OFFICIAL: ThunderCats 2011 Cartoon Discussion Thread

[Tundra_Torque]

From Dan Norton's DeviantArt page: Addicus and Slithe Concept Art!

I'm unsure how I feel about Monkian's new name. On the one hand, it's good that his name is not his species' name, but on the other hand, I've always thought of him as Monkian. He looks a lot like 200X Beastman - almost too much like Beastman.

[Piccolo Daimaoh]

I really wish you guys could have seen how little the Bandai employees seemed to care about ThunderCats. They really acted as if it was a chore to show off the tiny amount of figures they had on display. But they were pumped for Ben 10 and Power Rangers.

I really, really don't want to sound doom and gloom. Trust me. I want ThunderCats to succeed. Especially the cartoon (which I have heard similar rumblings about a March/April return.) But looking at the facts presented to us with Bandai's Toy Fair showing, I have reason to doubt the continuation of this toy line.

But if it is becuase they don't want to spoil the cartoon, and are going to drop new releases on us, then awesome! Trust me, I'll be very happy!

This gives me no comfort. There have been too many qulaity shows that have gotten the axe like Sym-Bionic Titan and Transformers Animated. I'd hate for that to happen to Thundercats. If the toy manufacturer, especially such a large one like Bandai, can't get behind the line then things won't be looking good for us Thundercats fans.

[Shredder]

I personally think the different size lines is a mistake. Not enough shelf space for one, never mind two or three...

[Lord Anubis]

I think Thundercats is deader than the hooker in my trunk. However Im still pulling for things to turn around when/if they decide to show new episodes. However if they dont return (I know they are suppose to,but come on, its CN...) 13 episodes was a new low. If everything went straight down hill, I would miss the 6 inch classics the most. Im REALLY enjoying them, and my LJN figures are more than happy to relax after 30 years of non stop battle.

HO!

[markatisu]

I think Thundercats is deader than the hooker in my trunk. However Im still pulling for things to turn around when/if they decide to show new episodes. However if they dont return (I know they are suppose to,but come on, its CN...) 13 episodes was a new low. If everything went straight down hill, I would miss the 6 inch classics the most. Im REALLY enjoying them, and my LJN figures are more than happy to relax after 30 years of non stop battle.

HO!

The show will come back, the 13 episodes to finish S1 have already been written, recorded and animated.

And I am pretty sure as long as it does not tank upon its return S2 will be greenlit

I look for a return in a few weeks since the rest of CN's shows are also returning then

[krosfyah]

Both the Cartoon and the toyline aren't coming to Canada until late Summer/early Fall.

the toyline is here, it's been here for months.

[Bri-Man]

Geez, I was 11 in 1989. Looking back I couldn't see myself dropping action figures at that age. Actually, I couldn't see myself dropping action figures when I was 31. I had action figures in my dorm room at college and the girls knew not to touch them. House rules.

looks like we're the same age...and i was still playing with figures at 11...TMNT and batman were my big thing at that age. speaking of TMNT, that property and transformers seem to have been the most successful with the newer generation. makes me wonder what the formula is there..TMNT had a fairly recent cartoon on fox (having a cartoon on a major network is a huge boost) that helped them out...and of course transformers had the movies..

and of course they're very unique properties..ninja...turtles? living machines that transform into vehicles? they're probably some of the most unique creations to come along since superman and batman back in the late 30's. but i wonder if it is truly an exposure issue that keeps MOTU and TC from achieving greater interest from kids...or are sword and sorcery properties not their thing?

[wyldman11]

Transformers 'reinvents' itself every 2-4 years, and has never really gone way there were a few 'reinvents' that didn't go over well though. Sure many older fans don't like the newer stuff, but others love it all. Basically Transformers fans have to be used to change, where as many of the other properties haven't become accustomed to it.

[MegaGearMax]

looks like we're the same age...and i was still playing with figures at 11...TMNT and batman were my big thing at that age. speaking of TMNT, that property and transformers seem to have been the most successful with the newer generation. makes me wonder what the formula is there..TMNT had a fairly recent cartoon on fox (having a cartoon on a major network is a huge boost) that helped them out...and of course transformers had the movies..

and of course they're very unique properties..ninja...turtles? living machines that transform into vehicles? they're probably some of the most unique creations to come along since superman and batman back in the late 30's. but i wonder if it is truly an exposure issue that keeps MOTU and TC from achieving greater interest from kids...or are sword and sorcery properties not their thing?

I think MYP and ThunderCats suffered from the usual Cartoon Network lack of promotion crap that station does. ThunderCats was hyped to all hell when it first came out, but now NO episodes are showing to keep the brand out there. Are there even any commercials for new episodes yet?

I do think G.I. Joe struggles because of it's army gimmick. Perhaps guys with guns aren't extraordinary enough? Despite a movie (Rise of COBRA), television series on regular TV (Sigma Six) and a show on the Hub (Renegades), G.I. Joe has failed to catch on past the 30th Anniversary figures in the toy aisle.

[Darkspecter]

Well...I guess it just goes to show how important marketing and promotion are! Bandai couldn't keep Thundercats on the shelves and the cartoon was seemingly a breakaway hit. Hopefully the show comes back in North America soon and it gains momentum again. If it fades away, maybe we can blame the end of the 200X MOTU line on Cartoon Network!

[Croaker]

the toyline is here, it's been here for months.

Not most of it. The 4" hasn't hit and apparently the figs that went to TRU are a mistake.

Here's a quote from a thundercats board (not by me):

..well just got off the phone with a REP from BANDAI USA ...not the most friendly fellow ,but he did inform me that due to licensing issue's...WE CANUCKS will not be seeing any future releases for the time being!!
I did inform him that TRU CANADA did have 6 & 8 inch line up here ...he informed me these were shipped prior to a license agreemet .
So once again I will hold my baited breath to see if any other TC ITEM'S show up....
bUMMER!!

[The thread was later updated to say August was the planned release]

Have you seen anything other than the first wave of modern 6" and classic 8" in any store?
(Comic book stores don't count because they're getting their supply from the US)

[gbagok]

Avatar the Last Airbender didn't have great toy sales either, did it? Maybe that was too long ago. Or CN had a special arrangement with them. But Symbionic Titan wasn't canceled for having bad or slow toy sales, it was canceled (they claim) for having no toys at all. Thundercats seems like it's ahead in that way. I'd be happy if they just had three kickass seasons and then ended it. I'd be happier for an on-going franchise sure, but the one thing I don't want is repeat of MOTU 200x, which is what this is starting to feel like.

[markatisu]

Avatar the Last Airbender didn't have great toy sales either, did it? Maybe that was too long ago. Or CN had a special arrangement with them. But Symbionic Titan wasn't canceled for having bad or slow toy sales, it was canceled (they claim) for having no toys at all. Thundercats seems like it's ahead in that way. I'd be happy if they just had three kickass seasons and then ended it. I'd be happier for an on-going franchise sure, but the one thing I don't want is repeat of MOTU 200x, which is what this is starting to feel like.

I forgot Avatar had toys until you said something, but yeah they stunk in the sales dept.

[Sword2Blanket]

My problem with Cartoon Network has ALWAYS been the fact that they constantly and unceremoniously shuffle their schedule and drop/add shows with no warning or information on if or when they'll be back or anything. Just about any series I've EVER watched, I've missed huge chunks of or just stopped watching because of this.

[wyldman11]

Yeah, and they do it even with shows owned by the parent company. Look at most of the DC related stuff. I have a feeling if they weren't named cartoon network and it wasn't most of their programming the network would have collapsed in years ago based on how it's run.

[Eternia Burning]

Avatar the Last Airbender didn't have great toy sales either, did it? Maybe that was too long ago. Or CN had a special arrangement with them.

Avatar aired on Nickelodeon. Maybe they had different expectations/a different agreement than CN generally does with their shows. I don't know, but it's tough to compare that to all the CN shows.

[Piccolo Daimaoh]

looks like we're the same age...and i was still playing with figures at 11...TMNT and batman were my big thing at that age. speaking of TMNT, that property and transformers seem to have been the most successful with the newer generation. makes me wonder what the formula is there..TMNT had a fairly recent cartoon on fox (having a cartoon on a major network is a huge boost) that helped them out...and of course transformers had the movies..

and of course they're very unique properties..ninja...turtles? living machines that transform into vehicles? they're probably some of the most unique creations to come along since superman and batman back in the late 30's. but i wonder if it is truly an exposure issue that keeps MOTU and TC from achieving greater interest from kids...or are sword and sorcery properties not their thing?

Yep, by 1989 it was all Ninja Turtles and Batman. I loved anything that had to do with ninjas, though my love stems back to G.I.Joe with Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow.

When the 90's came there was Batman TAS and I was all in. Turtles was still there as well as Transformers and G.I.Joe. Unfortunately Thundercats and He-Man were out of the race but I still loved them.

When I was a freshman in college in 1997 my roommate and I got talking about stuff from when we were kids. He-Man came up. Since the Big 3 from the 80's, Transformers, Joe and TMNT, were still around it was something just reminiscing about He-Man. After that my parents mailed me the Secret of the Sword VHS and we watched it in my dorm room. By the time Adam, Bow and Glimmer were fighting the Horde in the beginnig of the movie the whole room was filled. When Adam turned to He-Man and Battle Cat took out Catra the cheers were so loud you would have thought the football team had scored a touchdown. Memories.

I think it was G.I.Joe that first started the "classics" with the 15th Anniversary line in 1997. It's too bad He-Man wasn't there. It just seemed like the world was aching for He-Man to come back. It was his 15th Anniversary, too.

By 2003/04 TMNT was back, He-Man was back, Joe and Transformers never really went away and it was like when are the Thundercats coming back. It was almost a golden era. Then He-man fell thru and Thundercats never came back. They got an awesome comic but that was it. I really hope this isn't it for Thundercats. Rankin and Bass' gift to the world cannot go out like this. At least that's how I see it.

[markatisu]

My problem with Cartoon Network has ALWAYS been the fact that they constantly and unceremoniously shuffle their schedule and drop/add shows with no warning or information on if or when they'll be back or anything. Just about any series I've EVER watched, I've missed huge chunks of or just stopped watching because of this.

Yeah CN has probably the worst scheduling and programming dept in cable today

I just watched CN for a little bit and saw a crapload of Power Rangers toy commercials from Bandai, did we even get Thundercats toy commercials?

Yep, by 1989 it was all Ninja Turtles and Batman. I loved anything that had to do with ninjas, though my love stems back to G.I.Joe with Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow.

When the 90's came there was Batman TAS and I was all in. Turtles was still there as well as Transformers and G.I.Joe. Unfortunately Thundercats and He-Man were out of the race but I still loved them.

When I was a freshman in college in 1997 my roommate and I got talking about stuff from when we were kids. He-Man came up. Since the Big 3 from the 80's, Transformers, Joe and TMNT, were still around it was something just reminiscing about He-Man. After that my parents mailed me the Secret of the Sword VHS and we watched it in my dorm room. By the time Adam, Bow and Glimmer were fighting the Horde in the beginnig of the movie the whole room was filled. When Adam turned to He-Man and Battle Cat took out Catra the cheers were so loud you would have thought the football team had scored a touchdown. Memories.

I think it was G.I.Joe that first started the "classics" with the 15th Anniversary line in 1997. It's too bad He-Man wasn't there. It just seemed like the world was aching for He-Man to come back. It was his 15th Anniversary, too.

By 2003/04 TMNT was back, He-Man was back, Joe and Transformers never really went away and it was like when are the Thundercats coming back. It was almost a golden era. Then He-man fell thru and Thundercats never came back. They got an awesome comic but that was it. I really hope this isn't it for Thundercats. Rankin and Bass' gift to the world cannot go out like this. At least that's how I see it.

I don't think we need to worry about the cartoon. "Most" CN/WB owned shows get 3+ seasons

JLU
Teen Titans
The Batman
Brave and the Bold

Young Justice has already been confirmed for at least two and the Thundercats Crew Blog said they had at least 3 seasons of stories.

[Piccolo Daimaoh]

Yeah CN has probably the worst scheduling and programming dept in cable today

I just watched CN for a little bit and saw a crapload of Power Rangers toy commercials from Bandai, did we even get Thundercats toy commercials?



I don't think we need to worry about the cartoon. "Most" CN/WB owned shows get 3+ seasons

JLU
Teen Titans
The Batman
Brave and the Bold

Young Justice has already been confirmed for at least two and the Thundercats Crew Blog said they had at least 3 seasons of stories.

I am stepping down from the ledge. Your point it well received and makes perfect sense. I mean look at Ben 10. That series is going to go on forever despite the loss of Dwayne McDuffie. It seems to be the same for Generator Rex. Maybe WB needs to buy He-Man.

[MegaGearMax]

Yeah CN has probably the worst scheduling and programming dept in cable today

I just watched CN for a little bit and saw a crapload of Power Rangers toy commercials from Bandai, did we even get Thundercats toy commercials?

IIRC, only one commercial for the 4" line.

[Mr. Shokoti]

Since the Big 3 from the 80's, Transformers, Joe and TMNT,

If we're going Big 3 from the 80's, I would replace TMNT with MOTU. I'm not even being biased, but I think at the height of its popularity, He-Man was bigger than the Turtles(who I consider almost as much a 90's property as an 80's one).

[markatisu]

If we're going Big 3 from the 80's, I would replace TMNT with MOTU. I'm not even being biased, but I think at the height of its popularity, He-Man was bigger than the Turtles(who I consider almost as much a 90's property as an 80's one).

Yeah I would consider TMNT a 90's one since it started in 1987 and really hit its stride with the movies towards the end of the decade.

I get that at its height MOTU was probably bigger but it could be argued TMNT is a bigger property overall since it had multiple movie releases, 3 animated series by the end of the year and a massive amount of toys and comics and video games.

But its really apples and oranges because the TMNT license holders like to maximize their holdings while Mattel seemingly likes to just keep MOTU in holding.

1984-1987 vs 1987-1992 are completely different times

[Mr. Shokoti]

It could be argued TMNT is a bigger property since it had multiple movie releases, 3 animated series by the end of the year and a massive amount of toys and comics. But its really apples and oranges because the TMNT license holders like to maximize their holdings while Mattel seemingly likes to just keep MOTU in holding.

TMNT may have more longevity than MOTU, but I think He-Man was groundbreaking in terms of size, design, & free comics. It was even the only franchise to receive 2 theatrically released movies in its original era. MOTU, Joe, & Transformers are also the only big franchises for boys from the 80's still owned by their respective toy companies. Everything else either changed companies or was licensed. I guess a lot of Transformers sculpts are from Japanese companies, but the names, concepts, & canons are all Hasbro.

[Krueger]

Yeah CN has probably the worst scheduling and programming dept in cable today

I just watched CN for a little bit and saw a crapload of Power Rangers toy commercials from Bandai, did we even get Thundercats toy commercials?



I don't think we need to worry about the cartoon. "Most" CN/WB owned shows get 3+ seasons

JLU
Teen Titans
The Batman
Brave and the Bold

Young Justice has already been confirmed for at least two and the Thundercats Crew Blog said they had at least 3 seasons of stories.

I hope this is true. I would be much more sad to see the new toon disappear than the toy-line.

[gbagok]

Avatar aired on Nickelodeon. Maybe they had different expectations/a different agreement than CN generally does with their shows. I don't know, but it's tough to compare that to all the CN shows.

Oh crap, that's right. I keep forgetting they're different!