X-E was recently had the pleasure of interviewing who is heralded as one of
the best writers of an animated series of all time - Larry DiTillio, who co-wrote
the Transformers: Beast Wars series. Before we get to the interview, I'd like to give a little background on the show
for those who are unfamiliar with it. As a sort of 'spinoff' show almost a decade
later, Beast Wars Transformers was about a team of Maximals & Predacons
(the future evolved Autobots & Decepticons) trapped in the past on a
prehistoric Earth. The battles between the two factions for both survival and
the ability to get back home becomes much more crucial towards the end of
the series after the Predacons realize that the old Transformers Ark is still
dormant in a volcano, millions of years before the Autobots and Decepticons
were to reawaken. It becomes a battle where the Maximals have to risk their
lives to keep Megatron and the evil Predacons from rewriting history itself - not
just for the Transformers, but for the universe as a whole!
The thing that was most intriguing about this cartoon, aside from the stellar
computer animation, was the fact that it wasn't written like your everyday
cartoon show. Any adult who could get past the fact that they were watching
sentinent robot beings who could transform into animals would totally
appreciate it. It had the action, the drama, and most importantly, more
character development than I think I've seen in any television series, period.
