The Energon Pub

News Credits: 5749 · by **El Duque** » Fri Dec 02, 2011 12:24 am

MTV Geek has posted an interview with legendary voice actors Peter Cullen and Frank Welker on their roles in Transformers Prime as Optimus Prime and Megatron respectively. Click here to visit MTV Geek to check out the full interview.

A quick note for all would-be interviewers looking to get in a word edgewise with veteran Transformers voice actors Peter Cullen and Frank Welker when you've got them both in the same conversation: give up now and just let these two talk. The men behind Optimus Prime and Megatron have not only worked together for decades on shows outside of Transformers, but are good friends as well, with an easy rapport that you catch almost immediately when they get on the phone. The duo is indispensable to the 25-plus year old franchise, and it would be difficult to image what shape the the two men in their respective roles.

December 6th will see the DVD release of Transformers Prime: Darkness Rising, the Shout! Factory disc collecting the first arc of the new Hasbro-produced CG series on The Hub. Once again pitting the Autobots against the Decepticons in their seemingly eternal struggle, the battle returns to Earth with Megatron planning to escalate the conflict using the "blood" (as much as giant robots can be said to have blood) of ultimate franchise baddie, Unicron.

With the disc on the way next week, we thought we'd chat with Welker and Cullen--or at least let them talk while we listend--about the legacy of their characters, the unique working rapport they've developed over the years, and how innovations in CGI has allowed for more drama in Transformers.

Geek: How have you guys been enjoying working together on the current season of Prime?

Cullen: I gotta say it’s just a wonderful pleasure to be able to see Frank again and to work with him. We’ve reincarnated our glory days of Transformers and picked up where we left off. And it’s a riot.

Welker: Well, I will second that and working with Peter’s always a treat—we never quite know what’s going to happen from day to day, but it sure is great to see each other and reestablish old ties. You know, we have this rivalry of good and evil going back and it’s just fun to do battle with someone who you just like. [both laugh]

by **sky_fire12** » Fri Dec 02, 2011 1:12 am

These guys are the real Legends of the Transformers. TILL ALL ARE ONE !!

Website · by **Flux Convoy** » Fri Dec 02, 2011 6:45 am

These guys talk briefly about Prime on the big screen and I have to agree. Having seen bits of the show in the theater at this past Botcon? I'm not even mildly ashamed to say that I actually started to tear up. That show, I think would do amazingly well as a theatrical release. Everything is vivid, crisp and the sound was spectacular. It stirred things in me that I didn't think entertainment could really do for me any more. I'd gladly pay to see such a thing in theaters again and I was thankful to see what I did. Here's to hoping it isn't the only opportunity I get to see it that way.

I always get a kick out of reading Peter Cullen when he has a colleague to bounce off of. The reverence and respect he gives off justifies my respect for the man. The times I've seen and met him, he's always been gracious and patient. I think we were all lucky to have come across such a fantastic individual to give voice to the greatest of all Transformers characters, then and now.

News Credits: 2 · by **ubertenorman** » Fri Dec 02, 2011 10:57 am

Great interview, but I'm tired of MTV Geek getting all the big interviews and news stories. Same with all the big toy reveals at conventions other than Botcon. I understand Hasbro is trying to be more visible with the franchise, but I still wish they would go to the fansites and fan-conventions first before places like MTV Geek that're just jumping on the geeky bandwagon.

[/rant]

by **budmaloney** » Fri Dec 02, 2011 2:57 pm

Frank and Peter are truly amazing. These guys are partly responsible for the Transformers we now no, the rest of course being the actual shows.
It's truly a wonderful opportunity that we get to witness such high quality voice acting.

News Credits: 3 · by **NatsumeRyu** » Fri Dec 02, 2011 5:20 pm

Flux Convoy wrote:These guys talk briefly about Prime on the big screen and I have to agree. Having seen bits of the show in the theater at this past Botcon? I'm not even mildly ashamed to say that I actually started to tear up. That show, I think would do amazingly well as a theatrical release. Everything is vivid, crisp and the sound was spectacular. It stirred things in me that I didn't think entertainment could really do for me any more. I'd gladly pay to see such a thing in theaters again and I was thankful to see what I did. Here's to hoping it isn't the only opportunity I get to see it that way.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who felt that watching the clips of Prime at botcon was AMAZING. It really felt like they were meant to be viewed that way, and I can't agree with you more - I hope I have more opportunities to see it in such a setting.