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Max Steel (2013 TV Series), simply referred to as Max Steel or Max Steel Reboot, is a Canadian animated series produced by Mattel Playground Productions, Nerd Corps Entertainment, and FremantleMedia Enterprises. The series is loosely based on the 2000 series and its movie saga and Mattel toy line of the same name. The series premiered on March 25, 2013 on Disney XD.

Synopsis[]

Season 1[]

Main article: Season 1

After Maxwell McGrath moves to Copper Canyon, his body starts to generate a powerful energy source known as T.U.R.B.O. Energy. He is not capable of handling such power by his own, but he fortunately meets Steel, an alien technology known as an Ultralink who can control it. When the two merge, they turn into the superhero Max Steel, who protects Copper Canyon from dangerous villains alongside the secret organization N-Tek. Together, they want to know more about their mysterious past that Max's, uncle, Forge Ferrus, is hiding.

Season 2[]

Main article: Season 2

Max and Steel battle an Ultralink invasion and face their deadliest enemy yet: Makino, the god and father to all Ultralinks. Besides their old foes, Max and Steel fight against new and dangerous villains, while trying to discover the truth about their past and the mysterious Turbo Star.

List of Episodes[]

Max Steel has a total of two seasons produced, with each having twenty-six episodes, totalizing fifty-two episodes. Each chapter has twenty-two minutes. The firt season was released in 2013, while the second was released in 2014.

After the second season concluded, Mattel released a total of seven direct-to-video animated movies. Three were released in 2015, two were released in 2016 and two were released in 2017.

Season 1[]

See also: List of Season 1 Episodes
  1. Come Together Part One
  2. Come Together Part Two
  3. Come Together Part Three
  4. Cleaning House
  5. Secret Identity Crisis
  6. C.Y.T.R.O Attacks!
  7. Hard Water
  8. The Thrill of the Hunt
  9. Extroyer Unleashed
  10. Live by the Sword
  11. Supermania
  12. Uncle Sam Wants You!
  13. Elements of Surprise Part One
  14. Elements of Surprise Part Two
  15. Driven
  16. The Truth Hurts
  17. The Secret Admirer
  18. Scrambled
  19. X Marks the Spot
  20. Gone Fishin'
  21. Making the Grade
  22. Split Decisions
  23. Pick Your Poison
  24. Thanks, I Think
  25. Earth Under Siege Part One
  26. Earth Under Siege Part Two

Season 2[]

See also: List of Season 2 Episodes
  1. Ultralink Invasion Part One
  2. Ultralink Invasion Part Two
  3. Dredd Ascendant
  4. Toxic Relationship
  5. Full Metal Racket
  6. Animal Attraction
  7. Turbo Deep Star Sea
  8. The Ultralink Hunter
  9. Digital Meltdown
  10. Journey to the Center of Copper Canyon
  11. Hot Zone
  12. Lights, Camera, Max!
  13. The Legend of Ja'em Mk'rah
  14. Makino Strikes Part One
  15. Makino Strikes Part Two
  16. Got Turbo Star?
  17. My Best Friend is an Ultralink
  18. Me, Myself, and Extroyer
  19. Definitely Fear the Reaper
  20. Turbolt the Terrible
  21. Reprogrammed
  22. A Germ of an Idea
  23. Fugitives
  24. The Great Turbo Star Caper
  25. The Final Countdown Part One
  26. The Final Countdown Part Two

Animated Films[]

2015[]

  1. Wrath of Makino
  2. Dawn of Morphos
  3. Maximum Morphos

2016[]

  1. Team Turbo
  2. Team Turbo Fusion-Tek

2017[]

  1. Turbo-Charged
  2. Turbo-Warriors

Movies[]

Live action adaptation[]

The first attempt of bringing the character to the big screen began in 2009, when Paramount Pictures bought the film rights of Max Steel. Director Joe Roth was set to produce it,[1] with Taylor Lautner attached to star. However, the movie rights expired[2]and reverted back to Mattel. The company partnered with Dolphin Entertainment to work on the film, and confirmed that the movie would come out at the end of 2014.[3] Christopher Yost was hired to pen the script, while Stewart Hendler directed the project.

In February 2014, actors Ben Winchell and Ana Villafañe were attached to the project, with the former playing Maxwell McGrath, and the latter playing Sofía Martinez.[4] In May of 2014, Andy García was attached to the project, playing a character named as Dr. Miles Edwards, along with Mike Doyle and Maria Bello, cast as Jim and Molly McGrath.[5][6] In the same month, five photos of the movie were released to the public, along with commentary from the director talking about the film's characters, actors and production.

The first trailer of the movie was released in August 31, 2016. It was released on October 14, 2016 theatrically.

Unite[]

Titled as "Unite", a trailer mixing live action and animation was released in March 20, 2013 to promote the series. The short film features Maxwell McGrath being chased by bullies at Copper Canyon High School, until he comes across the Elementors. He runs away and asks for Steel's help. They ultimately bond and form Max Steel, and the live action transitions to an animated/cartoon style.

Unite was directed by Stephen Sommers and starred Jayson Ziegenhagen as Maxwell McGrath. The special effects were made by the company BUF.[7]

Animated movies[]

In 2015, Turner Broadcasting System acquired more than 800 minutes of new animated content made by Mattel for the Latin American Cartoon Network and Boomerang.[8] Max Steel was featured with three new films to continue the series, being those: The Wrath of Makino, Dawn of Morphos and Maximum Morphos, each having 44 minutes.

In October 2015, Mattel announced at MIPCOM their new content for 2016, which included two Max Steel animated movies: Team Turbo and Team Turbo Fusion-Tek, with the first having forty-four minutes and the latter having sixty-six. They were set to be released on Spring and Autumn 2016, respectively.[9]

In mid 2016, Mattel's new content was announced on MIPCOM, with Max Steel having two films at production: Turbo-Charged and Turbo-Warriors, featuring Max's brand new green T.U.R.B.O. energy.[10]

Development[]

Max Steel was already at development in late 2011, according to concept arts of the series.[11]

The series was publicly announced in January 23, 2012, at NATPE confab.[12] It was announced that Max Steel was going to be co-produced by Mattel and FremantleMedia Enterprises and Nerd Corps Entertainment would serve as the animation production studio. FME would be responsible for the worldwide distribution of the series.[13]

In October 5, 2012, it was reported that the series was going to be broadcasted on US via Disney XD. It was also announced that the series was sold to Cartoon Network and Boing in Italy and Spain, Canal Panda in Portugal. Disney XD would also broadcast the series in Europe, South and Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and Turkey.[14] According to a document released by FME, the series was sold to over 150 territories.[15]

According to an interview, Mattel was looking for a new line to start in the United States, and they chose Max Steel. The company took a step back to understand why the brand was so popular in Latin American countries. They changed the original concept, creating a jovial, younger appearance for Max Steel's character so it would be easier for boys to relate to him. Mattel then began to plot and explore the campaign for the brand, taking inspiration from Monster High. There was heavy emphasis on the series' website, with Tim Kilpin, the executive vice president for global brands at Mattel, stating that “Marketing ground zero for this franchise will be maxsteel.com.”. The campaign also included other tie-in content so fans could engage with the franchise, such as graphic novels, mobile games, toys, and other products. Additionally, upon being asked about the marketing budget related to Max Steel's reintroduction to the market, Kilpin stated that it was "significant".[16]

The series premiered first on Latin America, airing on March 1, 2013 via Cartoon Network.[17] In the US, the series premiered March 25, 2013.[18]

In April 9, 2013, the second season of Max Steel was greenlit by Mattel and FME.[19] According to the article, the second season of the series contained a total of 26 episodes, each containing 30 minutes. For US, the series was not broadcasted via Disney XD, and was instead released on Netflix.

Hiatus[]

After Turbo-Warriors' release, Max Steel did not gain additional animated content. Instead, from 2018 to 2019, the franchise had various videos released online featuring its action figures to promote the toy line, which were available only on Latin American and Brazilian territories. They were posted on Max Steel's official YouTube channel focused on the Latin American audience[20] and the Brazilian Cartoon Network channel[21].

According to a Spanish case study video released by someone who was involved with the toy videos, Max Steel's popularity was fastly decaying as a result of the rise of comic book superheroes.[22] Although no official statement regarding the show's ending has been given by Mattel, the toy line was quietly discontinued in 2021 and as of 2022, the series' website is no longer accessible.

Merchandise[]

Featured article: Action Figures & 6 Inch Toy Line

In addition to the animated series and games, Max Steel featured an extensive toy line of action figures. Two distinct toy lines were made for the series. In Latin America, the franchise gained a line of 12" action figures featuring various characters and modes from the series with a variety of accessories. For worldwide markets, 6" action figures were commercialized, with the first assortment featuring toys with a light-up gimmick. The 6" toy line lasted for two years (2013-2014), and 2015 onwards Mattel focused only on the 12" toy line. Occasionally, toys from the Latin American toy line would be released on Europe.

In Latin America, the toy line was thematically divided in three sublines. In 2013, toys were categorized under three sublines: Strength, Speed and Stealth, with each being named after Max's Turbo Modes. A subline named as Rise of Elementor, based on the game of the same name, was released on Mexico and worldwide. Besides the Latin American toy line and the 6" toys, a series of spinning top-like toys were also released, named as Turbo Battlers.

In 2014, the toys were cateogrized in three sublines: Aerial Invasion, Aqua Invasion and Land Invasion, based off from the Ultralink invasion arc from the second season of the series. The 6" toy line followed the same style, this time having a larger selection of characters and accessories. An unnamed subline of 6" action figures that portrayed the characters more faithfully to their animated counterparts was also released worldwide.

In 2015, the toy line was divided into three sublines, being these Battle-Tek, Connect-Tek and Transform-Tek. Each toy in their respective subline made a reference to its name, Battle-Tek included toys with heavy weaponry, Connect-Tek included toys with interchangeable accessories and Transform-Tek included toys with a transformation process. Mattel also released two action figures based on the 2016 live action movie, being those a Max Steel and a Miles Dread toy.

From 2016 onwards, most of the toys were categorized under the Connect-Tek subline. In 2016, two small sublines based around Team Turbo and Team Turbo Fusion-Tek were released, featuring an unique packaging style to differentiate from the regular toys. 2017 followed the same style, with the sublines based on Turbo-Charged and Turbo-Warriors being released. In addition, a third subline named as Turbo Missions was also released, which featured characters and modes that did not appear on the animated movies of the series.

In 2021, the toy line ceased production.

Graphic Novels[]

In 2013, Mattel and Viz Media partnered to release three graphic novels based around the franchise, featuring original stories.[23] According to writter Tom Pinchuk, the graphic novels were released to "give fans of the show something they could enjoy between seasons of the series".[24] Each graphic novel was priced $ 7.99 USD/$9.99 CAN.

DVDs[]

The entirety of the first season was released on DVD by FremantleMedia during 2013 and 2014.

The second season was partially released on DVD, also by FremantleMedia. Only two DVDs were released, which contained 13 episodes out of the 26.

Additionally, Mattel has also released several episodes on DVD that were included with toys. They would also partner with other companies to release exclusive DVDs that came bundled with products such as popcorn and cereal, although these promotions were only available on Mexico. After the second season ended, the DVDs would contain the animated movies of the series.

Bonus Clips[]

Featured article: Bonus Clips and Mini Episodes

Mattel released webisodes/bonus clips for the series, with each having around 1 minute and 30 seconds or less. Most of them focus on Max and Steel's adventures and occasionally on the villains. They were published on the Max Steel's official YouTube channel, OfficialMaxSteel, on the official website and came on DVDs. The bonus clips were released from 2013 to 2014.

In 2015, six mini episdoes were made. Each had six minutes and were divided into three parts, with each having two minutes. They are available on the official YouTube channel in Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese and were featured in DVDS with some of the Mexican releases of the toys.

Online site[]

Featured article: Official Website

Maxsteel.com was updated in the first half of 2013 with a countdown and a message that showed to its visitors a trailer of the new animated series. A new image showcasing pictures of the characters and a biography was released weekly. In March 2013, the entire site was renewed, featuring a new visual identiy to match the new series.

The new website featured videos such as episodes and behind the scenes, bonus clips, trailers and promotional videos, Classified Bios, which showed basic information about the characters, Turbo Modes, weapons and vehicles, as well as a toys tab which showed the new action figures and online games.

Games[]

In 2013, four Unity-based web-browser games were released for the official website. The site featured tournaments in which the users played the games to earn points for their teams. A total of four games were released, being those:

A Turbo Battlers game was released for the Brazilian version of the website. In 2013, the first mobile game of the franchise was released, titled as Rise of Elementor, a runner-style adventure in which Max and Steel face the Elementors and Miles Dread.

In 2014, three flash-based games were added, this time being based around the Ultralink invasion story arc. A mobile game titled as Ultralink Invasion was released, in which the player uses its phone to capture Ultralinks.

In December of 2014, Max Steel toys were being given out at McDonald's. By scanning a toy via the McPlay app, the user could unlock a total of four side-scrolling mobile games.

  • Cycle Clash
  • Flight Faceoff
  • Rocket Rampage
  • Scuba Showdown

In 2015, one game was released: N-Tek Invasion. A game named as Maximum Morphos was released on a Mexican minisite made to promote the 2015 toy line. In 2016, a game titled as Techno-Zombie Infection was released in a minisite promoting Team Turbo Fusion-Tek movie.

In 2017, two new games were released.

Reception[]

References[]

  1. https://collider.com/paramount-and-mattel-to-reanimate-max-steel-as-a-feature-film/
  2. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/max-steel-back-action-at-598795/
  3. https://screencritix.com/max-steel-to-be-adapted-into-a-major-motion-picture/
  4. https://www.aceshowbiz.com/news/view/00068168.html
  5. https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/andy-garcia-welded-max-steel/
  6. https://www.thewrap.com/maria-bello-joins-andy-garcia-young-superhero-movie-max-steel/
  7. https://vimeo.com/70321577
  8. https://kidscreen.com/2015/04/14/turner-buys-up-feature-programming-from-mattel-for-latam/
  9. https://www.awn.com/news/mattel-unveils-2016-kids-slate
  10. https://kidscreen.com/2016/10/12/mattel-creations-greenlights-two-new-barbie-series-more-kids-content/
  11. https://www.artstation.com/artwork/VJDmVX
  12. https://www.animationmagazine.net/2012/01/new-max-steel-to-reboot-on-cartoon-network/
  13. https://kidscreen.com/2012/01/23/max-steel-is-back-in-action/
  14. https://kidscreen.com/2012/10/05/mattel-and-fremantlemedia-score-disney-xd-deal-for-max-steel/
  15. https://web.archive.org/web/20131228192618/http://fmekids.com/Content/download/KIDS%20BROCHURE%20Autumn%20Winter%202013.pdf
  16. https://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/28/business/media/mattel-gives-max-steel-action-figure-new-lease-on-life.html
  17. http://www.infoanimation.com.br/2013/02/lembrete-cartoon-network-estreia-novo.html
  18. https://www.animationmagazine.net/2013/03/max-steel-debuts-on-disney-xd-this-monday/
  19. https://web.archive.org/web/20130502011806/http://www.fremantlemedia.com/news/news-detail/13-04-09/FremantleMedia_Kids_Family_and_Mattel_Launch_Series_Two_of_Action_Comedy_Max_Steel_to_Global_Buyers.aspx
  20. https://www.youtube.com/@MaxSteelLatinoamerica/videos
  21. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDgm57uVLW4blkcWoxetgvzPzxQtmtT39
  22. https://vimeo.com/312054432
  23. https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/press-release/2013-01-29/viz-media-develops-original-graphic-novels-for-mattel-max-steel?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+animenewsnetworknews+%28Anime+News+Network+-+Newsroom+Updates%29
  24. https://www.cbr.com/pinchuk-brings-mattels-max-steel-to-comic-book-life/
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