View source for Beast Wars: Transformers

{{Short description|Animated television series}}
{{about|the animated television series|the Beast Wars franchise|Transformers: Beast Wars}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2022}}
{{Infobox television
| image              = Beast Wars title logo.jpg
| caption            =
| genre              = {{plainlist|
* [[Action fiction|Action]]
* [[Adventure fiction|Adventure]]
* [[Science fiction]]
* [[Superhero fiction|Superhero]]
}}
| runtime            = 22–23 minutes
| creator            = 
| based_on           = {{based on|''[[Transformers]]''|[[Hasbro]]}}
| developer          = {{Plainlist|
* [[Larry DiTillio]]
* [[Bob Forward]]
}}
| executive_producer = {{Plainlist|
* Christopher Brough
* Ian Pearson
* Stephane Reichel
* Steven DeNure
* '''For Alliance/Alliance Atlantis'''
* Beth Stevenson
* Peter Sander
* Suzanne French
* '''For YTV'''
* Laurinda Shaver
* Alan Gregg
}}
| producer           = {{Plainlist|
* Jonathan Goodwill
* Kim Dent Wilder
* Mark Ralston
}}
| location           = 
| voices             = {{Plainlist|
* [[Garry Chalk]]
* [[David Kaye (voice actor)|David Kaye]]
* [[Scott McNeil]]
* [[Ian James Corlett]]
* [[Richard Newman (actor)|Richard Newman]]
* Alec Willows
}}
| opentheme          = "Beast Wars Theme Song"
| composer           = Robert Buckley
| company            = {{Plainlist|
* [[Alliance Films|Alliance Communications]] <small>{{nowrap|(seasons 1–2)}}</small>
* [[Alliance Atlantis Communications]] <small>{{nowrap|(season 3)}}</small>
* [[Mainframe Studios|Mainframe Entertainment]]
* BLT Productions Ltd. 
* [[Claster Television|Claster Television Incorporated]]
}}
| country            = {{Plainlist|
* Canada
* United States
* Japan
}}
| language           = English
| num_seasons        = 3
| network            = {{Plainlist|
* [[Broadcast syndication|Syndication]]
* [[YTV (TV channel)|YTV]]
* [[TX Network|TXN]] ([[TV Tokyo]])
}}
| first_aired        = {{Start date|1996|9|16}}
| last_aired         = {{End date|1999|5|7}}
| related            = {{Plainlist|
* ''[[The Transformers (TV series)|The Transformers]]''
* ''[[Beast Machines: Transformers]]''
* ''[[Beast Wars II: Super Life-Form Transformers|Beast Wars II]]''
* ''[[Super Life-Form Transformers: Beast Wars Neo|Beast Wars Neo]]''
}}
| num_episodes       = 52
| list_episodes      = List of Beast Wars episodes 
}}
'''''Beast Wars: Transformers''''' (titled '''''Beasties: Transformers''''' in Canada)<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfkGgI0HiTQ|access-date=April 9, 2012 |title=Beasties – Opening – Youtube| date=August 3, 2009}}</ref> is an animated television series that debuted on September 16, 1996 and ended on May 7, 1999, serving as the [[flagship]] of the ''[[Transformers: Beast Wars]]'' franchise. It was one of the earliest fully [[Computer-generated imagery|CGI]] television shows.<ref>{{cite news |last=Razak |first=Matthew |date=December 1, 2022 |title=Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Brings Beast Wars to the Big Screen |url=https://www.escapistmagazine.com/transformers-rise-of-the-beasts-trailer-beast-wars-movie-maximals-predacons/ |access-date=19 December 2022 |work=[[The Escapist (magazine)|The Escapist]] |quote=Beast Wars has always been a bit of an odd outlier for the Transformers franchise, being both the first CGI series and focused on animals, not vehicles}}</ref> The series is set in the future of the [[Transformers: Generation 1|"original" ''Transformers'' franchise]], 300 years after the events of [[The Transformers (TV series)|''The Transformers'']], and features the Maximals and Predacons, descendants of the [[Autobot]]s and [[Decepticon]]s respectively.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Erickson |first1=Hal |title=Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 |date=2005 |edition=2nd |publisher=McFarland & Co |isbn=978-1-4766-6599-3 |pages=870–871}}</ref> While engaged in battle, small teams from each faction crash land on an unknown planet, and must find a way to return home while continuing their war.

The ''Beast Wars'' [[TV series]] was the first Transformers series to feature computer-animated characters, and was produced by [[Mainframe Studios|Mainframe Entertainment]] of [[Vancouver]], [[British Columbia]]; its story editors were [[Bob Forward]] and [[Larry DiTillio]]. The production designer for the show, [[Clyde Klotz]], won a [[Daytime Emmy Award]] for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation in 1997 for his work on ''Beast Wars.''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.variety.com/1998/tv/news/pbs-early-daytime-emmy-leader-1117470640/amp/|access-date=February 21, 2024|title=PBS early Daytime Emmy leader|publisher=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=May 11, 1998}}</ref>

A sequel television series, ''[[Beast Machines: Transformers]]'', aired from 1999 to 2000. Additional ''Beast Wars'' [[Limited series (comics)|limited comic book series]] have been released by [[Dreamwave Productions]] and [[IDW Publishing]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chrysostomou |first=George |date=2022-12-01 |title=Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts: 10 Things You Need To Know About Beast Wars |url=https://screenrant.com/transformers-rise-of-the-beasts-need-to-know-beast-wars/ |access-date=2024-02-21 |website=ScreenRant |language=en}}</ref>

== Premise ==
The two main factions of "Transformers" in Beast Wars are descendants of the two main factions in the original cartoon: the [[Maximal (Transformers)|Maximals]] are the descendants of the [[Autobot]]s and the [[List of Beast Wars characters#Predacons|Predacon]]s are the descendants of the [[Decepticon]]s. (In the sequel series ''[[Beast Machines: Transformers|Beast Machines]]'', the process during which Autobots and Decepticons became Maximals and Predacons is referred to as "The Great Upgrade".)

The leader of the Predacon team is [[Megatron (Beast Era)|Megatron]], a namesake of the original Decepticon commander. He and his forces are a splinter group on the hunt for powerful crystals known as Energon. They do this with the aid of an artifact known as the [[Voyager Golden Record|Golden Disk]] and Megatron's stolen ship, the ''[[List of Transformers spacecraft#Darksyde|Darksyde]]'', which is equipped with a transwarp drive. A Maximal exploration ship, the ''[[Axalon]]'', led by [[Optimus Primal]], is sent to stop them. Together the ships plunge through a time/space phenomenon created by the transwarp device during their battle in space, and [[Ancient astronauts|crash-land on a mysterious planet]].

The planet is found to be rich in deposits of raw Energon, in such extreme amounts that it proves to be poisonous to both factions' robot forms, forcing them to take on alternate organic forms for protection until their robot forms are needed. Thus the robots take on the beast forms of recognizable animals including mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, dinosaurs, and invertebrates.

Before crashing, the ''Axalon'' deploys its cargo of "stasis pods" containing Maximal protoforms — Transformer robots with vulnerable and undeveloped physical forms, which are left to orbit the planet as an alternative to possible destruction in the initial crash landing. This plays a larger part in the IDW series, ''The Gathering''. Throughout the series, stasis pods lose altitude and crash-land on the planet, and the Maximals and Predacons race and fight to acquire them, as protoforms acquired by Megatron's forces can be reprogrammed to become Predacons. The stasis pods are used as a [[plot device]] to introduce new characters.

The teams are divided between the "good" Maximals and the "evil" Predacons, equivalent to the traditional Autobots and Decepticons. Most of the Maximals are based on mammals, birds or fish, while the Predacons are based on reptiles, amphibians or invertebrates. [[Dinobot (Beast Wars)|Dinobot]] changes sides, starting as a Predacon and becoming a Maximal, and was later recreated as an artificial Predacon clone by Megatron in season 3. Additionally certain "Predacons" like Inferno and [[Blackarachnia]] were created from Maximal protoforms, but were fitted with Predacon shell programs, fighting instead for the Predacons. For the Maximals, the emphasis is on team spirit and good-natured arguing, especially from [[Rattrap]], but the Predacons argue and battle for leadership, which impairs their effectiveness against the Maximals.

== Characters ==
{{Main|List of Beast Wars characters}}

==Voice Cast==
*[[Garry Chalk]] as [[Optimus Primal]] and [[Transformers: Generation 1|G1]] [[Megatron]]
*[[David Kaye (voice actor)|David Kaye]] as [[Megatron (Beast Era)|Megatron]]
*[[Scott McNeil]] as [[Rattrap]], Dinobot, Waspinator, [[Silverbolt]] and Dinobot II
*[[Ian James Corlett]] as [[Cheetor]] and [[Sentinel (Beast Wars)|Sentinel]]
*[[Richard Newman (actor)|Richard Newman]] as [[Rhinox]] and the Vok
*Alec Willows as [[Tarantulas (Transformers)|Tarantulas]]
*[[Doug Parker (voice actor)|Doug Parker]] as [[Terrorsaur]] and [[Starscream]]
*[[Don Brown (voice actor)|Don Brown]] as Scorponok
*[[Venus Terzo]] as [[Blackarachnia]]
*Blu Mankuma as [[Tigatron]], [[Tigerhawk]], the Vok and [[Unicron]]
*[[Pauline Newstone]] as [[Airazor]]
*[[Jim Byrnes (actor)|Jim Byrnes]] as Inferno
*Colin Murdock as [[Quickstrike]]
*[[David Sobolov]] as [[Depth Charge (Transformers)|Depth Charge]]
*[[Campbell Lane]] as [[Rampage (Transformers)|Rampage]]
*Elizabeth Carol Savenkoff as the Predacon computer
*[[Lee Tockar]] as Ravage
*[[Susan Blu]] as Transmutate

== Episodes ==
{{Main|List of Beast Wars episodes}}
{{:List of Beast Wars episodes}}

== Video games ==
There have been two ''Beast Wars'' video games. The first game, ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (video game)|Beast Wars: Transformers]]'', was released for the [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]] and [[IBM PC compatible|PC]]. It is a [[third-person shooter]], based on the first season of the show, in which players control either the Maximals or the Predacons in a series of missions to undermine the other faction's attempts at gaining enough resources to win the war between them and escape the planet. The PC conversion added a multiplayer feature that allowed up to 8 players to play over [[local area network|LAN]], with its own playrooms in the MS Gaming Zone. The playrooms were shut down in 2006.

The second game, ''[[Transformers: Beast Wars Transmetals|Beast Wars Transmetals]]'', is a [[fighting game]] based on the second season released for the PlayStation and [[Nintendo 64]] by [[BAM! Entertainment]]. Most of the cast-members from the show reprised their voice-roles.

A third game was in the works for the [[PlayStation 2]], but was scrapped in [[pre-production]], without any official word as to why, or how far the project was before the plug was pulled.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tv.com/aftermath/episode/45417/trivia.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120913045735/http://www.tv.com/aftermath/episode/45417/trivia.html |url-status=dead|archive-date=September 13, 2012|title=Beast Wars – Season 2, Episode 1: Aftermath – TV.com|publisher=CBS Interactive|work=TV.com}}</ref>

==Home media==
The series was originally released on DVD in Region 1 by [[Rhino Entertainment|Kid Rhino Entertainment]] (under its ''Rhinomation'' classic animation entertainment brand) in 2003/2004.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dvdempire.com/Exec/v4_item.asp?item_id=541028|title=Beast Wars Transformers: Complete First Season Boxed Set|work=DVDEmpire}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dvdempire.com/Exec/v4_item.asp?item_id=589524|title=Beast Wars Transformers: Complete Second Season Boxed Set|work=DVDEmpire}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dvdempire.com/Exec/v4_item.asp?item_id=618442|title=Beast Wars Transformers: Complete Third Season Boxed Set|work=DVDEmpire}}</ref>

On February 8, 2011, [[Shout! Factory]] announced that they had acquired the rights to the series and planned to rerelease it.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Beast-Wars-Transformers-DVDs-Planned/15006|title=Beast Wars: Transformers DVD news: DVD Plans for Beast Wars: Transformers – TVShowsOnDVD.com|work=tvshowsondvd.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110825071506/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Beast-Wars-Transformers-DVDs-Planned/15006|archive-date=August 25, 2011}}</ref> They rereleased season 1 on DVD on June 7, 2011<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Beast-Wars-Transformers-Season-1-Press-Release/15397|title=Beast Wars: Transformers DVD news: Press Release for Beast Wars: Transformers – Season 1 – TVShowsOnDVD.com|work=tvshowsondvd.com|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110519094442/http://tvshowsondvd.com/news/Beast-Wars-Transformers-Season-1-Press-Release/15397|archive-date=May 19, 2011}}</ref> as well as a complete series set on the same day.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.shoutfactorystore.com/prod.aspx?pfid=5257412|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110625180238/http://www.shoutfactorystore.com/prod.aspx?pfid=5257412|url-status=dead|title=Transformers Beast Wars: Complete Series &#124; Shout!Factory<!-- Bot generated title -->|archive-date=June 25, 2011|access-date=December 19, 2022}}</ref> Both releases contain extensive bonus features including interviews, featurettes and special 24 page comic book, "Transformers Timelines: Dawn of Future's Past." Season 2 & 3 were rereleased on October 4, 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Beast-Wars-Transformers-Seasons-2-and-3/15642|title=Beast Wars: Transformers DVD news: Announcement for Beast Wars: Transformers – Seasons 2 & 3 – TVShowsOnDVD.com|work=tvshowsondvd.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715150609/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Beast-Wars-Transformers-Seasons-2-and-3/15642|archive-date=July 15, 2011}}</ref>

In Region 4, [[Madman Entertainment]] released all three seasons on DVD, in its original PAL format in Australia in 2006.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.madman.com.au/actions/catalogue.do?releaseId=5766&method=view |title=Beast Wars: Transformers Season 1 Collection |work=madman.com.au |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060904170504/https://www.madman.com.au/actions/catalogue.do?releaseId=5766&method=view |archive-date=September 4, 2006 }}</ref> On June 24, 2009, they released ''Transformers: Beast Wars – Complete Collection''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ezydvd.com.au/item.zml/805825 |title=Buy Transformers: Beast Wars – Complete Collection (10 Disc Box Set) on DVD-Video from EzyDVD.com.au |work=ezydvd.com.au |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110411133422/http://www.ezydvd.com.au/item.zml/805825 |archive-date=April 11, 2011 }}</ref> The 10-disc box-set features all 52 episodes of the series as well as many bonus features.

{| class="wikitable"

! rowspan="2"|DVD Name
! rowspan="2"|Episodes
! colspan="2"|Release dates
|-
! Region 1
! Region 4
|-
| Season 1
| align="center"|26
| August 12, 2003<br />June 7, 2011 ''(Rerelease)''
| March 17, 2006
|-
| Season 2
| align="center"|13
| March 23, 2004
| July 25, 2006
|-
| Season 3
| align="center"|13
| March 23, 2004
| November 10, 2006
|-
| Seasons 2 & 3
| align="center"|26
| October 4, 2011 ''(Rerelease)''
| N/A
|-
| Complete Series
| align="center"|52
| June 7, 2011
| June 24, 2009
|}

== Reception ==
''Beast Wars'' won a [[Daytime Emmy Award]] for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation in 1997.<ref name=IGNHist>{{Cite web|title= The History of Transformers on TV|work= IGN|date=June 27, 2011|url= http://uk.tv.ign.com/articles/800/800768p2.html |access-date=August 14, 2010}}</ref>

In a 2011 retrospective of the ''Transformers'' franchise, ''[[IGN]]'' commented that while ''Beast Wars'' used the same basic story template as previous series in the franchise, it "featured some of the best writing and story development in a ''Transformers'' series".<ref name=IGNHist /> Reviewing the season 2 DVD release, ''[[DVD Talk]]'' similarly remarked that ''Beast Wars'' used the same basic story as the 1984 ''Transformers'' series, but stood out from other series of its time by delivering messages to children without becoming preachy and utilizing considerable continuity, both from episode-to-episode and eventually with the 1984 ''Transformers'' series. The reviewer said the animation was dated by modern standards but the interesting and fun story content outweighed it.<ref>{{Cite news |first=John |last=Sinnott |title= Beast Wars Transformers: Complete Second Season|work= DVD Talk|date=March 25, 2004|url= https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/10037/beast-wars-transformers-complete-second-season/|access-date=August 16, 2010}}</ref> In a review of the season 3 DVD, the same critic praised the season's more rapid pace and darker tone, and said it was arguably the best season of the series. He concluded, "''Beast Wars'' may have been a marketing tool for Hasbro, but it also told some good stories without pandering to the lowest common denominator."<ref>{{Cite news |first=John |last=Sinnott |title= Beast Wars Transformers: Complete Third Season|work= DVD Talk|date=September 12, 2004|url= https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/12259/beast-wars-transformers-the-complete-third-season/|access-date=August 16, 2010}}</ref>

== Legacy ==
{{Main|Transformers: Beast Wars}}
The show was succeeded by ''[[Beast Machines: Transformers]]'', with a new creative team in charge of production. The traditionally animated Japanese series ''[[Beast Wars II]]'' and ''[[Beast Wars Neo]]'' were created to fill the gap while the second and third seasons of ''Beast Wars'' were being translated into Japanese (called ''Beast Wars: Metals'').<ref name=IGNHist /> Several [[Transformers: Beast Wars#Comic books|comic books]] and [[Transformers: Beast Wars#Video games|video games]] were also produced. The show's production companies, [[Mainframe Entertainment]] and [[Alliance Atlantis]], are also the same creators of the world's [[History of computer animation|first ever computer-animated TV series]], ''[[ReBoot]]'', which ran from 1994 to 2001.

In June 2017, producer [[Lorenzo di Bonaventura]] stated that a film adaptation of ''Beast Wars'' was not in plans, as he explained: "I'm probably not the one to be asking that question to because I don't get ''Beast Wars'', but you know, thankfully I'm not the only vote on it. I've never quite understood, they kind of feel like incompatible to me, you have animals, robots, we're used to cars."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://screenrant.com/transformers-producer-not-too-sure-about-beast-wars-potential/ |title=Transformers Producer Not Too Sure About Beast Wars Potential |website=Screen Rant |first=Dan |last=Zinski |date=June 21, 2017 |access-date=April 13, 2020}}</ref> Both a follow-up to ''[[Bumblebee (film)|Bumblebee]]'', and an adaptation of ''Beast Wars'' were reported to be in development, written separately by [[Joby Harold]] and [[James Vanderbilt]], respectively.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2020/05/paramount-dates-new-transformers-movie-for-2022-1202924176/|title = Paramount Dates New 'Transformers' Movie for 2022|date=May 2, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title= 'Transformers' Franchise Gets a Revamp With Two Separate Films in the Works |date= January 27, 2020 |author=Justin Kroll |url= https://variety.com/2020/film/news/transformers-franchise-revamp-bumblebee-james-vanderbilt-joby-harold-1203482496 |website= [[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] }}</ref> It was later reworked as a hybrid adaptation named ''[[Transformers: Rise of the Beasts]],'' which is a sequel to ''Bumblebee'' and featured the Maximals, the Predacons, and the Terrorcons.<ref>{{cite tweet|number=1407422768602181632|user=transformers|title=The battle on Earth is no longer just between Autobots and Decepticons… Maximals, Predacons, and Terrorcons join Tr…<!-- full text of tweet that Twitter returned to the bot (excluding links) added by TweetCiteBot. This may be better truncated or may need expanding (TW limits responses to 140 characters) or case changes. --> |date=June 22, 2021}}</ref> The film was released on June 9, 2023.

The third and final chapter of ''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron Trilogy]]'' titled "Kingdom" features the Autobots and the Maximals teaming up against the Decepticons and the Predacons.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Adams |first=Tim |date=2021-07-23 |title=REVIEW: Transformers: War for Cybertron: Kingdom Rolls Out a Fitting End to the Netflix Trilogy |url=https://www.cbr.com/transformers-war-for-cybertron-kingdom-review/ |access-date=2024-02-21 |website=CBR |language=en}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Portal|United States|Canada|Television|Cartoon|1990s}}
* {{Wikiquote-inline}}
* ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20110625180238/http://www.shoutfactorystore.com/prod.aspx?pfid=5257412 Transformers Beast Wars: Complete Series]'' at [[Shout! Factory]]
* {{IMDb title|0115108|Beast Wars: Transformers}}
* {{anime News Network|anime|3928}}
* [https://archive.today/20121206043106/http://www.bcdb.com/cartoons/Other_Studios/M/Mainframe_Entertainment/Beast_Wars__Transformers/index.html ''Beast Wars: Transformers''] at the [[Big Cartoon DataBase]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080117085050/http://www.a3upodcast.com/node/128 A3U Podcast Audio Interview With Voice Actor Scott McNeil]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080404173440/http://www.a3upodcast.com/node/159 A3U Podcast Audio Interview With Voice Actor Garry Chalk]

{{Former YTV original series}}
{{Transformers animated series}}
{{Fox Kids}}

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