The upcoming theatrical re-release of The Transformers: The Movie will have a bittersweet coda: it will be followed by Optimus Prime: Awakening, a 12-minute animated short that features voice actor Peter Cullen‘s final performance as the leader of the Autobots. Cullen, who had voiced Optimus Prime since the original Transformers animated series in the 1980s, died last month at the age of 85.
Details about Optimus Prime: Awakening have been scarce since its announcement, but Hasbro has finally given us a short peek at what’s in store. Check out the first clip from Optimus Prime: Awakening below.
The scene is short but intriguing. Optimus is being pursued by Soundwave (voiced by Frank Welker, another Transformers franchise vet) and crash-lands in a rocky crater. Bumblebee appears over the lip of the crater, and Optimus assumes he’s there to help—an assumption he realizes is dangerously wrong when Bumblebee clocks him in the face and the camera pans to reveal a Decepticon logo on Bumblebee’s shoulder. Clearly, something is really wrong here—and we’re betting Cullen will deliver a heart-wrenching performance as he battles one of his closest allies. His delivery of “Bumblebee, we need to get to safety!” is already hitting us right where it hurts.
In a press release, Welker said, “Peter’s portrayal of Prime was born of his own personal beliefs; honesty, loyalty, and always insisting on doing the right thing.” Hasbro also described Optimus Prime: Awakening as a “love letter” to Transformers fans that “builds on the acclaimed storytelling and visuals of The Transformers: The Movie.” Hopefully, it’ll make up for all the trauma caused by Optimus Prime’s death in the original film.
Optimus Prime: Awakening will screen in theaters after The Transformers: The Movie from September 17-22.
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