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.

Sword of Omens, give me sight beyond sight!

 

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):

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!

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.

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.

 

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!