They’re usually in disguise, but these robots made an exception for CinemaCon. A special showcase for the upcoming animated feature Transformers One made a debut at the ongoing convention. 

Transformers One comes after last year’s Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts. 

Cast members Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, and Scarlett Johansson were present at the showcase, which showed off both a trailer for the film, and the first sequence of the film. 

The story of Transformers One takes place ahead of the war that has dominated many of the films over the longstanding franchise. It follows Orion Pax, the younger version of Optimus Prime, in his clerical job, and explores the budding friendship between him and Megatron, then known as D-16, a lowly Cybertronian miner. 

Hemsworth is responsible for playing Pax, while Henry plays D-16. Johansson plays Elita-One, and is joined by Laurence Fishburne as Alpha Trion, John Hamm as Sentinel Prime, and Keegan-Michael Key as B-127, the younger version of Optimus’ loyal friend, Bumblebee. 

At CinemaCon, Hemsworth mentioned the original voice of Optimus Prime, Peter Cullen. Cullen was the voice of Optimus Prime in the original animated show, and has come back to voice the character in a multitude of mediums, such as the live action films, the Transformers: Prime television show, and both the War For Cybertron and Fall Of Cybertron video games, among other projects. Hemsworth mentioned Cullen specifically in regard to the compassion and the courage he has brought to the role for years. 

While the franchise has a multitude of animated shows, animated movies are a rarity when it comes to the big screen endeavors of The Transformers. As Hollywood Reporter points out, this is the first theatrically released animated endeavor since the 1986 cult classic, The Transformers: The Movie. 

Transformers One comes to the big screen on September 13th.