Shout Factory have finally released what many Transformers fans have been awaiting for a years, a definitive collection of the original Transformers cartoons. Yes, I said the c-word. Back when this series originally aired, “cartoon” was not the dirty word it seems to have become. These were indeed cartoons and, by god, there were thrilling and fun. Twenty-five years after it originally aired, we finally get the first season in its complete and restored form. Shout Factory presents this set in three discs in two slimline cases with a very nice Autobot symbol magnet that is suitable for your car or refrigerator. The whole package is no bigger than a double-wide DVD case so it will fit perfectly on the shelf with your other DVDs,should you, like me, care about such things. There is also a booklet with production information on each episode.

All sixteen first season episodes are spread across two discs, including the three-part pilot, “More Than Meets The Eye.” The great thing about this set is that the episodes are the original broadcast versions with a brand new stereo soundtrack created from the original audio sources. Unfortunately, as a result of restoring things to their original state, there are some scenes that are a little off in terms of quality. But that is a very small price to pay to have the episodes in their complete state. Another nifty aspect is that you can choose to watch the two three part episodes, “More Than Meets The Eye” and “The Ultimate Doom”, as one seamless episode.

The first season is very pivotal to the entire Transformers mythos as not only do we get introduced to the main Autobots and Decepticons, but we also meet the Witwicky family, starting with Spike and his father Sparkplug. Also debuting in the first season are the Decepticons’s Space Bridge, the Dinobots, the Insecticons and Devastator, the combined form of the Constructicons. All of these ideas and characters would continue to be important throughout the rest of the television series.

While the cartoons themselves are a treasure, the real meat of this set if the special features. In particular, “Triple Changer: From Toy To Comic To Screen” is amazing. The array of people interviewed for this piece on the creation of the Transformers are Aaron Archer (Director, Transformers Global Design and Development), Tom Griffin (Series Executive Producer), Wayne Luther (Senior VP, Global Design and Development), Joe Bacal (Series Executive Producer), Greg Lombardo (Senior Director, Transformers Global Marketing), Bob Budiansky (Comic Book Writer), Jared Wade (Director, Transformers Global Product Design) and Samantha Lomow (Senior VP, Transformers Global Marketing). What this myriad mix of people provide is a comprehensive history of how the Transformers went from a group of generic interactive toys in Japan to a worldwide phenomenon. It’s a far more interesting story than I thought it would and it’s really interesting that the Transformers as we’ve come to know were given their names and likenesses through the comic book series written by Bob Budiansky. Of particular note is the fact that everyone goes out of their to specifically not say the name of the particular comic book company that Budiansky worked for at the time.

The rest of the special features are comprised of a printable script for the episode “Transport To Oblivion” (the real first episode of the season if you don’t count the three-part pilot), one of five unaired public service announcements (Bumblebee advises kids not to run away from home; “knowing is half the battle”) and three television commercials for the toy line (Optimus Prime and Megatron, Insecticons and Dinobots, Generation 2 Optimus Prime). Apparently, likeness rights on commercials are not forever as all the kids’ faces are blurred out. Both strange and amusing.

This is a great set that finally gives this much-loved cartoon the care and attention it deserves. These are highly entertaining cartoons for Transformers fans of any age. I highly recommend you pick up this set as soon as possible, you will not be disappointed in the quality or the special features.