40 Years Later, Transformers Officially Embraces Its Most Heartbreaking Controversy
A Hasbro VP talks about the 40th anniversary “Apology Tour”
Hasbro is sorry.
40 years ago, when the toy company released The Transformers: The Movie in theaters, the heroic leader of the Autobots, Optimus Prime, was struck down and killed less than a half hour into the movie. It was a huge shock to the fans who saw the film in theaters, as Optimus Prime was the most popular Transformer and fans had assumed the movie would primarily be about him. While The Transformers: The Movie had truly beautiful animation, Orson Welles voicing a giant mechanical planet, and a solid story, most fans never got over Optimus’ death. The movie’s legacy has been tainted ever since.
That’s why Hasbro has launched a rather surprising marketing strategy around the film’s 40th anniversary. They’re calling it “The Apology Tour,” and it consists of a new line of tie-in Transformers toys and a partnership with Fathom Entertainment for a 4K rerelease of the film in theaters beginning on Sept. 17.
“The power of The Transformers: The Movie is that fans never stopped talking about it,” says Alyse D’Antuono, Vice President of Global Brand Strategy, Action Brands at Hasbro. “For so many kids who experienced the movie in 1986, Optimus Prime wasn’t just a favorite character. He was their hero. He represented courage, leadership and doing the right thing, so seeing the story take such an unexpected turn left a lasting impression. We never wanted to shy away from that history. We wanted to acknowledge why that moment mattered and recognize that the reason people still talk about it 40 years later is because they care so deeply about Optimus Prime and these characters.”
Some of those fans even work for Hasbro today.
“We have several team members working on the Transformers brand today that experienced the movie firsthand as kids,” says D’Antuono. “They remember what it felt like sitting in the theater, and those personal memories really helped shape how we approached the anniversary. We didn’t have to imagine what the movie meant to fans because we had people in the room who lived it themselves. They remember the characters, the soundtrack, the scale of the story and how fearless the movie felt at the time. That perspective, combined with what we continue to hear from fans, reinforced just how deeply this film is woven into the fabric of the Transformers franchise.”
A new, final chapter for Optimus Prime
For Transformers fans new and old who attend the rerelease, they won’t just get a chance to catch the movie in 4K. They’ll also be getting something entirely new — albeit with a very familiar pair of voices.
“Optimus Prime: Awakening is a fully realized, 12-minute animated short featuring Peter Cullen’s final original voice performance as Optimus Prime, alongside Frank Welker returning as Megatron and Soundwave,” D’Antuono explains.
Cullen passed away just two weeks ago at age 85 as the Apology Tour campaign was already well underway. The significance of Cullen's passing is not lost on those at Hasbro.
“It’s hard to overstate what Peter meant to the Transformers franchise,” says D’Antuono. “He gave Optimus Prime his voice, but he also gave him so much of his character. The strength, compassion, integrity, and gentleness people associate with Optimus were qualities Peter had himself. He shaped childhoods, inspired generations and helped create a connection between the Transformers franchise and its audience that continues to endure today. Returning for Optimus Prime: Awakening meant a great deal to Peter. He saw it as a homecoming to a character he had helped shape for more than four decades. Hearing his final original performance alongside Frank Welker returning as Megatron and Soundwave makes this short especially meaningful.”
“More than anything, we hope this anniversary serves as a celebration of Peter's extraordinary legacy and the person behind the voice. We’re incredibly grateful for everything Peter gave to Optimus, to the franchise and to the generations of fans who found a hero in the character.”