While I will always say that Cullen is the best Prime, this thread bugs me for a couple of reasons.

1) Why no love for Neil Kaplan? I'm sorry, but I think he was WORLDS better than Chalk. And I know that's not entirely Garry's fault, considering that the writing on the Unicron Trilogy was terrible, and he simply read what was in front of him. But Neil, who admits to basing his Fire Convoy voice on Cullen, was perfect in that role. And I think he was one thing about that series that everyone agrees on, even if everyone didn't appreciate the childish nature of the show. So please, let's give the man his dues. Chalk and Cullen are no the only guys to voice Prime.

2) The thread is about who voiced Prime, and naturally everyone brings up how Chalk was perfect for Primal. Well, he was the ONLY guy to voice Primal. Unlike the debate about Prime, there is no debate about how good Garry was as Optimus Primal since no one else in the English speaking world ever voiced the character. Yes, I think his portrayal was great, sort of a mix of the bravery of Optimus and the inexperience of Rodimus. Yet to say, "Cullen is the best Prime, but Chalk is the best Primal" isn't really fair, since there is no comparison. Who knows, Scott McNeil may have played a better Primal if given the opportunity...

3) This isn't really a fair debate, is it? Not only were the shows totally different in their writing styles, as well as the recording process, but the Primes are different. The Unicron Trilogy Primes just weren't as dynamic, fun, or heroic, in my opinion, as the G1 Prime (ok, I know that Convoy died in Micron Legend, but he DID come back). Just considering the fact that the characters and shows are so different, I don't know if the debate is fair. To me, it's like saying, who played a better pessimistic character: Scott McNeil (Rattrap) or John Stephenson (Huffer)?

Still, this debate, like the Kaye vs. Welker debate, will also go on. I think, based on what little I've seen, that Kaye will bring a new edge to the character in TFA, and I'm really looking forward to it.

But yeah, Cullen all the way!

 

QFT

 

I've never heard Kaplan's Prime. Chalk always struck me as having gotten the job because "he kinda sorta sounds like that Cullen guy." His vague similarity to Cullen's Prime always distracted me, when I tried to watch the English dubs of any of the AEC shows. I'm sure I'm at least a little biased, from growing up with G1 Prime.

Cullen will always be the deffinitive Optimus Prime, for me. However, I'm really looking forward to hearing Kay's Prime. I never had a problem with his Megatrons, because they didn't sound like anyone else's Megs. I want to hear what he does with Prime.

 

watch, he'll sound like Cullen's Nemesis Prime voice.

 

Nuff said!

I did like Neil Kaplan though and am interested to hear Kaye.

 

Peter Cullen.

 

Some good points made here, I agree it is unfair to compare them, when Chaulk is to a degree emulating Cullen. I think anyone would try to have Cullens' sound, he is the original and best. I think Chaulk did a good job with what he had.

I have heard some great impersonations by fans, I do it myself sometimes lol, but the fact is Cullen just has such a presence and command with his voice none can match.

It's like James Earl Jones as Darth Vader. Many can impersonate, but none can compare.

I liked Kaplan, and I look forward to Kaye. We got him to do the Animated voice at Botcon. Not Cullen like at all, totally his own take, younger, more energetic Prime, which is what Hasbro wanted. I think it works for that version of Optimus and I am looking forward to how that character develops.

<<<<<<<< 

 

I'll try to set aside my nostalgia, but it still comes up Cullen.

Put simply, his voice is the Prime-as-father-figure voice, and for me, that's who Optimus should be.

David Kaye's Prime is more the "young hero/leader" voice, and while I guess that's fine (especially since Primal is explicitly a different character), I don't like when Prime is portrayed that way in an attempt to "humanize" or "broaden his appeal" (to kids).

If you want a young hero/leader, use a different character. Prime should always be the wise father-figure type in my book.

That said, I've never been all that attached to Welker's Megatron. Leonard Nimoy's Galvatron always appealed to me much more as a "villain voice". David Kaye is alright, but I find his Megs voices are always a bit too cartoonish (bearing in mind of course that Megatron is indeed a cartoon character   )

Starscream will always be Chris Latta to me. There is no other Starscream.

zmog

 

I grew up on Peter Cullen's Optimus Prime, so his voice is SO ICONIC. Gary Chalk was an EXCELLENT Optimus Primal and Neil Kaplan was a fantastic Fire Optimus Prime. Gary also did a great job on the AEC Trilogy. When I heard they were doing a movie I thought for sure that they were going to use a famous movie actor or something. When I heard that they wanted to use one of the original VAs as Prime, I immediately thought it HAD to be one of the three. I remember when Gary Chalk wanted to get the part and everyone opted for Peter Cullen. Now I love his voice, but I think he played a better Optimus Primal than Optimus Prime. Neil Kaplan on the other hand was just as much a pleasure to meet as he was a good voice for Optimus Prime. If they had picked him I wouldn't be too upset. But hearing Optimus Prime voiced by Peter Cullen was perfect. After hearing the narration at the beginning of the movie in the theater brought chills down my spine. I don't think anyone else BUT Peter Cullen could have brought that character to life to the rest of the world the way he did. One thing I'd LOVE to see at next year's Botcon would be the meeting of the Primes. Peter, Gary, and Neil altogether voicing their version of Optimus PRime against each other.

 

Cullen, hands down. I like Chalk as well.. especially in BW.

 

the problem is not that Chalk was a bad prime, the problem IS that they had him try to be Cullen, which he's not, instead of letting him voice HIS primal as the prime, they had him voice Cullen's prime, which he is not cullen, and that is in my opinion why he is not a very good prime, because he is trying to be something he is not. now if he did his primal voice for his prime, then he might of had some competion with Cullen, but instead, he, or hasbro, or who ever, chosed to have him voice prime, as if he was Cullen, instead of just being HIS own prime.

and that is where the problem lies to me.

it's not that his prime was bad, it's that he tried to be some one else. some one he's not, instead of trying to be his own prime.

which is why i am liking the david kaye prime, and the Kaplan primes, because they were different primes, all together, completely different, instead of trying to be some one who they are not.

it's like going to see an elvis impersonator, you're not going to get elvis you're going to get some one who pretends to be elvis, and that is just not who he is. so no matter how good he sounds, he will never be elvis, all he is doing is copying what some one else did.

so in my opinion, Chalk instead of playing Cullen's prime, he should of been his own prime, played it his own way, instead of trying to impersonate some one he is clearly never going to be.

Chalk has an amazing voice, and did a fantastic Primal, because it was a prime, yet he did it as a different character. and that was my point.

instead of playing prime, he was prime, but, not prime. if any one of this is making sense.

he was a prime, yet he was a different prime, and that is what he should of done in the latest shows, in my opinion. and that was the point i was trying to make earlier.

 

Just like one might say it's unfair to say Chalk is the best Primal when there was no other, one could almost say similar for Cullen and Prime, since most other voice artists playing an Optimus role were emulating Cullen's Prime to varying degrees, and we could easily have said different if a voice actor other than Peter Cullen made Optimus Prime his own in 1984. Pretty much every Starscream voice has varying levels of Chris Latta's interpretation in it, from G1 thru Animated, including the Movie.

Animated is really the first series to take the Optimus Prime voice in a different direction. (a little closer to G1 Hot Rod/Rodimus Prime to my ear)

Megatron, just as he does visually, seems to have the most variation for his character name/archetype. G1 Megs, BW/BM/Arm/En/Cyb (Kaye) Megs, RiD Megs, Movie, and Animated are all pretty different from each other, or at least they don't all sound like a movie serial villian in need of a cough drop.

 

Chalk= guy trying to imitate the guy that originally did Op Prime.
Cullen= guy that was the originally Op Prime.

Cullen>Chalk

 

If I was a chick, I'd throw my panties at Peter Cullen and show him my boobies. Yep, the man is that awesome!!!!!!

 

I always loved Cullen; always hated all the other voices for Primes different versions.

 

Best OP in my book?? ---- Vlastimir Djuza Stojiljkovic

 

Cullen = Prime

 

Cullen for me because his "tone" seems more "commanding" and has an "air of authority about it".

 

prime = peter cullen peter cullen = da man

 

I prefer Cullen...got goosebumps hearing that intro to the movie.

Chalk did an amazing job as Optimus Primal though.