ThunderCats (1985 TV series) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids ThunderCats
ThunderCats logo
Genre	Action/adventure Sword and planet
Created by	Ted "Tobin" Wolf
Developed by	Leonard Starr
Written by	Leonard Starr Stephen Perry
Directed by	Katsuhito Akiyama Arthur Rankin, Jr. Jules Bass
Voices of	Larry Kenney Earle Hyman Earl Hammond Lynne Lipton Bob McFadden Peter Newman Doug Preis Gerrianne Raphael
Opening theme	"ThunderCats"
Composer(s)	Bernard Hoffer
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	4
No. of episodes	130 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Arthur Rankin, Jr. Jules Bass
Producer(s)	Lee Dannacher (supervising) Masaki Iizuka (in charge) Tony Giovanniello Matthew Malach Connie Long Heather Winters
Animator(s)	Topcraft (season 1) Pacific Animation Corporation (seasons 2–4)
Running time	22 minutes
Production company(s)	Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment Leisure Concepts (Project Development)
Distributor	Telepictures Corporation (1985–1986) Lorimar-Telepictures (1986–1989) Warner Bros. Television Distribution (1989–present)
Release
Original network	Syndication
Audio format	Mono
Original release	September 9, 1985 (1985-09-09) – September 29, 1989 (1989-09-29)

ThunderCats is an exciting American science fantasy animated TV show. It was made by Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment and Leisure Concepts. The show first aired in 1985. It is based on characters created by Ted "Tobin" Wolf.

The series tells the story of a group of cat-like aliens. They are called the ThunderCats. Leonard Starr was the main writer for the show. A Japanese studio, Pacific Animation Corporation, did the animation. This studio later became part of Walt Disney Animation Japan. The first season had 65 episodes. It aired in 1985. A TV movie, ThunderCats – Ho!, followed in 1986. Seasons 2, 3, and 4 each had 20 episodes. Each of these seasons started with a five-part story.

The show was first shared by Telepictures Corporation. This company later joined with Lorimar Productions. In 1989, Warner Bros. bought Lorimar-Telepictures. Warner Bros. has owned the rights to the show ever since. The show also aired on Cartoon Network as part of the Toonami block.

ThunderCats also became comic books. Marvel Comics made them from 1985 to 1988. Later, Wildstorm, part of DC Comics, made five more series starting in 2003. Today, you can still find clothes with the ThunderCats logo. DVD sets of the original show are also popular. This shows how much people still love the series!

The Story of the ThunderCats

ThunderCats follows a team of heroes. They are cat-like aliens from a planet called Thundera. Their home planet is dying, so the ThunderCats must leave. They are like the royal family of Thundera.

Escape to Third Earth

The ThunderCats' ships are attacked. Their enemies are the Mutants of Plun-Darr. The Mutants destroy most of the ships. But they want to capture the magical Sword of Omens. This sword holds the Eye of Thundera. The Eye is the source of the ThunderCats' power. It is in the sword's handle.

The Mutants damage the main ThunderCats ship. But the Eye's power pushes them back. The ship is too damaged to reach its first destination. So, they must travel to a new planet called "Third Earth." This journey will take a very long time.

Jaga, the oldest ThunderCat, flies the ship. The others sleep in special capsules. Jaga dies of old age during the trip. But he makes sure they reach Third Earth safely. The ship carries young Lion-O, the Lord of the ThunderCats. Also on board are Cheetara, Panthro, Tygra, WilyKit, WilyKat, and Snarf.

New Home, New Enemies

The ThunderCats wake up on Third Earth after ten "galacto-years." Lion-O finds that his capsule slowed his aging. He is now an adult in body, but still a child in mind. The ThunderCats and friendly natives build their new home. It is called the "Cat's Lair."

Soon, the Mutants track them to Third Earth. A scary, mummified sorcerer notices them. He is called Mumm-Ra. Mumm-Ra teams up with the Mutants. He wants to get the Eye of Thundera. He also wants to destroy the ThunderCats. This way, his evil power can stay strong on Third Earth.

Seasons and Adventures

Season 1: Heroic Beginnings

The first season shows the basic story. It mixes science fiction and fantasy. It is a classic good-versus-evil tale. More friends and villains join the story. Futuristic technology and magic are both important. The show also teaches about good values. Each episode often ends with characters talking about how a good value helped them.

Early episodes in Season 1 were connected. Later episodes were mostly single adventures. A big five-part story tied the second half together. It was called "Lion-O's Annointment." Lion-O had to face each ThunderCat. Then he faced Mumm-Ra. This was to truly earn his title as Lord of the ThunderCats.

• Day One: The Trial Of Strength – Lion-O had to be stronger than Panthro.
• Day Two: The Trial Of Speed – Lion-O had to beat Cheetara in a race.
• Day Three: The Trial Of Cunning – Lion-O had to outsmart WilyKat and WilyKit. This happened in an underground place.
• Day Four: The Trial Of Mind-Power – Lion-O competed against Tygra in a mind challenge.
• Last Day: The Trial Of Evil – Lion-O had to defeat Mumm-Ra. He learned that Mumm-Ra needed his sarcophagus to be powerful.

The Mutants tried to stop Lion-O's trials. They wanted the ThunderCats to have no leader. The other ThunderCats had to stop the Mutants. They did this while trying not to help Lion-O in his trials.

ThunderCats – Ho!: A Big Change

The 1986 TV movie ThunderCats – Ho! changed things. It brought in three new Thundereans. They had also survived Thundera's destruction. Lion-O later made them ThunderCats. Many heroes and villains returned for this story. It ended with Mumm-Ra seemingly destroyed. This movie was later split into five parts. These became the first episodes of season two.

Season 2: New Villains Arrive

When the show returned in 1987, Mumm-Ra was back! "ThunderCats – Ho!" and "Mumm-Ra Lives!" set the pattern for later seasons. Each new season started with a five-part story. These stories introduced new characters and ideas. "Mumm-Ra Lives!" brought in the evil Lunataks. They became a third group of bad guys. The new ThunderCats from the movie also got their own headquarters and vehicles.

Season 3: The Treasure Hunt

The 1988 season started with "ThunderCubs." In this story, the ThunderCats turned into children. Mumm-Ra rebuilt Thundera. He wanted to find the weapon that destroyed it. He also wanted the legendary Treasure of Thundera. This treasure held the Book of Omens. The book had all the ThunderCats' secrets.

The treasure was scattered across New Thundera. This created a story arc for the season. Episodes were more connected. The ThunderCats, Mutants, Lunataks, and Mumm-Ra searched for the treasure. They used its powers. The Ancient Spirits of Evil had to push Mumm-Ra to act. The season ended with "The Last Day." The Ancient Spirits of Evil gave Mumm-Ra one last chance to destroy the ThunderCats. If he failed, the Mutants and Lunataks would also leave Third Earth. Mumm-Ra failed. He was sent to the farthest part of the Universe.

Season 4: Rebuilding and Final Battles

In the opening of Season 4, "Return to Thundera!", the ThunderCats went back to New Thundera. They wanted to rebuild their society. Before leaving Third Earth, they destroyed Mumm-Ra's pyramid. This made the Ancient Spirits of Evil very angry. They brought Mumm-Ra back. They put him in a new pyramid on New Thundera.

This season mostly took place on New Thundera. Mumm-Ra and new villains were the main enemies. The Mutants, Lunataks, and Captain Cracker appeared in one episode each. In the series finale, several things happened:

• Mumm-Ra finally stood up to the Ancient Spirits of Evil.
• The mystery of the Book of Omens was solved.
• Thundera became a peaceful place again.

Voice Cast

ThunderCats had a small group of voice actors. Only six actors voiced all the characters in the first season. Each actor played many different roles. Earle Hyman, who voiced Panthro, mostly did his main role. Lynne Lipton voiced Cheetara and WilyKit. She also voiced every other female character in the first season. Earl Hammond (Mumm-Ra, Jaga) and Bob McFadden (Snarf, Slythe) often voiced guest characters.

In 1986, Gerrianne Raphael joined the cast as Pumyra. In 1987, Doug Preis joined as Alluro.

DVD Releases

Warner Home Video released the entire original ThunderCats series on DVD in the US. The complete series was released on June 4, 2019. It included special features like interviews with fans and a look at how the show was made.

Other ThunderCats Adventures

Movies and New Shows

In 1987, a VHS tape called 'Thundercats Ho!' was released in the UK. It was the first five episodes of season 2 edited together like a movie.

Around 2008-2009, Warner Bros. planned a CGI animated ThunderCats movie. It was going to be a new story based on the first episode. Concept art was shared online. A short test scene was made. However, the movie was put on hold.

A new ThunderCats animated series started in July 2011. It was made by Warner Bros. Animation. The animation was done by Studio 4°C in Japan. This new show had a more serious style than the 1980s series. It told a different story about Lion-O becoming leader. Larry Kenney, who voiced Lion-O in the original show, returned. He voiced Lion-O's father, Claudus, in the new series.

The 2011 series got good reviews for its animation. But viewership slowly dropped. Many thought the story was too dark and complex for kids aged 6-12. Merchandise sales struggled. So, the show was cancelled after only one season.

Another series, ThunderCats Roar, also came out later.

Comic Books and Video Games

Several ThunderCats comic book series were made. Marvel Comics published a series from 1985 to 1988. It had 24 issues. Marvel UK also published a series with 129 issues. Later, Wildstorm Productions, part of DC Comics, published five mini-series and several one-shot comics starting in 2002.

Two video games based on the franchise exist. ThunderCats: The Lost Eye of Thundera was a side-scrolling game from 1987. ThunderCats was a Nintendo DS game from 2012. It was based on the 2011 TV show.

Cool Merchandise

LJN made ThunderCats action figures from 1984 to 1987. Each figure had a special action. Some figures and playsets had a "laser" light-up feature. For example, Lion-O's eyes would light up. Some figures came with smaller PVC companion figures.

Later series of figures are harder to find. Some figures like Driller and Stinger are very rare. Photos of unreleased figures were shown in a 1987 catalog.

In 1987, Elite Systems released the game ThunderCats: The Lost Eye of Thundera for several computers. Cartoon Network's website also had a game called "ThunderCats: Tomb of Mumm-Raa." You could play as Lion-O and rescue other ThunderCats.

Other ThunderCats items from the 1980s included a board game, a TV tray table, and lunch boxes. In recent years, the classic ThunderCats logo has become popular again. You can find it on T-shirts, hats, and belt buckles.

Companies like Hard Hero, Bandai, Icon Heroes, and Mezco Toyz have made new ThunderCats collectibles. These include statues and figures. Pop Culture Shock also made large, detailed statues of characters like Lion-O and Mumm-Ra.

See also

• SilverHawks
• TigerSharks