Transformers has brought us a Bumblebee spinoff, and while Michael Bay’s series wasn‘t exactly beloved by all, Transformers is here to stay and Bumblebee is poised to usher in a new era for the franchise. The yellow bot-centric movie will be geared toward a younger audience, which probably means it’ll be more fun to watch than Optimus and Megatron trading doom-and-gloom sentiments while a bunch of Autobots make uncomfortable sex jokes. Oh, and Bumblebee definitely has the cutest car of the franchise.

In an new image from the spinoff, we finally see Bumblebee’s new (well, old) look, a classic throwback to how the character used to look in the original series, alongside star Hailee Steinfeld.

Hailee Steinfeld in BUMBLEBEE, from Paramount Pictures.
Jaimie Trueblood
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Bumblebee is set in the ’80s, and tells the story of the little robot’s first encounter with Earth and the first human friends he makes. The yellow Volkswagen is a callback to his original look that was updated to a sleek Camaro in Michael Bay’s first Transformers. Director Travis Knight told Empire of the new movie:

I wanted to approach this massive, expansive franchise and really focus in on a tiny corner of the canvas. Everything I’ve tried to do at Laika [Animation], searching for an artful blend of darkness and light, intensity and warmth, humor and heart, I wanted to bring to the Transformers franchise.

Here’s Bumblebee’s synopsis:

On the run in the year 1987, Bumblebee finds refuge in a junkyard in a small Californian beach town. Charlie (Hailee Steinfeld), on the cusp of turning 18 and trying to find her place in the world, discovers Bumblebee, battle-scarred and broken. When Charlie revives him, she quickly learns this is no ordinary, yellow VW bug.

Bumblebee hits theaters December 21, 2018.

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