Transformers fans have received their first chance to hear Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime one final time.
The first clip from Optimus Prime: Awakening, the upcoming CG-animated short featuring Cullen’s final original performance as the Autobot leader, has arrived online ahead of its theatrical debut later this month.
First clip from ‘OPTIMUS PRIME AWAKENING’.
The new short film stars Peter Cullen in his final performance as Optimus Prime.
(Source: @ComplexPop) pic.twitter.com/FgD97gISxU
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) September 10, 2026
The approximately 35-second clip offers a brief glimpse at the 12-minute short. It opens with Optimus Prime racing across a frozen landscape in his familiar truck mode before transforming as an aerial battle unfolds around him.
However, the most significant moment comes when Cullen’s unmistakable voice is heard once again.
“Bumblebee, we need to get to safety,” Optimus tells his longtime Autobot companion.
Scene from Optimus Prime: Awakening – Transformers, YouTube
Unfortunately, Bumblebee does not appear interested in following orders.
The yellow Autobot suddenly attacks Optimus, revealing a Decepticon symbol where his Autobot insignia would normally be. Whatever has happened since audiences last saw these characters, Bumblebee appears to have fallen under Decepticon control.
Peter Cullen’s Final Optimus Prime Performance
Optimus Prime: Awakening is a new 12-minute short produced by Hasbro Entertainment as part of the 40th-anniversary celebration of 1986’s The Transformers: The Movie.
The short expands upon the story and world of the original animated film while bringing familiar characters to life through modern CG animation.
Peter Cullen – Paramount Pictures, YouTube
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Cullen recorded his performance before his death on August 26 at the age of 85, making Optimus Prime: Awakening his final original appearance as the character he helped define for more than four decades.
Hasbro has described the project as a “love letter” to both Cullen and the Transformers fan community.
Cullen is not the only original Transformers voice actor returning for the short. Frank Welker reprises his roles as Megatron and Soundwave, bringing the two longtime performers together for one final battle between Optimus Prime and the Decepticons.
“Optimus Prime and Megatron were made for each other,” Welker previously said. “After all, one needs the perfect hero against the epitome of evil to create great drama.”
Fans React to Cullen’s Final Performance
Fans online are already praising the brief clip. Some have expressed appreciation for the vivid colors and animation, while others argue that it looks better than the franchise’s most recent CG-animated feature, Transformers One.
Ultimately, however, much of the reaction has centered on Cullen and the significance of hearing his Optimus Prime one final time.
Peter Cullen is truly missed. We will never forget his performance and contribution to our childhood and adulthood pic.twitter.com/wTRVbT236M
— 𝒱𝐼𝐼𝒫𝐸𝑅 🐍 (@lvuexxx) September 10, 2026
“Peter Cullen is truly missed. We will never forget his performance and contribution to our childhood and adulthood,” one user wrote.
Hearing his voice again knowing he passed away last month is actually breaking my heart 😭
Peter cullen didn’t just voice a robot, he gave optimus prime a soul. hearing him and frank welker as megatron together one last time for the 40th anniversary is the ultimate bittersweet…
— The Series & Movies Feed (@TheSeriesFeed) September 10, 2026
“Hearing his voice again knowing he passed away last month is actually breaking my heart,” another added. “Peter cullen didn’t just voice a robot, he gave optimus prime a soul. hearing him and frank welker as megatron together one last time for the 40th anniversary is the ultimate bittersweet goodbye.”
Optimus Prime Returns to Theaters
Optimus Prime: Awakening will screen following select presentations of the 4K 40th-anniversary rerelease of The Transformers: The Movie, which begins its international theatrical run on September 17.
Title card for Optimus Prime: Awakening – Transformers, YouTube
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That placement carries considerably more emotional weight following Cullen’s death, transforming what was already intended as a celebration of the franchise’s history into a farewell to the man who became inseparable from its most iconic hero.
The first clip does not reveal much about the story, but it accomplishes something considerably more important. For a few seconds, Peter Cullen sounds exactly as generations of fans remember him: calm, commanding, and unmistakably Optimus Prime.
What do you think of the clip for Optimus Prime: Awakening? Sound off and let us know!
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