ThunderCats is an animated television series that was produced by
Rankin/BassRankin/Bass Productions, Inc. , also known as Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment, was an American stop-motion production company, known for its seasonal television specials. With few exceptions, their library is currently owned by Classic Media and Warner Bros...
Productions (the same that created the
SilverhawksSilverHawks was an animated television series developed by Rankin/Bass and distributed by Lorimar-Telepictures in 1986. The animation was provided by Pacific Animation Corporation, the working name for a collective of Japanese studios including Topcraft, a group who would later go on to form Studio...
,
TigersharksTigerSharks is an animated children's television series developed by Rankin/Bass and distributed by Lorimar-Telepictures in 1987. The series involved a team of heroes that could transform into sharks and other marine animals and resembled the series ThunderCats and SilverHawks also developed by...
and
The Comic StripThe Comic Strip was an American animated series which featured four rotating cartoon segments. The 30-minute series ran in first-run syndicated during the 1987-1988 season....
) debuting in 1985, based on the characters created by
Tobin "Ted" WolfTed "Tobin" Wolf was an American who was responsible for creating the animated television series ThunderCats. He was also an inventor with several patents to his name. Wolf died in 1999, in Honolulu, Hawaii.-External links:...
. The animation was provided by Pacific Animation Corporation, the working name for a collective of Japanese studios prominently including Topcraft, a group who would later go on to form
Studio Ghibliis a Japanese animation film studio, and previously was a subsidiary of Tokuma Shoten.The company's logo features the character Totoro from Hayao Miyazaki's film My Neighbor Totoro....
. Season 1 of the show aired in 1985 (65 episodes), followed by a TV movie entitled
ThunderCats - HO! in 1986.
Discussion
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ThunderCats is an animated television series that was produced by
Rankin/BassRankin/Bass Productions, Inc. , also known as Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment, was an American stop-motion production company, known for its seasonal television specials. With few exceptions, their library is currently owned by Classic Media and Warner Bros...
Productions (the same that created the
SilverhawksSilverHawks was an animated television series developed by Rankin/Bass and distributed by Lorimar-Telepictures in 1986. The animation was provided by Pacific Animation Corporation, the working name for a collective of Japanese studios including Topcraft, a group who would later go on to form Studio...
,
TigersharksTigerSharks is an animated children's television series developed by Rankin/Bass and distributed by Lorimar-Telepictures in 1987. The series involved a team of heroes that could transform into sharks and other marine animals and resembled the series ThunderCats and SilverHawks also developed by...
and
The Comic StripThe Comic Strip was an American animated series which featured four rotating cartoon segments. The 30-minute series ran in first-run syndicated during the 1987-1988 season....
) debuting in 1985, based on the characters created by
Tobin "Ted" WolfTed "Tobin" Wolf was an American who was responsible for creating the animated television series ThunderCats. He was also an inventor with several patents to his name. Wolf died in 1999, in Honolulu, Hawaii.-External links:...
. The animation was provided by Pacific Animation Corporation, the working name for a collective of Japanese studios prominently including Topcraft, a group who would later go on to form
Studio Ghibliis a Japanese animation film studio, and previously was a subsidiary of Tokuma Shoten.The company's logo features the character Totoro from Hayao Miyazaki's film My Neighbor Totoro....
. Season 1 of the show aired in 1985 (65 episodes), followed by a TV movie entitled
ThunderCats - HO! in 1986. Seasons 2, 3, and 4 followed a new format of twenty episodes each, starting with a five-part story; these aired from 1987 to 1988, 1988 to 1989, and 1989 to 1990, respectively.
The series was originally distributed by
Telepictures CorporationTelepictures is an American production company, currently operating as a label of Warner Bros. Television, with Hilary Estey McLoughlin currently serving as President...
(which would later merge with Lorimar Productions). Near the end of 1988,
Lorimar-TelepicturesLorimar-Telepictures was a production and television syndication firm established in 1986 with the merger of Lorimar and Telepictures until both TV divisions became separate in 1988...
was purchased by
Warner Bros.Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. (also known as Warner Bros. Pictures, or simply Warner Bros.—the shortened form of the former official, sometimes still used, formal corporate name: Warner Brothers
, whose television syndication armWarner Bros. Television Distribution is an American television distribution arm of Warner Bros. Television, itself a part of Time Warner formed circa 1960. In 1989, the company formed Warner Bros...
would eventually assume distribution of the show; Warner Bros. would eventually gain rights to the series (and all Lorimar-Telepictures programming) from that point on.
On March 17, 1997, ThunderCats was the series seen on (Warner Bros' corporate siblingTime Warner Inc. is the world's largest entertainment conglomerate , as well as the world's fourth largest media conglomerate, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City...
) Cartoon Network's new action-animation afternoon block, ToonamiToonami is a registered trademark of Cartoon Network, used initially for action-oriented programming blocks on Cartoon Network television channels worldwide, mostly showing American and Japanese cartoons, originating in the United States on March 17, 1997 and ended on September 20,...
. The series would depart and return in various timeslots including Saturday mornings and late night marathonsIn television, a marathon is typically the sequential broadcast of a single or a number of related television programs, most notably reflecting a theme....
until 2002.
There were also several comic-book series produced: Marvel ComicsMarvel Publishing, Inc., a company doing business as Marvel Comics, produces American comic books and related media. It forms a subsidiary of Marvel Entertainment, Inc....
' version, 1985 to 1988; and two series by WildstormWildStorm Productions, or simply WildStorm, publishes American comic books. Originally an independent company established by Jim Lee and further expanded upon in subsequent years by other creators, WildStorm became a publishing imprint of DC Comics in 1999...
, an imprint of DC ComicsDC Comics is one of the largest and most popular American comic book and related media companies, along with Marvel Comics. It is the publishing division of DC Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary company of Warner Bros. Entertainment...
(another Warner Bros. corporate siblingTime Warner Inc. is the world's largest entertainment conglomerate , as well as the world's fourth largest media conglomerate, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City...
), beginning in 2003. Items of clothing featuring the ThunderCats logoA logo is a graphical element that, together with its logotype form a trademark or commercial brand. Typically, a logo's design is for immediate recognition...
and DVD boxsets of the original series have enjoyed a resurgence in recent years as nostalgia for the former children's favorite has grown.
It was announced on June 5, 2007, that Warner Brothers is making a CGI-animated feature film of ThunderCats, based on a script written by Paul Sopocy. In October 2007, Variety magazine revealed that Jerry O'FlahertyJerry O'Flaherty , is an American video game art director and filmmaker best known as Art Director on Gears of War from Epic Games and as the Director on the Warner Bros. feature film "Thundercats". He co-authored the book Destroyed Beauty: An Inside Look at Gears of War. O'Flaherty began in the...
, veteran video game art director, had signed on to direct. The film is being produced by Spring Creek Productions. It was originally set for a summer 2010 release, but it has since been reported that the movie is on hold.
Concept art for the film has also been leaked online.
In May 2009 the first new merchandise related to the ThunderCats property was announced by Hard Hero, a company specializing in highly detailed fantasy statues. The first statue will be released in early 2010.
Plot
ThunderCats follows the adventures of the eponymous team of heroes, cat-like humanoid aliens from the planet of ThunderaThundera is a fictional planet in the animated television series ThunderCats. It is the home planet of the ThunderCats. It was destroyed by the Sword of Plun-Darr, and later reformed by Mumm-Ra into New Thundera. He reformed it in an attempt to recover the Sword of Plun-Darr....
. The series pilot begins with the dying Thundera meeting its end, forcing the ThunderCats (a sort of Thunderean nobility) to flee their homeworld. The fleet is attacked by the Thundereans's enemies, the Mutants of Plun-Darr, who destroy all the starships in the "ThunderFleet," but spare the flagship hoping to capture the legendary Sword of Omens they believe is onboard. The sword holds the mystical Eye of Thundera, the source of the ThunderCats's power, embedded in the hilt. Though the Mutants damage the flagship, the power of the Eye drives them back, and Lion-O's elderly guardian, Jaga, Voluteers to pilot the ship to the safety of the world of "Third Earth"; however, he dies in the process, because someone had to fly the ship, and because The journey to Third Earth takes several decades because of damage to their ship. The flagship contains the young Lord of the ThunderCats, Lion-O, as well as the ThunderCats Cheetara, Panthro, Tygra, WilyKit and WilyKat, and Snarf.
When the ThunderCats awake from their suspended animation on Third Earth, Lion-O discovers that his suspension capsule has failed to inhibit his aging, and he is now a child in the body of a man. Together, the ThunderCats and the friendly natives of Third Earth construct the "Cat's Lair," their new home and headquarters, but before long, the Mutants have tracked them down to Third Earth. The intrusion of these two alien races upon the world does not go unnoticed, however - the demonic, mummified sorcerer, Mumm-Ra, recruits the Mutants to aid him in his campaign to acquire the Eye of Thundera and destroy the ThunderCats so that his evil might continue to hold sway over Third Earth.
Season 1
This status holds strong for the first season of the show, and serves as the basis for a vast array of stories that freely mixed elements of science fictionScience fiction is a genre of fiction. It differs from fantasy in that, within the context of the story, its imaginary elements are largely possible within scientifically-established or scientifically-postulated laws of nature...
and fantasyFantasy is a genre that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting. Many works within the genre take place on fictional planes or planets where magic is common...
into a traditional good-versus-evil tale that steadily introduced more and more recurring allies and villains into the world of the ThunderCats. Futuristic technology is just as central to the series as magic and myth, but even in the midst of all this action, the series never under-emphasizes the importance of moral values in solving problems. Each episode would normally include a short denouementIn literature, a dénouement consists of a series of events that follow the climax of a drama or narrative, and thus serves as the conclusion of the story. Conflicts are resolved, creating normality for the characters and a sense of catharsis, or release of tension and anxiety, for the reader...
, featuring the characters recuperating after the events of the story and taking the time to single out a personal value or wholesome approach that helped save the day, or could have done so if they had not overlooked it.
The first half of Season 1 featured a gentle continuity, with early episodes following on from one another and establishing recurring concepts, although this became a little less common as the season transitioned into its second half, which comprised mostly incidental one-shot adventures. Tying the second season together was the over-arching five-part adventure, "Lion-O's Anointment," in which an unarmed Lion-O faced off against the other ThunderCats to truly earn his title as Lord of the ThunderCats. Although intended to be viewed consecutively (as the adventures depicted occurred one day after the other), the five parts of the mini-series were erroneously aired (and released on DVD) with multiple other episodes between each installment.
ThunderCats - Ho!
The 1986 TV movie "ThunderCats - Ho!" featured the first major shake-up to the status quo of the series, introducing three new ThunderCats who had also survived the destruction of Thundera. A massive cast of returning heroes and villains were incorporated into the story to make it the most epic ThunderCats adventure yet produced, and it concluded with the apparent destruction of Mumm-Ra.
Season 2
When the series returned in 1987, however, this was quickly proven not to be the case in the opening mini-series, "Mumm-Ra Lives!", as the evil wizard survived his fate. "Mumm-Ra Lives!" set the pattern for the show's final three seasons, which each began with a five-part mini-series that established the new characters and concepts that would go on to influence the rest of the season. In the case of "Mumm-Ra Lives!", these concepts included the debut of the villainous Lunataks, who became a third faction that existed for the rest of the series, and the new team of ThunderCats from "ThunderCats - Ho!" being given their own headquarters, vehicles and so forth.
Season 3
The 1988 season began with "ThunderCubs," a miniseries named for its plot about the ThunderCats being transformed into children, but which was principally about Mumm-Ra reconstructing Thundera in order to retrieve both the weapon that had originally destroyed it, the Sword of Plun-Darr, and the legendary Treasure of Thundera. In the course of the adventure, the treasure - containing the Book of Omens, a tome holding all the secrets of the ThunderCats, and many other mystical items - was scattered across the New Thundera, ushering in a new concept for the series: a season with an actual story arc. Continuity between episodes became tighter as the ThunderCats, Mutants, Lunataks and Mumm-Ra alternated their adventures between Third Earth and New Thundera, searching for the treasure and exploiting its powers. The season also featured the running theme of the Ancient Spirits of Evil having to take a more active hand in pushing Mumm-Ra into action, culminating in another unique feature of the season - an actual finale episode, "The Last Day," in which the spirits give Mumm-Ra one last chance to destroy the ThunderCats. Ultimately, the villain failed, and was banished to the farthest corner of the universe by the spirits.
Season 4
However, Mumm-Ra returned for the 1989 season. In the opening miniseries, "Return to Thundera!", the ThunderCats returned to New Thundera to rebuild their society, but before departing, they destroyed Mumm-Ra's pyramid, enraging the Ancient Spirits of Evil to the point that they brought Mumm-Ra back, and installed him within a new pyramid on New Thundera. The season proved to be quite divorced from what had gone before, with adventures consigned almost entirely to the wild and wonderful locales of New Thundera, and most villainous opposition coming from either Mumm-Ra or assorted new villains. The Mutants, Lunataks and Captain Cracker all returned for one episode each, however. In the series finale, several conclusions are reached: Mumm-Ra stands up to and asserts himself over the Ancient Spirits of Evil, the mystery of the Book of Omens was at last solved, and the tumultuous and terrifying environment of Thundera was at last rendered peaceful and pristine.
Voice cast
Despite its large cast of characters, ThunderCats featured a rather small circle of voice actors, with only six actors providing voices for the entire first season. Every actor provided multiple voices, although the distinctive baritone of Earle Hyman (Panthro) left the actor providing only very occasional guest voices in comparison with his fellow performers. In particular, as the first season's only female actor, Lynne Lipton (Cheetara and WilyKit) provided voices for every single female character that appeared in the season. Above all others, however, actor Bob McFadden would most regularly provide the voices of guest characters, with his two diametrically-opposed main roles - the timid, high-pitched Snarf and the rumbling, sibilant Slithe.
Despite introducing a large number of new regular characters, the show's second season brought in only two new actors. Gerrianne Raphael provided the voice of Pumyra, and was able to provide Lynne Lipton with some relief by adding new female voices. While actor Doug PreisDoug Preis is an American voice actor. He is best known for his roles in Doug, ThunderCats, and Silverhawks....
is regularly credited on the Internet as the voice of Lynx-O, it was Bob McFadden who provided that voice. Preis actually provided the voice of Lunatak Alluro.
| Voice actor |
Regular characters |
| Earl Hammond Earl Hammond was an actor and voice actor. He is best remembered for providing the voices of Mumm-Ra, Jaga, and other characters on the TV series ThunderCats and Steelwill and Mon*Star on Silverhawks...
|
Mumm-Ra, Jaga, Vultureman, Amok |
| Earle Hyman Earle Hyman is an American stage, television, and film actor. Hyman is best known for his recurring role on The Cosby Show as Cliff's father, Russell Huxtable.-Career:...
|
Panthro, Red-Eye |
| Larry Kenney Larry Kenney is an American radio personality. He began his radio career in 1963, while still a teenager, as a disc jockey at WIRL in Peoria.He subsequently worked at: WOWO, Ft...
|
Lion-O, Jackalman |
| Lynne Lipton Lynne Lipton is an American film, stage, television and voice actress.She is best known for providing most of the voices of the female characters on the popular 1980s animated series ThunderCats. She voiced Luna of the Lunatacs, Willa...
|
Cheetara, WilyKit, Willa, Nayda, Luna, Mandora The Evil Chaser |
| Bob McFadden Robert "Bob" McFadden was a singer and voiceover actor best known for his many contributions to animated cartoons. His best known characters were Milton the Monster, Cool McCool, and the ThunderCats' Snarf...
|
Snarf, Slithe, Lynx-O, Tug-Mug, Snarfer, |
| Peter Newman Peter Newman is famous for his voice work for Rankin/Bass. In ThunderCats he provided the voices of Tygra, Wilykat, Bengali, and Monkian. In SilverHawks he provided the voices of Quicksilver, Mumbo Jumbo, and Timestopper. He also played the evil Duke of Zill & Wack Lizardi in Felix the Cat: The...
|
Tygra, WilyKat, Ben-Gali, Monkian |
| Doug Preis Doug Preis is an American voice actor. He is best known for his roles in Doug, ThunderCats, and Silverhawks....
|
Alluro |
| Gerrianne Raphael |
Pumyra, Chilla, Jagara |
Action figures and other merchandise
LJNFor the airport, see Brazoria County AirportLJN was an American toy company and video game publisher. It created toy lines and video games based on movies, television shows, and celebrities.-Founding:...
produced the ThunderCats action figures from 1985–1987. The ThunderCats line was based on the animated series which was actually created in 1982. Due to difficulties, it wouldn't air until 1985. Each figure had an action feature of some sort, and the line also included a unique "laser" light-up feature that interacted between the Cats Lair playset, some figures, and some accessories. Lion-O's head and Mumm-Ra's eyes would illuminate when a special key ring that came with the figure was pressed into a slot in their backs. PVC companions were packaged with some figures in 1986, including WilyKat with Tygra, WilyKit with Cheetara, Snarf with Lion-O, and Ma-Mutt with Mumm-Ra. The PVC companion figures were also produced as full size articulated figures.
LJN did produce a few variant figures including the young Tygra version and the silver rat-eye daggers for Rataro. There are also a few slight color variations of Lion-O, such as red and orange-haired versions. The third series of figures from 1987 are harder to find along with the Tongue-A-Saurus and Astral Moat Monster. Driller and Stinger are the toughest figures to track down; Stinger's wings are very fragile, making it next to impossible to find a loose, complete figure.
An unproduced final series of figures would have included The Mad Bubbler, Red-Eye of the Lunataks, Cannon-Blaster, and Quick-Jaws from the Bezerkers as well as the Feliner, Thunderstrike, and Luna Tacker. The Mad Bubbler is rumored to have been produced, but this has yet to be proven. Photos of these were featured in the 1987 LJN catalog.
In 1987, Elite SystemsElite Systems is a UK video game developer and publisher established in 1984 as Richard Wilcox Software. They are best known for producing home computer conversions of popular arcade games...
released the game ThunderCats:The Lost Eye of Thundera, for Commodore64/128The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January, 1982. Volume production started sometime in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$ 595...
and Sinclair ZX Spectrum personal computer systems. Many years later, Cartoon Network's official website featured a game that allowed visitors to play as Lion-O and rescue fellow ThunderCats while venturing into Mumm-Ra's tomb.
Other ThunderCats merchandise of the 1980s included, among other items, a board gameA board game is a game in which counters or pieces that are placed on, removed from, or moved across a "board"...
, TV trayTV tray table or TV dinner tray is a type of collapsible furniture that functions as a small, portable table. They are most commonly used to place meals on while watching television...
, tin lunchbox, and apparel. A retroRetro is a term used to describe, denote or classify culturally outdated or aged trends, modes, or fashions, from the overall postmodern past, but have since that time become functionally or superficially the norm once again. The use of "retro" style iconography and imagery interjected into...
spurt occurred in the 2000s which saw a handful of new [ThunderCats T-shirts http://www.tokyoonline.com.ar] the best t shirt that exist of thundercats .
There is currently an online petition to get Warner Bros. to release an official soundtrack containing the music from the series, which was composed and performed by Bernard HofferBernard Hoffer is a Swiss composer and conductor who has created original music for a number of different films, television series, and commercials. He has also conducted several musical shows, such as the ballets A Boston Cinderella! and Ma Goose...
. The petition can be found here
In May 2009 Warner Brothers gave Hard Hero, a company specializing in highly detailed fantasy statues, the rights to produce a line of collectible statues based on the ThunderCats characters. In August 2009 the first statue based on the Lion-O character became available for pre-order. The company has reported that the next character to be produced in statue form will be Cheetara
Comic books
In 1985, a ThunderCatsThe ThunderCats comic book series was based on a television series of the same name. It was originally published by Marvel Comics through its Star Comics imprint. It ended with issue #24 in 1988. The following year, a new series was published by Marvel UK...
series was published by Marvel ComicsMarvel Publishing, Inc., a company doing business as Marvel Comics, produces American comic books and related media. It forms a subsidiary of Marvel Entertainment, Inc....
through its Star imprint. It ended with issue #24 in 1988. The following year, a new series was published by Marvel UKMarvel UK was an imprint of Marvel Comics formed in 1972 to reprint US produced stories for the British weekly comic market, though it later did produce original material by British creators such as Alan Moore, John Wagner, Dave Gibbons, Steve Dillon and Grant Morrison.It now forms part of Panini...
. The series consisted of 129 issues and was published for three years.
In 2002, DC ComicsDC Comics is one of the largest and most popular American comic book and related media companies, along with Marvel Comics. It is the publishing division of DC Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary company of Warner Bros. Entertainment...
, owned by Warner Bros.Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. (also known as Warner Bros. Pictures, or simply Warner Bros.—the shortened form of the former official, sometimes still used, formal corporate name: Warner Brothers
(who acquired the rights for the franchise due to its 1989 purchase of Lorimar-Telepictures), published a ThunderCats sourcebook through its Wildstorm imprint. In 2003, a wave of mini-seriesA limited series is a series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
and one-shots were published.
The original mini-series, Reclaiming Thundera (written by Ford Gilmore with various artists contributing), published in 2003, formed a series of loosely connected "episodes" that saw Lion-O continue his struggle against Mumm-Ra and The Mutants, a major plot point was the slow corruption of WilyKat by Mumm-Ra, which would play a major role in later storylines.
After another fateful battle with Grune, Lion-O entered the Book of Omens to begin his training and claim his rightful place as Lord of the ThunderCats, but Mumm-Ra uses a powerful spell to keep Lion-O trapped in the book for several years in real time, not "Book" time, and seizes control of Thundera afterwards.
In the follow-up mini-series The Return (written by Gilmore, and illustrated by Benes, Pimental, and Lea), Lion-O returned to Thundera to find it enslaved to Mumm-Ra. Several of the ThunderCats are scattered, held prisoner, or enslaved to his enemies. This storyline was distinctly more mature than many episodes of the series, with much harsher language such as "Bastard" used by Mumm-Ra. Cheetara is depicted as holding a grudge against Lion-O for "abandoning" his friends for such a long time, and WilyKat's corruption in the earlier mini-series takes greater form. Realizing he has betrayed his friends, the older Cub flees when the mini-series concludes, Lion-O and the ThunderCats emerge triumphant over Mumm-Ra once again.
By the third mini-series, The Dogs of War, (written by John LymanJohn Lyman was the third head college football coach for the Doane College Tigers located in Crete, Nebraska and he held that position for the 1894 season. His coaching record at Doane was 5 wins, 2 losses, and 0 ties. As of the conclusion of the 2007 season, this ranks him 14th at Doane in total...
, illustrated by Brett Booth, Joe Prado, Al Vey and Eric Nguyen) many years have passed and Thundera has prospered. Lion-O is now an aged and experienced commander of his countrymen. An invasion of Dogstar forces ultimately lead Lion-O to ally with Mumm-Ra himself (when Ma-Mutt even turns against him). Along the way, WilyKit finds true love and WilyKat redeems himself. The storyline concludes with Mumm-Ra offering Lion-O an elixir of youth so that they may continue their struggle against one another.
The remaining mini-series were all set during the events of the animated series. These were "Hammerhand's Revenge" (written by Fiona AveryFiona Kai Avery is a comic book and television writer. Avery was hired as a reference editor for the fifth season of Babylon 5, and later continued in that role for the failed spin-off Crusade. Avery contributed several scripts for the series, including "The Well of Forever", "Patterns of the...
, illustrayed by D'Anda, and Enemy's Pride, (written by Layman and illustrated by Virens, Hellig and Campus), which was published in 2004.
Several one-shots were also published. These one-shots consisted of two crossovers with Battle of the PlanetsThe Battle of the Planets comic book series was based on a television series of the same name. It was originally published by Gold Key Comics, with Top Cow releasing a number of comics morerecently.-Publication history:...
, one crossover with SupermanSuperman is a fictional character, a comic book superhero widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective Comics, Inc...
, and two "Origins" issues that established more of the back-stories. These were published in 2003 and 2004.
Reception
In January 2009, IGNIGN is a multimedia news and reviews website that focuses heavily on video games...
named Thundercats as the 49th best show in the Top 100 Best Animated TV Shows.
Movies
In 1986, ThunderCats - HO The Movie was released on VHS in the UK and North America. It was later edited into the five episodes which ultimately led to season 2 (even though Season 2 never aired in the UK).
In 2008 and 2009, Warner Bros. was in the process of creating a CGIComputer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
animated film based on ThunderCats. It was rumoured to be an original story expanding on the events of the first episode. Concept artwork was released in July 2009 of the main character Lion-O and three locations. A two minute test scene was filmed and presented to Warner Brothers, however the movie has been shelved for now perhaps due to the huge critical and commercial failure of the movie Speed Racer, another Warner Brothers CGI project.
International broadcasters
- ERT-2 (1987-1990), MegaMega Channel, also known as Mega TV or just Mega, is a television network in Greece. It was the first private television station in Greece, launched on November 20, 1989. It is owned by Teletypos S.A.. Mega's programming consists mainly of Greek programmes such as comedies, dramas, news, current...
(1991-1993), StarStar Channel is a Greek television network that broadcasts a mix of foreign and Greek programming. It launched in December 1993 and is owned by Nea Tileorasi A.E.. The main news bulletin is called Star Eidiseis, which used to be hosted by Ellie Stai , followed by Terence Quick and is currently...
(1999-2004) - RCTIRCTI is Indonesia's first privately owned television network and is based in West Jakarta. RCTI broadcasts Indonesian Idol. It also broadcasts sinetron , films, news and current affairs, reality shows and religious programs...
- Kids Channel (formerly known as 'Channel 6'). - Network Television MarketingNTM - A former Shalimar Television Network ChannelThe Network Television Marketing was Pakistan's first ever private sector Television Channel. NTM had started its transmission in 1990 under a 3-year agreement with Shalimar Recording & Broadcasting Company .NTM succeeded in acquiring much...
- Televisa Canal 5
DVD releases
Warner Home VideoWarner Home Video is the home video unit of Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., itself part of Time Warner. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Video . It was re-named Warner Home Video in 1980...
have released the entire ThunderCats series in a number of volumes in the following order:
| DVD Name |
Ep # |
Region 1 release date |
Region 2 release date |
Additional Information |
| Season 1, Volume 1 |
33 |
August 9, 2005 |
January 15, 2007 |
- "Feel the Magic, Hear the Roar: ThunderCats Fans Speak Out": an interview featurette in which Wil Wheaton (of Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is a science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Created about 21 years after the original Star Trek, and set in the 24th century about 80 years after the orginal series, the program features a new crew and a new...
) and other loyal fans give their memories and support to this animation classic |
| Season 1, Volume 2 |
32 |
December 6, 2005 |
August 13, 2007 |
ThunderCats Ho! The Making of a Pop Culture Phenomenon: Executive Producer Arthur Rankin Jr. Shares Secrets from the Show |
| Season 2, Volume 1 |
34 |
April 18, 2006 |
April 14, 2008 |
Featurette on the series' composer, Bernard Hoffer Bernard Hoffer is a Swiss composer and conductor who has created original music for a number of different films, television series, and commercials. He has also conducted several musical shows, such as the ballets A Boston Cinderella! and Ma Goose...
Music video of the show's theme song performed by The RembrandtsThe Rembrandts is an American popular-rock musical band formed by Phil Solem and Danny Wilde in 1989. They had previously worked together as members of Great Buildings in 1981....
|
| Season 2, Volume 2 |
31 |
November 28, 2006 |
June 2, 2008 |
Features ThunderCats Ultimate Adventure Challenge on Disc 12 |
Popular culture
- Snarf and Cheetara appear in the three-part South Park
South Park is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become infamous for its crude, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
episode "Imaginationland."
- The ThunderCats were often parodied in Robot Chicken
Robot Chicken is an American stop motion animated television series created and executive produced by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-Head Writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root...
with Lion-O occassionally voiced by Seth MacFarlaneSeth Woodbury MacFarlane is an American animator, composer, writer, producer, actor, singer, comedian, voice actor, and director best known for creating the animated sitcoms Family Guy, American Dad! and The Cleveland Show, for which he also voices many of the characters...
.
External links