by Kroze Kresky, Media Editor

“Thunder… Thunder…. Thunder… THUNDERCATS HO!”

Back in the 80’s, that phrase was heard in living rooms all over the US and kids tuned in every week to watch the continuing adventures of a band of humanoid cats from space as they fought the evil of Mumm-Ra and searched out a new home for themsleves to win over the hearts of children everywhere! Fast forward 30 years later and it looks like the cycle is set to repeat itself once again as ThunderCats returns to TV in a huge way!

Warner Bros Animation along with Studio 4°C brings us a complete reimagining of the classic series that is sure to make ThunderCats a household name once again!
In this version of ThunderCats, Thundera, now just a country on Third Earth is a kingdom of several different species with the felines as the ruling party and ruled by a great king named Claudus (voiced by the previous ThunderCats series voice of Lion-o Larry Kenney). His son and heir to the throne Lion-O (Will Friedle, best known for his work as Terry McGinnis in Batman Beyond or as Eric Matthews in Boy Meets World) is anything but like his father… naive, innocent and desperate to prove himself to everyone, as well as fancinated by advanced technology… something the kingdom of Thundera is not very privy to. No one believes Lion-O is ready to take on the mantle of the Sword of Omens, including his adopted brother Tygra (Matthew Mercer) who feels he is the one who is more deserving to be the next king.

Soon enough the King’s old war friend Grune shows up with a present (a wierd looking rock of some sort found during Grune’s travels) and tells of the death of Panthro (Cue the gasps of shock from classic ThunderCats fans), thus a great feast is held in honor of the dead ThunderCat warrior. All is not as it seems though as soon enough the city falls under attack by an army lizard men and thus Claudus, Lion-O, Tygra and all the rest of the Thundercats must protect their home from the massive invasion force.

The pilot episodes really harken back to the original series telling the story how Lion-O ends up with the Sword of Omens and how the ThunderCats are forced from their home but this new series manages to keep things fresh and change things up just enough that classic fans won’t feel like its just retreading old ground but still honoring and paying tribute the original. Writers Michael Jelenic and Ethan Spaulding really show off their love for the classic series by bringing in all sorts of elements and little blink and you’ll miss cameos (Robear arm anyone?) as well as their commitment to making the series stand on its own with its contemporary world and complex characters. Lion-O is not just the one note hero character anymore but more a mix of traits from Disney Princesses Jasmine from Aladdin and Ariel from The Little Mermaid… you’d think that unlikely combination would make for a boring main character for what is meant to be a very action oriented adventure animated show but it works here.

As this was the pilot episode, there was quite the focus on Lion-O more than other characters like Tygra and Cheetara (the original ThunderCats HO! according to Larry Kenney) but I am sure as the series goes on from what we have seen here, all the characters will get some nice developments to them. Also special mention goes to the completely redesigned Mumm-Ra which has a brand new weakness instead of the lame old “his own reflection” that fully works with the character.

The animation quality is amazing (especially in HD) and Studio 4°C as always astounds with their attention to detail, especially during the fight sequences. The quality level hasn’t really been seen in a tv series in a long time and more so makes you think you are watching an epic animated movie, also evoking feelings of Avatar: The Last Airbender with its style and colors.

ThunderCats looks to engage both fans of old as well as introduce a brand new audience to the many adventures and antics of Lion-O, Cheetara, Tygra and crew. The series is set to redefine a generation of action cartoons and just like Lion-O himself, become king no matter what!  ThunderCats is back with a vengance baby!

ComicsOnline gives ThunderCats “The Sword of Omens” and “Ancient Spirits of Evil” 5 Swords of Omen out of 5!

Stay tuned to ComicsOnline.com for more ThunderCats news and for everything geek pop culture!