Transformers ''Transformers'' is a media franchise produced by American toy company Hasbro and Japanese toy company Tomy, Takara Tomy. It primarily follows the Autobots and the Decepticons, two alien robot factions at war that can transform into other forms ...

: Rescue Bots'' (or simply ''Rescue Bots'') is a toyline, story book series, and animated robot superhero

children's television series Children's television series (or children's television shows) are television programs designed for children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run during the early eveni ...

based on toy manufacturer

Hasbro Hasbro, Inc. (; a syllabic abbreviation of its original name, Hassenfeld Brothers) is an American multinational conglomerate holding company incorporated and headquartered in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Hasbro owns the trademarks and products of K ...

's ''

'' franchise. ''Rescue Bots'' is the successor of ''Transformers: Robot Heroes'' and is based on the same concept as the ''Marvel Superhero Adventures'' and ''Star Wars Jedi Force'' franchises. ''Rescue Bots'' mainly focuses on educating children regarding hazards and safety. The original main group of Autobots who take part in ''Rescue Bots'' are Chase, Heatwave, Blades and Boulder. Relating to other ''Transformers'' series/continuities, ''Rescue Bots'' features human and Autobot allies as well as a toy line. The original toy line and the storybook series features the team of Chief Charlie Burns (Optimus Prime's and Hoist's partner), an adult Cody Burns (Heatwave's partner), Sawyer Storm (Blades' and Medix' Partner), Walker Cleveland (Boulder's partner), Billy Blastoff and Jack "Hunter" Tracker (Chase's partners), and Axel Frazier (Bumblebee's partner). The TV series features Chief Charlie Burns (Chase's partner), Cody Burns as a child (Optimus Prime's and Salvage's partner), Dani Burns (Blades's partner), Kade Burns (Heatwave's partner), and Graham Burns (Boulder's partner), as well as Doc Greene and Francine Greene as supporting characters (who later in the series become temporary partners to the Autobot High Tide). Season 1 is available for streaming via

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

. Hasbro has also made seasons 1–3 available digitally on iTunes and on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...

through a paid subscription. The trailer for the fourth season was released on January 22, 2016 which shows an older Cody Burns and a female rescue bot named Quickshadow. Season 4 first aired on April 23, 2016 and ended on October 22, 2016, lasted for four years. 104 episodes have been produced. As of its fourth season, ''Rescue Bots'' is the longest-running ''Transformers'' series, surpassing '' The Transformers'', which aired for 98 episodes. On June 6, 2017, it was announced that the series had ended production and would be succeeded by '' Transformers: Rescue Bots Academy''. Though, cast did not reprise their roles in the series.

Synopsis

Set on the fictional

island An island or isle is a piece of subcontinental land completely surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island in a river or a lake island may be ...

of Griffin Rock somewhere off the coast of

Maine Maine () is a U.S. state, state in the New England and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and territories of Canad ...

, the Rescue Bots (a group of

Autobots The Autobots are the main protagonists in the fictional continuities of the Transformers multimedia franchise, and are depicted in a collection of various toys, cartoons, films, graphic novels, and paperback books first introduced in 1984. The ...

designed for rescue missions) named Heatwave, Boulder, Blades, and Chase respond to

Optimus Prime Optimus Prime, , is a fictional character in the '' Transformers'' franchise. The Transformers characters were developed for an American market after Hasbro representatives visited the 1983 Tokyo Toy Show. The characters were modified and the ...

's message for any active Autobots in outer space to come to Earth. Coming out of a long stasis, the Rescue Bots learned what became of Cybertron and that they are one of the only Rescue Bot teams remaining. Deeming them too valuable for them to join the fight against the

Decepticons The Decepticons are the main antagonists in the fictional continuities of the ''Transformers'' multimedia franchise. They are depicted as a faction of sentient robotic lifeforms led by Megatron, identified by a purple face-like insignia. Capa ...

, Optimus Prime partners them with the Burns Family composed of first response rescuers. Together, they learn teamwork and heroism alongside their human friends as they deal with various disasters while also getting themselves familiar with Earth's cultures.

Episodes

Broadcast and release

A television series was produced independently from the earlier released storybooks, set in the same story continuity as '' Transformers: Prime'' and '' Transformers Robots in Disguise'' with occasional crossovers. The show aired on Hasbro's and Discovery's television network,

Discovery Family Discovery Family is an American cable television channel co-owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and Hasbro Entertainment. The channel was originally launched by Discovery Communications on October 7, 1996 as Discovery Kids, a spin-off of Discove ...

. ''Rescue Bots'' is developed for television by

Nicole Dubuc Nicole Danielle Dubuc (born November 6, 1978) is an American actress and writer, known for her work on the ''Transformers'' franchise, including '' Transformers: Prime'', '' Rescue Bots'', '' Rescue Bots Academy'', '' Robots in Disguise'' and '' ...

Brian Hohlfeld Brian Hohlfeld (born March 30, 1957) is an American screenwriter who is best known for writing '' He Said, She Said'' and work with Disney's ''Winnie the Pooh'' franchise. Hohlfeld is responsible for numerous uncredited feature rewrites including ...

, and

Jeff Kline Jeff Kline is an American film and television writer-producer and former television executive. He has been involved in more than 40 animated and live-action series and pilots, has received multiple Emmy nominations and wins. Early life Jeff ...

. The series had a sneak peek on December 17, 2011, and officially premiered on February 18, 2012. It premiered on

Discovery Kids Discovery Kids (stylized as Discovery K!ds) is a brand name owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Starting as a television segment within the Discovery Channel, the brand expanded as a separate television channel. Most of its worldwide channels were e ...

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

Home video release

Shout! Factory Shout! Factory is an American home video and music company founded in 2002 as Retropolis Entertainment. Its video releases include previously released feature films, classic and contemporary television series, animation, live music, and comedy ...

have released several DVDs in the US, featuring random episodes:

Beyond Home Entertainment Beyond International Limited is an international television and film production company with operations in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States. Listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (), the company is involved i ...

have released the first two seasons on DVD in Australia: Miracle Media in the United Kingdom have rights for the first two seasons through Region 2, including most of Western Europe and the Middle East.

References

External links