If you should choose to relive your childhood trauma and go see The Transformers: The Movie in theaters this fall for its 40th anniversary, you’ll be in for a potentially even sadder treat: The farewell voice performance by the late, great Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime.
It will appear in “Optimus Prime: Awakening” which Hasbro is called “a fully realized, 12-minute animated short designed as a love letter to the Transformers community and the late Peter Cullen.”
The press release claims
Optimus Prime: Awakening builds on the acclaimed storytelling and visuals of The Transformers: The Movie (1986), giving audiences the rare opportunity to experience the iconic cultural moment from the franchise’s past while exploring its future on the big screen.
2026 marks the 40th anniversary of The Transformers: The Movie, and Hasbro is bringing the film back to theaters this fall to celebrate.
Here is the poster for “Optimus Prime: Awakening”:
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Here was Cullen’s longtime co-star Frank Welker, the original voice of Megatron (and Soundwave) in the Transformers animated series on the short, and reuniting one last time with Cullen:
Optimus Prime and Megatron were made for each other. After all, one needs the perfect hero against the epitome of evil to create great drama. Peter’s portrayal of Prime was born of his own personal beliefs; honesty, loyalty, and always insisting on doing the right thing. This made it easy to be friends. Returning as Megatron and Soundwave for one final story opposite Peter’s Optimus in “Optimus Prime: Awakening” was a real gift. I will miss my friend, but that voice and his heart and values will always be part of Optimus Prime.
For more information on the 40th anniversary re-release of The Transformers: The Movie, check out Fathom’s official website.
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Gallery Credit: Emma Stefansky
