A number of talented comics illustrators worked on the development of Ruby-Spears' 1980 sci-fantasy animated series,
Thundarr The Barbarian. Among these were the legendary
Jack Kirby and animation veteran
Alex Toth. Toth, who had designed such quintessential animated action-adventure characters as
Space Ghost and
The Herculoids, was responsible for the design of post-Apocalyptic heroes Thundarr, Princess Ariel and Ookla the Mok.
Along with his design duties, the production company also had Toth draw up some
Thundarr presentation pieces for the network, including this dynamic action artwork (which was probably originally in color - if anyone has a color scan, please send it along!). It's really too bad the limited budgets of network animation in those days didn't allow for this sort of dynamism on-screen!
You know, He-Man got a (really cool) reboot a few years back. I think Thundarr needs one.
ReplyDeleteA million times, yes! This show holds up a lot better than most Saturday morning cartoons from the 80s.
DeleteHE-MAN got a remake because the character is owned by a toy company, and they financed a big chunk of it. THUNDARR is just one of thousands of properties acquired over the years by Warner, and they have no incentive to revive it/invest new money in it, unless there was some sort of guaranteed merchandise tie-in.
DeleteWow Christopher...way to crush a person's dream...you realist.
DeleteUnfortunately it's the truth. Every single animated kid's show on TV today is there because it sells a ton of merch. Once the merch sales drop off the show is cancelled. That's why the excellent Young Justice only got 2 seasons while Teen Titans Go has had like 114, and why Batman keeps getting new shows instead of one long one -- a new show means new merch to sell.
DeleteThat is awesome.
ReplyDeleteMan I loved this show. There are even really cool RPG supplements for it.
Too bad you can't get a legit DVD set outside of the US.
ReplyDeleteWell, you can get the DVD, playing it on the other hand...
Delete:D
There must be some kind of program out there that will allow you to switch your PC DVD drive's region.
You can use your computer to rip the data and encode it in the needed region. It's a pain, but it works. You can also try to see if VLC will play it
DeleteMy DVD was region-free, but yes, I did buy it in the USA. Also, most computers only allow you to swap regions a limited number of times before it becomes permanent.
DeleteLords of Light! A remake? YES! But make Thundarr a little smarter this time around. He was pretty stupid at times.
ReplyDeleteThundarr: "Demon dogs! What fortress did that wizard just go into?"
Ariel: "Thundarr, that's a library. It's where people used to learn from books."
Thundarr: "Liiiiiiiii-brar-yyyyyyy?"
I never thought he was stupid, just uneducated.
DeleteHave to agree with you Christopher. Thundarr was always learning new things thanks to Princess Ariel.
DeleteHeck, even Ookla learned a thing or two.
Okay, so maybe he wasn't "stupid" but I always enjoyed the "word of the episode" that Thundarr learned from Ariel. Gotta love those moments.
DeleteThis show was fantastic. One of my all time favorites. AND I dare say, it had one of the best opening intros to any adventure cartoon.
ReplyDeleteThere should be a live action movie! Selena Gomez as Ariel.
ReplyDeleteI think I would pass on the remake if they made one. I haven't seen a good remake in around 20+ years. Hollywood needs new ideas. I am tired of substandard remakes, re-imaginings and poor sequels/prequels 20 to 30 years after the fact. This cartoon is fine the way it is and it would still hold up (probably more so) if it were shown on TV alongside whatever is currently being aired.
ReplyDeleteThundarr The Barbarian has the best drinking game of any cartoon from the 1980's. Almost as great as Mighty Man and Yukk and dare I say as great as The Bob Newhart Show.
ReplyDeleteIn case anyone is interested.
ReplyDeleteLords Of Light - The Thundarr the Barbarian Story on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpnBtlnm5eA
I was watching the DVDs with a few buddies of mine and we were really enjoying them. One of the funniest moments came when we had to go back and freeze-frame a scene where Thundarr had three arms. Apparently, one of the overlays was shot in frame and they never went back and fixed it.
ReplyDeleteThundarr was easily one of the best made and well-written cartoons. I have always wished there were a lot more episodes and that it would someday be brought into the mainstream so the backstory and characters could be more fully explored. The world they created was rich and full of great ideas, and they were only ever able to skim the surface with a 22 minute kid's show.
ReplyDelete