Our readers came up with these 3 great questions to send in on August 10th, and hot on the heels of the last round, Hasbro was generous enough to supply us a new round of answers.
TFviews.com: By now we all know that the 2007 movie was a box office and toy aisle smash hit, even to the point where Hasbro had to play catch-up with production, but of course that’s looking back at the end results. Our question goes further back to ask if Hasbro had plans for what to do if the movie had bombed, and if so, what were they? If no solid plans, could we play hypotheticals and hear what you guys at Hasbro TF think would have been done if that had happened?
Hasbro: As a matter of policy, we do not speculate or answer “hypothetical†questions.
(Editor’s note: What about the non-hypothetical portion of the question, does that mean it was “no plan”? We will follow up and hopefully find out.)
TFviews.com: There’s no question that the second Transformers movie is a box office powerhouse, all but guaranteeing another sequel. With Revenge of the Fallen, the 2007 movie’s robot aesthetic was tweaked a little, this new film introduced combiners and robot siblings into the mix, and there was even a Pretender in the film (though not the toy line). With TF2 in the bag and TF3 on the horizon, what further tweaks and new additions would Hasbro’s TF design team like to tackle for the next film? Are there other types of gimmicks and shapes you’d like to attempt for the toy line? Other TF legacy concepts you’d like to see integrated into the next film? Of course, we understand that this is too early to actual talk about what WILL be done, but we’d still like to hear what the team would LIKE to do.
Hasbro: We were very excited about the amount of lore and legacy that was incorporated into the first two live action films. We still believe that there is plenty of story and heritage left to tell and certainly look forward to the opportunity to do so in the near future.
TFviews.com: Despite the new movie’s stellar box office performance both at home and overseas, there have been some significant criticisms and points of negative feedback levied at the film from many different parties. How does Hasbro feel about types of humor employed in the film that could be called “low-brow”, “inappropriate”, and worse representing the Transformers brand as a whole? Is there any concern about that sort of thing possibly having long-term impact on audiences’ future opinions of the Transformers brand, especially as a toy franchise before a film franchise?
Hasbro: Hasbro is proud of the entertainment that we create with a wide variety of age groups in mind. Specific to our TRANSFORMERS brand, we are successfully delivering a number of different types of entertainment experiences beyond traditional toys and games, and into categories such as movies, video games, publishing, apparel, and more. As you know, the movie is rated PG-13. We strongly encourage parents and caregivers to be involved in all aspects of their children’s development, including play, time spent on the computer, watching television, and making decisions about the appropriateness of a movie for themselves and their family. When you consider the longevity and popularity of the TRANSFORMERS brand, today’s fans are often adults in their 20’s, 30’s and older, who have fond memories of enjoying TRANSFORMERS when they were younger. We will continue to strive toward creating great entertainment experiences for TRANSFORMERS and our vast portfolio of iconic brands for a wide range of age groups.
– Well, that’s it for this round, this is a bi-monthly Q&A series so we’ll have more great questions ready to go in early October. Thanks to all the readers who participated by coming up with these questions, and thanks to Hasbro for making this Q&A possible!
If you’d like to discuss these answers with other fans, or you’d like to submit a question of your own, join us in the Transformers Q&A thread in our forums!