Life-Size Bumblebee Transforms From Camaro To Beetle In LA

Despite dismal reviews and convoluted plots, the Transformers franchise doesn’t show any signs of slowing down.

The latest film in the long-running series is an origin story that focuses on Bumblebee and arrives in theaters next month. In an effort to promote the film, Paramount Pictures used the Los Angeles Auto Show to display a full-size replica of the iconic character.

As you’ve probably noticed by now, Bumblebee is no longer a Chevrolet Camaro. There’s a pretty good reason for this as the film takes place in 1987 and the studio decided to appease fans by honoring the original source material where Bumblebee was a Volkswagen Beetle.

Little is known about the film, but it focuses on Bumblebee who is hiding on earth and takes refuge in a junkyard. Since everyone believes Bumblebee is just a car, he’s purchased by a teenager named Charlie. After driving home, she soon discovers that this isn’t your ordinary Beetle.

What happens next remains unclear, but two Decepticons eventually make contact with the United States government and tell them, if Bumblebee isn’t found, the war between the Transformers might come to earth. The military and the Decepticons then begin to hunt Bumblebee as Optimus Prime orders him to defend earth and the humans living on it.

Since the film is an origin story, it features all-new cast besides Peter Cullen who returns to voice Optimus Prime. He’s joined by newcomers Hailee Steinfeld, John Cena, and Jorge Lendeborg Jr.