Peter Cullen’s Final Optimus Prime Performance Will Debut With New “Transformers” Short

There are voices that become so connected to a character that it becomes nearly impossible to separate the two.

For generations of “Transformers” fans, Peter Cullen was that voice.

Following Cullen’s passing on August 26 at the age of 85, Hasbro and Fathom Entertainment have revealed that fans will have one final opportunity to hear the legendary actor as Optimus Prime in the newly announced animated short, “Optimus Prime: Awakening.”

The 12-minute short will be presented following select 40th anniversary theatrical screenings of 1986’s “The Transformers: The Movie,” giving what was already going to be a celebration of the franchise’s history considerably more emotional weight.

Described as a love letter to the “Transformers” community and Cullen himself, “Optimus Prime: Awakening” builds upon the storytelling and visuals of the original animated film while looking both backward at the franchise’s history and ahead toward its future.

For Cullen’s final performance, audiences will apparently get to hear another side of the Autobot leader as well. Hasbro and Fathom Entertainment tease that his performance explores a deeper vulnerability within Optimus while retaining the strength and authority that have defined the character for decades.

It is difficult to imagine a more fitting place for that final performance to debut.

Cullen first gave Optimus Prime his unmistakable voice during the original 1980s animated series before bringing him to the big screen in “The Transformers: The Movie.” Over the decades that followed, he would repeatedly return to the role across animation, video games and the live-action films, becoming as fundamental to the identity of Optimus Prime as the character’s red-and-blue design itself.

Now, four decades after the original animated movie reached theaters, fans gathering to celebrate that history will also get one final new story featuring his Optimus.

Cullen won’t be making that final journey alone.

Frank Welker returns as both Megatron and Soundwave for “Optimus Prime: Awakening,” allowing the longtime friends and co-stars to share one final story as two of the characters that helped define their careers.

In a statement remembering Cullen, Welker reflected on how perfectly Optimus Prime and Megatron complemented one another and how much of Cullen’s own character became part of his portrayal. He pointed toward Cullen’s honesty, loyalty and determination to do what was right as qualities that helped shape Optimus Prime, while describing the opportunity to return opposite him for one final story as a gift.

That connection is perhaps part of why Cullen’s Optimus Prime has endured for as long as it has.

Optimus has always been more than simply the biggest robot in the room. At his best, he represents leadership built around compassion, responsibility and an unwavering desire to protect others. Cullen gave those qualities a voice that could be powerful without losing its warmth, helping turn what began as a transforming toy robot into one of pop culture’s most recognizable heroes.

“The Transformers: The Movie” will return to theaters internationally in 4K from September 17 through September 22 as part of its 40th anniversary celebration, with screenings expanding into France, Singapore, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama and Peru.

Fans will also be able to bring the anniversary celebration home later this year, with a 40th Anniversary Limited-Edition Steelbook of the film arriving November 17 on 4K UHD and Blu-ray.

Yet for select audiences heading into theaters this September, the celebration will now mean something more.

Forty years after “The Transformers: The Movie,” Peter Cullen will once again speak as Optimus Prime on the big screen.

One last time.