Transformers Reconstituted

Our great old pals from the '80s, those wild and whacky rampaging robots, get a freshening courtesy of Cartoon Network (it's more than just live-action cgi, don't you know):

"Transformers" is transforming — again.

Even before the bigscreen incarnation, shaped for broader appeal by Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg, hit theaters July 3, toymaker Hasbro was gearing up to reach another aud: young children.

The durable toon franchise will return with 26 half-hour episodes on the Cartoon Network, kicking off with a 90-minute special in January.

"It's going to be different from what it has been," says Hasbro's global VP for "Transformers" Samantha Lomow. "The storytelling full of humor — we didn't really have much of that in the past. We want to make the show a lot more fun for a younger audience."

In its most recent incarnations, the "Transformers" cartoon has been produced in Japan and overdubbed for syndication in the U.S. This time, Matt Youngberg, Sam Register and Derrick Wyatt (all of whom worked on "Teen Titans") will be reworking the characters for Cartoon Network; Marty Isenberg ("Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" ) will be head writer. Designs are reminiscent of the "Teen Titans," with stylized bodies and a fluidity lacking in the last Transformers cartoon, "Cybertron."

As we know, Transformers is/are a joy forever, particulalry if you're male and between oh, six and sixteen.

I, for one, think that a great big "thank you" is due to Mr. Bay and Mr. Spielberg for propelling this latest iteration.