Transformers Animation Errors

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Cliffjumper
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Transformers Animation Errors

Post by Cliffjumper »

Does the original kids' show have an incredibly high number of errors relative to other cartoons? For most for-Japan cartoons, or direct dubs thereof (say, Voltron) they seem to be non-existent. The ones in Challenge of the Gobots tend to be driven by massive scripting errors (usually one of the hack writers forgetting which side a character is on - not in a kind-of "LOL, they've got Swindle standing with the Protectobots in that one scene!" way, but, say, a Guardian character will just be a Renegade for the whole episode, often retaining name and voice actor). Are there so many flubs in the likes of MotU, Thundercats, GI Joe, Ghostbusters etc?
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inflatable dalek
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Post by inflatable dalek »

The sheer number of characters who look like other characters but in a different colour was always likely to cause lots of errors when hack animators got hired. Though the amount of otherwise inexplicable errors is likely to take some beating. I wouldn't be surprised if characters being in places they shouldn't is down to vague scripts saying stuff like "A whole bunch of Decepticons run in" and the animators just shoving in Bruticus next to the Combaticons. The Final Animation Checker never really earnt their money did they?

On the other hand... The sheer amount of reused stock footage in Star Trek: The Animated Series does cause some impressively silly cock ups (such as Scotty turning into Mr. Kyle every time he uses the transporter), and as that was Filmation I'd suspect He-Man has the same problem. If anyones bothered to watch an episode since 1983 let us know.
Cliffjumper
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Post by Cliffjumper »

inflatable dalek wrote:The sheer number of characters who look like other characters but in a different colour was always likely to cause lots of errors when hack animators got hired. Though the amount of otherwise inexplicable errors is likely to take some beating. I wouldn't be surprised if characters being in places they shouldn't is down to vague scripts saying stuff like "A whole bunch of Decepticons run in" and the animators just shoving in Bruticus next to the Combaticons. The Final Animation Checker never really earnt their money did they?
Thing is, Gobots followed much the same lines (using most of the same writers too) - maybe the much lower frame rate and general animation quality made it easier to keep an eye on? I've yet to see a series (with, admittedly, very little rewatch of most other toy-based 1980s cartoons) that has things like disappearing/reappearing characters.

One tiny little question that's always pinged around the back of my mind... would people class Grimlock as being in Carnage in C-Minor?
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Catalyst Dragon
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Post by Catalyst Dragon »

It seems to me that most action cartoons since the early nineties have had a big issue with using stock footage and sequences.
Examples- Almost every Transformer series since Beast Machines Transformation Sequences. And in RiD almost every time they attacked it was a stock sequence.

Alot of anime i've seen recently seems to do this as well.

But mostly i see it in CGI cartoons, thats where they get really lazy.
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inflatable dalek
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Post by inflatable dalek »

Didn't Go-Bots generally stick to the same six character constantly with the odd special guest star? It's a lot harder to bugger that up.
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Post by Patapsco »

The Real Ghostbusters had a few character duplicates in some episodes (the one that springs to mind is Apocalypse, What Now?m which has a load of wide shots with two Rays or two Winstons). Odd, considering that I think the characters were given distinctive jump suits and hair colour to remove those sorts of errors.
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Post by Cliffjumper »

Ah, cheers... I suspect MOTU has the same get-out as Gobots, actually - that the animation was so simple there wasn't much to stuff up.
inflatable dalek wrote:Didn't Go-Bots generally stick to the same six character constantly with the odd special guest star? It's a lot harder to bugger that up.
Nah, it focused on six characters and a guest star or so, but often had a lot of crowd scenes. And you'd expect more Gobot-packed episodes to be even more haywire due to the lack of practice... The only (unintentional*) character-swaps I can remember happen in the opening mini, when two Renegades are in a scene at the Guardian HQ.

* = At least three characters appear as 'guest stars' for both factions (Royal-T, Tork and Dart, seeing as nobody asked), but these are all done to the hilt, and as Gobots is cops 'n' robbers rather than warring political factions, you could even argue that they've just changed sides naturally as the back story for them is non-existent and therefore highly pliable...

It's very strange that a lot of Toei's "domestic" work (e.g. Dairugger XV/Vehicle Voltron) is so low in basic errors... Considering most Japanese shows were longer than any season of TF, it can't be a timeframe thing... Wonder if the Americans paid worse? Or they could just get away with slackness due to Hasbro not caring?
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another tf fan
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Post by another tf fan »

I don't think it was so much a lack of caring, but the absolute rush to get the episodes done and on the air. MTMTE has a few HUGE blunders but for the most part is well done. Every episode after that was deffinatly under the " No re-shoot, Get it Done Get It DONE !!!!!!" mentality.
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Blackjack
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Post by Blackjack »

I just suppose some of the animators just couldn't be bothered to check with the toys...

Case in point--> B.O.T., Carnage in C-Minor and Nel Yomtov.
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Catalyst Dragon
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Post by Catalyst Dragon »

MTMTE? MOTU?

Damn can't you people just spell it out cause I have no F***ing clue what your talking about!
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Gouki
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Post by Gouki »

Catalyst Dragon wrote:MTMTE? MOTU?

Damn can't you people just spell it out cause I have no F***ing clue what your talking about!
More than Meets the Eye. Masters of the Universe.

Assumedly.

Common sense and all. Calm down.
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Post by Cliffjumper »

Catalyst Dragon wrote:Damn can't you people just spell it out cause I have no F***ing clue what your talking about!
Then chances are there's minimum useful input you can bring to the topic.
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Vin Ghostal
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Post by Vin Ghostal »

Awww, Cliffy, give the newbie a break...
Catalyst Dragon wrote:MTMTE? MOTU?
Damn can't you people just spell it out cause I have no F***ing clue what your talking about!
MTMTE = More Than Meets the Eye, the three-part episode that started the original Transformers cartoon.

MOTU = Masters of the Universe, aka the He-Man show.
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Gouki
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Post by Gouki »

Vin Ghostal wrote:Awww, Cliffy, give the newbie a break..
Are you still a newbie after over a year?
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Denyer
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Post by Denyer »

Or eight.
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Post by Cliffjumper »

I surely am.


This is what riles me, though: -

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=MTMTE
http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=MOTU+cartoon

Slight tweak needed for the second, but that took less time than it probably did to type

"MTMTE? MOTU?

Damn can't you people just spell it out cause I have no F***ing clue what your talking about!"
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Catalyst Dragon
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Post by Catalyst Dragon »

Cliffjumper wrote:Then chances are there's minimum useful input you can bring to the topic.
Considering that the topic was somewhat useless to begin with, and that most all that really needed to be said on the topic was said in the first 2-3 post, that doesn't really hurt my feelings...

In anycase, I wasn't really all that upset, I was just very tired and frustrated with the days events, And I apologize to all for my hostile manner at the time.
All that was needed was a catalyst and the machines of war are set in motion.
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Gouki
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Post by Gouki »

Denyer wrote:Or eight.
Well CD (that's Catalyst Dragon for anyone who needs help with this sort of thing) has been here over a year. I thought newbie was now replaced with lazy, or stupid or something.
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Post by inflatable dalek »

We have no lazy noobs.
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Post by Vin Ghostal »

I try to be nice, just once.

Never mind, he's a f*cking moron. And so are you.*









*That's only for Brend, if he reads this.
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