The Thundercats Reboot Never Had A Chance

When it comes to everything except the crown, you're always going to be second place

In an age where every piece of media from generations past is being rebooted, remade, or retooled

most of them feel completely unnecessary. However, in 2011, one of the seminal children's animated franchises was rebooted with an eye toward maturity, complexity, and artistry

Thundercats. And yet, despite being arguably the best version of the feline heroes of Third Earth ever to exist

it failed. The Thundercats was created by Theodore Walter Tobin Wolfe. Yes, the man had a ton of names

Based on an idea his daughter had, Ted Wolfe was able to sell the concept of a team of cat people

in a sword and sorcery setting to LJN and Rankin Bass. From there, the idea was developed by comic book writers Bob Haney and Leonard Starr

and turned into an animated show, toyline, and transmedia experience. Produced in a co-production model with a Japanese studio, Pacific Animation Company

the property was exploited in much the same way as Masters of the Universe and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Lasting over 130 episodes and airing from 1985 to 1989, Thundercats became a fan favorite with a cult following even to this day

However, after the show was canceled, the franchise ostensibly laid dormant for over 20 years

While rumors of live-action adaptations and reboots would crop up semi-consistently, they never manifested into anything tangible

Until in 2011, Cartoon Network brought the show back for a prestige animated reboot

This new incarnation of the Thundercats world was developed by Ethan Spaulding and Michael Jelney

They set out to make a high-stakes adventure show that would lovingly mix the characters and aesthetics of the old show

with contemporary storytelling techniques and animation styles. They were attempting to fuse the Lion King and Star Wars

Their approach to Thundercats is a perfect updating to the old show

In the original program, we follow the last surviving members of Thundera

as they attempt to survive on their new homeworld dubbed Third Earth However in an accident during cryosleep the young prince Lion chamber was damaged allowing his body to age in real time Thus Lion now the leader of the Thundercats

must balance the struggles of being an adult man with the mind and maturity of a small child

It's kind of a Captain Marvel, being an adult is fun type of wish fulfillment idea. However

the 2011 reboot does away with almost all of that. It would focus on the more serious take

on the characters. We follow the Thundercats' royal family, who have lived on Third Earth for

generations as they attempt to protect the kingdom of Thundera. The cats are led by Claudus

a wise and just ruler. His two sons, Tigra and Lionel, are both vying to be the heir of the throne

The kingdom is attacked by the evil sorcerer Mumra one day and Claudus is killed. The majority

of the citizens are enslaved, and a small band of Thundercats set out to find the Book of Omens

a magical book that will purportedly help them to eventually defeat Mumra and free their friends

In an interesting twist on the dynamics of the original show, Tigra and Lion-O are brothers

and Claudus originally intends Tigra to take the Sword of Omens and lead the Thundercats

However, the sword chooses Lion-O. There's also a bit of a love triangle established between Tigra, Lion-O, and Chitera

You know we're going to have to settle this eventually. May the best cat win

Additionally, the spirit of Lion-O's young person in over their head character type

is represented by him being the younger brother and not quite ready for leadership

The show is intended to have a 52-episode first season, with the season being constructed by four 13-episode arcs

Much like the original show, this reboot would be an East meets West co-production

Warner Bros. Animation, and the Japanese studio 4C. Usually, these Japanese and American co-productions don't go very smoothly

However, with Thundercats, everything is pitch perfect. From the contemporary costume updates to the animation style

to the action sequences, the show hits all the marks perfectly. 4C would rebrand the aesthetic of the cats

and make them applicable to a contemporary audience with a mature yet stylistic approachable aesthetic

Most of the cats now look functional and cool but not overly grounded You can look at any of them and instantly tell the type of world they live in Much of the visual aesthetic of the show is directly in line with the show East meets West theme

European knights and medieval garb complement Chinese and Japanese-influenced outfits. Specific attention is paid to making sure

that certain elements of the character's costume reflect their personalities and their previous versions

However, despite all the brilliant decisions being made behind the scenes by Spalding

and Jelnick, the Thundercats reboot did not get off to an easy start. You see, right as the first

season of the show was going into production, the Fukushima nuclear facility disaster happened in

Japan, causing the U.S. dollar to plummet. Overnight, the per-episode budget skyrocketed

The show went from $325,000 per episode to roughly $550,000 per episode. Despite this hardship

Warner Brothers gave Cartoon Network the okay to forge ahead, giving the team the green light to

produce the show. When asked about the divergencies from the original show, Michael Jelnick said

The old show felt more like a Saturday morning animated series, and this feels more like a movie

This is definitely darker, but we've put a lot more focus on the characters and the arc

And because of that, we might have a few more sophisticated themes going on in this

When it premiered, despite hardcore retro fans being resistant to the new costumes

character backstory changes, and continuity, the show pulled in over 2.4 million viewers

Critics also praised the show, saying that it brought a maturity, depth, and gravitas

to the source material that had never been seen in the property previously. However, unlike today when companies roll out multiple versions of a beloved IP

in order to mitigate fan backlash, just look at what they did to the most recent He-Man reboot

Two separate shows, one for little kids and one for adults. The hardcore Thundercats fans did not respond well to the show when it was airing

And partially because of this, the ratings did not last. Despite positive critical chatter, the ratings declined and the show was canceled after 26 episodes

roughly halfway through the proposed 52 episode run. Ultimately there were multiple contributing factors to the cancellation of the show The first being it was really hard to find Yes it was on Cartoon Network but the 2010s were the rise of streaming and the beginning of the end for traditional cable Because of that the show

felt strangely invisible to its core audience of viewers, primarily younger people who were rapidly

relying on streaming more and more. Additionally, an older contingent of fans who were set in their

ways at the time saw the new designs for the Thundercats and immediately wrote it off. Even

though it's exactly what they'd been asking for for decades, a mature, dark, and complex show

about the Thundercats. And to make things even more complex, the Thundercats reboot's toys didn't

sell as well as everyone was hoping. Could this have been because of the darker tone of the story

a lack of interest from younger fans? Possibly. However, the show actually wasn't immediately

canceled. It was put on hiatus in an effort to get a better idea of the true rating numbers and

the toy sales, and unfortunately, when they came together, they just weren't enough

My ancestor defeated you with the Sword of Omens. I will do the same

The show just didn't connect with an audience with enough gusto to justify the financial

expenditure that Warners and Cartoon Network were putting into it. In the decade plus since its release, Thundercats has developed quite a reputation for itself

And those toxic fans who disowned it upon its initial release? Many of them have been its most ardent supporters now

but it's too little too late, which sucks because it was a thematic evolution on top of the existing show

It could have been one of the best shows Cartoon Network ever produced, if it was given a chance

But the extra pricey per episode cost ensured that that wasn't going to happen

Today, many fans point to the episode titled Legacy as one of the best Thundercats episodes ever

The episode, like any good distant past or distant future story, gives a greater context to the world of the Thundercats

their relationship with Mumra, and the ever-raging battle for Third Earth. To put it simply, for Thundercats fans, this is basically days of future past

And it's so painful to think about all the other great Thundercats stories we could have gotten

if things had gone better