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BotCon has announced Jack Angel as the latest special guest to appear at this year's event in Pasadena, Ca. Angel joins the previously announced voice talent Susan Blu, Hal Rayle, and Michael McConnohie.
JACK ANGEL got his first real break voicing characters for the 1970’s SuperFriends cartoon. From there he would go on to voice numerous cartoon characters of all shapes and sizes with some from a whole ‘nother world! Transformers fans know Jack for the various characters he played on the 80’s G-1 cartoon series, from Ramjet, Astrotrain and Breakdown to Smokescreen, Ultra Magnus and Omega Supreme!
In addition to his work on Transformers, Jack’s voice could be heard on G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, The Real Ghostbusters, Jem, Tailspin, Darkwing Duck, The Mask, Fox’s Spiderman and many other series!
Jack has recently starred in Toy Story 3 as Chunk and in different Smurf’s features/video games as Papa Smurf. Come see Jack on Friday, Saturday and Sunday for panels, autographs and at other special events featured at BotCon 2014!
Over on Facebook, the Transformers Rescue Bots page has shared an interview that “Boulder” and “Heatwave” conducted with Nicole Dubac, one of the show’s writers.
Taking questions both from the two interviewers and also answering a few questions submitted by page fans, Nicole delves into many topics pertaining to Rescue Bots. Asked about how the show will continue to run along the same continuity as Prime, Nicole states that there are already a lot of Easter eggs in Rescue Bots that demonstrate the tie-ins. While she couldn’t share any spoilers, she did mention that Rescue Bots will continue to treat the show as existing within the Prime continuity, and that they will continue to homage and pay tribute to that series where possible. A long time Transformers fan who grew up watching and playing Transformers, Nicole appreciates the series and never wants to talk down to its audience. She says that all of the writers take their jobs very seriously, and always enjoy what they do. Asked if there will be more female characters, or if the moms will surface, Nicole can’t share any specifics, but says there will definitely be more female characters.
When asked about the quantity of non-essential character development, Nicole says that the writing staff greatly enjoys the character moments, like whole stories that come out of them. For example, Blades’ pirate fanatic moment, are intentional and fun moments for the writers. They are trying to get across that the Rescue Bots have personalities and quirks, which help to make the character real.
Nicole finishes up the interview with a teaser that we will see the characters meet greater challenges and undergo some serious changes. She also gives a shout-out to the artists, directors, and crew that make the show what it is.
Read the whole interview below:
The moment you've been waiting for! The interview me & Boulder did with the great Nicole Dubuc, one of the writers of RB! Please enjoy! She's a great lady! And Season 2 starts tomorrow!
~Heatwave
Heatwave: Areia L. Carroll asks "With Transformers Prime now over, are the writers thinking of any ways to further tie the shows together since they have been said to be in the same universe? Something like Agent Fowler, Unit:E or even Ratchet having cameos?"
Nicole: The writing team is always trying to think of ways to put Easter eggs in Rescue Bots that tie it to the Prime universe -- a lot of people have noticed the "I hope there's no such thing as a Skyquake" line Blades has, or the implication that Morocco was trying to sell off technology to Silas. I can't spoil anything that's coming up, but know that we're still treating the show as existing in Prime continuity and we pay homage/reference that whenever we can. At one point in season 1 there was a chart of where the Rescue Bots episodes happened in the Prime timeline. Now we lag the Prime events by quite a bit, obviously.
Heatwave: I know me & several others have often tried to put the timelines together... like when Morocco got the team fired & the bots couldn't contact Optimus, we often wondered if that was during the Orion Pax events. Gennie Shively asks "Did she grow up watching transformers or have other inspiration/motivation? The show is so intelligently written that I enjoy it as much as my kids."
Nicole: First off, thanks for the compliment! The writers all take this show very seriously (Jeff Kline is a stickler for plot clarity and Brian Hohlfeld is always doing the "is this in-character" check) and we never want to talk down to our audience. I did indeed grow up watching Transformers G1, and playing Transformers (I was always Bumblebee), and I wish I had kept my Grimlock and Ravage toys. How cool were those?! But the biggest inspiration on this show has been the characters themselves - they're so fun to write for, and there's such a depth of mythology to reference and draw from. Also, this show is kinda my love letter to the 80s, as you can probably tell by all the pop-culture references.
Heatwave: Lots of people love all those references! It makes for a fun game! Especially in the Alien Invasion ep! I love that you’re willing to take the time to do this! Boulder appreciates it too whenever he's on, heh.
Boulder: Hi Nicole, Yes, I appreciate you doing this, as Heatwave says. It’s an awesome gift for you to give to the fans, and believe us, they ARE devoted fans! Heatwave: Andy Blair asks "Will we be seeing Hoist, Medix, or any other new bots in future episodes?"
Nicole: Sorry, Andy, can't spoil anything, but I will say you'll meet more of the Burns family...
Heatwave: Ha! Cool! That actually brings me to a question I had... would we ever see any of the moms? The few female characters we have so far have been absolutely great!
Nicole: Can't say either way, sorry about that! BUT I can say you will see more female characters.
Heatwave: Oooo exciting! You guys have done an excellent job with female characters in this series as well as in Prime! How did you come to work on RB? Was it because you were working on Prime already? Did Hasbro ask you or did you want to do it to begin with?
Nicole: As we were wrapping up season 1 of Prime, Jeff Kline asked me to develop Rescue Bots with Brian Hohlfeld and himself. While we were in development (writing the bible and the pilot for the show), I kept writing for Prime season 2, but when we got our pickup, I started full-time on Rescue Bots as a co-story editor with Greg Johnson (who was just finishing on GI Joe Renegades).
Heatwave: Krysta Osborn asks "Which Bot is Nicole's favorite to write and why?"
Nicole: I love writing for all the Bots for different reasons -- cranky pants Heatwave is fun 'cause I can hear Steve Blum's snark in my head. Blades is hilarious and Parv always plusses the lines with his reads. Boulder is sweet and the emotional core of the Bots, and Imari brings such warmth to him. But I have to say, writing for Chase is my favorite. His dead-pan reads make for some really great stuff, and the "that's what she said" line (in fact, that whole episode where he's learning about Earth humor) still crack me up -- D.C. knows how to deliver! Stay tuned for some more great Chase episodes this season.
Boulder: Thanks Nicole. I've met DC at a con and he does deliver, it’s very true! See, Heatwave, I'm sweet! Nicole says so!
Heatwave: Phssh... you can be the huggable one... I don't need hugs! When I first started watching, I was kinda meh about Chase, but I've really come to like him, DC does a great job & you write some great lines for him! One of the new promos made laugh! "There are times I wish gravity wasn't a law!"
Nicole: I shoulda said stay tuned for great episodes for each Bot, as we try to feature them each at least twice per season!
Heatwave: I always look forward to my eps.
Nicole: Yeah, the Heatwave ep I wrote for s2 might be my favorite this season.
Heatwave: Ooooo! Now I'm excited! What about the human characters? Do you have any favorites you like to write for there? I'm a pretty big fan of Chief myself, love him!
Nicole: My favorite part of the humans in Rescue Bots is that we get to write them as families who work together, who are smart, and caring…Still-quirky, but ultimately people you want to spend time with. Yes, even Kade. It's probably easiest to write a line for him, and again, I have to give huge credit to Jason Marsden for his hilarious Kade deliveries. Maurice LaMarche delivers Chief as the dad everyone on the crew wishes they had -- he's so reassuring, caring and capable, with a sense of humor. Lacey Chabert brings a fun feistiness to Dani, and Shannon McKain handles all the techno-speak we throw at him with a lovable, nerdy quality (yes, Graham is the guy I would date). Writing for Tim Curry was a dream come true. Doc Greene has a fun way of speaking where he reverses what he's saying mid-sentence -- it could be this, or it could be that -- and we like to come up with fun science sayings for him: "boiling chips" is a throwback to my organic chem lab days. LeVar is amazing. And the kids are always so prepared with their lines. Elan Garfias plays Cody, and the emotion, range and sweetness he brings to the role makes the character real and the heart of the show. Diamond White has a sassy brightness that made Frankie appear in way more episodes than we originally planned. Oh, and who can forget Jeff Bennet, our love-to-hate Mayor Luskey and Huxley Prescott! (I think I got all the humans in there -- whew, probably more than you wanted to know!)
Boulder: I like the Chief myself....and Doc Greene cracks me up! Speaking of casting, were there any changes made to the characters after the voice actors were cast to accommodate great ideas they came up with? Also, any fun stories to share about the casting process?
Nicole: After the characters were cast, our amazing actors began to "plus" their roles -- sometimes with a reaction or ad lib. As writers, we love hearing this stuff, and we pick it up and run with it. The actors, by the way, are the closest-knit voice acting cast I've ever known -- we all hang out for fun after work and on weekends. We definitely write to them, and sometimes a story idea will come out of a joke one of them makes. Parv's dancing in the recording booth is evident in Blades in 201, for example. Fun casting stories -- well, Elan was Cody from the moment we heard him. It was a very easy show to cast; everyone just seemed to click!
Heatwave: I bet having Tim Curry was a ball! Everyone was so excited he was announced! So that's where the boiling chips came from... had several people wondering! & good on Diamond! I really like Frankie! & I remember Jeff from so many older cartoons like Gargoyles & such. You guys do a great job with the humans. I rarely like them in TF series, but in RB & Prime I've liked them all! Especially Fowler in Prime! Kudos!
Boulder: Great cast and we can tell they have so much fun! Our next question is from ABates. They ask: “Were there any scenes from season 1 that had to be cut during production that she wished could have been included?”
Nicole: I am sure there are scenes that have been cut, and certainly we're always losing jokes because of time constraints. Specifically in the pilot, there were a lot more scenes/gags where Cody shows the Bots around Griffin Rock for the first time. Our scripts start out at 35 pages and we usually have to get them down to 31 for production, so a lot of stuff gets trimmed. We try to keep the bits in our minds that get cut, and find a place for them in future episodes.
Heatwave: Pravus Prime asks "Rescue Bots has a lot of non-essential character development (such as the bots preferences in movies they like to watch), has this always been intentional from the start or is it something that has come about as the series progressed?"
Nicole: The writing staff takes great delight in the character moments -- sometimes whole stories will arise from them, like "what if Blades was a pirate fanatic?" It's very intentional and a lot of fun. We want to really get to know our characters and their quirks and we try to put that in as much as possible. To me, that's what helps make a character real.
Heatwave: I love character quirks! They really make them seem more alive! Partly why I find this show so endearing. Moreprimeland asks "Where did Dr. Morocco get his anti-aging machine? And WHAT does it run on? He mentions it was the best technology he stole... from who?"
Nicole: All of your questions will be answered… In time! Stay tuned.
Heatwave: And our last question would be...Is there anything in season 2 that you could tease us with?
Nicole: In season 2, expect our characters to meet with even greater challenges… And undergo some serious changes. Also, this isn't off a particular question, but I want to put in a shout-out for our amazing artists, directors and crew who make the show as good as it is. They put their heart and soul into Rescue Bots and really believe in creating a great story. Frank Molieri and Brian Hohlfeld are two halves of an awesome executive-producing coin. Nathan Chew has been our director for all three seasons, and the passion and joy he brings to the board is incredible. Props to Jerry (the driver among other things), Matt, Austin, Bess, Zac, Judge, Patrick, Tim… Our composers and international artists... We've had tremendous support from our executives at Hasbro and the Hub (they give very helpful notes - you should have heard our time travel discussion!). And of course, major thanks to Jeff Kline for making this all possible. (If I forgot to mention anyone, it's my own lack of coffee, not their lack of talent!)
Heatwave: It takes a lot of people to make a great show! The music has been topnotch & often gets stuck in my head, especially the tune often played when they're out in the water (that whistling tune). There's so many great little moments in the show that make me go "Cool!" like in ep 2 when Chase did that flip transform. Ah coffee... hot brown water in a spherical container...
Nicole: LOL about the coffee comment, Heatwave. Thanks for the opportunity to do this, it was a lot of fun!
Boulder: Actually, thank you, Nicole!!! Taking the time to chat with us is a wonderful gift to the fans, and much appreciated!
Heatwave: Yes, thank you again! This was absolutely wonderful and gave us some great insight into the workings of the show! You have been absolutely great!
Twitter user Alfes2010 and Facebook user Autobase Aichi have posted images from the final episode of Transformers Go! DVDs. Transformers Go! has been available exclusively as a Japanese publications TV Magazine and TV Boy series thus far.
The fourth and final episode of the Shinobi Volume, available with the April edition of TV Magazine, saw the five Predacons battling with the combined forces of the Shinobi and Samurai teams.
Quick viewing reminder, Transformers: Rescue Bots season two debuts today on The Hub Network at 1:00 PM ET. This season will kick off with two back to back episodes, "Road Trip" and "Sky Forest". The show will relocate to a 1:30 PM ET slot on March 8th.
THE AUTOBOTS ARE BACK AS “TRANSFORMERS RESCUE BOTS” RETURNS FOR ITS SECOND SEASON ON THE HUB NETWORK, MARCH 1
Premiere Kicks Off With Two Back-to-Back, Action-Packed Episodes
A New Match Game Entitled “Hero Hunt” Launches on Hubnetwork.com
LOS ANGELES — “Transformers Rescue Bots,” animated series, created especially for younger TRANSFORMERS fans, returns for its second season on Saturday, March 1, with two all-new, back-to-back episodes starting at 1:00 p.m. ET/ 10 a.m. PT, on the Hub Network, a destination for kids and their families. Beginning on Saturday, March 8, new episodes of the show will air at 1:30 p.m. ET/10:30 a.m. PT. The series is produced by Hasbro Studios. In addition, HubNetwork.com will launch a fun-filled new match game called “Hero Hunt.”
The second season of “Transformers Rescue Bots” kicks off with action-packed, episode “Road Trip”, where a tricky transporter takes Cody for a crazy ride and Kade takes on a high-flying rescue mission. The second episode, “Sky Forest” has Cody and Frankie going head to head in a town inventor contest, leading to a jealous divide between the two. To make matters worse, Frankie's contest entry gets out of control, not only threatening her friendship with Cody and the Bots, but the safety of the entire island.
In the digital Rescue Bots game “Hero Hunt,” fans can get the Bots ready to roll by making the correct match and the more matches they make, the more points they score. Players will be challenged to complete each mission and see if they can make it to the end of the game. Viewers can get into the action at http://hubnetwork.com/herohunt.
“Transformers Rescue Bots” features a group of Autobots charged with a mission to protect and learn about humans. Stationed by Optimus Prime on a technologically advanced island, the Rescue Bots — Heatwave, Boulder, Blades and Chase — team with the Burns family of first responders, including a police chief, firefighter, rescue pilot and engineer to keep peace and safety in the city. Alongside their human friends, the Rescue Bots learn teamwork and heroism. The half-hour series brings family, heart, humor and adventure to the Transformers brand.
The series features an ensemble of voice talent including, LeVar Burton (“Star Trek: The Next Generation”) as Doc Greene, Lacey Chabert ("Party of Five") as Dani Burns, Élan Garfias (“The Hangover”) as Cody Burns, Maurice LaMarche (“Futurama”) as Chief Charlie Burns, Jason Marsden (“Step by Step”) as Kade Burns, Shannon McKain (“The Assignment”) as Graham Burns, Diamond White (“X Factor”) as Francine Greene, Jeff Bennett (“Johnny Bravo”) as Huxley Prescott, Steve Blum (“Transformers Prime”) as Heatwave, Parvesh Cheena (“Outsourced”) as Blades, D.C. Douglas (“NCIS: Los Angeles”) as Chase, Imari Williams (“Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City”) as Boulder and Peter Cullen (“Transformers Prime”) as Optimus Prime.
The series is produced by Hasbro Studios, executive produced by Stephen Davis and developed for television by Jeff Kline, Nicole Dubuc and Brian Hohfeld.
About the Hub Network
The Hub Network is a multi-platform joint venture between Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) and Hasbro Inc., (NASDAQ: HAS) that champions family fun by providing enriching, cool, relevant, family friendly entertainment experiences that children and parents can enjoy together. The cable and satellite television network features original programming as well as content from Hasbro's rich portfolio of entertainment and educational properties built during the past 90 years and from leading third-party producers worldwide. The Hub Network’s lineup includes animated and live-action series, as well as specials, game shows, and family-favorite movies. The network extends its content through a robust and engaging online presence at HubNetwork.com. The Hub Network rebranded from Discovery Kids on October 10, 2010, and is available in nearly 72 million U.S. households. The Hub Network logo and name are trademarks of Hub Television Networks, LLC. All rights reserved.
To find the channel in your area, please visit HubNetwork.com and check the channel locator at the top of the page.
Thanks yet again to voice actor DC Douglas, we now know that the third season, confirmed by Hasbro at Toy Fair 2014 to feature the new dinosaur modes for the main cast, including Optimus Primal, is currently recording - and Levar Burton is part of it! Check out the Vine here. The season should air towards the end of 2014, still according to Hasbro.
Our friends at Shout! Factory have been kind enough to send us an advanced copy of their upcoming Transformers Armada - The Complete Series DVD set! The set isn't scheduled to hit retail until March 11th, but we've got a sneak peek at the packaging below. Click here to pre-order the set over on Shout! Factory's website for $37.99.
Once again Zap2it brings us details on upcoming episodes of Transformers: Rescue Bots! It looks as though two new episodes will air on March 30th, "A Virtual Disaster" and "Spellbound". Brief descriptions for each can be found below:
Transformers Rescue Bots : A Virtual Disaster
S02, E05 (First Aired: March 30, 2014)
The virtual becomes real; Heatwave realizes Blades' potential as a true hero.
Transformers Rescue Bots : Spellbound
S02, E06 (First Aired: March 30, 2014)
The Bots and Burnses are in mind-controlled stupors; Cody scrambles to snap them out of it before he's sucked in.
The official Hub Network YouTube channel has uploaded yet another short promo for the new season of Rescue Bots, set to air next month. Check it out in the embedded video below!
Toy Fair 2014 has yet to officially start in New York City, but we're already getting into the swing of things with some preliminary reveals! Today Hasbro were presenting their wares to their investors, and the slideshow was made available to Seibertron.com. They touched upon the following:
- The new film, talking about its theme of 'a truck looking for a friend', and the inclusion of the Dinobots.
- The subdivision of the franchise with Rescue Bots, Age of Extinction and Generations lines for three types of fans, from younger to older.
- CyberTRON Monday: online midnight madness event in May and various launches around the world leading to Age of Extinction premiere June 27.
- The redesign of the brand with new packaging, logos and digital platforms; several new games coming in 2014.
- Demonstrated the new simplified transformation for toys on stage (for younger fans and Age of Extinction), though no footage available. Products included: Stomp and Chomp Grimlock one-step transformation; Mega one-step Bumblebee.
- Rescue Bots taking on new dinobot forms, Optimus becomes Primal - Season 3 announced.
- For the committed fan: Generations and Platinum Edition lines (popular in Asian and North American markets). Products included in presentation are Leader Jetfire, Deluxe Windblade and Masterpiece Soundwave.
- Battle Masters Transformers, previously revealed.
If you wish to listen to the presentation yourself, take a look at the embedded video below, courtesy of Seibertron himself.
Check out below for an overview of what 2014 will bring in terms of transforming robots, including the previously announced Jetfire and Windblade.
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