Original Air Date: July 29, 2011
Part 1 Written by: Michael Jelenic & Todd Casey. Directed by: Yoshiharu Ashino, Sean Song
Part 2 Written by: Tab Murphy. Directed by: Yasuhiro Geshi, Rokou Ogiharu, Sean Song
Article by: Purrsia
A society of humanoid cat people have built themselves quite a self-contained metropolis they call Thundera. On the outside of their kingdom walls lies the wilds of Third Earth where all manner of warriors and beasts lurk. For all their security, these cats rely on the sorcery of their clerics and a mystic Sword of Omens for protection. Their technology is such that the concept of a laser pistol or a flying ship is a fanciful dream. Their own royal guard is armed with nothing more than bow and arrow.
Their leader, Claudus, tries to keep their main enemy, the lizards, in check while also preparing his son Lion-O for the Lordship. Lion-O unfortunately, is often perceived as not taking his preparations seriously such is his pre-occupation with rumors of technology on the outside and a dark being called Mumm-Ra. His older, but adopted brother, Tygra is often at odds with Lion-O and the two have a sibling rivalry relationship.
In the meantime, Grune, one of Claudus's generals, returns from a trip to find the Book of Omens. He returns without the Book or his fellow General, Panthro. But brings back a large, ornate stone as something he found on his quests through the wilds of Third Earth.
They learn too late that Grune has turned traitor, his offering a trojan horse. More deception and betrayal later, and the kingdom of Thundera falls, the Lord gone, and the Sword fallen into the hands of Mumm-Ra. It seems all of Thundera's nightmares have come true.
Lion-O finds himself suddenly annointed Lord of the ThunderCats. It will be up to him and the surviving refugees of the ruined kingdom to find the Book of Omens before Mumm-Ra does and perhaps restore Thundera to its former glory. The adventure begins.
Quotes:
"Only the Eye of Thundera, source of our power, knows if there is indeed a king inside of you." - Jaga, to young Lion-O.
"When it comes to everything except the crown, you're always going to be second place." - Tygra, to Lion-O.
"Only the Eye of Thundera, source of our power, knows if there is indeed a king inside of you." - Jaga, to young Lion-O.
"When it comes to everything except the crown, you're always going to be second place." - Tygra, to Lion-O.
Facts of Note:
*Generals Panthro and Grune had been gone for "many seasons" searching for the Book of Omens. Jaga tells Lion-O later that it can be found "at the foot of the setting sun".
*Jaga claims their greatest king will have sight beyond sight, which Lion-O demonstrated with the Sword of Omens.
*Lynx-O makes a cameo in this episode as soemone in a guard tower that "smells the lizards" before the big invasion. I have heard all the 'new' Thundercats from the old show (Lynx-O, Pumyra, and Bengali) will appear in this new show.
*Only Jaga and one of his clerics (later revealed as Cheetara), deemed the Guardians of the Crown, survive the attack on Thundera initially.
*Mumm-Ra claims the stone in the Sword of Omens is his. Jaga lets him know an ancient spell will prevent an evil hand from possessing it.
*It would appear Mumm-Ra's major weakness in this version is exposure to sunlight (in the old show, it was his own evil reflection).
*Generals Panthro and Grune had been gone for "many seasons" searching for the Book of Omens. Jaga tells Lion-O later that it can be found "at the foot of the setting sun".
*Jaga claims their greatest king will have sight beyond sight, which Lion-O demonstrated with the Sword of Omens.
*Lynx-O makes a cameo in this episode as soemone in a guard tower that "smells the lizards" before the big invasion. I have heard all the 'new' Thundercats from the old show (Lynx-O, Pumyra, and Bengali) will appear in this new show.
*Only Jaga and one of his clerics (later revealed as Cheetara), deemed the Guardians of the Crown, survive the attack on Thundera initially.
*Mumm-Ra claims the stone in the Sword of Omens is his. Jaga lets him know an ancient spell will prevent an evil hand from possessing it.
*It would appear Mumm-Ra's major weakness in this version is exposure to sunlight (in the old show, it was his own evil reflection).
Classic Compare/Contrast:
What's the same: All the main characters, along with some secondary characters (such as Grune) are familiar from the classic show and a few didn't have their designs changed that much (Re: Mumm-Ra, Slithe). They still have the familiar weapons, skills, powers. Likewise, the claw shield and the Sword of Omens/Eye of Thundera appear thus far to be quite close to their original counterparts in design and function. Third Earth is also a familiar name and setting...however
What's different: For starters, the setting. As old school fans know, the original show's pilot Exodus started the adventure by displacing the Thundercats from their dying homeworld and finding them crashlanding on a distant and strange world, Third Earth. By contrast, the new show has them already on Third Earth and apparently, long since established there. Thundera, rather than a lost home world, is a kingdom within Third Earth. But in a parallel to the original, they're so isolated within their kingdom that when it falls, they are like refugees forced out into a strange world with which they aren't familiar.
Also a new concept, Lion-O and Tygra are brothers in this re-working of the Thundercats saga. In the original, of course they weren't. Tygra is clearly adopted and it looks to have the purpose of giving added conflict and a sibling rivalry plotline to the story. As a result, Tygra's characterization is very different from his 80s inspiration. Also, Lion-O is young here but nothing like the aging he did in the original. Jaga is not only a wise elder here but he's also more clearly shown as a wizard, and has a crew of clerics.
A third big change is Grune. In the original, we know the 'Cats first met him as a ghost. They do keep the idea that he turned traitor true to the 80s plotting, but not much else. Interesting! I like that they're plucking secondary charcters from the classic show to fill roles like this instead of making up new ones.
Other changes of note include WilyKit and WilyKat at this time being simply rumpled street pick-pockets, with no connection to Thundera's royal line or court as of yet. In addition, Lion-O's trusty sidekick Snarf does not speak in this reboot, whereas we knew him as the well-meaning but nagging nursemaid in the original.
Being familiar as I am with the old show, I spotted a lot of references and therefore saw a few things coming right off. Like when Lion-O got that piece of so-called technology and then those robots attacked Thundera, it was a total nod to the Warbot episode of the old run, and I knew how that was going to play out more or less. But I didn't see the big plot twist with Panthro for some reason!
At any rate, many of the things they're using were in fact referenced at one time in the old show but the writing of that old show was so uneven I can see how it's forgotten or overlooked. For example the Thundercats being less technologically advanced than the Mutants was mentioned in the old show, but not shown as much. But when you look at their weaponry, it would make sense to run with that, and make them a sheltered society in this new one that gets a rude awakening. And Mumm-Ra was once referenced in the original version as a "creature of the night", so why not have him fall apart in sunlight?
What's the same: All the main characters, along with some secondary characters (such as Grune) are familiar from the classic show and a few didn't have their designs changed that much (Re: Mumm-Ra, Slithe). They still have the familiar weapons, skills, powers. Likewise, the claw shield and the Sword of Omens/Eye of Thundera appear thus far to be quite close to their original counterparts in design and function. Third Earth is also a familiar name and setting...however
What's different: For starters, the setting. As old school fans know, the original show's pilot Exodus started the adventure by displacing the Thundercats from their dying homeworld and finding them crashlanding on a distant and strange world, Third Earth. By contrast, the new show has them already on Third Earth and apparently, long since established there. Thundera, rather than a lost home world, is a kingdom within Third Earth. But in a parallel to the original, they're so isolated within their kingdom that when it falls, they are like refugees forced out into a strange world with which they aren't familiar.
Also a new concept, Lion-O and Tygra are brothers in this re-working of the Thundercats saga. In the original, of course they weren't. Tygra is clearly adopted and it looks to have the purpose of giving added conflict and a sibling rivalry plotline to the story. As a result, Tygra's characterization is very different from his 80s inspiration. Also, Lion-O is young here but nothing like the aging he did in the original. Jaga is not only a wise elder here but he's also more clearly shown as a wizard, and has a crew of clerics.
A third big change is Grune. In the original, we know the 'Cats first met him as a ghost. They do keep the idea that he turned traitor true to the 80s plotting, but not much else. Interesting! I like that they're plucking secondary charcters from the classic show to fill roles like this instead of making up new ones.
Other changes of note include WilyKit and WilyKat at this time being simply rumpled street pick-pockets, with no connection to Thundera's royal line or court as of yet. In addition, Lion-O's trusty sidekick Snarf does not speak in this reboot, whereas we knew him as the well-meaning but nagging nursemaid in the original.
Being familiar as I am with the old show, I spotted a lot of references and therefore saw a few things coming right off. Like when Lion-O got that piece of so-called technology and then those robots attacked Thundera, it was a total nod to the Warbot episode of the old run, and I knew how that was going to play out more or less. But I didn't see the big plot twist with Panthro for some reason!
At any rate, many of the things they're using were in fact referenced at one time in the old show but the writing of that old show was so uneven I can see how it's forgotten or overlooked. For example the Thundercats being less technologically advanced than the Mutants was mentioned in the old show, but not shown as much. But when you look at their weaponry, it would make sense to run with that, and make them a sheltered society in this new one that gets a rude awakening. And Mumm-Ra was once referenced in the original version as a "creature of the night", so why not have him fall apart in sunlight?
Purrsia's Two Cents:
The thing I keep urging the old school fans to remember is that this is a reboot. A total redo. Completely alternate-universe. I know some things like Tygra's new personality and role as Lion-O's older brother may be hard for some to get used to, but for me he's not really "out of character" because he is essentially a new character, retooled to fit a new role and purpose. Some may prefer the classic Tygra I'm sure, as some may prefer the original premise. But for me comparing the changes from the original is just fun, yet none of the changes are upsetting to me. I consider it "loosely based on" the original characters and concepts, and enjoy seeing where they take it from here. The original will always have a place in my heart as a nostalgic classic, a great cartoon for its age. But I'm also very excited about this new show and so far really love the changes and direction they're taking it. And hey you gotta admit, it beats the heck out of that stupid rock band thing they talked about a few years back!
Even though they changed up a lot, I can tell they did their homework and they pulled some little details from the old show and incorporated it into this version, and that's pretty cool! I also appreciate that they included Larry Kenney in the voice cast, and kept his voice characterization of Claudus recognizable to his previous role voicing Lion-O in the classic version. What a neat, familiar treat to throw in there for us fans that would recognize it and enjoy the nostalgia of that voice leading the ThunderCats again.
My biggest hope for the show is that it has more of a cohesive story arc than the original, and that the writing stays more consistant. As much as the classic is beloved, fans have agreed over the years that it had its flaws, so let's hope for new and improved here :) I think they're off to a great start.
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The thing I keep urging the old school fans to remember is that this is a reboot. A total redo. Completely alternate-universe. I know some things like Tygra's new personality and role as Lion-O's older brother may be hard for some to get used to, but for me he's not really "out of character" because he is essentially a new character, retooled to fit a new role and purpose. Some may prefer the classic Tygra I'm sure, as some may prefer the original premise. But for me comparing the changes from the original is just fun, yet none of the changes are upsetting to me. I consider it "loosely based on" the original characters and concepts, and enjoy seeing where they take it from here. The original will always have a place in my heart as a nostalgic classic, a great cartoon for its age. But I'm also very excited about this new show and so far really love the changes and direction they're taking it. And hey you gotta admit, it beats the heck out of that stupid rock band thing they talked about a few years back!
Even though they changed up a lot, I can tell they did their homework and they pulled some little details from the old show and incorporated it into this version, and that's pretty cool! I also appreciate that they included Larry Kenney in the voice cast, and kept his voice characterization of Claudus recognizable to his previous role voicing Lion-O in the classic version. What a neat, familiar treat to throw in there for us fans that would recognize it and enjoy the nostalgia of that voice leading the ThunderCats again.
My biggest hope for the show is that it has more of a cohesive story arc than the original, and that the writing stays more consistant. As much as the classic is beloved, fans have agreed over the years that it had its flaws, so let's hope for new and improved here :) I think they're off to a great start.
Captures From Omens Parts 1 & 2
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