Director Josh Cooley took to the stage at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival on Monday to introduce a packed screening of a work-in-progress version of Transformers One.
“I’ve got that feeling you get when you’re giving a present and you know they’re going to be excited about it,” he said.
He had gauged the mood to a T with the Annecy spectators – most of whom weren’t born when the last Transformers theatrical animated feature film came out in 1986 – going wild for the film.
Transformers One is billed as the untold origin story of Optimus Prime and Megatron, who are now known as sworn enemies, but were once friends bonded like brothers who changed the fate of their native home of Cybertron forever.
Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry and Scarlett Johansson lead the star-studded cast which also features Keegan-Michael Key, Steve Buscemi Laurence Fishburne and Jon Hamm.
Without revealing plot details, there were spontaneous bouts of applause as the film ramped up to an action-packed denouement and the genesis of much-loved Transformer characters slotted into place.
The audience was also treated to two spoof, animated outtakes at the end.
Cooley, who stayed in the 1000-seat theatre for the duration, was treated to a rousing, standing ovation as the lights went up, and there was excited, appreciative chatter as spectators then streamed out of the auditorium.
The eighth feature inspired by Hasbro’s iconic action figures and the first fully CG-animated Transformers movie, Transformers One is produced Paramount Animation and Hasbro Entertainment In association with New Republic Pictures.
Paramount has set a September 13, 2024 release for the movie in for the U.S.
The enthusiastic Annecy response will add to growing buzz around the movie which Deadline hears is testing through the roof in the U.S.
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