Almost everyone in Brunei remembers the Thundercats - practically no other morning cartoons was nearly as popular as it. It was well written, had great villains and an even better band of heroes, an annoying comic relief character in the form of Snarf, and a line of action figures and play-sets that could complete an entire museum exhibit. God-forbid that the writers of 2011 would dare to re-version this landmark series. But they did.
And television is all the better for it !
The new series that fan-boys heard of and has now been running past the middle of it's first season aired on July 2011 (this year) re-vamped the entire mythology - the Thundercats we knew are no longer, instead, they all living in a thriving kingdom called Thundera (still on Third Earth).Where Lion-O was a bikini-bottom wearing young man with a Jew-fro, the 2011 version is an even young teenage ego-ass learning the swords abilities slowly and from scratch. Each episode of the 2011 series contains an element where the young Lion-O learning something new about how to word the sword and this own temperament.
Tygra is Lion-O's brother, Cheetara is a member of the speedy royal clerics (priests of Thundera) and still has an out-of-my-mind cleavage, Jaga is more ghostly but doesn't wail as much as he did in the 80s, all the voices have changed from what they once were and the supporting characters (the Berbils, Slithe, and even Driller) are as wild as ever, in their own fashion. The themes are darker and more mature with a very Japanese anime feel.
Going deeper into the production semantics, this reboot is executive produced by Sam Register; who was also executive producer or producer for such action themed shows such as Teen Titans, Ben 10 and Transformers: Animated.
While it may not sound so enticing up front when foreshadowed by the children-orientated Teen Titans and Ben 10, the Thundercats 2011 series is worthy of a chance to getting your attention. Reviews from IMBD lay claims to the shows worthiness:
"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."
"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."
"The original series may have been cheesy, but I think the teachings they gave to us kids back then, were valuable ones, that in today's world, you just don't see anymore. They barely had violence, and they sure didn't have blood or something that could cause little kids to freak out."
(By the way, there is a little bit of bloodless yet shameless killing in the new series)
If you loved the Thundercats of the 80s, you won't see many hints of its elements in this 2011 re-version. And perhaps that's what made it more than what meets the eye. Wait ! That's a Transformers alliteration.
