[Geek] Thundercats: The 2011 Reboot!

Yes, I'm an 80's child that grew up with such cartoons like Voltron, Voltes V, He-man, She-ra, Loony Tunes, Care Bears, My Little Pony, and yes, THUNDERCATS. My afternoons after school would be spent in front of the TV, and then I'd do my homework. *snicker* Well, that was before TV was off-limits during weekdays because school got a little tougher, and I would only get to watch during the weekends... and still my favorite shows would be there for my heart to delight on. :P

It's the 21st century and a new generation has emerged, and it seems like a lot of reboots of 80's cartoons are popping here and there, such as Voltron Force, Voltron's remake (and to cut a long rant short, I'd simply say that the 80's Voltron would always be the only version closest to my heart... not even GoLion--the anime which Voltron was originally based on--can come close). 

But I digress! Back to the reboots of 2011. 

Oh yes. Thundercats.

The Thundercats characters, from the Wildstorm comic book

An 80's child would never ever forget the glorious years of campy yet substantial and memorable cartoon shows. Now, the 80's children have grown up, with most of them sharing their childhood passions with their own little brood. BUT not all children of this day and age would appreciate what we so adored in our time, so remakes have to be made, simply put, to fit into the interests of this generation as well as to get a whole lot more updated in animation technology. Thundercats 2011, it seems, appears to be more promising! My my, the excitement, it overfloweth!!

A good bunch of factors contribute to the seeming success of the 2011 reboot: a number of the staff who have been involved in the original 80's version jumped into the creation of the 2011 version. One of the more noteworthy personages is Larry Kenney who was the voice actor of the 80's version Lion-O; he's voicing King Claudus, Lion-O's father, in the 2011 version. YEA how cool is THAT?! ^_^ 

1980's Lion-O

2011's King Claudus

Another factor is that it uses a more edgy anime design with huge help from the Japanese animation Studio 4°C. It's the same studio which also helped in the creation of The Animatrix.

A little bit more badass?

The characters are more cat-like, with prominent animal features than human ones which the characters of the 80's version sported. Small distinct differences can also be made, like each character having a different eye color, while the 80's version characters all had the same amber-hued eyes. There are also notably lesser bulgy muscles and WWF (WTF?) spandex-like outfits, replaced with reliable-looking combat gear (you should see the palace guard armor; so elvish-looking too!) with minor updates on the weapons as well, such as the famed Sword of Omens and Lion-O's claw sheath, Tygra's whip, and Panthro's nunchucks.

Thirdly: the TRAILER. Please to watch in Youtube:

Lastly, but certainly not the least, is the SOUNDTRACK. Listen to the music of the trailer, and listen to it as it plays in the background of the show's official page in Cartoon Network, as well as a clip in IGN's section dedicated to the show. The composer, Kevin Kliesch, is new to my ears, but if you'd read bits of the article I linked earlier, he's drawn inspiration from composers such as John Williams (Star Wars, Jurassic Park), James Horner (Braveheart, Titanic), and Jerry Goldsmith (Mulan, The 13th Warrior). If the Thundercats' score does get released to the public, it'll undoubtedly be part of my ever-growing soundtrack collection. ^o^

And OF COURSE, must NOT forget the new slew of toys which will be released once the cartoon lifts off! These are bits of what to expect, with Entertainment Earth as the toy line's retailer:

Soon, you will all be miiiiiine. <3

It's only a few hours away till the 1-hour premiere of the show in Cartoon Network, but only in the United States, as far as I know. Looking at the CN's schedules locally, it doesn't appear to be on the agenda yet. Also, I don't have cable so what's the use, I'll still wait for its release here somehow.

Finally, like most, if not all remakes, the reboot has a number of changes made from the 80's version. Character backgrounds, plot lines, and the setting are among the major elements that have been re-invented for the 2011 version. Don't want to be spoiled? Then don't sneak a peek from a screencap I've made from the Cartoon Network web site below but you know you want to: :3

So, is it "Thundercats Hooooo" or "Thundercats Noooooooo" ? Hopefully, I'll soon find out!

In the meantime, I'm having a ball viewing good ol' episodes from the 1980's version. THE CAMP! It is love. And Tygra you're still hot ohohoho.