The First Transformers Movie For Kids Is Finally Here After 38 Years Of Waiting

After 38 years of waiting, it is hard to believe that the first Transformers movie for kids is finally here. The Transformers media franchise was first started in 1984 when the mecha toys from Japanese toy company Takara Tomy were introduced in the Western markets. What started as a toy line soon got its own animated television and comic book series, allowing the franchise to become a cultural phenomenon. Eventually, in 2007, the franchise reached the live-action storytelling medium when Michael Bay’s first Transformers movie premiered worldwide.

Like most Michael Bay movies, the film was not a critical hit. However, against a budget of $150 million, it raked in over $700 million, proving the franchise’s scope and scalability in the live-action medium. Since then, many Transformers live-action movies have seen the light of the day, but Transformers One is the only animated addition to the series getting a wide theatrical release. Despite being an extension of Michael Bay’s Transformers movies in more ways than one, Transformers One is significantly changing the franchise by landing a PG rating.

Transformers One’s PG Rating Confirms It’s Made For Kids

All Live-Action Transformers Movies Have A PG-13 Rating

All Transformers movies in recent years have had a PG-13 rating, which makes teenagers and adults their targeted audience. The PG-13 rating of Michael Bay’s Transformers movies came from the fact that they were packed with sexual jokes and did not hold themselves back from portraying violent action scenes. Bumblebee was relatively more tame compared to the Michael Bay films, but it could not avoid the PG-13 rating because of the moderate violence in its action sequences.

The most recent film in the franchise, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, featured several intriguing references to classic kids’ cartoons. However, despite this, the film was targeted primarily towards audiences above the age of 13. Owing to its language and sci-fi action, it continued the franchise’s trend of landing a PG-13 rating. Interestingly, Transformers One is finally changing this with its PG rating. While Parental Guidance is still being advised for the film, the lack of “13” in its rating establishes that it has been made for kids, unlike its predecessors.

Transformers One’s PG Rating Is A Great Sign For The Movie

It Brings Something New To The Franchise

Transformers One‘s initial trailers and hinted thematic elements suggested the film would be targeted towards younger audiences. Even the animation format of the film made it more suitable for a PG rating. However, since nearly all Transformers movies have swung to PG-13 in recent years, it would not have been surprising that Transformers One trod the same path. Thankfully, the filmmakers behind the movie understood that it would benefit from being more in tandem with the original Transformers animated series, which was made for younger audiences and rerun on family cable channels like Sci-Fi Channel and The Hub / Discovery Family.

Long before Michael Bay helmed the live-action Transformers movies, Steven Spielberg also envisioned it as a kid-friendly franchise that would revolve around a young boy’s relationship with his robotic car. Although Transformers One does not have any human characters, it is, in many ways, honoring Steven Spielberg’s vision by returning to the franchise’s roots and embracing a family-friendly tone. While Michael Bay’s take on the franchise had its own charm, it is good that Transformers One is attempting to break the mold by visiting the more whimsical and lighter aspects of the overarching franchise.

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Transformers Returning To PG Movies Is Necessary For The Future

The Transformers Movies Needed To Target A Broader Audience

The Transformers movies are still drawing massive box office numbers, but it is hard not to notice how their returns are gradually diminishing with each new installment. Owing to this, it is good that Transformers One is marking the inception of a positive change in the franchise’s approach with its PG rating. The rating not only makes the film more suitable for younger audiences but also allows it to make more room for all the elements that made the original animated series and comics successful.

If this approach works well for Transformers One, and it performs well at the global box office, its success could also pave the way for future live-action films in the franchise to follow a similar PG format. Even from a franchise standpoint, Hasbro would benefit more from kid-friendly movies as younger audiences would be prompted to buy the original Transformers toys if the movies were more accessible to them. Hopefully, this PG rating change will help revive interest in the Transformers franchise and allow it to strengthen its connection with a new generation of viewers.

Transformers One

Transformers One is an animated action-adventure movie that marks the first animated feature-length film for the series in decades. The film will be a prequel to the franchise, and will tell the story of Optimus Prime and Megatron in their early years, how they met, and a closer look at the war on their home planet, Cybertron.

 

Director

Josh Cooley

Release Date

September 20, 2024

Studio(s)

Entertainment One , Hasbro , Nickelodeon Movies

Distributor(s)

Paramount Pictures

Writers

Andrew Barrer , Steve Desmond , Gabriel Ferrari

Sequel(s)

Transformers

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