The Extra Arrives on the Second Path

The Transformers: The Movie is a 1986 animated science fiction action film based on the Transformers television series. It was co-produced and directed by Nelson Shin, who also produced the television series, and written by Ron Friedman. It was released in North America on August 8, 1986, and in the UK on December 12. The story is set in 2005, 20 years after the TV series' second season. The plot follows the heroic Autobot robots, who are hunted by Unicron, a planet-sized Transformer. The film features the voices of Eric Idle, Judd Nelson, Leonard Nimoy, Casey Kasem, Robert Stack, Lionel Stander, John Moschitta Jr., Scatman Crothers, Peter Cullen, Frank Welker, and Orson Welles, who died ten months before the film's release, in his final film role. The soundtrack comprises electronic music composed by Vince DiCola and songs from rock and heavy metal acts including Stan Bush and "Weird Al" Yankovic. Hasbro, the owner of Transformers, demanded the film introduce new characters for its toyline, at the protest of some creators of the film and TV series. The decision to kill off multiple established characters prompted outcry from fans and a letter-writing campaign. On release, The Transformers: The Movie received generally negative reviews from critics and grossed $5.8 million against a budget of $6 million, becoming a box-office failure. Over time, perceptions of the film improved and it gained a cult following, with re-releases over time bringing its lifetime gross to over $10.3 million.