Snarl (Animated)
From Transformers Wiki
| The name or term "Snarl" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Snarl (disambiguation). |
- Snarl is an Autobot from the Animated continuity family.
Snarl is a Triceratops Dinobot. Built quite a bit better than a tank, there's nothing he enjoys more than taking the nearest solid object and headbutting it. It's not so much the mindless destruction he likes, it's just that Snarl thoroughly enjoys being strong, and smashing things to powder seems like the best way of expressing this. And if he needs to mix things up a little, being able to breathe fire hot enough to melt a garbage truck helps.
Contents |
Fiction
Animated cartoon
- Voice actor: N/A (English), Takashi Nagasako (Japanese)
Snarl, like the other two Dinobots, began life as an animatronic robot at Dino Drive, where he/it was damaged by an over-enthusiastic Bulkhead. He was upgraded with Cybertronian technology in Isaac Sumdac's lab (with the help of Megatron), and further modified by a burst of AllSpark energy. He then spent his time breathing fire and breaking things such as Captain Fanzone's car. He also swallowed a missile, which is just beyond cool.
He, along with Swoop, did not transform during the course of his early life. It is possible he didn't know he could do it until Grimlock discovered he could. Blast from the Past
He was later forced by the villain Meltdown to guard the research facility Meltdown had commandeered on an island in Lake Erie, and to attack the Autobots Prowl and Bulkhead. Once Meltdown was trapped and unable to hurt him, he demonstrated he'd learned to transform and joined his fellow Dinobots in threatening the acid-thrower. However, before Meltdown could be hurt, Snarl's attention was diverted to Colossus Rhodes and two of Meltdown's mutants, and he and the other Dinobots had fun beating up on them instead. Survival of the Fittest
Following a sharp increase in Decepticon activity on Earth, Optimus Prime, Bulkhead, and Prowl went to Dinobot Island to ask the Dinobots to help fight the coming invasion. Grimlock first ordered the Dinobots to attack, and Snarl started to obey, but Prowl got them all to stop. Grimlock then insisted that the Dinobots could "destroy robots" by themselves, to which Prime retorted that the Dinobots were robots too. Grasping this concept with gusto, Snarl then started fighting Grimlock but was easily tossed aside by his leader. The three Dinobots began to tackle the robot problem... starting with the 'bot in the mirror. The Autobots left them to their task. Megatron Rising - Part 1
When investigating Dinobot Island for traces of the Allspark and any Decepticons, Optimus Prime, Ultra Magnus, and Sentinel Prime were confronted by the Dinobots. After insulting them, Sentinel was floored by Grimlock whilst Snarl looked on, brandishing his club. After Ultra Magnus held aloft his mighty hammer, the Dinobots transformed and backed off into the forest. The Elite Guard Some time later, Grimlock was rampaging due to a foot injury, and Snarl seemed to be staying out of his way. Whether he was scared or just confused is unknown. A Fistful of Energon
After aiding with rescuing Blackarachnia, Snarl as well as the other Dinobots saw her as an item of worship, doing her every bidding. He assisted in the prison break of Meltdown. However, upon returning with the prize, the only reward he and Swoop got was a scorching stream of stolen special power. He didn't seem too put out by this, though, as later he loyally guarded his mistress's Autobot captives. Snarl also helped saved the day by bonking Meltdown's ruffians over the head, scaring them off. After Blackarachnia abandoned them, Snarl didn't seem too fussed. Black Friday When an oil rig was teleported out to Lake Erie, Snarl and the other Dinobots watched it explode violently from the shores of Dinobot Island. Three's a Crowd
Blackarachnia eventually returned to Dinobot Island, where she took up manipulating the Dinobots again. After kidnapping the rogue Autobot Wasp, she ordered Snarl, Swoop and Grimlock to stand guard while she performed an experiment on her victim. They were soon set upon by Wasp's pursuers; Elite Guard members Sentinel Prime, Jetstorm, and Jetfire. Before Snarl could react, Jetstorm blew him into a wall with a burst of wind, knocking him unconscious. Just to be safe, Sentinel poked the Dinobot's inert body with his lance, causing it to be covered in a minor rockfall. Predacons Rising
Snarl later found the Constructicon Scrapper, who had washed up on Dinobot Island following the oil rig explosion. Scrapper decided to make the Dinobot his pet and gave him his name (he was tempted to name him "Slag", but Snarl took it as an insult). Grimlock and Swoop did not take this very well and branded Snarl as a traitor. Sari Sumdac later found the two and convinced them to help save her Autobot allies from Soundwave and also found some unexpected help from Wreck-Gar. These "substitute Autobots" soon found Soundwave and the other Autobots, the latter of whom had been reprogrammed. The battle did not go so well for them, but thanks to some strategic thinking from Sari, they were able to defeat Soundwave and return the Autobots back to normal. Following their victory, Scrapper tried riding Snarl back to Dinobot Island, but the Dinobot responded by kicking him and forcing him to drive. Human Error, Part II
Titan Animated comic
Starscream clones got in Snarl's way, and he hated that so much he spontaneously gained the power of speech just to tell them that. Dino-MIGHT!
Later on, he was infected with a Rage virus that caused him to tear around Dinobot Island and badly injure Grimlock. When the Autobots arrived to investigate, Snarl tore into Ratchet and ran off with his spare drink flask before hitting Grimlock some more. Bumblebee got the flask back and Afterburn cured him of the virus. Ratchet & Grimlock Are DEAD?
Later still, he bore mute and annoyed witness to Grimlock warring with Swoop over the answer on a TV quiz show (Grimlock was wrong). Divebomb
The Cool comic
When Soundwave and Lugnut attacked Dinobot Island, the Dinobots responded immediately to the threat. Snarl did absolutely nothing outside of standing and looking imposing, but it was enough to drive the Decepticons off. After a brief misunderstanding, the Dinobots and Autobots parted as friends; the Dinobots vowing to help in time of battle. The Cool Episode 3
Toys
Animated
- Snarl (Deluxe, 2008 / 2010)
- Takara ID number: TA-18
- Takara release date: May 22, 2010
- Accessories: Club
- Known designers: Eric Siebenaler (Hasbro), Takashi Kunihiro (TakaraTomy)
- Part of the third wave of Hasbro's Animated Deluxes, Snarl transforms into a robotic Triceratops. His shoulderpads/hind leg hips feature spring-loaded pop out "flames", activated by small buttons on the backs of the panels. He comes with a large club that slots into either hand, but does not store in his beast mode anywhere. His instructions feature a battle mode... but it's just pointing his beast mode head forward in robot mode.
- While there are pegs intended to keep his waist together, they do not really stay pegged in solidly, and so the legs can be quite loose. The toy features orange light-piping engineered into the head, but the gimmick is disabled by the eyes being painted blue.
- While Hasbro's promotional stock photos show him with his club painted black and the center portion of his dino-frill unpainted, the final toy has these in reverse, with an entirely unpainted club and a gay-painted center-frill chunk. The promotional photos also show his front horn assembled upside down, but it's turned the right way around on the final toy.
- Snarl was one of biggest pegwarmers of the Animated toyline in the United Kingdom, still lurking in several Toys"R"Us stores in 2011 next to the new Dark of the Moon toys.
- Snarl was released in the third wave of TakaraTomy's Animated toyline several years later, with some small but significant deco alterations. His dino-frill and hindleg-haunches/robot-shoulders have additional silver paint on them, plus his Autobot symbol is now red with a white outline, rather than the Hasbro version's un-outlined silver. The club remains unpainted though.
Notes
- Snarl was obviously designed to be the Animated incarnation of the Generation 1 Dinobot named Slag, and preproduction shots even bore that name. Hasbro was able to secure the United States trademark for "Slag" unopposed and even renewed it as recently as Christmas 2007. However, as revealed by Hasbro representatives at BotCon 2008, they are not using "Slag" as a product name because it is a negative slang term in the United Kingdom (meaning, roughly, "slut") which might have affected toy sales. Beginning in 2012, "Snarl" would be superseded by "Slug" for the Dinobot Triceratops in other continuities.
- Snarl and Swoop did not have any lines in the cartoon. Reportedly, this is due to limitations on the number of voice actors that can be used in an episode, and the number of characters they can voice in one as well. Derrick J. Wyatt remarked at BotCon 2008 that his ideal voice for Snarl would be comedian Louie Anderson. Their lack of dialogue would be used for a gag in "Divebomb". Both Dinobots speak in the Japanese dub, but thus far have only managed their names.
- In the cartoon, Scrapper gave Snarl his name rather late in the series. In the Titan comic, others were calling him by name well before that event.
Foreign names
- Japanese: Snarl (スナール Sunāru)
