AfterCats: Re-Watching Every Single Episode Of ThunderCats (1985) Part 3
We are going to re-watch, review, and relive every single episode of the original ThunderCats show from 1985, a task Dangerous Dave estimates will take us every Saturday for the next two years. - Johnny Spoiler.
ThunderCats is an American animated television series, based on characters created by Theodore “Ted” Wolf (also called Tobin Wolf), that was produced by Rankin/Bass Productions. The series debuted in 1985 and ran until 1989. It was one of the highest rated and most successful animated series of its time and is still popular today with a huge fan following.
THOUGHTS ON EPISODE 3: Berbils
In this episode, Lion-O and Snarf are taken prisoner by the Ro-Bear Berbils.
DANGEROUS DAVE:
“Berbils are basically pacifist Cyborg Ewoks and I wish they had their own spin off show. So Lion-O can just ward off enemies with his big sword energy?”
JOHNNY SPOILER:
“I don’t know why Dave never tells you what the plot of the episode is. Then, I have to step in and try to explain the context of what the hell he is saying. So, Lion-O and Snarf are out exploring and they get captured by a tribe of robot bears, The Berbils led by, wait for it, Robear-Bill. Turns out, the Berbils are weary of outsiders because these pug-faced Trollocs keep stealing the food they grow especially these delicious fruits. Lion-O whomps on the Trollocs only to discover the Trollocs are at the mercy of the Giantors, so he has to make things right in this fragile Eco-system. Mumm-Ra tries to send a plague of locusts who morph into a boss fight over a volcano. Lion-O learns how to summon his sword over distances and use it to glide around. This episode is famous for introducing the Berbils and also this amazing vehicle every kid wanted for Christmas… THE THUNDERTANK!!!”
SYNOPSIS:
ThunderCats follows the adventures of a group of cat-like humanoid aliens called Thunderians, from an alien planet called Thundera. The dying planet Thundera is meeting its end, forcing the ThunderCats to flee their homeworld. The fleet is attacked by the Thunderians' enemies, the Mutants of Plun-Darr, who destroy most of the starships fleet, but spare the flagship, hoping to capture the legendary mystic Sword of Omens they believe is on board. The sword holds the Eye of Thundera, the source of the ThunderCats's power, which is embedded in the hilt. Though the Mutants damage the flagship, the power of the Eye drives them back. The damage to the ship means the journey to their original destination is not possible, instead having to journey to "Third Earth;" which will take much longer than they had anticipated. The eldest of the ThunderCats, Jaga, volunteers to pilot the ship while the others sleep in capsules. He himself dies of old age in the process, but not before ensuring they will reach their destination safely. The flagship contains the young Lord of the ThunderCats, Lion-O, as well as the ThunderCats Cheetara, Panthro, Tygra, the “ThunderKittens” WilyKit and WilyKat, and a representative of the race of Snarfs.
When the ThunderCats awake from their suspended animation on Third Earth, Lion-O discovers that his suspension capsule has slowed rather than stopped his aging, and he is now a child in the body of an adult. Together, the ThunderCats and the friendly natives of Third Earth construct the "Cat's Lair," their new home and headquarters, but before long, the Mutants have tracked them down to Third Earth. The intrusion of these two alien races upon the world does not go unnoticed, however; the demonic, mummified sorcerer, Mumm-Ra, recruits the Mutants to aid him in his campaign to acquire the Eye of Thundera and destroy the ThunderCats so that his evil might continue to hold sway over Third Earth.
PRODUCTION HISTORY:
In early 1984, Tobin “Ted” Wolf pitched his idea about humanoid cat people to his friend Stan Weston, who was also President of Leisure Concepts Inc. (LCI). Weston took the pitch with him to a meeting he had with Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass and their team at the Rankin/Bass offices to discuss new project ideas. The producers liked the idea enough to decide to develop it into a full-scale animated television series.
With Lee Dannacher as the supervising producer, Leonard Starr was brought in as head writer to develop the concept, create a series bible and script the initial episodes as well. Peter Lawrence was appointed as script consultant. Mike Germakian of LCI was hired to the artwork and designs for the characters, vehicles and locations. He also designed the iconic ThunderCats logo. American composer Bernard Hoffer was approached to score the music for the show. Auditions were held for voice actors and out of the hundreds that applied, six were chosen. These six were Robert “Bob” McFadden, Earl Hammond, Larry Kenney, Lynne Lipton, Earle Hyman, and Peter Newman.
As was the case with earlier Rankin/Bass animated shows, the animation was done in Japan. The task of animating the ThunderCats was assigned to the Japanese company Pacific Animation Corporation (PAC), headed by Masaki Iizuka.
The character voices and music for each episode were recorded in the United States, and the recordings, along with notes and directions were sent to Japan to be animated. The completed animation would then be sent back to the United States for editing before being broadcast.
The pilot episode, titled “Exodus,” was broadcast on January 23, 1985. It was very well received and highly praised by all. ThunderCats became an instant hit and the success led to another 65 episodes being commissioned. Work on developing the second season began mid-way through the run of the first one. With the increased workload, a number of new writers were brought in to help pen the scripts for the new episodes. Two additional voice actors, Gerrianne Raphael and Douglas “Doug” Preis, were also hired.
After becoming a huge success, the show finally came to an end with the last episode, titled “The Book Of Omens,” broadcast on September 29, 1989.
