Transformers: Beast Machines on DVD in LETTERBOX

This is an online petition aimed at Rhino's "Rhinomation" division, and toy makers Hasbro, to ensure that the High Definition Letterbox version of "Transformers: Beast Machines" will be released on DVD.

Mind you, to those who may inquire, this is a "happy" petition, and not a "vengeful" petition. Rhino and Hasbro have, over the years, listened to consumer and fan interests in regards to their products, and in doing so have often stepped in when they could to deliver on concerns from the masses. And we, the Transformers fan and Rhino consumer communities, certainly thank them for making our oft-insane fixations on little shape-shifting cars and monkeys that much more worthwhile.

Just recently, as reported at such websites as Allspark.com and TVshowsonDVD.com, it was unearthed that Rhino had tentative plans to release the 3rd American Transformers series, "Beast Machines", on DVD at some point in 2005. And with just one more month to go before the final "Beast Wars" set is released, we figure that Hasbro either is, or has, started laying out the development process for the "Beast Machines" release. Thus, now would likely be the best time to address the issue at hand.

A few years back, Mairi Welman, former PR representative of Mainframe, explained that the company had began developing both Letterbox and Pan-n-Scan versions of every show they produced, some time during the 1999 season. Each episode of these following series, such as "Beast Machines" and Hasbro's "Action Man", were developed in Letterbox form, and then cropped for normal television. Both prints were available to the networks to decide which version they wanted to use.

Unfortunately for "Beast Machines", FoxKids and YTV went with the Pan-n-Scan route, as HDTV Letterbox hadn't really kicked in much at the time and the syndicates probably weren't set up to air them as such. Thankfully, however, Mainframe looked ahead to the future and proclaimed that both versions would still be open to whoever carried the rights to their shows. One such company, Anchor Bay, decided to release both of Mainframe's "Reboot" telefilms on DVD earlier this year, using the LBX format.

From this, we're asking both of Rhino and Hasbro, to do the same and release the "Beast Machines" series on DVD as it was originally developed, in Letterbox format. Releasing anything less would certainly be a disadvantage to the fans who would be unable to see the complete version of the series, as well as to the writers and animators who worked hard and strived to develop the series, and would never get the chance to see their work released to the public eye as intended.

Similarly, for years Transformers fans have looked forward to the mysterious long-lost Letterbox print of "Transformers: The Movie" to pop up somewhere. Meanwhile, the Letterbox version of "Beast Machines" is just laying around, waiting to be used. And as more find out about this alternate version of "Beast Machines", more are becoming interested in seeing and owning it.

So please take this into consideration, if you fine folks have not yet done so, and make it happen with the DVD releases. Surely, it will be appreciated and hopefully the signatures listed will give you a good idea as to how much potential consumer interest would be looking forward to seeing the true version of the series released.

[ -- Oh... and on a side note... when you folks do develop the series, feel free to throw in some interviews with Bob Skir, Marty Isenberg, Marv Wolfman (http://www.marvwolfman.com/) and/or Stephen Melching (http://members.aol.com/melchwerx/) if you can. And, if at all possible, it would be extra nice if you could NOT split up multi-part episodes over separate discs. Thanks. --]

Thanks for checking out this petition.