The ‘80s were a wonderful era if you were a film-loving child. Studios were less concerned with coddling children and decided to release a stream of films that truly traumatized young people. We’re not talking about R-rated features, either. Back in the ‘80s, a PG film could be a fun romp suitable for all ages, or it could be a scary, dark, twisted film that seemed okay for children but ended up not being appropriate at all. Case in point— “Transformers: The Movie.”
For this episode of The Playlist Podcast, Charles conned Mike and Brian into watching the 1986 animated film, “Transformers: The Movie.” Why? Well, Not only is “Transformers: The Movie” celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, but Shout Factory has released a brand-new 4K UHD release of the film, allowing for nostalgic folks to relive the time in their lives when they cried over the death of so many Autobots, including Optimus Prime.
“Transformers: The Movie” segues nicely into the overall discussion about the era of children’s films of the ‘80s where gruesome deaths, unchecked violence, sexual imagery, and so much more were marketed straight to young film fans. This led to many uncomfortable moments where kids were shown things that would traumatize them (sometimes in the best way) and never leave their brains, even as hardened, middle-aged adults. Films like “Gremlins,” “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” and fit into this category right alongside the underrated “Transformers: The Movie.”
You can hear the full discussion below. (Fair warning—this might be the nerdiest episode to date, and that’s saying something…)
As always, The Playlist Podcast is part of The Playlist Podcast Network—which includes Be Reel, Deep Focus, The Fourth Wall, and more—and can be heard on iTunes, AnchorFM, Soundcloud, Stitcher, and now on Spotify. You can stream the podcast via the AnchorFM embed below or up top to listen on this page. Follow us on iTunes, and you’ll get this podcast as well as our other shows regularly. Be sure to subscribe and drop us a comment or a rating, as we appreciate it. Thank you for listening.
