History WesternAnimation / TransformersAnimated

Debuting in December 2007 with a three-episode-long "{{pilot movie}}", ''Animated'', despite being an AlternateContinuity, was created to ride the popularity of the 2007 ''Film/{{Transformers}}'' film and, as a result, borrows several aspects of the film. Despite severe fan reactions to the character designs and animation style, the show's story and scripting (and a healthy respect to the saga as a whole) have won over many converts in short order.

* MerchandiseDriven: Eventually; somewhat averted when the series first debuted, as the toyline was actually delayed several months due to Hasbro wanting to continue pushing merch from the [[Film/{{Transformers}} live-action movie]]. The toy line would catch up, though, and one store-exclusive redeco even got featured late in the third season.

* UnusualEuphemism: Par for the ''{{Transformers}}'' course. "What a glitch-head!" "''Slag'' yeah."

* NeckLift: Blackarachnia to Optimus (after borrowing Bulkhead's strength), Starscream to Bumblebee and Megatron to both Constructicons.

%%* ReferenceOverdosed: The ''Almanacs'', again, if not the show itself.

* BitchInSheepsClothing: In Autoboot Camp, at Boot Camp, Longarm was one of two 'bots that treated Bumblebee with any degree of decency. [[spoiler:Then we find out his true identity by the end of the episode...]]

* AdaptationalBadass:

** Megatron. In the original G1 cartoon, nobody feared Megatron. Rather, they just considered him to be the bad guy. He is also the subject of goofy outward monologues that only make his followers quake in fear. This show depicts Megatron as a discount Dracula/Vlad the Impaler; a one man army, feared by everyone who knows who he is, and rarely any of his enemies walk away. Not to mention that he's willing to go way further here than G1 Megatron ever did, as he willingly kills his own soldiers if they displease him (something Starscream learns quickly), he kidnaps and holds hostage for months the very person who gave him back his body and showed him nothing but kindness, and he's a better manipulator here than he was in G1.
** Starscream, of sorts. In G1, anyone could pick a fight with Starscream, and they very rarely lost. He is a transparent strategist with poor fighting skills, and his silver tongue is his only positive. In this version, Starscream rarely shows signs of cunning, and only uses his brute strength to defeat his enemies. In the first episode, it takes at least five Autobots to defend Detroit against his constant attacks, and at a later point, he incapacitates Ultra Magnus. Starscream is half of what Megatron is regardless, but if it takes half of a race just to arrest him, Starscream has earned his right to be his second-in-command.

** When Bumblebee is shown playing Ninja Gladiators, the face in the background is that of [=TORQ III=]], an ArtificialIntelligence taken over by Megatron in the ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformers'' episode "Day of the Machines". This stage is then shown off at a larger scale, complete with[=TORQ III=], in the ''Allspark Almanac II''.

** Getting there in the Japanese dub. Bumblebee with "''Ikimasu~!''" ("Here I go!", "Let's go!", or almost any variations), [[strike:Bulkhead]] Ironhide's "''Dosukoi!''" (spoken by sumo wrestlers), "''De aru!''" for Prowl (literally, "to be" in formal speech) and '''Hey!''' and '''Man!''' for the angry face of an [[AcceptableTargets American accented]] Blitzwing.
* VileVillainLaughableLackey: Megatron is cold and calculating, and is treated with the utmost seriousness. However, he's surrounded by people like the [[SycophanticServant comically sycophantic Lugnut]], or the [[FunnySchizophrenia comically unstable Blitzwing]], or the [[RuleOfThree comically]] [[LargeHam hammy Starscream]].

Other unique aspects of the show include the main Autobot team are not the upper hierarchy of leadership but instead low level maintenance workers, most of their weapons are re-purposed tools and the "Prime" in Optimus' name is [[TheChosenMany a military designation equivalent to a captain]] and does not make him TheChosenOne. The Decepticons are also defined as big and powerful enemies, with most towering over the Autobots; a BigOffscreenWar infers the Autobots had won due to strategy and control of the [[PortalNetwork spacebridge network]]. Even one 'Con requires the entire team to work together just to contain them, but [[TeethClenchedTeamwork they are scattered and at odds with each other]]. Most of the time, [[BigBad Megatron]] is planning some sort of EvilPlan to avoid detection while still furthering his plans. He is dangerous, but doesn't want to deal with the entire Autobot Elite Guard before he's ready. While the Decepticons are largely violent thugs there is some truth to a belief [[YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters they are fighting against a caste system that places them at the bottom rung]]; corruption, prejudice and stagnant social structures can be seen in the Autobot leadership.

One of the things that separate this show from its predecessors is the animation style, which is fluid, simplistic and very organic-looking. While some are still unhappy with the look, the simple style makes animation easier and gave some really stylistic action scenes; you can become accustomed to it surprisingly quickly.

Another distinction is the way the Decepticons are used. They are big and powerful enemies, and the Autobots are maintenance workers (In fact, most of their weapons are re-purposed tools); even one 'Con requires the entire small Autobot team to work together just to contain him. Most of the time, [[BigBad Megatron]] is planning some sort of EvilPlan to avoid detection while still furthering his plans. He is dangerous, but the Decepticons as a whole are a scattered group; Megatron doesn't want to deal with the entire Autobot Elite Guard before he's ready. Additionally, the Decepticons mostly consider themselves freedom fighters against a corrupt and unfair caste system with the Autobots firmly at the top. The viewers are encouraged to see the predjudice that has arisen in Cybertronian society but can also see that YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters.

To maintain the Decepticons as serious enemies, humans comprise the bulk of the Autobots' enemies for the first two seasons. Some are joke villains who are only petty thieves, but others are legitimate threats to the Autobots. Other unique features of the show are that the Transformers are very well-known among the community (which hasn't really been done since Generation 1), and there is a noticeable lack of HeroInsurance. The humans are unhappy with the collateral damage, and the Autobots maintain their good graces by repairing the city. (After all, they ''are'' construction workers.)

The show overall received positive reviews for storytelling and dynamic characterization which ''[[Film/TransformersRevengeOfTheFallen Revenge of The Fallen]]'' was chastised for lacking, but initally suffered criticism for its initial art style which was pecieved as a step in the wrong direction. This criticism faded quickly once the show began properly and has since been praised as a highlight. The show has gone on to become a beloved fandom darling; even more than a decade after its pre-emptive finale, many fans continue to call for a ''Young Justice'' style resurrection. It's influence also looms large on later incarnations; in particular, it's [[CanonForeigner original characters Bulkhead, Lugnut, Lockdown, and Slipstream]] enjoy such popularity that they became part of the larger recurring character roster the franchise pulls from.

** Megatron. In the original G1 cartoon, nobody feared Megatron. Rather, they just considered him to be the bad guy. He is also the subject of goofy outward monologues that only make his followers quake in fear. This show depicts Megatron as a discount Dracula/Vlad the Impaler; a one man army, feared by everyone who knows who he is, and rarely any of his enemies walk away.

** Optimus Prime, who in most versions before and after this show is depicted as TheStoic, AFatherToHisMen, and TheComicallySerious most of the time, due in part to having undergone {{Flanderization}} during the course of [[WesternAnimation/TheTransformers the third season of the original series]]--a take of which almost every Optimus has been depicted as since. While most other stories usually give Prime sympathy by having him [[WeUsedToBeFriends be allies and friends with Megatron until their inevitable ideological clashes drove them apart]], with a lot of the [[ItsAllMyFault consequences of the war weighing heavily on him]], this Prime had the makings to be a hero, until he was drummed out of the Autobot Academy for an incident that apparently killed a fellow cadet--an incident of which his [[FalseFriend "buddy"]] Sentinel Prime let him [[NeverMyFault take the fall for]]. This leaves Prime, who's now in charge of a ragtag bunch of misifts acting as protectors of the future Detroit, with doubts about his leadership capabilities and whether or not he has what it takes to truly be a hero. Over the course of the series, he would prove this to himself and to others by [[TookALevelInBadass growing into the hero the world knows him as]].

* AlienArtsAreAppreciated: Bulkhead winds up with a museum show in one episode, although his "masterpiece" was an accident.

* AloofAlly: The Dinobots and the main team of Autobots have a relationship that is adversarial at best.

* BadassNormal: Captain Fanzone is a very capable ally to the Autobots even though he's just a human. ''Survival of the Fittest'' should be simple enough.

* BigBrotherInstinct: All of the Autobots are protective towards Sari.

* BreakTheHaughty: Sentinel's ordeal in ''Return of the Headmaster''. It doesn't stick.

** Meltdown and his henchman don't like machines. Captain Fanzone likes to say he hates machines, but this is really in the context of being old-fashioned and irritable (and a WalkingTechbane). He's on good terms with the Autobots, even if they keep messing up his city.

* HasTwoMommies: In Season 2, Sari effectively gains 5 robot daddies. Well, 3 daddies and 2 older brothers... Well, Bumblebee comes to think of himself and Bulkhead as the cool parent, while the others are collectively the strict one. Except for Ratchet, who's more the Cranky Robot Grandpa.

*** in "Human Error Part 1", he announces "[[Animation/TransformersTheMovie Autobots inferior. Soundwave superior.]]"

* ARideInThePalmOfYourHand: Sari, because she spends so much time with the Autobots, has ridden in the hand or on the shoulder of pretty much every member of the main cast.

* BuffySpeak: Oddly, two of the smartest (in terms of technology) cast members: see ShapedLikeItself.

* NotGoodWithPeople: Prowl actively avoids humans most of the time.

* EasyAmnesia: Averted, for the most part, with Arcee. [[spoiler:After she loses her memory it stays lost for a very, ''very'' long time, and it takes quite a while to retrieve them properly in the finale.]] There was also a scrapped Season 4 idea with this as its main plot point, this time with Cosmos being amnesiac instead of Arcee. According to the [[AllThereInTheManual Allspark Almanac 2]], "HilarityEnsues".

* FamilyUnfriendlyDeath: Blurr gets trapped in a tunnel and crushed by its closing walls. After which his killer (in disguise) casually hands his cube-sized remains over to the nearest Autobot who has no idea what he just tossed down the disposal chute. Considering the show had no "real" deaths up until this point, this made the emotional impact even worse. In [=BotCon=] 2015's script reading [[spoiler:Sari finds and reactivates Blurr via the residual [=AllSpark=] energy in her body, subverting the trope. Adventure and HilarityEnsues. Of note is that this story preserves the cartoon's original depiction of no spark being visible, as opposed to the oft-touted "visible spark" concept imagery ''[[{{canon}} that was never used]]''. The story occurs in parallel with the Stunti-Con Job story, explaining how Cliffjumper comes to have the cube at the show; Blurr is subsequently fully restored once the Stunticon plot is defeated.]]

* ReferenceOverdosed: The ''Almanacs'', again, if not the show itself.

* TheRemnant: The Decepticons.

** Megatron initially has a body based on his monstrous, spikey look from the first Michael Bay film, including the alt-mode of an Cybertronian jet/spaceship. However, after being reduced to a head, Megatron‘s still functioning, partially repaired head gains a new shape similar to his G1 incarnation’s bucket-like helmet, then when fully repaired by the Allspark key, Megatron adopts a new blocky, G1 inspired body, but with a duel rotor gunship alt-mode.

** Porter C. Powell is a very smug opportunist who responds to Sari Sumdac's insistence that she's in charge of her father's company due to being her daughter by revealing there's no legal proof of her existence and usurping control of the company while kicking her out of her home. Another particularly vile case happens in the tie-in comic ''The Arrival'' in the story "The Insincerest Form of Flattery", where he releases a line of SWAT Vehicles named after Bulkhead without the Autobot's permission and was perfectly fine with selling them even when aware that they were completely unsafe death traps.

-->'''Starscream:''' So, which part of me do ''you'' come from?
-->'''Slipstream:''' [[YouDoNOTWantToKnow Don't ask!]]