Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 TV series)



Transformers: Robots in Disguise is a Daytime Emmy-nominated American animated television series for children produced by Hasbro Studios and Darby Pop Productions in the United States, and animated by Polygon Pictures in Japan. It is a sequel to Transformers: Prime, though it features a different animation style. Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman (the executive producers of Prime) did not return to the new series. In the United States, the series premiered on Cartoon Network on March 14, 2015.

The show's second season premiered on Cartoon Network in February 2016, and features guest appearances from returning Transformers: Prime characters Soundwave and Ratchet. A six-episode mini-series featuring the return of Starscream premiered in Canada in September 2016, before debuting on US television the following month. A third season will be released in April 29, 2017 under the name Combiner Force.

Although it is unconfirmed and the images could be placeholders at the New York Toy Fair 2017 Hasbro Pre-Toy Fair Investors' Presentation, it was hinted at that Robots in Disguise will end in 2017. It was also hinted it will be replaced by a new animated series, which seems to be inspired by Transformers Generation 1.

Season One
Years after the events of Predacons Rising, Cybertron's genesis brings forth a new age of prosperity to a new generation of Transformers. Earth no longer remembers the Decepticon-Autobot conflict as Cybertronians stopped visiting the planet. Bumblebee has since become a seasoned Cybertronian police officer and despite his fame, he chooses to be a humble peacekeeper. Things change when he is summoned by the vision of Optimus Prime. Thought to be long dead after restoring Cybertron's population, Optimus Prime calls for Bumblebee to return to Earth as a new threat appears.

With the help of Sideswipe (a rebel "bad boy bot") and Strongarm (an Elite Guard cadet partnered to him), the trio makes it to Earth to discover a crashed maximum security prison ship called the Alchemor and its steward Fixit (a hyperactive Mini-Con with faulty wiring). They soon learn Alchemor had about two hundred Decepticon prisoners within Stasis Pods, but all of its inmates have escaped. It is now their duty to recapture all the escaped Decepticon prisoners before they cause further harm on Earth. With the aid of humans Russell and Denny Clay and the Dinobot Grimlock (who was a prisoner of Alchemor before siding with Bumblebee), Bumblebee leads this unlikely team to protect Earth from the Decepticon prisoners led by Steeljaw and restore order. They are later joined with the likes of Autobot bounty hunter Drift, his Mini-Con partners Slipstream and Jetstorm, the female warrior Windblade, and the return of Optimus Prime in the wake of the arrival of Megatronus/The Fallen who was the one that crashed the Alchemor and who the Thirteen Primes have been preparing Optimus for.

Season Two
Weeks after the defeat of The Fallen, the Autobots continue to deal with the threat of the Decepticon fugitives that are still on Earth. While Steeljaw is still at large, he works to ally with any other Decepticon fugitives like the group that is led by Glowstrike, Scorponok, and Saberhorn. But as Optimus's immense power is drained by the Primes, the Autobots split into two teams: an away team led by Optimus Prime and another team that remains at their scrapyard base. Along the way, the Autobots run into a strange occurrence in the form of Decepticon criminals who are not listed in the Alchemor prisoner manifest yet have criminal records on Cybertron. During this period of time, Optimus slowly recovers his strength and the immense amount of power he had before Megatronus was destroyed returns to him. Optimus also teaches the Away team (Drift and his mini-con students, Sideswipe & Windblade) valuable lessons about teamwork. As the two Autobot teams are reunited, they pair up with the Autobot Ratchet & his Mini-Con, Undertone and find the rest of the Decepticons in a hideout called "Decepticon Island", which was made of half of the Alchemor. In the wake of their victory, Optimus Prime, Ratchet, Windblade & the Mini-Cons that were held prisoner on the Alchemor repairs the ship to be returned to Cybertron, as Bumblebee and the team reside on Earth.

Mini-Series
Following the events of "Decepticon Island", a group of Decepticons called the Scavengers, who are looking for relics from the Great War, have been partnered with a breed of Mini-Cons called Weaponizer Mini-Cons who can control the bodies of their wielder. During of which, Starscream makes a unexpected return following the events of "Predacons Rising" with the help of a trio of bounty hunters led by Shadelock. Starscream seeks the Dark Star Saber and the Weaponizer Mini-Cons in a plot to rebuild the Decepticon Empire and kill Megatron as revenge for all of the abuse he inflicted upon him. Upon learning the truth from the Mini-Con Sawtooth, the Weaponizer Mini-Cons then betray the Scavengers in hopes of joining with the Autobots.

Season 3: Combiner Force
The third season will have Team Bee fighting the Stunticons, consistent of MotorMaster, Dragstrip, Slashmark, Heatseaker, and Wildbreak, who can combine into Menasor. In order to combat this, the Autobots need to combine themselves.

Main cast

 * Stuart Allan - Russell Clay, Toddler Son (ep. 35)
 * Darren Criss - Sideswipe, Son (ep. 28)
 * Will Friedle - Bumblebee, Butch, Righty, Dispatcher (ep. 1), Motorist (ep. 5), Junior (ep. 7), Security Guard (ep. 10), Game Voice (ep. 12), Father (ep. 28), Security Guard (ep. 34)
 * Ted McGinley - Denny Clay, Sea Captain (ep. 3)
 * Khary Payton - Grimlock, Bisk, Divebomb, Newsman (ep. 1), Dad (ep. 7), Operator (ep. 10), Bot (ep. 15), Anchorman (ep. 30), Stadium Announcer (ep. 34), Impound Lot Guard (ep. 35)
 * Mitchell Whitfield - Fixit, Toolbox, Cinch, Groundskeeper (ep. 4), Museum Staff Member (ep. 5), TV Announcer (ep. 11), Major Mayhem (ep. 37)
 * Constance Zimmer - Strongarm, Filch, Matronly Docent (ep. 1), Ship's Computer (ep. 18)

Additional voices

 * Jonathan Adams - Razorpaw
 * Carlos Alazraqui - Hammer, Anvil, Nigel (ep. 34)
 * Dee Bradley Baker - Bludgeon, Clout
 * Troy Baker - Steeljaw, Vector Prime, Arnold (ep. 6), Blue Car Driver (ep. 14)
 * Eric Bauza - Drift, Headlock, Pseudo, Silverhound, Back, Forth, Lt. Ziegler (ep. 17), Look-Out (ep. 23), Male Tourist (ep. 24), Police Officer (ep. 26), Scoutmaster #2 (ep. 28), Major Mayhem (ep. 37)
 * Jeff Bennett - Axiom, Theorem
 * Gregg Berger - Stockade, Major Mayhem (ep. 37)
 * Ted Biaselli - Octopunch
 * Steven Blum - Starscream, Backtrack, Ransack, Polarclaw, Aerobolt
 * Kate Bond - Casey (ep. 19)
 * Victor Brandt - Scorponok
 * Jeffrey Combs - Ratchet
 * Ian James Corlett
 * Peter Cullen - Optimus Prime
 * Jim Cummings - Clampdown, Thermidor, Vehicon Sentry #1 (ep. 38)
 * Eddie Deezen - Ped
 * John DiMaggio - Groundpounder, Farnum (ep. 19)
 * Dave Fennoy - Overload
 * Crispin Freeman - Sawtooth
 * Bailey Gambertoglio - Hank
 * Gil Gerard - Megatronus/The Fallen
 * Grey Griffin - Glowstrike
 * Jackée Harry - Zizza
 * Mark Hildreth - Scowl, Automated Announcer (ep. 22)
 * David Hunt - Chop Shop
 * Danny Jacobs - Brother Gunter (ep. 42)
 * John Katovsich - Larry LaRue (ep. 7)
 * David Kaye - Hammerstrike
 * Tom Kenny - Nightstrike, Police Officer (ep. 15)
 * Arif S. Kinchen - Jazz
 * Matthew Yang King - Simacore, Computer Voice (ep. 32)
 * Yuri Lowenthal - Glacius
 * Edie McClurg - Realtor (ep. 41)
 * Andy Milder - Quillfire, Father (ep. 35)
 * Liam O'Brien - Underbite, Kickback, Cybertron Museum Guard #1 (ep. 1)
 * Adrian Pasdar - Micronus Prime
 * Rick Pasqualone - Buzzstrike
 * Kevin Pollak - Fracture, Tour Boat Captain (ep. 14)
 * Kevin Michael Richardson - Terrashock, Gallery Narrator (ep. 5)
 * Robbie Rist - Tricerashot, Swelter
 * John Steven Rocha - Springload
 * Daniel Roebuck - Malodor, Computer Voice (ep. 13)
 * Charlie Schlatter - Vertebreak
 * Roger Craig Smith - Slipstream, Jetstorm, Airazor, Scoutmaster #1 (ep. 28), Major Mayhem (ep. 37)
 * Andre Sogliuzzo - Clawtrap
 * Kath Soucie - Tour Guide (ep. 24)
 * Jason Spisak - Paralon
 * Frank Stallone - Thunderhoof
 * Raymond Stein - Police Officer (ep. 7)
 * Christopher Swindle
 * Fred Tatasciore - Saberhorn, Night Watchman (ep. 29), Vehicon Guard #1 (ep. 38)
 * James Arnold Taylor - Crazybolt, Arnold (ep. 30)
 * Kirk Thornton - Shadelock
 * Robin Weigert - Scatterspike
 * Frank Welker
 * Gary Anthony Williams - Slicedice, Dad (ep. 30)
 * Kristy Wu - Windblade, Newswoman (ep. 5), Woman's Voice (ep. 10), Pilot (ep. 23), Mother (ep. 28)

United States
The series was originally planned to premiere on what was known as the Hub Network (a joint venture between Hasbro and Discovery Communications). However, on October 7, 2014, just days before the channel's re-branding as Discovery Family that took place on October 13, it was announced that the series would premiere on Cartoon Network instead. Hasbro Studios president Stephen Davis felt that Cartoon Network was a more appropriate home for a Transformers series due to its male-oriented demographics, having felt that Hub Network had been skewed towards girls. Previous animated Transformers series had also aired on Cartoon Network prior to the launch of the joint venture and Hasbro Studios.

The series debuted with a special prime time premiere of the two-part pilot on March 14, 2015, followed by the regular time slot debut, starting with an encore of "Pilot" Pt. 1, on March 21.

Season 2 ran from February 20 to May 14, 2016. The six-part miniseries premiered on October 22 and concluded on December 3.

Season 3 will air on April 28, 2017.

International
On January 13, 2015, it was announced that Cartoon Network has acquired the rights to broadcast the series worldwide, similarly to the global distribution of Prime before it.

Several countries have premiered the series before the United States. On February 9, Canal J premiered the series in France, making it the first in the world to broadcast it on television. On March 2, Biggs premiered it in Portugal. In Italy, K2 aired the pilot on March 7, followed by the official premiere on March 9. On March 13, Cartoon Network Arabic premiered the Arabic version of the series.

Among English speaking countries, Cartoon Network in Australia was first to debut the series, having premiered it on February 21. On March 7, the series debuted on two versions of Cartoon Network, one available in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Malta, the other broadcasting in English to Greece, Greek Cyprus, the Middle East and Africa. In Canada, the show premiered on Teletoon on March 21. The series was premiered on May 23, 2015 on Cartoon Network India.

Season 1 made its debut on CITV weekday morning lineup on January 4, 2016. Season 2 first aired on CITV in March 2016 in the UK.

In Japan, it was premiered on March 15, 2015 on Animax under the local title of Transformers: Adventure (トランスフォーマー アドベンチャー). First season had a break after episode 13 on June 14, and resumed on September 20 with episode 14. The songs "Save the Future!!" and "Try (Transformers: Adventure)" (TRY☆トランスフォーマーアドベンチャー↑↑↑) replace the original opening and closing themes, respectively. Takara Tomy, the company that has been representing Transformers franchise in Japan since its inception under the pre-merger Takara, is marketing and promoting associated toys on behalf of Hasbro.

Home media
Shout Factory released the first five episodes onto DVD titled A New Autobot Mission on October 27, 2015. They released the complete first season on May 10, 2016. In Australia, Beyond Home Entertainment released the complete first season onto DVD on September 1, 2015; they also released a single-disc DVD comprising the first seven episodes on the same day.