Dinobots - Transformers Animated

The Transformers Animated series depicts the Dinobots as having originally been animatronic dinosaurs at the fictional Dino Drive amusement park who were accidentally smashed by Bulkhead. Professor Sumdac repairs the robotic dinosaurs with the help of Megatron, who secretly intends to use them to create drones who are loyal only to him and possess Transformer abilities and flame breath attacks. The new Dinobots wreak havoc under Megatron's control, and are stopped by the Autobots. The Dinobots become actual Transformers in the process, though they see themselves as actual dinosaurs.

Megatron no longer has complete control over them, but is able to persuade Grimlock, Snarl and Swoop into destroying the Autobots and all fossil fuel-powered vehicles, after which they are trapped and imprisoned in a tar pit. Prowl and Bulkhead secretly transport the Dinobots to a forest island where they can live in seclusion and peace with nature, hidden from the rest of the world by a holographic screen. However, Grimlock accidentally figures out how to transform into robot mode, to the surprise of the other two Dinobots. Prometheus Black, also known as Meltdown, later threatens to melt them unless they serve him. The Dinobots reason that Meltdown is not one of them, so they transform to defeat him, and ally with the Autobots.

The Dinobots return in "Megatron Rising" (part one), where they refuse a request by Optimus Prime, Bulkhead and Prowl for their help against the invading Decepticons. They briefly feature in "The Elite Guard", where they attack Sentinel Prime when he trespasses on their island, but are forced back by Ultra Magnus. In "A Fistful of Energon", Prowl removes a metal spike from Grimlock's foot. The Dinobots next feature in "Black Friday", where they are seduced by Blackarachnia into helping to remove her organic half. After a small cameo at the end of "Three's a Crowd", they appear in "Predacons Rising", where they are brought into conflict with the Autobots after they are again coerced into doing Blackarachnia's bidding.

In "Human Error" (part 2), Grimlock and Swoop appear when a teenaged Sari asks for their help to rescue the Autobots from Soundwave, who wants to reprogram them into serving him. Sari discovers that Slag has been domesticated into a pet by the Constructicon Scrapper, and the two help Sari to defeat Soundwave, though Scrapper calls him Snarl probably as a shoutout to the other Dinobot not featured in the series, and a nod to the fact his naming gives difficulties in British countries due to its slang status.