As August came to a close, the world had to say goodbye to Peter Cullen, a beloved voice actor, possibly best known as the voice of the Transformers hero Optimus Prime, who died at 85. This is a role he took on in 1984, voicing the Autobots leader throughout the series’ animated run before picking up the mantle again when the live-action theatrical Transformers films hit theaters.
Cullen really was the Optimus Prime for a couple of generations.
With the 40th-anniversary 4K re-release of 1986’s The Transformers: The Movie in theaters this month, a special 12-minute film called Optimus Prime: Awakening was created and will be shown after select presentations of The Transformers: The Movie this fall. The short is “designed as a love letter to the Transformers community and the late Peter Cullen,” and is said to be Cullen’s final performance as Optimus Prime.
Today, Complex has an exclusive clip from Optimus Prime: Awakening.
There isn’t a lot here, but what’s there is intriguing! On a distant planet, Optimus Prime is being pursued, and after taking cover, he finds Bumblebee…only Bumblebee appears to be a Decepticon and attacks Optimus Prime?!
We wish we had more for you; make sure you grab your tickets to check out The Transformers: The Movie starting September 17; hopefully you catch this beautiful tribute to the legacy of Peter Cullen’s Optimus Prime.
