I just learned that Cartoon Network is about to release the revamped version to one of my favorite childhood cartoons – Thundercats!
With that in mind, I could not help but going on a trip down memory lane, comparing and contrasting the Thundercats characters of old and new.
For the sake of disguising my procrastination as something akin to actual work, I rounded up all the available information on the Internet concerning the new series. There isn’t much yet, but I found just enough to write this post, which is meant essentially as a comparison between the character designs from the old show and the soon-to-be released revamped.I’ll make sure to keep this information updated, so you’re welcome to bookmark this page and come back for updates anytime.
thundercats of old....
Table of Contents:
Sword of Omens, give me sight beyond sight!
.... Thundercats of... hum, new? (main characters - new series 2011)
Thundercats New: intro opening. I just spent a good hour sifting through the Youtube archives, looking for something akin to the new opening. But as of March 2, 2011, there is nothing available yet. Well, except for a bunch of fake videos with hyped up titles, that deliver nothing but collages of video footage from the old show, along with the exact same pictures I’m using in this post. (which I’m guessing are the only ones available so far). Speaking of which, just check out this early promo picture, released by Cartoon Network early this year, as part of the initial press releases for Thundercats 2011 (aka New Thundercats):
New thundercats, same main character, new looks.
Further, here’s another cool picture that looks as though it was captured from video footage. It shows most of the characters in the Thundercats roster, as envisioned in their latest incarnation. It’s too bad they’re just releasing pictures of the “main” characters so far… I cannot wait to see how Willy Kit and Willy Kat will look in the new show, not to mention Mum-Rah, and of course… dear old Snarf!
Top-Bottom: Panthro, Cheetara, Lyon-oh, Tygra.
Not bad, right? I personally enjoy how in essence they remain faithful to the original character designs. There are some changes, of course… but they’re mostly related with adjusting the looks of the characters to the sensibilities of the newer, anime-happy generation of viewers. Some obvious examples of which: Lyon-O’s dragonball haircut and Cheetara’s kawaii cat-like features. Here’s a similar picture from the old show, for the same of visual comparison.
They kind of look old-fashioned compared to the newer designs, don't they?
Of course, there’s also the new Thundercats promo they’re already running during the Cartoon Network commercial breaks. You may have already seen this, but in case you haven’t… check it out:
Footage from the New Thundercats show:
EDIT There’s a new trailer available, which you can check directly on Cartoon Network’s Facebook page. EDIT2: as the release date keeps drawing near, so does the hype! Check out this awesome new trailed that focuses on some of the main characters:
Thundercats Character Gallery, new and old.
willykit and willykat now....
......willykit & willy kat then
... and this is how she used to look
the good old snarf...
... and the brand new old snarf
Bonus: Thundercats CGI leaked footage
As rumor goes, this is some leaked footage of a project that may or may not see the light of day. A full-fledged CGI Thundercats movie. A lot of people seem to hate this, but personally I think it’s legendary. How about you?
Also, if you haven’t already – you really need to check out this 2009 fan made trailer for an alleged Thundercats live action movie:
Thundercats 2011: leaked 10-minute preview
Addendum: it’s just about a week before the premiere of the new show, but for those who can’t wait (like myself), here’s an extended preview of the first episode, which surfaced recently; thanks to some of my readers for pointing it out!
Share this Slice of Life with your Friends:
Incoming search terms for this post:
- thundercats (4882)
- cherry blossom tattoos (2035)
- thundercats characters (1024)
- thundercat (353)
- Thundercats 2011 characters (97)
- cartoon network (81)
- cheetara thundercats (72)
- thundercat characters (67)
- thundercats comparison (64)
- thunder cats (64)
5 Creative Uses for Your Old T-Shirts
Are Your Appliances Draining Your Wallet?
Zen Pencils: Famous Quotes, Cartoon Style.
Celebrating the Summer Solstice at the Stonehenge
How to Escape From Unemployment
Bouncy Castles: All You Need To Know About
Choosing the Right Track Day
5 Websites That Will Boost Your Financial IQ
Learn More About Yoga Weekend Retreats
Interstate Highways: a Majestic Tapestry Across America?
*Sighs* I hate anime. The new thundercats is on right now, and I have heavily disappointed in what I’m seeing. The art I could forgive, but the stilted voice work, weak writing and lack of heart in the actors just makes this come across as another project that I do not see having more than three, if that, seasons.
unlike what wild child is saying. i adore the new thundercats, and my nostolgia glasses dont get in the way of my veiwing. i try to look at it as a re-imaging or even a whole new show.
i love the crispness of the art and animation. and love how the voice actors get into it. although not as much as some of the more famous animes such as sword of the stranger and princess mononoke.
i love anime because they can dish out stories with good morals and deeper meanings.
and im glad they have done thing, because kids these days need some form of role-model among other shows such as adventure time, MAD, and fanboy and chum chum.
so thank you!
the original thundercats lasted 4 seasons……so predicting this one lasts only 3 isnt that bad. lol
Panthro from the new “anime” looks suspiciously like Jet from Cowboy Bepob
I was so excited that this cartoon was coming back,I TOLD MY GRANDSON we would not miss the premiere….So disappointed, technology lost the magic and originality.
I seriously dislike the new character designs for Panthro, Cheetara, and Snarf. Cheetara and Snarf’s designs just look so phoned-in, and I bother to mention Panthro because I think it looks weird that Lion-O gets slimmed down while he gets bulked up.
It is worth mentioning that the facial animation for the 80s show was frequently crappy and cheep looking as this new show and the voice work was often cheesy. However I greatly prefer that to weak voice acting and writing as was mentioned before.
As a side note: Miyazaki and other classic children’s cartoons from Japan also have a place near and dear to my childhood heart. It all depends on the title and one should not judge a whole country’s cartoons by a few crappy ones like this.
*cheap
heheh. Typo. ;P
I’ve only seen the last 5 minutes of what I believe is the third or fourth episode of the new ThunderCats, but it at least looks decent. Haven’t seen enough of it to form a real opinion of the voice actors or the storyline yet, but at least they don’t have five actors voicing every character in the entire series… even if it was amusing the contrasts in characters said actors voiced, like Bob McFadden voicing both the timid, high-pitched Snarf and the rumbling, sibilant Slithe.
One thing I do have to say about the new design is that all of the characters look younger than they did in the original. Not sure yet if I prefer the old or new versions. They both have their merits for their times. I love anime, but the original just has something that modern animations don’t.
I can’t believe people are chastising the new one for bad voice acting.
The old one had such bad voice acting nostalgia couldn’t save it for me last time I tried to watch it after years of not seeing it (I also grew up on Thundercats).
Have you guys tried watching the old Thundercats sometime? The voice acting is horrid, especially Cheetara (who unfortunately that voice actor did a lot of female voices) who always sounded flat and unenthused and monotone. I can’t watch the show now cause the voice acting was so cheesy that even nostalgia couldn’t bring it back.
The new one does a far better job with voice acting and also pretty good at storytelling (at least the first two episodes). Even Lion-O’s original voice actor seems to have improved some for the new one.
i absolutely love the new thundercats. both old and new!
I love the new show. I think they did a good job with design, story and voices (except for Cheetara, I don’t like her voice, the cloths she is wearing, and her attitude, but that’s just my personal opinion… the only thing I like about her is her hair lol).
But still, I think the new 2011 series turned out great <3
The old and new show are not the same (and obviously, not the same generation), so just think about them separately, it's not like one has to beat the other.
I remember the original Thundercats Cartoon from when I was a young child. My dad had us watch it and I still remember it fondly.
I even have some of the old episodes on VHS, and I rewatch them every now and then!
I have to say, the new take on it, this new reboot of the series, really makes me think back to those days when my and my older brother were glued to the tv.
a lot of people hate this show, saying it ruined the original, but I actually adore it.
the original focused heavily on Lion-O and although it seemed to have a central plot (fighting Mumm-Ra) it was also very random events plot or a ‘One an Episode’ theme type of plot. Sure, that makes it somewhat easy for newer viewers to jump in, but it always seemed lacking to me (expecially when Lion-O would steal the entire show and we wouldnt see many of the other characters for an episode or two)
This reboot is very attracting to me, since it is one of the few things my little brother and I can watch, along with being centered more on ‘plot’ than one character. I see a lot of depth to each character (even Pumyra who didnt get barely any characterization in the original) and I am eagerly awaiting to see how you handle the reboot and how it all ends. (when it ends I’ll be sad, but at least now i can show my future children the original and a reboot of one of the best cartoons of all time XD )