- The Omens I re-watch the episodes from time to time (although that’s really unnecessary considering I can recall them easily by closing my eyes and thinking for a bit), and although my opinion is arguably tinted with rose-coloured nostalgia, I still maintain that they’re the pinnacle of 80s animated storytelling, and hold up very strongly even today. If you can, it’s worth tracking down a copy of Exodus, the very first feature length episode, but make sure you get the PAL version as the American edition has some appalling cuts. Note that’s not the one you can find on the recent DVD releases (which also have some significant sound problems). You’ll probably have to do some internet scouring since the episodes have recently been removed from YouTube. The other ThunderCats were there as mentors and guides – parental figures to a kid who had lost his home and family, and yet was desperate to carve out his own identity. Because it took itself so seriously, it became much easier to be absorbed by its stories and characters. Exodus, for me, is still one of the greatest animated features ever made. There’s a real sense of gravitas about their escape and a palpable threat that the last of their race might not make it. Panthro comments starkly that their alternative is “we last ThunderCats perish in space”. There aren’t many pilots which can stir tears in their opening 20 minutes. Naturally, some episodes are poorer than others. It always irked me that it was very careful to establish that Third Earth was chosen as their refuge because they could breathe the air, only to have them walking around in space without helmets in later episodes. And, of course, it was party to some of the sermonising ‘lesson of the week’ style endings common to GI Joe (although more natural and never crammed in as an afterthought). But for sheer imagination, thought and spirit, ThunderCats is top of the 80s cartoon heap. It’s safe to say then that this new series of ThunderCats caused me to cock rather a large eyebrow. Was this going to be another desecration of an important childhood memory? Thankfully, the result, while not having quite charm or the emotional heft of the 1985 original, shows a lot of promise, and is far removed enough from its predecessor to avoid besmirching a beloved classic. The action starts off on Third Earth. It’s no longer the last refuge of a race fleeing genocidal apocalypse at the hand of the Mutants, but the ThunderCats’ home world. The war with the Lizardfolk still rages, and it’s one that the imperialistic Cats seem to be winning. Lizard stragglers are captured and placed in stocks in the market square: they’re both feared and distrusted. But while the Cats are the undisputed masters of their kingdom, their lands haven’t been completely explored. The Book Of Omens speaks of mysterious undiscovered ‘technology’ but no one but the young lord Lion-O believes it to be anything but a fairytale. Lion-O himself has been recast as a somewhat of a teen outcast, a prince who wanders the streets and bazaars in disguise, accompanied by his faithful companion Snarf, who in this incarnation can’t speak and resembles a feline Pikachu. He’s the Abu to Lion-O’s Aladdin. He’s something of a disappointment to his father Claudus (voiced by Larry Kenney – an inspired casting choice as he was the voice of the original Lion-O), who is grooming him to one day inherit the crown. This could become an interesting dynamic ripe for exploration in later episodes but for now Tygra is all too easy to dislike. In fact, the change in ThunderCats isn’t so much in the redefinition of its characters; it’s in its tone. 1985’s ThunderCats was about a team, essentially a family, struggling to survive on an unknown planet. Consequently, camaraderie was the order of the day. Everyone was friends. Their enemies were hostile outsiders. Disappointingly, the musical cues are completely absent. While full of bombastic horns and strings which do an adequate job (and even excel when Lion-O is first presented with the Sword of Omens), there’s nothing that captures the imagination. And the iconic theme tune which practically sound-tracked a generation’s childhood has been replaced with an unmemorable refrain. There’s still plenty more to unveil as the familiar team has yet to be formed, and no antagonists have yet been introduced. That’s another hurdle to get over, as 85’s Mumm-Ra is one of the most iconic cartoon villains ever created – that’s a lot to live up to. But a quick glance at the voice cast shows that Dee Bradley Baker is on vocal duties for Slithe – an indication that they’ve certainly got the right people on board. Thundercats is screening on Cartoon Network. Follow Den Of Geek on Twitter right here. And be our Facebook chum here.
