Wednesday, August 10, 2011

SWORD OF OMENS

The first of my ThunderCats episodes airs this Friday night, at 8:30 (7:30 c), on Cartoon Network.  It's called "Song of the Petalars" and the story details the T-Cats' encounter with a race of beings who live out their entire lifespan in twenty-four hours.  There's always a significant evolution from script to screen, so I'm very interested in seeing how this one turned out.  I've embedded two teaser clips below.  Enjoy!






17 comments:

  1. I loved Thundercats when I was a kid, but I haven't caught the new show yet. Looks great.

    A Silverhawks revival can't be far behind!

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  2. I'm amazed no one's done a MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE revival (that's the one I remember watching all the time with my son). Or did they do it and I missed it?

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  3. There was one in the late 90s, early 2000 range, I think. Not real successful from what I understand. But there was a failed GI Joe revival around that time, too, and that didn't stop them from giving it another go last year.

    I loved everything MOTU when I was a kid, including the live-action film with Dolph Lundgren. The original cartoon is on Instant Netflix.

    I fully expect a MOTU revival is just around the corner. We could all use another infusion of the power of Grayskull! -- David

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  4. I can't tell you how many hours I spent with my son, stretched out on his bedroom floor, David, playing with his MOTU figures. That's a revival I'd love to write for.

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  5. I hope you get the chance to revive that; I'd love to see it.

    I still to this day think of this one long epic story I created with my MOTU figures on a long train ride from Frankfurt to Berlin back in the 80s (back when you had to pass the Iron Curtain.) I don't think any playing-with-toys memory is as imprinted (and fondly remembered) for me as that one!

    Thanks for the Thundercats head's-up - I'll set the DVR.

    (By the way, these days, I imagine they'll remake/ revive/ reboot just about everything, so Silverhawks and MOTU must be on someone's drawing block, somewhere!)

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  6. Amazing the resonance that the simple act of play has in our lives, Bryan. It think it's incredibly important to keep that sense of play alive no matter how old we are. Thanks for sharing that sweet memory.

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  7. The MOTU revamp was almost 10 years ago, so it's probably due for another one. I was pleasantly surprised by the 2002 MOTU series. The stories focused a lot on developing the cast as actual characters, and the new designs (based on the toys designed by former McFarlane Toys designers) looked great. Plus, many of the animators were recently laid off Disney animators who ordinarily wouldn't do TV animation.
    Almost of the Amazon reviews are positive, deservedly so.

    http://www.amazon.com/He-Man-Masters-Universe-Cam-Clarke/dp/B002DQL34G

    Oh, and I'm looking forward to Thundercats tomorrow. The animation is miles ahead of the original series, and I'm sure you can do something interesting with the setup.

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  8. I'll have to track down those MOTU shows, G. It might be fun to watch them with my son -- who's all grown up now -- for nostalgia's sake. That said, after 10 years, I'd think He-Man and company would be ready for a reboot. Maybe if T-Cats is a massive hit.

    Hope you enjoy tomorrow's show. Best -- JMD

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  9. Genuinely loved your touching ThunderCats episode. The lifespan of the Pedlars was a fantastic way for Lion-O to re-examine his own perspective and it wasn't nearly as on the nose as It could've been. Favorite comic relief moment? Having the Wily kids cry inconsolably definitely added a moment o f levity! Beautiful stuff!

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  10. Very glad you enjoyed it, Shola. As with most television, no matter the writer's name on the screen, it's very much a team effort; so I happily share credit with producer Michael Jelenic and the entire ThunderCats team.

    Thanks for checking in. Best -- JMD

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  11. Really enjoying the rebooted Thundercats at moment even though I've never watched the original.

    Also even though I still believe Ron Stoppable and Blue Beetle/Jaime Reyes are the best cartoon characters that Will Friedle has voiced, he did great at voicing Lion-O.

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  12. He certainly did, Nelson! Very glad you're enjoying the show.

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  13. Mr. DeMatteis:
    Just wanted to say that I found the Thundercats episode, "Song of the Petalars" to be extremely well-written and moving. A fine piece of work that my son also enjoyed. Thank you for your work...

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  14. You're incredibly welcome, KJK.

    Much as I'd love to take all the accolades, television is a totally collaborative medium and the writer -- especially the freelancer working on an established series -- is just one cog in a very big wheel; so I have to acknowledge the incredible work of the producers/writing staff (who came up with the basic idea for the story), the directors, animators, etc. Everyone contributed mightily to this episode.

    Thanks for checking in. Best -- JMD

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  15. Sorry for the "interruption", but I read the topic about MOTU and I have to write because I love MOTU!

    Did you know that Mattel is selling new figures as a tribute to vintage ones?

    http://www.mattycollector.com/store/matty/en_US/DisplaySubCategoryProductListPage/categoryID.12422000

    Here is a gallery with some of mine ^ _ ^

    https://picasaweb.google.com/102022458059877284919/MastersOfTheUniverse

    I loved that show when I was Kid
    My favourite one.

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  16. I am excited to see the other two chapters you wrote.

    I keep seeing "Song of the Petalars" because it is so wonderful and is so full of fantastic moments.
    True "Sense of Wonder".

    I have really wanted to see the RoBear (I think it's the next episode, but apparently is being delayed). I loved the Ro-Bear Berbils figures when I was a kid, but I never had any of them.

    And Kit and Kat, they are two of my favorite characters. I think they have great potential.

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  17. I'm excited to see the next two episodes as well, Jorge. Not sure yet when they're airing, though.
    I'm also getting to work on a new ThunderCats episode this week -- although it won't air till some time next year.

    So glad you enjoyed "Song of the Petalars." The response to that story has been fantastic.

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