Transformers: EarthSpark

Transformers: EarthSpark is an American computer-animated television series based on the Transformers toyline by Hasbro and Takara Tomy and developed by Dale Malinowski, Ant Ward and Nicole Dubuc for the streaming service Paramount+ and the cable channel Nickelodeon. The series is owned and distributed by Hasbro,[3][1] and is a co-production between Hasbro's Entertainment One and Nickelodeon Animation Studio, with animation services provided by Icon Creative Studio. It debuted on Paramount+ with its first 10 episodes on November 11, 2022.[2][4][5][6]

Transformers: EarthSpark
Genre
Based onTransformers
by Hasbro and Takara Tomy
Developed by
Voices of
ComposerCrush Effect
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes10
Production
Executive producers
Running time23–45 minutes
Production companies
DistributorEntertainment One (Hasbro)[1]
Release
Original networkParamount+[2]
Original releaseNovember 11, 2022 (2022-11-11) –
present

The second batch of episodes of season one, bringing the total episode count to eighteen, is set to begin streaming on Paramount+ on March 3, 2023.[7] The series has been renewed for a second season.

Premise

Many years after the end of the civil war between the Autobots and the Decepticons where the destruction of the Space Bridge strands both Transformers, the Malto family relocates from Philadelphia to the small town of Witwicky, Pennsylvania. There, young Robby and Mo Malto witness the birth of a new breed of Earth-born Transformers called Terrans, who become emotionally-bonded to the two via special cyber-sleeves on their arms. Now adopted into the family and being mentored by Bumblebee, the Terrans work with the Autobots, the former Decepticon leader Megatron, the organization G.H.O.S.T., and the children to protect their new life from the remaining rogue Decepticons and other villains while finding their place in the world.[8]

Characters

Terrans
  • Twitch Malto (voiced by Kathreen Khavari)  – An inquisitive and competitive Terran Transformer and Robby's partner. She transforms into a flying Cybertronian drone.[9]
  • Thrash Malto (voiced by Zeno Robinson)  – A fun-loving and impulsive Terran Transformer and Mo's partner. He transforms into a motorcycle with a sidecar.[9]
  • Hashtag Malto (voiced by Stephanie Lemelin)  – A second-generation Terran Transformer. She transforms into an armored car.
  • Jawbreaker Malto (voiced by Cyrus Arnold)  – A second-generation Terran Transformer.
  • Nightshade Malto (voiced by Z Infante)  – A second-generation Terran Transformer. Nightshade is the first character in a Transformers cartoon to be identified as non-binary.

Autobots
  • Optimus Prime (voiced by Alan Tudyk)  – The leader of the Autobots. He transforms into a semi-trailer truck.[9]
  • Bumblebee (voiced by Danny Pudi)  – An Autobot scout who becomes the Terrans' mentor. He transforms into a yellow sports car with black racing stripes,[9] though it was shown he originally scanned a similarly-colored compact car.
  • Elita-1 (voiced by Cissy Jones)  – The Autobots' second-in-command. She transforms into an all-terrain SUV.[9]
  • Wheeljack (voiced by Michael T. Downey)  – An Autobot mechanic and scientist. He transforms into a rally car.[10]
  • Arcee (voiced by Martha Marion)  – An Autobot soldier. She transforms into a muscle car.[10]
  • Grimlock (voiced by Keith David)  – An Dinobot warrior with a Tyrannosaurus alternate mode.

Decepticons
  • Megatron (voiced by Rory McCann)  – The former leader of the Decepticons who has renounced his evil ways and has occasionally collaborated with Dorothy Malto. He transforms into an armored tiltrotor.[9]
  • Swindle and Hardtop (both voiced by Nolan North)  – A pair of criminal Decepticon brothers. They transform into an SUV and dune buggy respectively.[10] Swindle was detained and Hardtop's right arm was modified by Mandroid into a prosthetic replacement for his own. When Mandroid got away after his first fight with the Autobots, Hardtop was among those detained as he claims to Megatron that he was not himself. Swindle would later try to dupe Thrash and Mo into helping find Hardtop by stealing the Energon Scanner only to be repelled by Bumblebee.
  • Skullcruncher  – A Croctobot who is in the possession of Mandroid and can transform into a crocodile. He was later put into G.H.O.S.T. custody after his defeat by the Maltos and Autobots.
  • Soundwave (voiced by Sean Kenin)  – A Decepticon who works with his cassette-bots minions. He transforms into a stealth Cybertronian aircraft and has a particular grudge against Megatron for renouncing his evil ways.[10]
    • Ravage - One of Soundwave's mini-cassette minions, taking on a cat-like robot mode.
    • Laserbeak (voiced by Jake Green) - One of Soundwave's mini-cassette minions, taking on a bird-like robot mode.
    • Frenzy (voiced by Tiana Camacho) - One of Soundwave's mini-cassette minions, and the only one with a traditionally humanoid robot mode.
  • Starscream (voiced by Steve Blum)  – A Decepticon who transforms into a jet, formerly serving as the faction's Air Commander in the great war. After the war ended, Starscream was seen in the custody of G.H.O.S.T. Blum reprises his role from Transformers: Prime and Robots in Disguise.
  • Skywarp and Nova Storm (both voiced by Nicole Dubuc)  – A pair of Decepticon Seekers forced to work for Mandroid. They both transform into jets. One of them also wanted to be an Autobot.[10]
  • Shockwave  – A Decepticon with a vendetta against Megatron. He was formerly the faction's chief scientist in the war.
  • Tarantulas (voiced by Alfie Allen)  – A Decepticon with a spider alternate mode.
  • Breakdown (voiced by Roger Craig Smith)  – A Decepticon with a supercar alternate mode. He is close friends with Bumblebee.

Insecticons
  • Shrapnel  – An Insecticon who is in the possession of Mandroid and can transform into a stag beetle. He was later put into G.H.O.S.T. custody after his defeat by the Maltos and the Autobots.
  • Bombshell  – An Insecticon who is in the possession of Mandroid and can transform into a Japanese rhinoceros beetle. He was later put into G.H.O.S.T. custody after his defeat by the Maltos and the Autobots.

Humans
  • Robby Malto (voiced by Sydney Mikayla)  – A 13-year-old boy adjusting to his new life after being forced to move to a small town.[9]
  • Morgan Violet "Mo" Malto (voiced by Zion Broadnax)  – Robby's optimistic 9-year-old sister.[9]
  • Dorothy "Dot" Malto (voiced by Benni Latham)  – Robby and Mo's mother, who is a park ranger and ex-soldier. In "Age Of Evolution" Pt. 1, it's revealed she has lost a leg in the great Cybertronian war.[9]
  • Dr. Alex Malto (portrayed by Jon Jon Briones)  – Robby and Mo's father who is a college professor with a Ph.D. in Cybertronian History.[9]
  • Mr. Smelt (voiced by Daran Norris)  – A teacher at Witwicky Charter School.[10]
  • Mandroid / Dr. Meridian (voiced by Diedrich Bader)  – A mad scientist and roboticist who seeks to destroy all Cybertronians. His real name is Dr. Meridian and was given the nickname "Mandroid" against his wishes by Thrash.[9] Mandroid had lost his original right arm in the Cybertronian war back when he used to work for G.H.O.S.T. and later used Hardtop's right arm as a replacement. He makes uses of the rogue Decepticons in his goals.
    • Arachnamechs - The spider-like creations of Mandroid.

G.H.O.S.T.

Short for Global Hazard and Ordinance Strike Team, this human organization has the goals of rebuilding the relationship between the humans and the Cybertronians.

  • Executive Agent Croft (voiced by Kari Wahlgren)  – A high-ranking member of G.H.O.S.T.[10]
  • Agent Schloder (voiced by Marc Evan Jackson)  – A member of the secret military organization G.H.O.S.T. and the brother of Agent Croft.[10]
  • Agent Bala (voiced by Krizia Bajos)  – A member of G.H.O.S.T. who was charged with transporting an Energon Scanner through Witwicky.

Other characters
  • Quintus Prime (voiced by Clancy Brown)  – An ancient Cybertronian and one of the original thirteen Primes created by Primus who serves as the scientist of the group. His artifact, the Emberstone, is responsible for bringing the Terrans into existance.

Episodes
No.TitleWritten byStoryboard byOriginal release date [11]Nickelodeon air dateProd.
code [11]		U.S. linear viewers
(millions)
1
2		"Secret Legacy"Nicole Dubuc and Dale MalinowskiAaron Brewer, Alex Nyerges, Carl Peterson, Nathan Jones, Marvin Madrid Rodriguez & Sol Choi, Alex Kwan & Jordan Rosato (directors)November 11, 2022 (2022-11-11)November 11, 2022101–1020.20[12]
The Malto family recently moves into Witwicky, though when Robby attempts to runaway for Philadelphia, the first Transformers born on planet Earth become involved in both family drama and the start of a new conflict when they run into the mysterious Mandroid who has made use of his Arachnamechs and some Decepticons.
3"Moo-ving In"Isabel GalupoIndia Swift, Meg Lloyd, Milo Gould & Veronica Liu, J.J. Conway (director)November 11, 2022 (2022-11-11)February 10, 20231030.12[13]
As Bumblebee moves in with the Maltos to train the Terrans, he quickly discovers that the task at hand is far more difficult than what he had originally expected. He then gets few lessons by other Autobots, which include: trying to scare them so they listen (from Megatron) and do what makes them happy (by Elita-1).
4"House Rules"Ian BuschCarl Peterson, Marvin Madrid Rodriguez & Sol Choi, Jordan Rosato (director)November 11, 2022 (2022-11-11)February 10, 2023104N/A
A number of incidents involving Mo and Thrash results in the pair being tricked by Swindle as he tries to find and rescue Hardtop while targeting an Energon Scanner, but the family's previous relation strains quickly comes under fire.
5"Classified"Nathan Ramos-ParkAaron Brewer & Nathan Jones, Alex Kwan (director)November 11, 2022 (2022-11-11)February 17, 2023105N/A
A series of nightmares from Robby results in the entire family getting involved in a number of situations involving G.H.O.S.T. including keeping the Terrans safe from their triggerhappy agents.
6"Traditions"Maasai SingletonCarl Peterson, Marvin Madrid Rodriguez, Sol Choi & Stephanie Ressler, Jordan Rosato & Matthew Humphreys (directors)November 11, 2022 (2022-11-11)February 17, 2023106N/A
During the day of a family tradition, Twitch discovers Wheeljack while looking for Alex. Though they and Robby quickly get ambushed by the Arachnamechs sent my Mandroid to find more Cybertronians as he finds difficulty operating a laser with Hardtop's arm.
7"Friends and Family"Brian HohlfeldDavid Maximo, Kevin Reed, Milo Gould, Stephanie Ressler, Veronica Liu & Zheping Xu, J.J. Conway (director)November 11, 2022 (2022-11-11)February 24, 2023107N/A
It is the first day of school for Robby and Mo and they are nervous about it, and so are Thrash and Twitch, whom fear that they might get replaced by new friends. After a falling out, more similarities between Humans and Terrans are revealed.
8"Decoy"Isabel GalupoAaron Brewer, Alex Nyerges, Michael Nanna, Nathan Jones & Rachel Buecheler, Alex Kwan (director)November 11, 2022 (2022-11-11)February 24, 2023108N/A
While Optimus and Megatron bicker about the current situation regarding the treatment of former Decepticons, Bee pawns off his duties to Arcee so he can get back in the field....a decision he finds to be a very bad idea when Soundwave releases Ravage into a G.H.O.S.T. facility where Starscream is imprisoned.
9
10		"Age of Evolution"Nicole Dubuc and Dale MalinowskiAnissa Espinosa, India Swift, Kevin Molina-Ortiz, Meg Lloyd, Milo Gould & Veronica Liu, J.J. Conway (director)November 11, 2022 (2022-11-11)TBA109N/A
The Autobots and the Maltos begin to search for the origin of the Terrans, but interference from Mandroid who sends Skywarp and Nova Storm to target Optimus Prime's left arm. This causes a hostage situation and a rescue operation is in effect....with reinforcements.

Production

In early 2021, Hasbro announced two animated series based on the Transformers brand. The first was a series based on the BotBots line for Netflix, and the other was a then-untitled series set to air on Nickelodeon in 2022.[4] The series' official title, Transformers: EarthSpark, was revealed in February 2022 with a release window set for the fall of that year.[5] On February 1, 2023, the series was renewed for a second season.[14]

Marketing

The voice cast and a sneak peek for the series was later revealed during the 2022 San Diego Comic-Con.[9]

Release

On March 24, 2022, it was announced that the series would debut on the Paramount+ streaming service in November 2022.[2] Nickelodeon previewed the premiere episodes early on the same day, but later started airing them on a regular schedule on February 3, 2023.

References
  1. "eOne Family Brands Distribution Catalogue". WorldScreen. April 2022.
  2. Lynch, Jason (March 24, 2022). "Nickelodeon Expands Franchises in Upfront In-Person Return". Adweek.
  3. "Hasbro, Inc. trademark for Transformers: Earthspark". February 15, 2022.
  4. Petski, Denise (February 25, 2021). "Nickelodeon Orders Transformers Animated Comedy Series Based On Hasbro Franchise". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  5. Petski, Denise (February 15, 2022). "'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' Villain Movies, 'Transformers' Series & More Heading To Paramount+ & Nickelodeon". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  6. Milligan, Mercedes (September 12, 2022). "Nick, Paramount+ Set 'Transformers: EarthSpark' Premiere and NYCC Plans". Animation Magazine. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  7. "Transformers: Earthspark New Trailer Debuts Grimlock and Reveals Return Date". denofgeek. February 5, 2023. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  8. "Paramount+ Expands Kids' Slate with New 'Transformers,' 'Dora,' 'TMNT,' 'SpongeBob' & More from Nickelodeon". Animation Magazine. 15 February 2022.
  9. Petski, Denise (July 22, 2022). "'Transformers: EarthSpark': Paramount+ Series Sets Voice Cast, Teaser Trailer – Comic-Con". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  10. "'Transformers: EarthSpark' Official Trailer Debuts at NYCC". 9 October 2022.
  11. "Transformers: EarthSpark Episode Listings". The Futon Critic.
  12. Mitch Salem (November 14, 2022). "Friday 11.11.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  13. Mitch Metcalf (February 13, 2023). "Friday 2.10.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
  14. "Paramount+ Announces Greenlight for Second Season of Original Animated Series "Transformers: EarthSpark"" (Press release). CBS. February 1, 2023. Retrieved February 1, 2023 – via The Futon Critic.
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