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The Transformers animated TV franchise has a new home.
After The Hub Network was rebranded to Discovery Family, Hasbro Studios announced that Transformers will return to the Cartoon Network. Transformers: Robots in Disguise will be the first Transformers property to debut on the Viacom-owned network, in the first quarter of 2015.
Transformers: Robots in Disguise, not to be confused with the 2001 series of the same name, follows Bumblebee as he is forced to step up to be leader in the years after we last leave the Autobots in Transformers: Prime, which ended its three-season run in 2013. Summoned by Optimus Prime to save Earth from a new faction of Decepticons, Bumblebee puts his lighthearted mettle to the test after assembling a rogue team of young Autobot action heroes.
Original Transformers series have appeared on The Hub since 2010, which last week was rebranded to Discovery Family and skewed toward young girls. The return to Cartoon Network makes sense for Transformers, as the network currently is the top-rated primetime network among boys ages 6-11 and 9-14, the target demo for the Transformers TV franchise.
“Robots in Disguise begins a brand-new chapter in storytelling, filled with great humor, lots of fun adventure and animated in a cooler, lighter, brighter style that we know kids are going to really love,” said Stephen Davis, president of Hasbro Studios and global entertainment and licensing for Hasbro, Inc. “We have spent a lot of time listening to what kids like about Transformers and they haven’t been shy about giving us their opinions. And we have listened! Robots in Disguise is reflective of all that we have learned in our conversations with kids. It has the most relatable Autobot and Decepticon characters we have ever ‘rolled out’ in a Transformers animated series.”
“As the regularly top-rated U.S. TV network in prime among Transformers‘ core audience of boys ages 6-11 and 9-14, our beloved Autobots and Decepticons will feel very much at home on Cartoon Network,” said Finn Arnesen, senior vp global distribution and development for Hasbro Studios. “And to seal our new partnership with Cartoon Network on the 30th anniversary of the Transformers franchise makes this a truly iconic event.”
Email: Philiana.Ng@THR.com
Twitter: @insidethetube
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