Bumblebee Turns on Optimus Prime in Clip For OPTIMUS PRIME: AWAKENING Transformers Short
Optimus Prime has fought plenty of Decepticons over the years, but seeing him get attacked by Bumblebee hits a little differently.
Hasbro has released a new look at Optimus Prime: Awakening, a 12-minute animated Transformers short featuring Peter Cullen in his final performance as Optimus Prime. The project serves as a tribute to Cullen and his more than four decades with the franchise, and the latest footage puts the Autobot leader in a pretty rough situation.
The clip follows Optimus as he makes his way across a deserted alien world with the Decepticons hunting him. He takes cover among the rocks, hoping to stay out of sight, but Soundwave manages to locate him and launches an attack.
Optimus survives the encounter and attempts to regroup, only to run into Bumblebee. Normally, seeing his longtime Autobot ally would be good news. Not this time.
Bumblebee appears to be under Decepticon control and suddenly turns on Optimus. It makes for an especially painful moment for a character who is usually the steady leader everyone else depends on. Here, Optimus has to deal with one of his closest allies becoming a threat.
The short also brings Frank Welker back as Megatron and Soundwave, reuniting the legendary voice actor with Cullen for one final Transformers performance together. Welker described the opportunity to share the screen with his longtime friend again as “a real gift.”
For Transformers fans who have been listening to Cullen and Welker bring Optimus Prime and Megatron to life since the franchise's early years, their reunion gives Optimus Prime: Awakening some extra emotional weight. Cullen also viewed the anniversary project as a meaningful opportunity to return to Optimus one more time.
Fans will only be able to see the complete short in theaters, where it will play alongside select 40th-anniversary screenings of The Transformers: The Movie.
The 1986 animated classic is returning to theaters in 4K and 4DX through Fathom Entertainment from September 17 through September 22, with Optimus Prime: Awakening beginning its theatrical run alongside the anniversary screenings on September 17.