Children of the 80s Rejoice, New Transformers & My Little Pony Shows on the Way

News from Netflix that will surely make every child who grew up in the 1980s feel like their childhoods have returned: the streaming giant has teamed with Entertainment One (eOne), Hasbro’s entertainment studio, to produce two new animated series based on popular 1980s franchises. Transformers: BotBots and My Little Pony will add to Netflix’s ever-expanding line of animated content.

I shouldn’t limit this good news just to children of the ’80s. The Transformers resurgence can largely be credited to Michael Bay’s box office smash films, the first of which hit theaters in 2007, while My Little Pony returned to prominence thanks to the hugely popular Friendship is Magic series. Presumably, the My Little Pony G5 series will continue the adventures of the ponies in Equestria, while Transformers: BotBots is based on the toy line that Hasbro launched in 2018.

BotBots are 1-inch collectible characters that transform from every day objects into tiny little robots. If you saw my swag video from the 2020 Toy Fair New York, you watched me attempt to figure out what my robot was supposed to look like. Transformers: BotBots will consist of 20 episodes and focus on the comedic adventures of the mischievous little robots. Kevin Burke and Chris “Doc” Wyatt (Spider-Man, Transformers: Rescue Bots Academy, Stretch Armstrong & the Flex Fighters) will serve as executive producers and showrunners.

BotBots are Transformers robots that disguise themselves as everyday mall objects. By day, these BotBots hide quietly on store shelves but at night, they jump into adventure until a group of BotBots called ‘The Lost Bots’ run into the mall security guard and put all the bots in danger. Will these misfits be able to overcome their differences, defeat the security guard and gain acceptance in the eyes of the other bots?

“We are delighted to partner with Netflix to bring an all-new Transformers story to life and explore a whole new universe with BotBots,” said Olivier Dumont, eOne’s President of Family Brands. “Transformers storytelling has expanded into so many new avenues and we can’t wait to surprise both existing fans and new fans coming to the franchise for the first time with these fun bots who are definitely more than meets the eye!”

Netflix’s existing Transformers titles include the War for Cybertron CGI-animated film trilogy, the third installment of which premieres in May 2021.

As for the new My Little Pony series, the beloved ponies will be reimagined for the first time in CGI, starting with an all-new feature film premiering on Netflix in the fall of 2021. The film was supposed to hit theaters in September, but with everything going on in the world, many studios are making deals to have movies hit streaming services rather than deal with the uncertainties of theater closures and potential delays.

I’m unsure how I feel about the CGI animation. I remember one of the Care Bears incarnations that was CGI, and honestly the character design kind of freaked me out a bit. I like the style of Friendship is Magic and was rather hoping they would continue with that.

The film will bring a new generation of ponies to a new generation of fans. Presumably, it will exist in the same universe as Friendship is Magic, but I haven’t been able to confirm anything. The new series will follow the film and likely continue the adventures of the new generation of ponies introduced.

In the new movie, the pony world of Equestria has lost its magic. (GASP!) Friendship and Harmony have been replaced by paranoia and mistrust, and Ponies now live separated by species. Sunny – a feisty and idealistic young Earth Pony – is convinced there’s still hope for this divided world… but her slightly misguided and often hilarious efforts to change hearts and minds have led to her being branded a misfit. When Sunny befriends a lost Unicorn named Izzy, who wanders innocently into the Earth Pony town of Maretime Bay, the town has had enough. Izzy and Sunny must embark on an epic adventure that will include a daring jewel heist, outrageous conspiracy theories, elaborate musical numbers, and the world’s cutest flying Pomeranian. Their adventures will take them to faraway lands and force them to challenge the status quo by facing their fears and making new friends out of old enemies. The world Sunny has dreamed of her entire life could finally become a reality as Sunny and her newfound friends fight to prove that even little ponies can make a big difference. In the computer-animated series, the adventures of Sunny Starscout and her friends will continue.

If that wasn’t enough ’80s nostalgia for you, don’t forget about Netflix’s previously announced He-Man inspired Masters of the Universe anime series, which boasts an all-star voice cast.

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Source: press release

Author: Jamie Sugah

Jamie has a BA in English with a focus in creative writing from The Ohio State University. She self-published her first novel, The Perils of Long Hair on a Windy Day, which is available through Amazon. She is currently an archivist and lives in New York City with her demon ninja vampire cat. She covers television, books, movies, anime, and conventions in the NYC area.

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