YBMW Review: Thundercats, HOOOOO!!!!

I know exactly what I sound like when I whine, bemoan and bitch about the cartoons on cable TV nowadays.

GOD, THEY CALL THESE CARTOONS?!
WTF IS THIS S#!T?!
THESE STORIES SUCK!

The only ones that escaped my wrath are anime, Beavis and Butthead (huh huh huh….huhuhuhuhuhuh….) and Johnny Bravo (I have a soft spot for dumb, blond, animated men). I firmly believe that the best cartoons are from the 80’s. I don’t know what they were or were not smoking but that decade was one of the most magical times.

I know I’m going to sound super old when I start talking about how I get really upset when I see Hollywood trying to cash in on the classics by remaking them and revamping them. For example, the orignal “Conan” and “Clash of the Titans” were beyond awesome. And then came the remakes. They should’ve just left well enough alone. Jeezus.

You can imagine how hard I was crushing my BONNIE SMASH button when I heard they were remaking Thundercats. At first, I hoped it was just a joke. When I realized that it was indeed becoming a reality, I kept hoping they wouldn’t turn it into a joke. “Thundercats” ranked in my Top Ten favorite cartoons from the 80’s. They better not screw this up for me.

To my great surprise, they didn’t.

…thunder…

The first thing that struck me when watching the new “Thundercats” is the style of the animation. It’s very Japanese anime in flavor. I like. Not to say that I didn’t like the original (I love the original) but I like how they didn’t try to keep everything EXACTLY the same.

You have the bones of the original but I like how they updated their look. For example, Lion-O looks less like a lead singer of some 80’s hair band but more like….like….Yu-Gi-Oh. Cheetara looks less like the Misfits from “Jem” and more like someone you could see walking around the streets today…if they were spotted like a cheetah, built like Barbie with gigantic boobs.

All in all, I love how the Thundercats were updated for today’s young kids to enjoy. It feels fresh and new while still honoring the Thundercats I grew up with.

…Thunder…

What I like about the new “Thundercats” is how they really get into the history of this version of their history. The viewer is treated as a witness to Lion-O’s relationship with his father. From this interaction, you understand why Lion-O is the way he is in the beginning – a brash, flippant young man who doesn’t take anything too seriously.

Actually, that takes me to the heart of the matter. The story shares elements with the Thundercats of the 80’s but it can stand on its own. Those who are watching the 2011 Thundercats can enjoy the story without knowing anything about what took place in Thundara in the 80’s when I was growing up. The relationships are pretty much right on target with what I was familiar with growing up with a few exceptions :

– Is it just me or is Cheetara and Lion-O exceptionally “close”? I don’t seem to remember this when I was little. Either that or I didn’t understand what I was looking at. @_@

– SNARF DOESN’T TALK!!!!! Oh, joyous days!!! Snarf was so annoying to me when I was little. I thought he was a scaredy cat and I wanted him to grow a pair. But the 2011 version of Snarf is sooooo cuuuute!!!! I want him as a pet. Absolutely adorable. Maybe the reason I think he’s so cute now is because he doesn’t say anything besides “Snarf”. I’m easy to please.

– I don’t remember Panthro looking like a Samurai in terms of his hair style.

THUNDERCATS!! HOOOOOOO!!!!!!

Batman has the Bat Signal and the Batmobile. Superman has the S on his chest. Certain things are iconic to certain superheroes and the Thundercats are no exception. I was anxiously waiting for the Sword of Omens and the sequence in which Lion-O invokes the Sword’s ability to give him Sight Beyond Sight.

I am beyond happy to report that they didn’t mess with either of them. The Thundercats signal / logo is also still the same. Omfg, if they had changed those, I really don’t think I’d watch it anymore.

But they didn’t and I’m still watching. I’ve seen at least 7 episodes and I can honestly say I am loving it. I just hope the kids today will love it as much as I loved the Thundercats when I was a little girl. I wonder how many of them will pretend to be Cheetara when playing on the playground like I did when I was little.

“Thundercats” airs only on Cartoon Network Friday nights at 8:30 p.m. (ET, PT).