It’s been about twelve hours since I saw this news and I really have had a hard time figuring out how to approach writing about it…
On one hand, there is a part of me that should be annoyed that a classic piece of my 1980s childhood has been rebooted for the current generation of children another part of me says ‘I’m a 37-year-old white male living in Ireland and there are far worse things happening in the world than a different version of a cartoon I used to watch 30-ish years ago that I should worry about’.
Thundercats has been revived, reimagined and rebooted as Thundercats Roar and while details for the new show are only now just being released, the video below will give you some of the early information straight from the lead animator’s man-buned mouth.
The series will star Persona 5’s Max Mittelman as Lion-O (and Wilykat!), which the main cast rounded out with Erica Lindbeck as Cheetara and Wilykit, Patrick Seitz as Tygra and Mumm-Ra and Chris Jai Alex as Panthro.
The animation style may jar some people but the success of shows like Teen Titans Go! And Steven Universe (both of which are fantastic – Ed) have proved that (the target audience) – KIDS – engage with it and like this style of drawing/animation and that really is the most important part: this show is not for me or you or your big brother or cousin Kevin who you used to watch the original with when it was on Going Live (UK readers will know) on Saturday mornings in 1985. This is for your kid and your friends’ kids who are under 10 and don’t care about the show you watched 30 years ago.
So please have some perspective.
Staying true to the premise of the original series, Lion-O and the ThunderCats — Tygra, Panthro, Cheetara, Wilykat, and Wilykit — barely escape the sudden destruction of their home world, Thundera, only to crash land on the mysterious and exotic planet of Third Earth. Lion-O, the newly appointed Lord of the ThunderCats, attempts to lead the team as they make this planet their new home. A bizarre host of creatures and villains stand in their way, including the evil Mumm-Ra, Third Earth’s wicked ruler who will let nothing, including the ThunderCats, stop his tyrannical reign over the planet.
ThunderCats Roar will air on Cartoon Network in 2019.
Irwin Fletcher
I'm an LA journalist who really lives for his profession. I have also published work as Jane Doe in various mags and newspapers across the globe. I normally write articles that can cause trouble but now I write for FTN because Nerds are never angry, so I feel safe.
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