Thundercats 2011: My Personal Thoughts

Thundercats are on the move, Thundercats are loose...once more. After waiting nearly 30 years for the resurrection of Lion-O and the rest of the residents of Thundera, the new Thundercats television series  delivers a lot of nostalgia and glory to many cat fanatics, however, some are left with a bit of a saturated feeling inside, feeling the show just doesn't live up to the original Rankin Bass cartoon it was based upon. But what are my thoughts regarding the rebooted Thundercats universe currently running on Turner's Cartoon Network? Was it good, was it bad? Well, to be honest, I really enjoyed the one hour premiere, although it was far from perfect, however, this is of course the inception of the series, and there is no doubt in my mind that the series will get better and better overtime, giving us that "Thundercatty" goodness we all know and love and admired from our youth. And this certainly isn't the first time we have seen a "start from scratch" take on a classic 80s TV show. He-Man and the Masters of the Universe got a fresh new look way back in 2002, although it was unfortunately cancelled after just a few seasons, and that is truly a shame because that was a pretty badass remake, and a perfectly example of how something from older days can be reinterpreted for a fresh new audience who never even heard of the original. I surely hope the new Thundercats doesn't share the same fate, because I really think this new series will build on the Thundercats universe much more and bring in new elements, new mythology, new characters nobody, not even Thundercats fans have seen before. Grab your cat nip and Meow Mix and let's get going!



They're all intact. Lion-O, Tygra, WilyKit, WilyKat, Cheetara, Snarf, they are all present in this fresh new series, although it is quite obvious that Snarf has been rid of what many people considered annoying on the original television series, his corny voice and his chanting of "SNARF, SNARF SNARF" whenever something terrible was going on. In my opinion, Snarf has been turned into more of a household pet rather than the comic relief he was beforehand, and he has definately been "cutzified" for the newer audience, who will instantly fall in love with the little critter and wish they had one of their own. In conclusion, the new Snarf puts Gizmo from Gremlins to shame, but that's just my opinion. The famous Panthro, voiced by Earle Hyman (Russell Huxtable) on the original series, finally came along in the most recent installment of the series, now fit with a white scar across his left eye and wrist gauntlets with huge spikes upon them, possibly giving Mumm-Ra's henchmen a bit of a scratchy job in the coming episodes. I really like how they pulled off Panthro in the latest episode of the series, showing him at the very end of the episode when you least expected it, and no doubt the youngsters got excited when they saw a new, exciting, and buff character join the Thundercats team, because it simply wouldn't be Thundercats without the nunchuck wielding Panthro. That's like Masters of the Universe without Man of Arms. And it just occured to me, if they make another Masters of the Universe series, Orko will be without the ability to speak and will be more of Prince Adam's pet, similar to Snarf in the new Thundercats television series.

It also would not be Thundercats without the menacing, the manacle, the sinister Mumm-Ra, who is even more sinister than his 80s counterpart in this new series. This Mumm-Ra the Everliving is much more cunning, swift, and resourceful as he attempts to bring down the planet Thundera in order to obtain the jewel from the Sword of Omens' hilt. A major change from the old Mumm-Ra to the new Mumm-Ra is that the new Mumm-Ra's weakness is sunlight, as opposed to the old Mumm-Ra's weakness of his own reflection. His pyamid base has also gotten a bit of a makeover, appearing much more darker than it was on the original show, showing how certain elements of vintage series can be toned down a bit, made comtemporary and much more grittier. After all, this is a new generation of fans with a darker, grittier Batman and possibly a darker, grittier Spider-Man. Gee, I can't wait for The Amazing Spider-Man! Mumm-Ra's henchmen, the Reptilians, have also joined the dark side, filled with much more anger and villainy than their somewhat goofy, clumsy original forms. And I thought it was interesting to see quite the conflict the Thundercats go through with the Reptilians, the Reptilians helping in Mumm-Ra's evil reign, turning Thundera into a desolate, apocalyptic world where no where is considered safe. I thought the designs of Thundera and Mumm-Ra's dimensions were much more vivid, much more detailed and interesting to look at than their original forms, which were much more appropriate for the 80s time period. Thundera reminded me a lot of Asgard from Thor, a world filled with colossal palaces of glass and steel, and villagers dressed in the most unusual clad, clad we would get beat up over in the real world. After Mumm-Ra's raid, Thundera kinda looks like Krypton, burning and fiery ed, terrifying for all the pussies living on the world. It's up to Lion-O and his minions to stop Mumm-Ra and restore their kingdom, otherwise Mumm-Ra turns all the Thunderians into flesh eating zombies that will make kitty chow out of one another. Nah, I'm not sure about that! I have to say, I'm not a total expert at Thundercats, however, I have seen a few episodes of the original TV series, produced by Rankin Bass, the company we all know for bringing us those iconic Christmas stop motions.

The original Thundercats are said by few to not hold up in this day in age, however, I think they hold up quite flawlessly, bringing in that 80s goodness that many cherished during that decade. I think that children who are captivated by this new Thundercats television series will one day go back and observe this series, for the episodes I have observed were pretty innovative and had a mythology, a mythos far different from other shows that jumped into pop culture around the same time like Masters of the Universe and of course, Transformers. Larry Kenney is solid as the voice of Lion-O, once you hear his legendary THUNDERCATS HOW, you immediately know it's him and his voice really compliments Lion-O's character and personality in a similar manner John Erwin's voice went along well with He-Man's character and personality. They are both tall, bulky fellows that kick the butts of all enemies that try and bring them down and they both wield an all powerful sword, a sword with unnatural abilities, magic far beyond their very dreams, and they must both raise their swords in the air to get the power they need, to use the abilities of the sword. I'd like to see these two get into an encounter, no doubt He-Man would win, for he is the most powerful man in the universe of course, but it surely would be intriguing to see how Lion-O fights to keep himself alive, maybe he would claw He-Man right across the face.

And before I forget, Larry Kenney voices Lion-O's father, Claudius, in the new Thundercats televisions series, doing his very best to sound different, sound abstract from the original Lion-O, but we all know that's him in there, that's the original Lion-O baby! And boy do we love him! It's almost as great as when they got Adam West to voice the Grey Ghost in an episode of Batman: The Animated Series entitled "Beware of the Grey Ghost". We all know it's the original Batman in there, and that adds to the beauty of the entire thing, helping us reflect on our fond memories of watching the 60s Batman on television. The same thing goes with Thundercats, hearing Larry Kenney's legendary voice helps us reflect on the roots of the franchise, helps us realize how far the franchise has come. It's like Kenney is passing the torch onto a new Lion-O, voiced by Will Friedle, and he is the wise old mentor looking over the new Lion-O's progression, perhaps giving Friedle a few pointers on voicing the character and making the character reminiscent of his own interpretation. So far, Friedle is incredible as the new Lion-O, very similar to the original, yet bringing something new and delectable to the dinner table in the form of a more fiesty, more fierce and ferocious Lion-O that children can relate to and pretend they are as they might very well pretend they are Thundercats and defend their backyard from the forces of Mumm-Ra. I know that my brother and I pretended we were X-Men when playing in the backyard of our old home. Gee, I miss the good old days!

Speaking of play time, did you see the new Thundercats toys from Bandai? They look incendiary! The scalp and the paint job on each figure is surely something to write home about, and no doubt new Thundercat gurus will jump for them, for they will surely vanish from the toy store pegs fast. In the end, I enjoyed the beginning of the new Thundercats television series and I am at high hopes that the series will get much, much better as the years go by, perhaps ranking up there with Batman and X-Men as one of the greatest animated television shows ever! And hey, the original Thundercats is on that list as well, for it is just as good, in many ways better than the new Thundercats, and the new Thundercats will no doubt pay homage to the original series in later episodes, maybe they will get some of the original voice actors to voice some of the characters. That would really make my day, because I really do like Thundercats and all the incarnations it has to offer.Now if you don't mind, I am off to explore some of the Thundercats comic books by Marvel Comics! They may be badly printed by today's standards, but they are surely fascinating to check out if yo are a Thundercats buff!

May the Sword of Omens protect you! Snarf! Snarf!