Coming to DVD on October 2nd 2012 is Transformers: Rescue Bots-Roll to the Rescue. Aimed at younger kids, this Shout! Factory Kids DVD is enjoyable for both the young and more mature.

A family of “First Responders” are teamed up with 4 Autobots to keep the Griffin Rock island off the coast of Maine a safe place for its inhabitants while learning about team work, heroism and mankind.

Transformers: Rescue Bots includes a great cast including LeVar Burton of Reading Rainbow and Star Trek fame, Lacey Chabert from Tart and Mean Girls, Steve Blum; Cowboy Bebop’s Spike and of course Peter Cullen returns as Optimus Prime! More great voices join this group making for a well acted cartoon for the younger generation.

The art and animation are “soft” and child friendly, however an Anime fan like myself probably enjoys it more than the kids the show is aimed at.
The music is impressive with a soft-spoken hip-hop style tune at the opening credits and the oddly darker tune in the closing credits equal to that of Transformers Prime.

The stories in the five episodes are far from childish—OK, well…Y-7, but with minor peril situations…The episodes are full of action and great messages for young children and are able to keep the attention of adults—if anything, Transformers fans will enjoy the concept and characters even if its not a cartoon full of the usual Optimus Prime versus Megatron.

My favorite character is Dani Burns who is voiced by Lacey Chabert (people who know me “didn’t” see that coming) I always find the rare, only heroic female character to be the most interesting. Dani is a helicopter pilot and appears to possibly be a medic too. She is teamed up with Blades the transforming helicopter afraid of heights. Although their relationship is a bit rocky at first—as with all of the partners—they eventually learn to work together and in the episode ‘Hotshots’ they seem to take a selfish approach to their heroic deeds; swooping in on their other teammates and taking the credit until they need rescuing themselves.

I was very surprised by the show, I didn’t expect it to be balanced enough for people of all ages to watch and even enjoy it. I feel that being familiar with the concept of the characters—Transformers was something that I grew up watching from the first episode in the early 1980’s—I believe that it was natural to just have an open mind and enjoy something that wasn’t the standard of Transformers lore.

The picture and sound are DVD quality and features a now standard wide screen aspect ratio.
Extras include a DVD ROM coloring sheet and although it is listed in the Bonus Features, the premiere episode is automatically the first episode on the DVD.

With all of the over-complicated Anime DVDs I tend to watch, a simple story from any of the episodes of Transformers: Rescue Bots makes for a good reprieve from figuring out meanings and culture and story twists. This fact and the familiar concept and great voice actors causes me to give Transformers: Rescue Bots a…

GRADE: A (it’s simply an enjoyable show). {Pick it up for your kids or yourself}!

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