For those of us who were not around in 1985, Warner Bros. Animation has created a reboot of the series. I know, the reboots of late have been tragic. But in my opinion, this one...
...was awesome.
No, really, it was. Cartoon Network airs them on Friday mornings. I can only hope that they air them on Fridays instead of Saturday mornings because school is out for elementary students anyway. Saturday morning cartoons are...not my cup of tea anymore. Anyway, this...Friday morning reboot of an epic cartoon is fantastic. It’s really worth the watch. It updated the character designs (Lion-O doesn’t have that awkward “abs window”) and yes, it did change some things, but for the better. Thus far, I am really enjoying it and I encourage people who dread the evil “reboot” word to give it a chance. I think cartoons are missing the fantasy genre lately, going mostly for randomness, and this is a nice reprieve from that.
Beyond this point will be spoilers of varying degrees...you have been warned!
The Ch-ch-changes...
At least to episode 3, there have some noticeable differences. In the original, the ThunderCats flee their planet of Thundera to find a new home, and are attacked by enemies on the way. They eventually get to Third Earth to start life anew, although only Lion-O, Snarf, Cheetara, Tygra, WilyKit, WilyKat, and Panthro make it, and it takes a long time. They go to sleep in capsules that stop aging, except Lion-O’s, who aged slowly and is now in the body of an adult but is really a child. On Third Earth they encounter their new enemy, Mumm-Ra.
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| I am manly! (Old version) |
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| No abs?! (New version) |
In the reboot, they do not leave their home planet. Simply put, Mumm-Ra destroys their kingdom. No space travel, and frankly, the space travel felt very late 80’s comic-book story, which is not bad at all, but it is very dated. This means that Lion-O does not age. So in the reboot he is a young adult(?). Yay. Because in the original, as a kid in an adult’s body, he just comes off as dumb. In the reboot, yes he is young and makes stupid decisions at times (please see episode 3) but he is learning and he will make mistakes. He has more depth now. But Tygra...oh god. Poor Tygra. He is Lion-O’s “brother” now (yeah...clearly adopted) and man they play up the “I’m better than you and I would make a much better king” way too hard.
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| Clearly adopted. (New version) |
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| Once got high (Old version) |
Snarf does not speak at all in the reboot, which I like. I think he is much cuter just saying his name (like a pokemon) than being annoying. Yet so far he has not really done anything, and at least in the original series, he did things. Now he’s more like, “hey, remember me? I’m the pet you had before your kingdom got burned to the ground. Thanks for....uh...waitwat?” Yeah I never saw Lion-O actually save Snarf. He is absent during the fights and such, yet he is later just following around Lion-O and the surviving gang. Did I miss something?
Anyway, my partner is not a fan of the new one. He liked the corny dialogue that Snarf gave.
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| ThunderKittens (Old version) |
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| We're just following (New version) |
WileyKit and Kat are back, but have not done much but act like kids so far. I’m interested in knowing what they will do with the two characters, as I really liked them in the original. I like their update, though, except the new WileyKit's non-existent dress.
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| Gruff and "dead" (New version) |
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| Russell Huxtable (Old Version) |
Panthro is ...sorry, they say from the get-go that he is dead. But let’s put it this way-he is “dead.” As in, he is totally not dead, and you cannot make me believe that they would kill him off.
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| Badass lady (New Version) |
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| I'm from the 80s (Old version) |
Cheetara has returned and she has some more depth to her, rather than her one and only character trait being “female.” Her original outfit and hair is very 80s, and I rather like her with long hair, though I’d like it if she put some clothes on.
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| Sharp teeth, clearly evil (Old version) |
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| Sits like a thug, clearly evil (New version) |
Lastly is Mumm-Ra. I actually like this one more as an evil, hunch-back thing. My partner prefers him in the original with his comical evilness, whereas I found that a little corny. I think the old one suffered from the “I’m evil, therefore I’m a little bit stupid” syndrome. Time will tell if Mumm-Ra will turn out like his predecessor, though. Lastly, I would like to add that so far, the format of the show has changed. Originally, the show was very much like the “monster of the week” format, and rarely did an episode have actual relevance to an overarching story. Thus far, this is not so, which is quite refreshing. All three episodes follow each other directly.
Things That Irk Me
Lion-O only did the full “thunder...thunder, thunder-HOOO!” once! ONCE. Seriously! They cut it down to a measly “Thunder HOO” probably just to save time. And there was the weirdest change between his “young” voice and his “manly battle” voice. Arg!
All in all, I think these changes are good, for the most part. Hopefully the series will continue to be this good and not crash and burn in remake hell!
And...did you guys know that the ThunderCats did a PSA against kids drinking? Oh 80’s cartoons PSAs...I miss you so much.ThunderCats PSA (Youtube).
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