I believe my objection was closer to "parents of kids who have Optimus Prime can probably be more easily convinced to buy New Guy Ultra Magnus than to buy Optimus Prime (But He Has A New Trailer)" but sure whatever
Transformers the Movie 40th Anniversary Tour
- Thread starter LordGigaIce
- Start date
The universe cannot mount an apology campaign big enough.
If it wasn't due to something so sad, I'd probably be laughing about their dumbass ad campaign getting derailed in the most extreme way possible.
Hits like a truck, indeed.
Hits like a truck, indeed.
I said this in the other thread, but now, in light of what happened, I kind of don't want to go see the anniversary screening anymore.
Even if it's over a week away from now, watching that particular scene so early into the movie, and on the big screen, will still feel too soon.
Even if it's over a week away from now, watching that particular scene so early into the movie, and on the big screen, will still feel too soon.
So it looks like the Apology Tour is no more. A bunch of socials are rebranding, and AMC changed its listing from the Apology Tour to just the Transformers The Movie 40th Anniversary event.
It's the right move, and good on them for acting on this quickly. Little disappointed they didn't flail about for a bit, some good corporate shadenfreude is always good for a laugh.
Too late to undo the apology tour merch, though.
Too late to undo the apology tour merch, though.
The Fathom Events site still lists it as The Apology Tour though (and I think officially the screenings were The Transformers: The Movie: The Apology Tour 40th Anniversary Event anyways) but we'll see if they completely change that site to be regular 40th anniversary TFTM stuff instead.
At this point, it'll depend on my work schedule if I can go see it. I've requested enough time off this year already that I don't feel comfortable requesting any more time off (minus TFCon Orlando). But if I can't, I can live with that. I've seen this movie enough times in my life that I still haven't bought either Blu-Ray release yet and I don't put it on a pedestal enough that I'll feel cheated if I don't get to go to the Fathom screening.
My only concern with missing out on is the new content that's supposed to be played during the screening, but it would be foolish for that new stuff to be theater-exclusive and not get put online afterward. After all, they eventually put online the theatrical script reading of Episode 1 of the G1 cartoon.
My only concern with missing out on is the new content that's supposed to be played during the screening, but it would be foolish for that new stuff to be theater-exclusive and not get put online afterward. After all, they eventually put online the theatrical script reading of Episode 1 of the G1 cartoon.
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I wish there was a theater near me that was doing the movie, but alas, like 5 years ago I'll have to just watch my blu-ray.
I've got tickets. 17 September. At this point I just wanna use it as an excuse to celebrate the man's work.
What gets me is that, having seen Cullen's in-person thoughts about the movie, it's not something he was very fond of, since the movie didn't just kill off his character so early into the runtime, but it was basically like his pink slip from the series. The movie essentially fired him from what was one of his favorite roles (if not his most favorite role) of the time (plus Ironhide, who also got taken out even sooner), and he even wondered back then if maybe it was his own fault, as if he had unknowingly done something wrong that got him dismissed, before learning it was simply a stoic business decision to sell new toys by getting rid of the old ones.
In several convention panels and interviews, he recalled reading the script for the first time, being taken aback by Optimus's death scene, and then getting to the last page and being like, "I... I don't come back...?" He remembered turning to Frank Welker reading the script next to him and saying something like, "Hey, Frank, have you gotten to the end yet? I'm getting whacked!"
And not only was Optimus a favorite role of his, but it was also his most steady role at the time in terms of income. He relied on the G1 cartoon in order to help him stay financially stable. Then the movie came along and he was like, "Well, great. There goes that paycheck!"
Knowing all this, I am so glad that he was able to bounce back with voicing his second most iconic role: Eeyore (up until Disney took that away from him, too, a couple decades later, but I digress!).
TFTM may have been one of his most remembered works, but it really did him dirty and paid him very little respect. That's show business!
In several convention panels and interviews, he recalled reading the script for the first time, being taken aback by Optimus's death scene, and then getting to the last page and being like, "I... I don't come back...?" He remembered turning to Frank Welker reading the script next to him and saying something like, "Hey, Frank, have you gotten to the end yet? I'm getting whacked!"
And not only was Optimus a favorite role of his, but it was also his most steady role at the time in terms of income. He relied on the G1 cartoon in order to help him stay financially stable. Then the movie came along and he was like, "Well, great. There goes that paycheck!"
Knowing all this, I am so glad that he was able to bounce back with voicing his second most iconic role: Eeyore (up until Disney took that away from him, too, a couple decades later, but I digress!).
TFTM may have been one of his most remembered works, but it really did him dirty and paid him very little respect. That's show business!
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This is exactly the kind of thing that post-production work is for.
That actually is the real answer, but unironically. Especially at the time: the rulebook for contemporary handling of media properties was still being written. This very movie was instrumental in the object lesson of "whoops, don't just callously throw out existing IP like trademarked names and designs for new ones".
That said, the movie did everything it could to make him go out in the best way possible. We haven't shut up about a single aspect of it for 40 years for a reason. The Touch, the perennially-reused "one shall stand" faceoff dialogue, an all-time performance in a slobberknocker up to that point marred (fatally, oops) only by Hot Rod's interference, a lengthy funeral with extensive last words... Actual disrespect would be to just do him offscreen like Cyclops in "X3: The Last Stand" and never mention him again.
I don't think 22-minute toy commercials that had run for a couple of seasons (this being one of the first real ones) had quite yet built a culture around them where it was that much more than a gig for everyone involved (for some it might well be, who get attached to the characters, but not the team as a whole or the producers etc). The VAs and producers alike weren't even as aware of the audience impact as, well, as they'd definitely be after that.
I do think some aspects of that work have changed for the better since then, although it remains precarious, especially as generative AI and companies fawning over it threatens to reduce opportunities in the future. But it's not as if they did him dirty as a personal mission to make his life difficult.
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Agreed. The producers were rude but they weren't trying to be. They hired him to read a script, and that was it. The idea that this script was cutting him out of an ongoing role just didn't occur to them. It was too new. It's still exceptional. Long term roles have become normalized but still, what are the odds that you get one? Most of the job is still itty bitty in-and-out jobs that nobody remembers doing.
The Transformers also might have been an itty bitty in-and-out job that nobody remembered doing if it weren't for that meddling Wally Burr and his visionary belief that these toy commercial scripts deserved to be taken as seriously as any voice acting job could ever possibly be.
The Transformers also might have been an itty bitty in-and-out job that nobody remembered doing if it weren't for that meddling Wally Burr and his visionary belief that these toy commercial scripts deserved to be taken as seriously as any voice acting job could ever possibly be.
You know, I wasn't going to go see it in theaters, as I have it on every format at home, but after yesterday, I am going to find a theater to watch this in!