ThunderCats

I first would like to thank WB Animation studios for Producing such a rich and wonderful season of my beloved childhood heroes. If you are a true Thundercat fan you will enjoy this series. It is with great sadness to report that Cartoon Network has canceled this wonderful series. We can blame the Cartoon Giant for this one. With a horrible time slot and push for shows like adventure time, Cartoon network really had no idea who the target audience was. Only after the show was canceled it aired on the late night Toonami. Well.... The ratings speak for itself. This show is awesome. It is a shame that Cartoon Network did not see this from the beginning. I guess the toy sales really cant be pushed on Toonami and Cartoon network only cares about money and not their viewers.

This was a truly epic remake of the 1980s megahit, ThunderCats. Was number one in its timeslot among the coveted 18-34 year old demographic.

The show respected the source material yet brought its own personality and updated the content for a modern audience. There was a much more plot driven focus here with long story arcs that carried a lot of weight.

The creative team behind the show made the destruction of Thundera a much more personal, visceral event. Rather than emulate the main device of the original series, where Lion-O wakes up in the body of a man and the mind of a child, this series explores the sudden responsibility thrown on the teenage Lion-O and the loss of his home city and Father Claudus (voiced by the original series voice actor, Larry Kenney).

There is a sibling rivalry between Lion-O and Tygra that carries over into their relationships with Cheetara. Mumm-Ra is cast as much more powerful villain and heads roll!

Cartoon Network made a big mistake cancelling this show.

Thundercats was originally conceived in 1983 but didn't hit the screens until 1985/86, it fittingly became a cult TV hit, it was faster paced and sleeker than He-Man and fairs slightly better in retrospective, spawning a tonne of merchandising like it's counterpart. An update or film version have been arguably long overdue.

There's no talking Snarf in the latest version but the major difference with the Thundercats 2011 is the setting, there's no 3rd earth, it's Thundera, that is in a Planet of the Apes sort way with flashbacks throughout. There's glimpses of Star Wars, Stargate and other sci-fi, but it borrows from the best. The characters dynamics, look and their relationships have been slightly tweaked. The mains given a more mature edge that allows exploration of conflicting divergences. Those familiar with the original will recognise new incarnations of reworked sub characters usually the antagonists.

Thundercats 2011 is reminiscent of He-man more so than its 1985 predecessor due to Thundera's Eternia-like feel and borrows from plenty from the recent Lord of the Rings trilogy especially in look during battle scenes including the civilians going underground. That aside, the animation, stories and dialogue are extremely entertaining and there are plenty of nods to the original series. It also includes a cameo from the original Lion-o voice actor Larry Kenney.

However, don't be mistaken it is different and not in a bad way, strikingly the episodes are very emotionally charged even more so than the original series. There are a few main characters that are omitted in the first fistful of episodes but that's not to say then may not grace the screen in later outings.

To really enjoy Thundercats 2011 most will have to put aside the cartoon they fell in love with. This is a darker distinctly styled incarnation yet thankfully it stays true to the original spirit of the Thundercats.

I remember seeing the original series whilst young and young enough to have a memory of everyone having the thundercats bag, the lunch boxes, the toy swords and if it was more fun to watch then He-Man. Thundercats was big and whilst not new in regards to formula it was a different take on the series given it barely included any humans (with exception to Mumm-Ra who i think was human) with striking character designs and a cool sword chant Thundercats was a shining example of a cartoon made marketable.

Looking at Thundercats (185) via youtube and DVD's you see how dated it has become, the writing unbearable sometimes but still the masculine design of Lion-O, Mumm-Ra and the ancient spirits of evil servant 'Pyron' Both have good designs that could be tuned into any show today.

Nonetheless the idea to make a remake was based on the idea that at the core there was a lot the original show could have offered still and this is what the remake does. It goes further much further into detail.

Thundera is now a Kingdom but the cats have lost the moral good to become more muddled, there is genuine rivalry, even dislike between lion-O and Tygra, Lion-O's father prides on posture and is essentially all pride. Other characters have been polished up quite well including the Lizards who are now a race with a strong background.

And cheetah, er wow, she's not bad looking (I'm I confessing to furry here?!)

The voice acting is strong as is the flow of animation. The show reinvents itself whilst being clever with its source material, the writing is very good also.

This series has a great start and will surely have a great run as well. I can see kids who were my age when I first saw the original series be taken in by this as well.

All together now. THUNDERCATS! HO!

I grew up watching the original Thundercats. I was very nervous when I heard about the reboot. Thankfully, after watching a few episodes of the new Thundercats, I am happy that the story, characters and the overall direction is pretty solid and does nothing to ruin it's great predecessor. It is time for a new generation to enjoy these awesome characters and I believe they are in safe hands. It is still worth watching the original series if you are a new fan. Every character from the original series will eventually appear here and most of their back-stories has been fleshed out while still staying true to the source material. If the rest of the seasons are as good as the first then it is safe to say that this show will continue to win more fans and attract a wider audience. Personally, i would like to see more humor in the show. In many ways, the new Lion-O is more relatable and I think younger audience members will immediately feel a strong connection and start looking up to him. All in all a very good animated series that is definitely worth watching.