Who directed the 1986 animated Transformers film?

Nelson Shin directed the 1986 animated Transformers film, The Transformers: The Movie.

Shin was an animation director and producer who had already worked on the Transformers television series. The feature was co-produced by Sunbow Productions, Marvel Productions, and Toei Animation, with Shin directing the animated production. Its story takes place in 2005, twenty years after the second season of the television series.

The film was created partly to introduce and promote a new wave of Transformers characters and toys. That commercial purpose shaped its unusually dramatic story, including the deaths of several established characters and the succession of Rodimus Prime after Optimus Prime. The screenplay was written by Ron Friedman, so Shin’s directing role should not be confused with the film’s writing credit.

The movie opened in North America on August 8, 1986, and later became a cult favorite despite a disappointing initial theatrical performance. It also features Orson Welles as the voice of Unicron, his final film role. Michael Bay directed the unrelated 2007 live-action film, while John Woo and Steven Caple Jr. directed other projects in different franchises or Transformers eras.