And so it begins… the reboot of one of our fave childhood animated series’, ThunderCats is making a comeback in the form of an anime-style reboot by Warner Bros Animation and Japanese partner Studio4°C. Check out the first image, a poster, and official press release for this animated series! Say it with me, “Thunder, Thunder, Thundercats, HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!”
[Click Images To Blow Sh!t Up]
Above: Official Image from Warner Bros Animation
Above: Blurry photo of a poster from the London Toy Fair, promoting the upcoming Bandai toy line (via ThunderCatsLair).
Press Release:
WBA and Studio4°C’s use of the Japanese animated artistry of anime, “ThunderCats” characters Lion-O, Mumm-Ra, Panthro, Cheetara and others will spring off the screen with realistic cat-like characteristics inconceivable in previous incarnations.
The new “ThunderCats” will appeal to viewers who have loved the characters all their lives as well as young newcomers to the franchise. A sweeping tale combining swords and science and boasting ferocious battles with the highest of stakes, the grand origin story of Prince Lion-O’s ascension to the throne – and of those who would thwart his destiny at any cost – takes on epic dimensions in this sharp new telling. As the forces of good and evil battle each other in the quest for the fabled Stones of Power, Lion-O and his champions learn valuable lessons of loyalty, honor and mortality in every episode.
“ThunderCats” is executive produced by Sam Register (“Teen Titans,” “Ben 10,” “Batman: The Brave and the Bold”). Michael Jelenic (“Batman: The Brave and the Bold,” “Wonder Woman”) and Ethan Spaulding (“Avatar: The Last Airbender”) are the producers.
Executive producer Sam Register talked about the reboot:
“The realism and dynamic visual style we’ve achieved are sure to thrill viewers, and the cool weapons, vehicles and technology should help the show appeal to a diverse audience.”
ThunderCats producer Ethan Spaulding recently spoke with MTV and talked about redesigning the characters while staying true to the original.
Spaulding said,
“We decided that it would be best to keep the core character traits of all the characters — specifically their colors — so at first glance you can tell who each one of them is. We really kept that core spirit of all the characters and just updated them with a little more realistic armor, and some of the ’80s aspects — like Lion-O’s exposed midriff. The original designs are great, but the world we have going on in this story, we had to fit our designs to that story, so that was our overall impetus.”
About the Anime vibe of the show:
“[It will extend to] the visual storytelling as well. The original show was done in Japan, and many people probably don’t know that. A lot of the artists went on to be in Studio Ghibli, and worked on [Hayao] Miyazaki’s first film. So “ThunderCats” does have a footprint in Japanese animation. We’re kind of going back and honoring that in the new series. I was always a huge fan of the original show and I love the Japanese animation and what they can do, so we’re really going back to the roots.”
On what attracted him to the project:
“I was a big fan when I was young. Everyone talks about the opening animation for “ThunderCats,” and it’s still to this day one of the greatest openings of any animated series. I appreciated the fantasy and science-fiction elements, and gravitated toward the character designs. I drew when I was a kid, so I always responded to the way everything looked in that show.”
“Hopefully we’re doing justice to the characters. They’re icons now, and we’re trying to do justice to the old show and its spirit, and flesh out the characters more so than the original series.”
ThunderCats is slated to premiere on Cartoon Network later this year.
