of Transformers Comic Books on Humble

Fans of the Transformers movies, cartoons, and toys won't want to miss the newest Humble Bundle that is available for a limited time.  HumbleBundle.com allows consumers to purchase a bundle of video games or publications for any price they choose with that money being split three ways as designated by the buyer amongst a designated charity, the publisher, and the website.  The benefits of the bundle are normally increased if a person spends at least the average price of everyone purchasing bundles.  Often times there is also an upper tier with more perks if someone spends beyond a certain amount of money on the bundle.  In this case the Humble Bundle is a collection of Transformers comic books from publisher IDW.

The Transformers bundle lets people pay whatever amount they choose to receive 67 digital comic books from IDW.  You could pay $5, $10, $25, $50 whatever you'd like to purchase this comic book bundle and designate from that sum how much IDW receives, how much of a tip to give Humble for its serve, and how much to donate to in this case the Hasbro Children's Fund.  So if someone were to purchase the bundle for $15 they could designate $5 to each or could give $10 to Hasbro Children's Fund with $2.50 each going to the other two.  You get the gist. It is hoped people will appreciate getting a good deal and at the same time also be generous enough to support the charities using the Bundle as a fundraiser.

For the whatever you want to pay route, this Humble Bundle has 6 graphic novels that compile the first 29 issues of the Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye serial plus the individual issues issue for 34-37 of the comic book series.  If you spend the average amount people are paying for the bundle, which was $10.88 at the time of this post, you would also get 6 more graphic novels that compile that compile the first 28 issues of the serial Transformers:  Robots in Disguise and a seventh graphic novel Transformers: Dark Cybertron Volume 1 which compiles the first  6 issues of that serial.  Plus if someone spends the average + $5 they have as a bonus included into the bundle the graphic novel Transformers: Dark Cybetron Volume 2 and the individual issues of Transformers: Robots in Disguise 33 and 34.  So for approximately $15, a someone can pick up 112 digital comic books estimated to be worth $155. If you go to Amazon.com for example, Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye Volume 1 for Kindle is priced at $7.99 and the digital edition on Comixology is the same price.  So this Humble Bundle is not a darn bad deal I do say so myself.

Money spent on this Humble Bundle also supports The Hasbro Children’s Fund, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is to empower childhood by bringing “the sparkle of Hope, the joy of Play and the power of Service” into the lives of the children across the globe. Working with strategic charitable partners, the grants made through the Hasbro Children’s Fund support programs that deliver; stability for children in crisis; pediatric physical and mental health services; hunger security; educational programs; quality out of school time programming and programs that empower youth through service.  To learn more about these programs and how they are making a difference for children worldwide, please visit www.hasbro.org.

These digital comic books are DRM-free which means that they aren't tied to a particular website or computer program to be able to read.  Download them onto whatever device you want and read them at your convenience where and when you want.  I've heard that accessing these comics works great from a PC or laptop but some people have had difficulties with them on smart phones and tablets.  Here's a hint, for smart phones and tablets download an app called Bluefire Reader that is meant to optimize reading ebooks and you should be in good shape with those devices too.

If you, or someone you know, are a Transformers fan or a connoiseur of comic books this is a Humble Bundle not to pass up.  Don't wait though as this offer is gone as of March 11 - as you can tell by the clock clicking down on the offer's web page.

Going Car Watching: Our Roadtrip to the Woodward Dream Cruise

This year is the 20th anniversary of the WOODWARD DREAM CRUISE, an annual event in Metro Detroit that is like a combining a parade, block party and carnival together to celebrate classic cars and the area's automotive heritage.  This Saturday event gets to be very congested with more than a million people clustering along Woodward Avenue for the day and we normally feel it is a little to hectic to take our young children to, but this year I decided to take the twins over to see the cars the Friday morning before the official event to check out what was going on before all the crowds arrived.  So we took a road trip just a few blocks down the street from our house to go car watching.

I have to say taking a wander along Woodward Avenue the morning before the event was great...we saw lots of classic cars without all of the crowds.  While many of the exhibitor displays were still being setup and not all of the cars were cruising around yet we still saw a lot of cool stuff and had some great experiences.  For example, Chevrolet had just unloaded a few of the cars that were used to portray the Autobots in the movie Transformers: Age of Extinction from a tractor trailer but hadn't set up the exhibit display for them yet.  The Chevy staffers let my son jump in the original car that had been used as the stunt vehicle in the movie to portray my son's favorite Transformer, BUMBLEBEE, and pretend to take it for a spin.

Chevy did have one of its exhibits all set up where we could look at some of their different race car engines and an Indy car.  While walking around this display my kids snagged some really nice car themed color books and Crayola crayons while I got my hands on a t-shirt compliments of Chevrolet.

We also saw a Monster Truck, a few dragsters on display, and some cars drag racing down the strip.

 

You don't always need to drive far away to have a fun and exciting road trip with your kids...sometimes the adventure can just be a few blocks away.  For more information about the Woodward Dream Cruise visit www.woodwarddreamcruise.com