Thundercats Are Loose

The magic and the roar of the Thundercats TV series which ran from 85-87.
On
January 04, 2007
Some of my greatest memories of being a child was to sit in front of the TV and watch television. One of my favourite shows was the Thundercats. Watching the epic story of good vs evil and which of the bad guys are on the loosing team.

It seems to me that the face of the Thundercats is going to change within the next year with a new version of an old classic TV show. Maybe it's a change for the worse? I just don't know? I do know that this is absoultely the worst thing that could ever happen to the Thundercats as far as new animation goes. I just know I'm not going to like this.

The Thundercats Theme Song.

Lion-O: "Thunder, Thunder, Thunder, THUNDERCATS HO!"

Thundercats are on the move
Thundercats are loose
Feel the magic
hear the roar
Thundercats are loose

Thunder, Thunder, Thunder, Thundercats
Thunder, Thunder, Thunder, Thundercats
Thunder, Thunder, Thunder, Thundercats
Thunder, Thunder, Thunder, Thundercats

Thundercats.

The Thundercats Cartoon Show

Distributed by Rankin-Bass Animated Entertainment from Lorimar Telepictures the Thundercats were loads of fun. What I liked the most about the old Thundercats is that you learned very valuable life lessons at the end. You never know what you can do until you try. Being blind doesn't mean that you're helpless. Running away doesn't solve your problems but makes your problems worse.

Now all cartoons are about is being mean.



The Cat Signal is called upon from the Sword of Omens. Whenever Lord Lion-O needs the other Thundercats he concentrates on the sword and chants "Thunder, Thunder, Thunder, THUNDERCATS HOOOOOOO!"

I know that the Thundercats TV show which ran from 1985-1987 was quite unique in it's own way. But you know what? Any new Thundercats TV show can never measure up to a new Thundercats TV show.

The epic tale of good vs evil.

The epic tale of good vs evil is played out rather well in the original cartoon. Lion-O almost always manages to best the Mutants and keep Third Earth safe from harm but when Mumm-Ra strikes it's a good sign that there's more trouble to come.


The Thundercats (The Heroes)

When the Thundarians reached Third Earth they were lead by Jaga the original leader of the Thundercats. When Jaga died during the journey to their new home Lion-O went from a boy of about 12 years old to a grown man of about 24 years old.

Lion-O



Lion-O calls for sight beyond sight from the Sword of Omens to see who's in trouble.

Lion-O is the new Lord of the Thundercats and as such he has taken over the responsibilty of leading the Thundercats to victory over Mumm-Ra and the Mutants.
Lion-O's awesome power comes from the Sword of Omens which was given to him by Jaga. When Jaga died during the journey to Third Earth the young Thundercat had to grow up rather quickly. Especially when faced with Mumm-Ra, the Mutants, and the Lunatacs. Lion-O's signature lines are "THUNDERCATS HO!" and "Sword of Omens give me sight beyond sight."

Panthro



Panthro thinks of a plan to get the Thundercats out of almost every tight spot they get into.

Panthro is a pretty handy guy to have around considering that he can fix or build just about any Thundercat vehicle. He can find his way around just about any opponent with the help of his nunchucks.



Panthro is kicking some mutant behind with his nunchucks

Cheetara



Cheetara uses her telaphthy to get out of a really tight spot.

Cheetara was born with a sixth sense, or telepathy, that tell her when the other Thundercats are in trouble. When her sixth sense kicks in she goes into a trance-like state of zoning everyone and everything out. But when Vultureman created a telepathy machine that reduced Cheetara's brain to a state of strawberry jam she starts to doubt her abilities. It is when Lynx-O tells her that he relies on his other senses to tell him of the world around him Cheetara suddenly taps into a new power that she didn't even know she had.

Tygra



Tygra is the brother of Bengali and an achitechect. He draws up the plans and Panthro builds whatever Tygra's plans specify.

Tygra is something of an achitect and a planner. He draws up the plans and Panthro builds whatever Tygra's plans specify. Tygra is the brother of Bengalli.

The Thunderkittens (Wily Kit and Wily Katt)



Wily Katt and Wily Kitt are the awesome duo known as the Thunderkittens.

Fraternal twins Wily Kit and Wily Katt make up the dynamic duo known as the Thunderkittens. Although the Thunderkittens are just kids they can get into a lot of mischeif at one point running away from the Cats Lair just because they felt ignored by the other Thundercats. Wily Kit and Wily Katt sometimes only have each other and they like to have fun but sometimes the Kitten's type of fun can land them in hot water.
Because Wily Katt can be a little more impulsive than his sister Wily Kit it's often the source of what gets them into trouble. But the adult Thundercats are always looking out for them. They have an assortment of smoke bombs that they use to defend themselves and confuse enemies and friends alike.


The New Thundarians (Lynx-O, Pumyra, and Bengalli)

Lynx-O



Lynx-O is blind but relies heavily on his other senses to make up for what his eyes can't see.

Lynx-O is a dear friend of Lion-O's father. He is elderly and blind but whatever he can't see his other senses, in particular his sense of hearing, usually make up for it. Lynx-O relies heavily on a braile board to help him navigate the Cat Claw and he also relies on Bengali and Pumyra to help him get around. Lynx-O was blinded after a lava gyser jumped up and splashed him in face sealing his eyes shut.

Pumyra



Pumyra is one of the new Thundarians who landed on Third Earth

Pumyra is one of the last surviving Thundarians, Bengali and Lynx-O being the others, who are stranded on Third Earth. They are unaware that Lord Lion-O and the other Thundercats have survived on Third Earth until Lion-O's dreams tell him so.
Pumyra is an accomplished acrobat and can use her sash as a lift to get around even the tightest spots.




Bengali



Bengali is the brother of Tygra and is a master blacksmith back on Thundera.

Bengali, who is Tygra's brother, was quite an accomplished blacksmith back on Thundeara who used the hammer of Thundera to fix the Sword of Omens after he figured out what aloys were used to create it.
He also uses his hammer as a means of knocking the weapons out of his opponent's hands.



Bengali with the Hammer of Thundera. He used his hammer to fix the Sword of Omens after Tug-Mug snapped the blade in half. He just had to figure out what alloys were used to make the blade.

The Snarfs



Snarfer and Snarf are uncle and nephew. Snarfer was college educated while Snarf was educated in the college of life.

Snarf and Snarffer survived the innital destruction of Thundera and were living on Third Earth when the Thundercats discovered that Thundera was reforming. The Snarfs were enslaved by Mumm-Ra and Ma-Mutt to help them look for the Treasure of Thundera. The Treasure of Thundera contains all of the secrets of the Thundercats including how to change history in order to destroy them.

Rober Bill



Rober-Bill of the Berbil Village. He was responsible for bringing Pumyra, Lynx-O, and Bengali to Third Earth.

Rober Bill was responsible for bringing Pumyra, Linx-O, and Bengali to Third Earth and has had a hand keeping his peoples safe from harm.


Jaga

Jaga is the original leader of the Thundercats who died after the Thundercats fled Thundera. After Jaga died he became sort of a spirit guide to Lion-O who had to grow up rather quickly. After the Thundercats crash landed on Third Earth Lion-O grew from a kid of about 12 years old to a young man of about 24 years old.

And now the Evil Doers.

Mumm-Ra The Ever Living



Mumm-Ra rules over the the Mutants of Castle Plundarr. At least until Vultureman sees an opening to take over.

"Ancient spirits of evil
transform this decayed form
to MUMM-RA THE EVER LIVING!"

Mumm-Ra is the most feared out of all the Thundercat enemies. He lives in a pyramid on the Darkside of Third Earth and gains his powers from this dark magic. He chants the spell above to release the evil spirits that give him his power.

Ma-Mutt




Ma-Mutt is Mumm-Ra's dog.
Ma-Mutt is Mumm-Ra's dog. He's very obedient and never questions any of Mumm-Ra's orders. Mumm-Ra once disguised Ma-Mutt as Snarf to gain entry into the Cats Lair.



The Mutants







The Mutants are, Slithe, Monkian, Jackalman, Rataro, and Vultureman

Consist of Slithe, Jackalman, Monkeian, Vultureman, and Rattaro. They're always trying to devise some sort of hairbrained scheeme to aid Mumm-Ra in destroying the Thundercats but of course, like most evil doers, they litterally fall flat on their faces in the attempt.

The Lunatacs

The Lunatacs come from the 5 Moons of Plundarr and each has their own powers that they use to try and defeat the Thundercats and Mumm-Ra. However they always end up falling short of their goals. Mumm-Ra encased the Lunatacs in molten rock never to be released again. Once Mumm-Ra realized that the Thundercats had gained new allies he knew that he had to release the Lunatacs. On Third Earth the Lunatacs live in Sky-Tomb which is located on the Darkside of the planet. The Thundercats cannot enter the Darkside of Third Earth because it has deposits of Thundrainium, an alloy which drains them of their energy, and renders them as helpless as newborn kittens.

Luna and Amok



Luna is the undisputed leader of the Lunatacs at least until Alluro sees his chance to usurp Luna and take over.

Luna leads the Lunatacs and Amok is the BDB, big dumb brute, who gaurds her. For some reason that is not quite known to me Amok is loyal to Luna and would step in front of a moving train to protect her.
In the episode Mumm-Ranna's Belt Luna retrieves the belt that her grandmother used to enslave humanity but the legend goes that Mumm-Ranna defeated Luna's grandmother to retrieve the belt so that no evil doers could use it. Unfortunately Mumm-Ranna lost some of her power when Amok wrecked one of the statues that kept Mumm-Ranna's Tomb protected.
Pumyra entered the tomb and tried to wake Mumm-Ranna but without the ancient spirits of good she wasn't strong enough. Mumm-Rana left it up to Pumyra to help her retrieve the belt from Luna.
As the things that go awry with all bad guys go Luna lets Pumyra get the Sword of Omens to Lion-O so that he may defeat Luna by restoring Mumm-Ranna's Tomb and she may recover her belt.



Luna and the other Lunatacs charge at the Thundercats.


Chilla



Chilla comes from the second moon of Plundarr. She has ice breath and can freeze her opponents whenever she wants to and can unfreeze her opponents with the flick of a finger whenever she wants.



Tug Mug



Tug Mug has the power to control gravity

Tug Mug comes from the first moon of Plundarr and has the power to make his opponents as heavy or as light as he wants.

Red Eye



Red Eye can see through solid walls with his infrared capabilities. He can also spot invisible people by scanning for their body heat.

Red Eye comes from the third moon of Plundarr and has infrared capabilities. He can see people who are invisible just by scanning for their body heat. He can also scan through solid walls looking for the Thundercats.

Alluro



Alluro is a hypnotist who can mesmerize his opponents and play mind games on them

Alluro can mesmerize his opponents by playing mind games with them. He tells them that they don't have a chance against them and feeds off of their fears.



The Berserkers (Hammer Hand, Ram Bam, Top Spinner, and Cruncher)

The Berserkers are a bunch of pilfering pirates with a taste for unicorn meat. They capture the New Thundarians for Mumm-Ra in exchange for gold.

Hammer-Hand



Hammer Hand is the leader of the Berserkers.

Hammer Hand is the leader of the Berserkers. He can crush any opponent with just a flailling of his fist.

Cruncher



Cruncher is a BDB or a big dumb brute who can crush anyone or anything with his vice grip

Another BDB or big dumb brute who can crush anyone or anything in his vice grip.

Ram Bam



Ram Bam is the equvialant of a human torpeedo.

Ram Bam is the equivalant of a human torpeedo with a very vile temper. Set him off and watch what can happen to his enemies.

Top Spinner



Top Spinner is the smallest of the Berserkers but he's also the clumsiest of the Berserkers.

Top Spinner is the smallest of the Berserkers but he's also the clumsiest of the Berserkers. Sometimes he spins so fast that he can't stop and rams into the others.

Ores of good and evil.

Thundrillium (Yellow Rock)

Thundrillium is a rare rock that is used by the Thundercats as well as the Lunatacs to power their vehicles. Thundrillium is yellow and has to be mined from deep within the depths of Third Earth

Thundrainium (Red Rock)

Thundrainium also known as red rock is the one substance that no Thundercat can withstand. Thundrainium immoblizes Thundercats draining them of the energy and rendering them as weak as kittens.

Weapons and Ammo

The Sword of Omens

Lion-O's sword. The Sword of Omens gives Lion-O the abilitiy to see things beyond what any other Thundercats can see. It has healing properties that help Cheetara, Panthro, Tygra, Snarf and Snarfer understand the meaning of being Thundercats when a part of new Thundera transforms them from Thundercats to Thundercubs.

The Eye of Thundera

An amulet that is impervious to thundrainium. Jaga gives the amulet to Lion-O so that he may cross into Red Rock Mountain and rescue the rest of the Thunderians who were taken hostage by Mumm-Ra.

The Totem of Dera

The Totem of Dera is part of the Treasure of Thundera. It has healing properties but can be a powerful weapon in the wrong hands.

The Chain of Loyalty

The Chain of Loyalty is the one chain that can be broken if the Thundercats don't take care of it. Lion-O loses his temper with Mumm-Ra and shoots at him accidently destroying the chain but a quick blast from the Sword of Omens brings the Thundercats back to their senses by reviving The Chain of Loyalty.

The Cat Signal

Lion-O uses the Cat Signal whenever he's in trouble. He concentrates on the Sword of Omens to and chants "THUNDERCATS HO!"


Thundercats 07?!

Internet rumors have been rampant about a new Thundecats TV series, rumors which I hope are untrue, that's in the works. There are times when I wish that these new animation companies would just leave old school cartoons alone because we had Thundercats 85 and now other cartoons are starting to rear their ugly heads.
I, not unlike any of the Thundercats purists, don't want to see a new Thundercats cartoon simply because it won't be the same as the old cartoon. This is not the time for a new Thundercats cartoon because the old Thundercats cartoons are okay.
If they produce a new Thundercats cartoon then what's to stop them from turning a cartoon like She-Ra into an animated mess.

Say what you want about the old Thundercats cartoons but I don't think that there's anything wrong with them.

Thundercats The Movie

There are other rumors of a Thundercats live action movie. What the are they thinking making a Thundercats movie? I think that if they decided to make a live-action movie out of every single cartoon that they ever made it would be a goldmine for movie studios. Oh well. I wonder why they can't wait untill they see how the Transformers Movie does?


So what is the point here?

It's not the right time for any of this. I would hope that any movie execs would reconsider doing a Thundercats movie at least untill we see how the Transformers does.


The Thundercats is the kind of cartoon that deserves a good live-action movie and a good cartoon. It really bugs me that they're attempting to even remake the Thundercats considering what a great cartoon it was and still is. I would hope that this article will provide some insight on why it means so much to me and I would hope that any production companies would treat the Thundercats cartoon with respect.
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