Ever since it was announced that ThunderCats would be returning, there has been a lot of talk from diehard fans. It was pretty clear from the start that ThunderCats Roar would march to the beat of it’s own drum. While this show appears to be geared to a younger generation of fans, I was curious to see if there would be any similarities to the original. So I’m going to share some thoughts on the series premiere, “Exodus Part 1”, without spoilers.
Things start out pretty quickly with the ThunderCats leaving Thundera just before it’s destruction. So they end up on a new planet, Third Earth, which is inhabited by the evil Mumm-Ra. That is not all that the team will encounter as they try to find out how to start a new life on a new planet. This is all part of the synopsis that is all over every description of the show.
I will say this right away, this is definitely similar to the transition from watching the OG Teen Titans series and Teen Titans GO!, but even a bit more extreme. This show definitely ramps up the silliness much more, and definitely takes many of the characters out of their original context. Lion-O, for example, is quite different from the leader of the ThunderCats you might remember. I don’t want to spoil why, but don’t go into this expecting classic Lion-O. So what does that mean?
After only one episode, I will say that there weren’t a whole lot of laughs for me. I actually got more humor out of Mumm-Ra and the characters that meet the ThunderCats than I did from the actual team. I will say that what they did with Snarf was quite interesting. The action is also pretty good too, and well animated. Everything makes sense, you just need to decide if this new approach is for you.
The voice cast is clearly the highlight of the show Max Mittleman’s Lion-O is over the top and unapologetic for who he is. Patrick Seitz might deserve the most credit. Not only is he the team’s most grounded member in Tygra, he doubles as the arrogant Mumm-Ra. Trust me when I tell you, this is some serious range. If you have an appreciation for talent voice acting, that is definitely something you will like about this show.
Bottom line, this is 100% not the OG ThunderCats. The characters are recognizable, and that’s pretty much where the similarities end. So if you want to give this show a chance, you need to know that going in. I can definitely see this being something that my son would enjoy. There’s a lot of goofy humor, but definitely not to the point of being annoying. I also don’t think it’s fair to judge a show like this based solely on one episode. So I am going to update this review after a few episodes to see how I feel, and how my son feels too. Just don’t let anything scare you away from watching a couple of episodes. Give it a shot and form your own opinion. Unless you have the Sword of Omens, there is no other way to skip ahead and see where things will go.
Photo Credit: Warner Bros. TV