Optimus Prime: Awakening Short to Debut with Transformers
Today, Hasbro and Fathom Entertainment unveiled new details about The Transformers: The Movie, returning to theatres internationally in 4K from September 17–22. To celebrate the 40th anniversary, Hasbro has created Optimus Prime: Awakening as a special animated short as part of its broader anniversary brand celebration.
The short, which will be presented following select anniversary screenings of the original 1986 film, is a fully realized, 12-minute animated video designed as a love letter to the Transformers community and the late Peter Cullen, the legendary talent and voice of Optimus Prime.
Optimus Prime: Awakening builds on the acclaimed storytelling and visuals of The Transformers: The Movie (1986), offering audiences a rare opportunity to experience the franchise’s iconic cultural moment from its past while exploring its future on the big screen.
The animated short delivers emotional storytelling, electric action, and new performances by legends Frank Welker as Megatron/Soundwave and Peter Cullen in his final original voice performance as Optimus Prime.
Peter shared that returning for Optimus Prime: Awakening meant a great deal to him. He felt the project was a homecoming to a character he had shaped for more than four decades. Peter’s performance reveals a deeper vulnerability while retaining the unmistakable strength and authority that made his portrayal iconic.
Frank Welker shared, “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.”
In addition to previously announced regions, Fathom Entertainment today confirmed screenings of The Transformers: The Movie in France, Singapore, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, and Peru.
