ThunderCats are back ...in parody form!

Haven't posted here in a long time. Just saw the news and... yeah... this is NOT the new vision of Thundercats I was hoping for. I find the Thundercats parody on shows like Family Guy and Robot Chicken to be quite funny, but they do it in a way where it's funny, but it's also quick and not degrading at all. To make the entire show a parody however feels like a slap in the face. The only thing I can say is that we got several "bad" Voltron reboots before NetFlix got it right IMO. Perhaps this new series while a parody will nudge WB closer to making another "serious" Thundercats series. Every time I get my hopes up though, WB once again proves me wrong.

IMO I am afraid that the popularity of shows like Rick and Morty (something I can only imagine enjoying if I was on something) is heavily influencing cartoons in the West.
The new Cobra Kai is a great example of how to bring back an 80s franchise, and modernize it. I'm sure it can be done in cartoon form as well.

On a side note, I found this interesting from the announcement video. Looks like they are at least bringing back a lot of the characters:

Currently the announcement video on YouTube has about 8.8k thumbs down, tons of negative feedback, and I already see about 10 reaction videos with a negative reaction. In response, the director of Thundercats Roar has taken to twitter to call all of the fans who have kept Thundercats relevant for the past 3 decades "haters."



Bad, bad move...

When Mattel released those inaccurate, poorly assembled, badly distributed, overpriced toys this forum was full of members crying about how all true fans should support the toyline.
Yet here we are now with WB actually trying something contemporary to appeal to children and bring in new fans that could eventually lead to another series or movie etc and all the majority of people on here can do is complain about it wanting it boycotted. :confused:

"AlexofThundera, post: 123999, member: 527" said:

Currently the announcement video on YouTube has about 8.8k thumbs down, tons of negative feedback, and I already see about 10 reaction videos with a negative reaction. In response, the director of Thundercats Roar has taken to twitter to call all of the fans who have kept Thundercats relevant for the past 3 decades "haters."



Bad, bad move...

Give the show a chance before judging! Once again, we have something positive for the brand and folks are being difficult!

We still have the original series, let this new generation enjoy Thundercats and let the OG's sit back and pass the torch! I mean isn't that's what life's about? (Can't have the same thing forever):panthro

"T-Cat, post: 124004, member: 241" said:

Give the show a chance before judging! Once again, we have something positive for the brand and folks are being difficult!

I wasn't judging the show, but rather what the director tweeted. As someone who runs a business, I believe that was a very bad PR move. Also, you've stated this new incarnation of Thundercats is a positive without having watched the show yourself or seen its impact on the franchise. That is judging.

For the record: I do not want the same thing forever. I would love for a new generation of children to have their own version of Thundercats that is as impactful as the original was for me. The reason this new version is garnering so much negativity is far more complex than simply not being the original show. Just watch the reaction videos or read the fan comments.

At the end of the day, I respect everyone's opinion.

"AlexofThundera, post: 124006, member: 527" said:

Just watch the reaction videos or read the fan comments.

You do realise the vast majority of reaction videos are fake. They are just people jumping on board a trending band wagon for the sake of getting views and subscribers putting on a performance of being overly excited/angry etc without having any real knowledge or interest in the subject matter they are reacting to like all the reactions to Star Wars, Marvel, DC, Ghostbusters etc movie trailers.

My immediate reaction when I saw the art was like someone punched me in the gut... THAT BEING SAID, I stopped and thought about it and rewatched the behind the scenes video several times. No the art style is not my favorite but I am not the target audience they are going for. I've seen many people say this and i agree with it, "They are Teen Titans Go-ing Thundercats. It has that feel. But you know what, Teen Titans GO has been on for 5 years where as the original was only on for 3. Teen Titans Go animation wise is what attracts and works for children these days but when you watch it there are many things in it that are for older fans.(Such as the Titans dressing as Thundercats for Halloween!) The more I thought about this the more interested I was/am interested in it. This could be exactly what Thundercats needs to reinvigorate the franchise. The intro alone shows that they are paying homage to the original more so than the 2011 series. I love the 2011 series and agree that it should have got its season 2. But it didn't. We have to let it go. It was 7 years ago. It's not happening. It didn't work. This series is new, pays homage to the original (more so than the 2011 series), and done in a way to attract younger fans while, I guarantee, will still have things in it geared to entertain older fans that only they will actually get, very much like Teen Titans GO!
I may be wrong. We won't know what it is like until the show actually airs.
A few advantages of the animation being the way it is are that it keeps production costs down, toys for the show can/will be much more basic and that keeps toy production costs down. Keeping these costs down makes it much more possible for the show to make money and to continue on. These 2 factors are huge nowadays and can mean the difference of a show being on for 1 season or 5 or not at all.
Will it take some getting used to? Yes. Does that mean its bad? No. Not at all.

I look forward to the show and hope it will succeed and have the longevity of a Teen Titans Go! or a Adventure Time. I'm hoping for the best.

"Cap'n Cracka, post: 124008, member: 1207" said:

My immediate reaction when I saw the art was like someone punched me in the gut... THAT BEING SAID, I stopped and thought about it and rewatched the behind the scenes video several times. No the art style is not my favorite but I am not the target audience they are going for. I've seen many people say this and i agree with it, "They are Teen Titans Go-ing Thundercats. It has that feel. But you know what, Teen Titans GO has been on for 5 years where as the original was only on for 3. Teen Titans Go animation wise is what attracts and works for children these days but when you watch it there are many things in it that are for older fans.(Such as the Titans dressing as Thundercats for Halloween!) The more I thought about this the more interested I was/am interested in it. This could be exactly what Thundercats needs to reinvigorate the franchise. The intro alone shows that they are paying homage to the original more so than the 2011 series. I love the 2011 series and agree that it should have got its season 2. But it didn't. We have to let it go. It was 7 years ago. It's not happening. It didn't work. This series is new, pays homage to the original (more so than the 2011 series), and done in a way to attract younger fans while, I guarantee, will still have things in it geared to entertain older fans that only they will actually get, very much like Teen Titans GO!
I may be wrong. We won't know what it is like until the show actually airs.
A few advantages of the animation being the way it is are that it keeps production costs down, toys for the show can/will be much more basic and that keeps toy production costs down. Keeping these costs down makes it much more possible for the show to make money and to continue on. These 2 factors are huge nowadays and can mean the difference of a show being on for 1 season or 5 or not at all.
Will it take some getting used to? Yes. Does that mean its bad? No. Not at all.

I look forward to the show and hope it will succeed and have the longevity of a Teen Titans Go! or a Adventure Time. I'm hoping for the best.

I like the positive energy around here!:panthro

Who knows maybe this new series will introduce the SilverHawks and TigerSharks to a new generation!

The moment creators star swinging the "hater" comments around they lose. They did that with that ghost busters and the like. Heck, they did the same thing for years wit marvel comics and guess what happened? Hardly anybody liked that stuff.
Problem is when a show has held a certain theme type for a long time drastically changing it in such a way where everyone basically now has one character trait is a bad move. While others may enjoy it and claim "it's just a kid's show" yeah well all the cartoons i grew up watching were kids shows and hardly any of them were that borderline brainless. The excuse that today's kids only like random mindless stuff is an insult to kids today. Is that statement saying all children in current year are idiots? That they can' enjoy shows with better animation and good story lines? What about all the children's anime out there that gets dubbed? Can only japan make well animated cartoons with good storylines? Why must everything be as stupid as teen titans go?
There's also the fact that thundercats has not had a lot of exposure or a huge pulled of other things to jump on. What exactly is this show poking fun at? Why even bring in toilet humor when it was never in the original stuff? Why can shows for kids like transformers still have good animation and storylines yet everything else must look like drunk butt doodles?

"Serval, post: 123952, member: 26025" said:

However, the show can also be regarded as a direct insult to the intelligence of today's generation. Isn't it borderline unethical to have enjoyed all of these hi-quality shows only to have future generations/descendants exposed to rather rubbish caricatures (and a downright downgrade) of the original(s)? If I were a time-traveler, objectively speaking, I would say this current generation has been keenly duped. And, we are effectively contributing to this problem.

While I completely understand what you are saying, there are many that would say the same thing about our 80's cartoons. Past generations viewed them as a money grab and produced to sell toys and that they didnt match the quality of the old Looney Tunes and Disney Shorts, etc.

"mumm_ra_n_rana, post: 124016, member: 26022" said:

The moment creators star swinging the "hater" comments around they lose. They did that with that ghost busters and the like.

It's funny you mention the new Ghostbusters movie because earlier I was thinking that I hadn't seen such a massive negative response for a new movie/show, etc. since the all female Ghostbusters.

I also gotta say I feel bad for the 2011 Thundercats fans. I know they've been asking for a conclusion to that series for so long, and now instead of getting that, we get this... While I felt the writing on the 2011 Thundercats could have been better, I did like the animation style and the show could have been turned around with a new season. Per CN the main reason that show was cancelled was due to poor toy sales (though we know they messed up with the time changes too). I gotta wonder though, with this new animation style, just what kind of toys are going to be sold? More of those vinyl pop things?

"thezaxfactor, post: 123955, member: 362" said:

I think it goes without saying that I take ThunderCats extremely seriously. The events of the original series might as well be historical fact, as far as I'm concerned.

Maybe that's why a comedic take like this doesn't bother me at all, but rather intrigues me. It's not trying to rewrite history or equal the tone and grandeur of the original, much less live up to it—nothing ever will for fans as dedicated as us. What it can do is appeal to our senses of humor. It can wink and nod to the original, highlight the absurdities, lovingly nudge our beloved characters in the ribs, all without insulting anyone or altering the reality of what came before.

I take issue with the criticism of the animation style. Just because it looks doodly and or appears to lack obvious detail doesn't mean it isn't complicated or artful. It's just not the artfulness we're used to.

I do, though, empathize with the sense of disappointment that the introduction to the ThunderCats universe for many kids will now be very different from the one that we had. We may be proven wrong—the Code of Thundera, the power of teamwork and the growth of a young lord might come to the fore and inspire the target audience. Or it might just make them laugh. Either way, though, they might just ask their parents, "What was the original ThunderCats like? Can I watch it?" And that, in my mind, is far superior to a fan-servicey remake that does nothing to expand the audience.

Very well said Zax and I agree. I view this as a supplement, not replacement of the previous versions. It is very different and to me does not detract at all from the greatness of the original.

"thunderfat80skid, post: 123961, member: 26033" said:

I agree with your quality animation point. I’m an artist, love all kinds of art styles, animation styles. This show’s art does not look fundamentally bad, though the designs are jarring, the style suits the (unapplealing) direction the show is shooting for. So, yeah it’s not necessarily “poor quality” animation.

As another huge drawing/illustration fan I can appreciate many different styles. This may not be my favorite, but is still quality IMO.

"AlexofThundera, post: 123997, member: 527" said:

Haven't posted here in a long time. Just saw the news and... yeah... this is NOT the new vision of Thundercats I was hoping for. I find the Thundercats parody on shows like Family Guy and Robot Chicken to be quite funny, but they do it in a way where it's funny, but it's also quick and not degrading at all. To make the entire show a parody however feels like a slap in the face. The only thing I can say is that we got several "bad" Voltron reboots before NetFlix got it right IMO. Perhaps this new series while a parody will nudge WB closer to making another "serious" Thundercats series. Every time I get my hopes up though, WB once again proves me wrong.

IMO I am afraid that the popularity of shows like Rick and Morty (something I can only imagine enjoying if I was on something) is heavily influencing cartoons in the West.
The new Cobra Kai is a great example of how to bring back an 80s franchise, and modernize it. I'm sure it can be done in cartoon form as well.

On a side note, I found this interesting from the announcement video. Looks like they are at least bringing back a lot of the characters:

I dont believe that is art from the show, but from http://www.thebeastisback.com/. I remember seeing that poster art many years back.

I would have rather seen a DECENT cartoon for the show's come back not... 3 year old scribbles and fart jokes.

"adssse, post: 124021, member: 25051" said:

I dont believe that is art from the show, but from http://www.thebeastisback.com/. I remember seeing that poster art many years back.

Got it (and I think you're right). Thanks for the clarification. The fact it is on that guys wall gives me hope though that they do include characters like the Lunataks. Even if I'm not a fan of what I am seeing, there are so many characters from the Thunderacats universe that are badly needing some love.

"Mark M, post: 124002, member: 5058" said:

When Mattel released those inaccurate, poorly assembled, badly distributed, overpriced toys this forum was full of members crying about how all true fans should support the toyline.
Yet here we are now with WB actually trying something contemporary to appeal to children and bring in new fans that could eventually lead to another series or movie etc and all the majority of people on here can do is complain about it wanting it boycotted. :confused:

That's because collectors are perfectionists. It's not that they were disappointed in an absolute sense. It was a relative reaction. The intent was to persuade Mattel to up their game. So, in the eyes of collectors, the Mattel toys were like 8.5/10, but we wanted 10/10 toys. Now, with the new show....it is so far off the mark that we, as collectors, are experiencing an existentialist crisis. Even if the toys are toon accurate to TC Roar, they would receive a 1.5/10 (by default considering that the art style is basically doodles). There is a sliver lining, though. This show might generate interest from 3rd party toy manufacturers. We may get more classics interpretations from companies like, Hybrid Metals, Hiya, Kotobukiya and NECA. Possibly, even 4H (for fans of that style).

"Serval, post: 124024, member: 26025" said:

That's because collectors are perfectionists. It's not that they were disappointed in an absolute sense. It was a relative reaction. The intent was to persuade Mattel to up their game. So, in the eyes of collectors, the Mattel toys were like 8.5/10, but we wanted 10/10 toys. Now, with the new show....it is so far off the mark that we, as collectors, are experiencing an existentialist crisis. Even if the toys are toon accurate to TC Roar, they would receive a 1.5/10 (by default considering that the art style is basically doodles). There is a sliver lining, though. This show might generate interest from 3rd party toy manufacturers. We may get more classics interpretations from companies like, Hybrid Metals, Hiya, Kotobukiya and NECA. Possibly, even 4H (for fans of that style).

I wish that they would make figmas of the original cartoon already.

This is like "Baywatch" all over again! :eek:

When the Mattel line was cancelled and a member here by the name of "The All American" wrote to Warner Brothers requesting them to reconsider starting the line again, they wrote back:

"We are in discussions with additional partners to develop more products based on the classic TV series. The team at WBCP Toys is very familiar with the talented team at Super 7 as well as “The Four Horsemen.” I can’t share more information with you at this time but I can say that there will be a lot for Thundercats fans to be excited about in the near future."

"Excited" isn't the word I would use to describe this new show!

I can't help but feel like this was how they looked like when they made this.