Peter Cullen’s final Optimus Prime performance expands to more cinemas with new animated short

Optimus Prime is returning to the big screen for one final performance from the voice actor who made him an icon. Hasbro and Fathom Entertainment have revealed more details and screening territories for Optimus Prime: Awakening, a 12-minute animated short that will accompany anniversary showings of The Transformers: The Movie.

The short is a compact cinema extra, not a new standalone Transformers feature or a streaming launch.

What's actually going on

Peter Cullen voices Optimus Prime in what is described as his final performance in the role. Frank Welker voices Megatron and Soundwave. Josh Wassung directs from a script by Ryan Parrott, Bobby Krlic provides the music and The Third Floor handles animation.

The short will screen with anniversary showings of the 1986 The Transformers: The Movie. Additional territories begin screenings on 17 September, including France, Singapore, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama and Peru.

Previously announced territories include the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and Germany. Availability will depend on participating cinemas and local schedules.

Why you should care

Cullen’s voice is inseparable from the character’s identity, so this is less about the running time and more about the farewell. A 12-minute short can carry a surprising amount of emotional weight when it arrives attached to the original film that established the character for generations of fans.

It also gives the anniversary screenings a meaningful extra rather than a purely cosmetic re-release label. The new material is designed to be seen in cinemas, where the scale and sound of the feature still matter.

The distinction between the short and the 1986 film is important. The screening package does not confirm a standalone release, a streaming date or availability in every cinema within the listed countries.

Our opinion

A final Cullen performance as Optimus Prime is the sort of franchise moment that deserves a cinema, not a tiny autoplay window wedged between adverts. The short’s length may sound modest, but the voice and the occasion do the heavy lifting.

Recommendation: see it as part of the anniversary screening if it is playing near you, but check the individual cinema listing first. This is a special theatrical extra, not a promise of a new Transformers era.