Lizard stragglers are captured and placed in stocks in the market square: they’re both feared and distrusted.īut while the Cats are the undisputed masters of their kingdom, their lands haven’t been completely explored. The war with the Lizardfolk still rages, and it’s one that the imperialistic Cats seem to be winning. It’s no longer the last refuge of a race fleeing genocidal apocalypse at the hand of the Mutants, but the ThunderCats’ home world. But for sheer imagination, thought and spirit, ThunderCats is top of the 80s cartoon heap. And, of course, it was party to some of the sermonising ‘lesson of the week’ style endings common to GI Joe (although more natural and never crammed in as an afterthought). It always irked me that it was very careful to establish that Third Earth was chosen as their refuge because they could breathe the air, only to have them walking around in space without helmets in later episodes. Naturally, some episodes are poorer than others. It’s really difficult to overstate how important music is when setting mood. Each character has their own leitmotif which reflects their personalities and sets the tone perfectly (which is partially why the recent DVD releases, with their botched sound, were so crippled). This is in no small part thanks to the music. There aren’t many pilots which can stir tears in their opening 20 minutes. Panthro comments starkly that their alternative is “we last ThunderCats perish in space”. There’s a real sense of gravitas about their escape and a palpable threat that the last of their race might not make it. Exodus, for me, is still one of the greatest animated features ever made. The other ThunderCats were there as mentors and guides – parental figures to a kid who had lost his home and family, and yet was desperate to carve out his own identity.īecause it took itself so seriously, it became much easier to be absorbed by its stories and characters. Similarly, ThunderCats was careful to establish its mythology – an age-old war between Mutants and Cats a hereditary young Lord of a ruling dynasty tasked with responsibilities which far outstrip his age a young man struggling to prove his worth in a new land. I’ve always said that the best fantasies are the ones which would exist even when you’re not reading about them – like those of Tolkien’s Lord Of The Rings and Pratchett’s Discworld books. You’ll probably have to do some internet scouring since the episodes have recently been removed from YouTube. Note that’s not the one you can find on the recent DVD releases (which also have some significant sound problems). If you can, it’s worth tracking down a copy of Exodus, the very first feature length episode, but make sure you get the PAL version as the American edition has some appalling cuts.
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