“Thundercats Ho-ooo!”

Growing up in the 80s, there were two things that I would argue to my last breath during little and/or big break. First, red ice-suckers tasted better than green ones, and second, Thundercats was cooler than He-Man. That was basically it. No argument. So persistent is the cult appeal of Thundercats that Warner Bros., which absorbed the rights to the series in amongst a clutch of acquisitions in the 1990s, folded plans for a movie re-make and opted instead for an animated reboot now screening on Cartoon Network.

The original animated series aired in the States between 1985 and 1987, and was syndicated around the world for a while after that. It followed the adventures of the refugee Thundercats on Third Earth, following the fall of their homeworld Thundera – namely (and as a kid, I could recite these names in my sleep): Lion-O, Cheetara, Panthro, Tygra, WilyKit and WilyKat, and Snarf. They were pursued by a series of foes, chief among whom was the embodiment of evil himself, Mumm-Ra.

Here’s the intro from the original Thundercats (Ho-ooooooo!):

In 2008, Warner Bros. launched a project to revive the Thundercats on the big screen in a CGI format feature. Some concept art was released, showing Lion-O and some other characters. Whatever happened to the feature film, we’ll never know, because come 2009, the project had been handed over to Japanese animation studio, Studio 4°C (behind several of Warner’s animated hits, such as Batman: Gotham Knight and The Animatrix) who’ve produced a first series of a re-imagined Thundercats.

This time, Lion-O and pals escape from the ruins of Thundera (re-imagined as a city) in search of The Book of Omens, which will bring down Mumm-Ra. Oh, and Mumm-Ra has sent a Lizard army to bring down the realm of Lion-O’s father. Too, too exciting.

Here’s the trailer for the new Thundercats:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enQXITlKRgg

My Verdict: I’ve actually caught some of the new episodes on Cartoon Network, and the entire production is very slick, with enough loving homage to the spirit of the original, but with the clean lines and keen animated skills of modern anime. This is as likely to appeal to a new generation of fans (who are by no means starved of action-packed anime fare these days) as it will to grizzly old cat-heads like me, who miss the old days when life was as easy as red ice-suckers and episodes of Thundercats after school. Definitely one to watch.