You know that Hasbro is still feeling guilty about killing off Optimus Prime in The Transformers: The Movie when the company literally calls its 40th anniversary celebration “The Apology Tour.” Four decades later, fans are still emotionally recovering from that moment. But hey, at least the soundtrack is getting the heroic treatment it deserves.
Hasbro has teamed up with Reigning Phoenix Music to announce The Transformers: The Movie: The Soundtrack: The Reformatted Edition, a fully reimagined version of the legendary 1986 animated movie soundtrack. The album drops July 24, 2026, on major streaming platforms and vinyl. Do not confuse this with the OST that was also released last year for this occasion.
And yes, Stan Bush is back. Because you cannot touch “The Touch” without Stan Bush. That would probably violate some sacred 1980s law.
The album features 10 re-recorded and reimagined tracks performed primarily by Knights of Unicron, a band made up of world-class metal musicians including Gus Rios, Matt Harvey, and Ross Sewage. Joining them are guests like Sebastian Bach, Brittney Slayes, Mark Osegueda, Francesco Cavalieri, and even Torch from Cold Slither. Meanwhile, legendary composer Vince DiCola returns, too, because a Transformers soundtrack without synth-fueled Vince DiCola energy would feel illegal.
Among the tracks getting rebuilt are:
- “The Touch”
- “Dare”
- “Instruments of Destruction”
- “Hunger”
- “Dare to Be Stupid”
- and “The Transformers” theme itself
And if I can be honest, “Dare to Be Stupid” being covered by a metal supergroup may be the most gloriously Transformers thing imaginable. Well, at least it is to me, who used to embrace heavy metal music.
The celebration does not stop with music. Hasbro and Fathom Entertainment are also bringing the 1986 movie back to theaters in 4K starting September 17, 2026, through a limited theatrical run in the U.S. and select international markets.
Forty years later, Transformers: The Movie is still somehow equal parts childhood trauma and peak animated cinema. And yes, it still hits like a truck. This is not making a mountain out of a mole hill; when you are a 9-year-old, cheerily entering a theater full of anticipation that the Autobots were gonna kick the Decepticons once again, but instead, you were sent into shock seeing Optimus Prime die. That, my friends, is a huge trauma to any child.
Anyhoo, as for tickets to the theatrical re-run of the movie, they will be available later this summer through Fathom Entertainment and participating theater box offices. You can also sign up for notifications through Fathom Entertainment so you will not miss the moment ticket sales go live.
For the music, the Stan Bush Returns: “The Touch” single is out now, and so is the music video. The Transformers: The Movie: The Soundtrack: The Reformatted Edition is available for pre-order via Reigning Phoenix Exclusives Europe and US websites, as well as from Target, Amazon, Big Bad Toy Store, Metal Injection, and Indie Stores.
Images: Hasbro/Reigning Phoenix Music.
