Transformers: The Movie turns 40, which means Rich finally has the perfect excuse to dedicate an entire Bodcast to his favourite animated film of all time.

For Rich, this is pure nostalgia. He first saw the film at the cinema with his dad back in 1986 and, 40 years later, they’re heading back to the cinema together for the anniversary re-release, this time with Rich’s brother joining them.

For T.A., things are slightly different. He’s just watched Transformers: The Movie for the very first time.

We look back at the film, the decision to kill off Optimus Prime and the backlash that followed, whether selling a new generation of toys took priority over the characters children had grown attached to, and how differently the film lands when you’re watching it as an adult without that childhood connection.

There’s also the incredible 1980s soundtrack, a voice cast featuring Leonard Nimoy, Eric Idle and Orson Welles, the legacy of Peter Cullen’s Optimus Prime and plenty of memories of Transformers growing up.

Can T.A. understand why the film still means so much to Rich after 40 years?

“Till all are one!”

Episode cover uses artwork from “The Transformers: The Movie: The Soundtrack: The Reformatted Edition” by Matt Ferguson.

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Podcast artwork for The Middle-aged Bodcast bonus episode, "Transformers: The Movie at 40" featuring Matt Ferguson's colourful sci-fi artwork from The Transformers: The Movie: The Soundtrack – The Reformatted Edition, above the Bodcast logo and episode title.