They killed Optimus Prime. They really did it. And if you were a kid watching in 1986, you were never the same.

This week on Toonami Absolution, Alyx, Jon (who has never seen this film before), and Sam take on *The Transformers: The Movie* (1986) one of the most audacious, brutal, and beloved animated films in the history of American animation.

We break down everything: the shocking deaths of classic Autobots and Decepticons in the opening act, the introduction of Galvatron and Hot Rod, Unicron as one of animation's greatest villains, the iconic soundtrack (featuring "The Touch" by Stan Bush and an oddly censored version of "Dare To Be Stupid" by Weird Al), and the film's absolutely unhinged legacy as a toy commercial that accidentally became a rite of passage for an entire generation.

We also talk about the film's complicated reception a box office disappointment that became a cult masterpiece

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Toonami Absolution is a weekly podcast where Alyx, Jon, and Sam revisit the Toonami and Adult Swim shows that made them, and you, you.

From the block's early days with shows like Space Ghost: Coast to Coast and Transformers: Beast Wars to the imported anime that made Toonami and Adult Swim appointment television for a generation of kids, such as Cowboy Bebop, Sailor Moon, and Dragon Ball.

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See more Toonami Absolution stuff (including the video version of the podcast) by checking out our Linktree!

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