With their unmistakable electronic changing noise and the tag line "Robots in Disguise" from the '80s cartoon, it's hard to ignore the Tranformers. As any true child of the '80s can tell you, Transformers were created by the toy company Hasbro after meeting Takara (a Japanese toy company) at the Tokyo Toy Show in 1983. By combining Takara's toy lines Diaclone and Micro Change, Hasbro created a product line unlike any other. The initial toys were released with the television series, and since then, nine different Transformers toy lines have hit American markets.

What Was. . .

The Transformer's storyline initially had the Autobots (the story's heroes) fighting the Decepticons (the ultimate villains) for control of Cybertron, their home planet. The eventually left their home in search of energy, which they found on Earth.

What is . . .

Because of the continued popularity of this story line and these toys, Producer Don Murphy looked into the possibility of creating a live-action film based on the franchise. Slated for release in July of 2007, the film brings together the creative minds of co-producer Adam DeSanto, Steven Spielberg, and screen writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman.

A Closer Look

The film begins when Captain Archibald Witwicky lands on Decepticon leader Megatron's hand after he has fallen into an chasm during a voyage through the Arctic circle in the 1800s. Megatron creates a map to Allspark in Witwicky's glasses, which are handed down to his descendant Sam Witwicky in the present. Sam purchases his first car, the Autobot Bumblebee, which in turn, helps him meet Mikaela, a new love interest. As the Autobots search for Witwicky's glasses, the Decepticon's invade Sam's house, triggering a chain of events that leads Autobot leader Optimus Prime and Megatron to the ultimate battle.

One of the most surprising and refreshing aspects of the film promises to be the effects. Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura wanted to keep things on the realistic side, so instead of going with a standard box like look for the main character Optimus Prime, he turned him into a Peterbuilt truck. Autobot Bumblebee was changed from a Volkswagen Beetle into a Chevrolet Camero, and other Autobots were all shifted to GM vehicles as part of contract negotiations. The transformation sound effect many fans heard as children was reused throughout the movie, and motion capture points were used to create many of the effects movie-goers will see on screen.

Given that the internet trailers received more hits than any other movie trailer online, the new Transfomers movie promises to be a great success and a wonderful addition to the family.