Thunder...!! Thunder...!! Thunder...!!! THUNDERCATS....!!!! HOOOOOOO.....!!!!! - Lion-O, Lord of the ThunderCats.
ThunderCats is an American science fiction and fantasyFurry animated television series that was produced by Rankin/Bass Productions debuting in 1985, based on the characters created by Tobin "Ted" Wolf. It was originally intended as an attempt to profit from the success of previous similar shows like Masters of the Universe.
The series follows the adventures of a group of catlike humanoid aliens with super powers.
The cartoon, for which Leonard Starr was the head writer, became extremely popular and lasted 4 seasons. The animation for the episodes is notable because it actually was provided by the Japanese studio Pacific Animation Corporation, later acquired in 1989 to form Walt Disney Animation Japan. Thus the animation was made in an 80s anime style.
The series was originally distributed by Rankin-Bass Productions' then-parent company Telepictures Corporation, which would later merge with Lorimar Productions in 1986. In 1989 Lorimar-Telepictures was purchased by Warner Bros, who has owned the rights for the series since then.
There were also several comic book series produced: A Marvel Comics' version (currently owned by Warner Bros. rival Disney), 1984 to 1988; and five series by Wildstorm, an imprint of DC Comics (Warner Bros.' corporate sibling), beginning in 2003. Items of clothing featuring the ThunderCats logo and DVD boxsets of the original series have enjoyed a resurgence in recent years as nostalgia for the former children's favorite has grown.
A remake of the original ThunderCats animated series was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and began airing on Cartoon Network from July 2011. Animation production was being done by Japanese animation company Studio 4°C. Despite an early positive response the new series was cancelled after only one season because of low ratings.
