Hasbro continues celebrating Transformers: The Movie’s 40th anniversary with a new composition from Knights of Unicron

Life is sometimes cruelly funny, as Transformers: The Movie, the film which saw the beloved character Optimus Prime perish against his greatest foe Megatron celebrated its 40th anniversary, the real life voice of Optimus Prime himself passed at the age of 85 on August 26th in the very same year the anniversary took place. However the show must go on and we saw a slew of merchandise and even the film seeing re-release in theaters for six days under the cheeky moniker “Transformers: The Movie The Apology Tour”

As of the continuing celebration of the landmark film, toy maker Hasbro has teamed with tribute band Knights of Unicron to release a single called Optimus Prime Forever which pays tribute both to the character as well as Peter Cullen. Personally I was not a fan of the band’s rendition of “The Touch”, because how can you top the perfection that was Stan Bush’s original. However I had less issues with Optimus Prime Forever simply because there wasn’t a benchmark I can compare it to. The song also features a nice nod to a well known quote from Cullen himself about how his brother influenced his approach to crafting the character’s voice.

The song is available on YouTube and on select streaming services linked here. If you ever looked up to Optimus Prime, you owe it to yourself to give the single a listen, I did despite having reservations about the band after their previous single…I’m glad I did.

Official Song Description

Released as part of the 40th anniversary celebrations for The Transformers: The Movie, “Optimus Prime Forever” celebrates one of the franchise’s most iconic and beloved characters. Inspired by the defining events, emotion and unmistakable musical identity of the 1986 film, the track reflects the strength, compassion and courage that have made Optimus Prime so meaningful to generations of fans.

These qualities were shaped in no small part by Peter Cullen, whose performance gave Optimus Prime his humanity, warmth and moral conviction. The song was created before Peter’s passing; but offers an opportunity to thoughtfully recognize his extraordinary contribution as part of a wider celebration of Optimus Prime, the film and the fans who have sustained its impact for four decades.

Optimus Prime Forever – Knights of Unicron (40th Anniversary Single)