The Rebirth of Optimus Prime: Behind the Scenes with Director Michael Bay

For two glorious years, Optimus Prime was the hero of America. He played in Transformers, an animated series thrifty (cynics call a half-hour toy commercial) that has pitted Prime Minister and his army of Autobots against the vicious Megatron and his Decepticons. On the small screen, these are more Robots in Disguise cartoon, the Titans were massive, massive shells in their car: semi-trailer, police cars, fighter planes.

The form of toys, transformers combined tactile thing as a Rubik's cube with the voyeurism of Hot Wheels cars Vroom Vroom. Add a touch of moral clarity of the Cold War and we were engaged. children 5-11 years - and it was boys - faithfully tuned in week after week, watching the saga of these bots Doughty, who hit their home planet, Cybertron, with vague and mixed motives - achievement, freedom, resources, defense - and taken their civil war to our planet. We were welcomed as liberators and adopted the first that our mech-daddy. Some literally: In 2001, 30 years, the National Guard from Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, has legally changed his name in Optimus Prime. "I'm very attached to him when I was a kid," he told reporters on TV first before shipment to the Middle East in 2003. "My father died and I did not really anyone around."

Then, in 1986, the premier has done something original that sets it apart from many other cartoon heroes. Then he died. He died for freedom, justice and shelf space. In the toy biz, there is no room for a paternal affection - that year, the next line. Transformers: The Movie, released in August this year, was the swan song of the former. For nearly two decades, through several lines of toys and restart toon questionable (Optimus Primal, a gorilla named? Please.) The son of the first aspect Pope Bot.

Finally, in July 2004, was decreed from the throne of Steven Spielberg: There would be a live-action remake of Transformers. (Wonder Joy! Blogging!) A year later, another revelation: Michael Bay, known for his explorations of modern masculinity Truffautian as Armageddon and The Rock, would direct. (Blog of rage! Spittle!)

Taking an Autobot

1974 Chevrolet Camaro Bumblebee Autobot transforming high was only part of a 14-month-long f / x process that took more than 60,000 virtual parts and 34,000 texture maps. The project pushed Industrial Light & Magic processors and 280 terabytes of disk storage to record up to 5500 capacity. - Erik Malinowski

A prayer went up on the Internet: Please, my God, do not let Michael Bay screw this. Discussion rooms shaken virtual nerd Thunderdome, aka Is not It Cool News, where processors (July 4) accumulated more traffic than any other film to come - not just in haunted Spidey was fueled by franchises '07. "It was as if he had told Michael Bay directs Star Wars," says Harry Knowles, editor of Is not It Cool News. "I do not understand why things are Bay soon, the machines look cool, blowing things up. E ' the best blaster in the company. '

So why all the pain on a beat-Bay Transformers? It's a toy. A cartoon. What's next? Please do not let Brett Ratner desecrate the Care Bears? And I'm not ass-kicking robot exactly what to expect from the high priest of infantilism high octane?

But among a certain sect of geekdom, there's more to lose. The first practically acquired children spend in the mid 80s. He was our Father of all models at a time in flesh and blood have been increasingly rare: Stallone began his long fall. Arnold was more credible that the machine man. So when the former said: "We must grow, must fall!" In this earthquake, the sound of dismantling this wall of sound (or, more precisely, the voice actor Peter Cullen), you have believed. Thus began the cyber-outsourcing masculine heroics, a process that eventually, inevitably, link Y chromosome to Xbox.

"I have heard many say:" Michael Bay has ruined my childhood, "says the man himself from the pulpit of his Santa Monica, California, the bay assembly. In the event, the bay is wearing a black shirt Decepticons. He is aware its image and to some extent, is delighted. "I knew there were fans," he sighs, shaking his shaggy blond mane power. "I do not know there were people who were hunting. I invite you to watch the 1986 animated film, go see the comedian. You'll want to shoot. "