This is not how you mark the 35th anniversary of a legend.
We've known this was coming for a while. Chumptoon Network's latest reboot is ThunderCats Roar, which premiered today after being delayed for several months. Two 15 minute episodes fill a half hour. The animation falls somewhere between Steven Universe and Teen Titans Go!, the latter of which's producer, Michael Jelenic, is also attached to this series as a consultant, along with Jules Bass, who, with Arthur Rankin, Jr., of course, shepherded the original ThunderCats in 1985.
Some critics like the comedy. However, the character designs are nowhere near even the 2011 series, which crashed & burned because Chumptoon Network suits became obsessed with comedy at that point.
New York radio legend Larry Kenney, the original voice of Lion-O, and the voice of Jaga in the 2011 series, reprises the latter role here, and thus is the only cast member to have been a part of all three iterations.
Following is a network trailer:
I'm sorry. I am partial to the earlier, dramatic iterations. The designs are horrible, worse than, say for example, Be Cool, Scooby-Doo. It is seven levels of suck.
Rating: D.
14 comments:
Somethig tells me this show won't last long.
It only just debuted on CN on Saturday. Problem is, it is attempting to be funny, and failing.
As much as fans of the original ThunderCats (from the 1980s) want to complain about the fact that this show exists, it only matters to Cartoon Network if today's kids (who weren't alive in the 80s to have ever seen the original) are watching it. If it's good, Cartoon Network will run it about 10 times a day, and if it's bad, it will quietly disappear from the network and be exiled to Boomerang.
Some people want to see a return of the 2011 ThunderCats produced by Warner Brothers, but personally I found that show to be very boring (although the art and animation was quite good). ThunderCats was never Avatar: The Last Airbender, nor should it ever aspire to be.
I'm not digging the puffy, stringy art style, but at the same, I can't fault this show for trying to be funny. Problem is that there's no way that this self aware parody of ThunderCats could ever be sillier than the original.
The two dramatic iterations weren't silly. ThunderCats Roar is Teen Titans Go! level silly, which is why Jelenic is attached. In the 80's, and in the 2011 series, Cheetara was eye candy for the boys. Not now, and that stinks.
Somewhere, Arthur Rankin Jr. is rolling in his grave. His partner Jules Bass is still alive BTW.
I noted that Bass is a creative consultant on the new show.
When I first saw the trailer, I immediately thought of OK KO, which I’m positive is neither a parody nor an attempt to update an existing character. At least Ian Jones-Quartey had plenty of time to wrap it up his way and tie any loose ends when he was informed of KO’s cancellation. If only the 2011 ThunderCats series had proper treatment like Gumball still does - it’s practically reminiscent of Avatar: the Last Airbender.
You're not the first one to invoke OK KO in discussing this show. The art style prevalent at both CN & Disney these days is so annoying.
The 2019 DC Super Hero Girls cartoon is a better action comedy than this garbage.
Gee, y'think?
You bet it is. That show deserves more attention than this one.
I agree with you on that point.
Thank fucking god that CN cancelled this show.
Well, given that it was delayed before launch, that should've been a sign this was doomed.
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