DBTrilogy100
Well-Known Member
A podcast interview with Dan Norton, the art director for ThunderCats (2011), was posted a few days ago where he explained how the rest of the series would have turned out. The interview can be found here, it is almost 3 hours long. I'll mention some of the highlights of the interview in this post.
*It sounds like Season 2 would have started with a time skip with the power balance in Mumm-Ra's favor and he would tempt rebels to join his side or die if they stayed on Lion-O's side. They also planned to have Lion-O come up with the Code of Thundera from the 1985 Series and they planned for the symbols on the red crests of the armor "to be earned". They also planned to rebuild Thundera to include all who oppose Mumm-Ra.
*The 2nd episode would have been about the Berbils makeing the New Thundera technologically more advanced than the old one. Panthro plans to steal Mumm-Ra's technology to give them an advantage and the Berbils would follow him. This episode is also the one that would reveal Snarf's species' origins and show Flashbacks of when Panthro was trapped in the pyramid after Grune's betrayal (this was a detail that was mentioned a few years ago at a convention). Ro-Bear Bill would have sacrificed himself to save Panthro and ensure the heroes would have the advantage Panthro planned.
*The 3rd episode would have been about other details that was revealed at a convention, Slithe's motives for siding with Mumm-Ra, Lynx-O's spotlight appearance, Slithe's grudge against Lynx-O and Slithe killing Lynx-O. There would be hints of Pumyra wanting more power too.
*The 4th episode would have given the spotlight to Cheetara and her status as the last Cleric. We would have met an old rival of Cheetara's from her Cleric training days (a fat snow leopard) and we would have learned that Cheetara blames herself for her grandma's death because of her speed to deliver medicine. It turns out that Cheetara was wearing weights and they would have been destroyed when she forgave herself. Like her 1985 Series Counterpart, Cheetara would gain the ability to see into the future in this episode.
*An episode would have focused on Jaga and confirmed that the Astral Plane is where Jaga's spirit resides. This episode also confirmed that Grune is still trapped in the Astral Plane and he has been trandformed into a more monstrous version of himself (with Panthro's arms attached to him). Grune would also steal the Blue Power Stone (known as the "Soul Stone").
*An episode would have shown some flashbacks to explain how the Kittens acquired their items (the Flink and the Flupe), they were in the maze of Baron Karnor (a nod to the Tower of Baron Karnor from the 1985 Series).
*An episode would have involved islands and a nautical vibe. The Tiger Sharks would have made an appearance and the Bolkins from the 1985 Series would have appeared and been made into a community of fishermen. They would also have to deal with the Berserkers lead by Hammerhand (a group of cybernetic pirates that appeared in the 1985 Series). The ThunderCats would also have to ring an enchanted bell guarded by a blind troll to remove the fog surrounding these islands.
*These episodes would have shown Mumm-Ra uses the Power Stones to power-up his pyramid and one of these episodes revealed one of these power-ups to be turning sand into a black mist and releasing it within a chamber that turns whom ever breaths it into a more powerful but more monstrous form. This ties into something that was revealed at a convention, Pumyra would transform into a mutant-bug monstrosity. Pumyra would be in this form for a few episodes and Tygra would kill Pumyra when it became clear she is beyond the point of redemption.
*The first batch of 13 episodes from this set of 26 episodes would end with Lion-O entering the Book of Omens to train some more.
*Another major point from these episodes would be the Kittens splitting up on somewhat bitter terms during the time skip. WilyKit went to live with the Elephants at one point and became their queen while WilyKat still focuses on finding El Dara and becomes a King of Thieves.
*Hachiman (the samurai from the 1985 Series) was planned to appear, learned how to fight from a group of roach people and have a sword created by the Drifter. The Conquedor would have been revealed to be Safari Joe from the 1985 Series. The Lunataks (a group of aliens that also became main villains alongside Mumm-Ra and the animal villains in Season 2 of the 1985 Series) were planned to appear too.
*One of the concepts they had in mind for the show was Lion-O going from boy to man, from man to king and from king to kingdom. Lion-O would emerge from the Book of Omens 10 years later (looking like the ThunderCat equivalent of Conan The Barbarian) and WilyKit would eventually become the Queen to Lion-O's King. Bengali would appear as Tygra & Cheetara's son in this series (an example of "Related In The Adaptation").
*After Lion-O returns from the Book of Omens, Mumm-Ra's pyramid would have enough power to float again and he plans to use it to attack the ThunderCats but it takes over the course of this next batch of 13 episodes to reach the Cat's Lair. The ThunderCats would face off against Grune again to reclaim the Soul Stone and Panthro would reclaim his arms from Grune, which now have an ability known as an "Astral Punch".
*After this last confrontation with Grune, Mumm-Ra would steal the Soul Stone but Slithe would betray him and give the stone to Lion-O and be killed by Mumm-Ra in retaliation (Slithe betraying Mumm-Ra and being killed by him were revealed at a convention a few years ago). Tygra would also die before the final battle when he takes a hit from the Sword of Plun-Darr intended for Lion-O.
*The final battle would show all of the ThunderCats' allies answering Lion-O's battle cry/battle call, the Drifter would return with all the Swordsmen who regained their swords taken by the Duelist and Ponzi would return with Lucy. When Lion-O defeats Mumm-Ra a bandage would fly off into the wind.
*The epilogue would show peace has returned to Third Earth but the final scene would show the bandage from the final batle landing on the face of an innocent animal herder in the desert, forcibly mummify him and bury him under ground in the desert.
*There were two different ideas for whether Tygra could be brought back to life or if he stayed dead; the gauntlet combined with all the Power Stones would have the power to restore things (the debate was whether it could restore life or not). If they went with the Tygra stays dead route, there would have been a scene where Lion-O shows Bengali statues of previous kings and there would be a statue dedicated to Tygra.
*Some ideas for new abilities and weapons the ThunderCats would obtain were also brought up and a few other episode ideas were brought up. There were some toy designs for some of these characters and forms from these episodes and Dan Norton did mention the possibility of showing some concept art relating to these episodes to the public to help give fans closure.
*It turns out the series was renewed for Season 2 at some point which is how they were able to start rough drafts for the scripts of the first 5 or 6 episodes of the season. Dan Norton explains this in greater detail during the interview and also talks about the viewer ratings as well as the situation regarding Lego Chima.
*The end of the interview has Dan Norton mention he is currently working at Riot Games and has hopes to make a movie in the future.
Overall, I can say I am grateful for this interview. ThunderCats (2011) was a series I really enjoyed and many of my relatives also enjoyed it; it was really nice how my relatives and I looked forward to watching each episode and talking about them together and we still speculate about it to this day. Since the show wasn't going to get renewed, this interview (and the concept art Dan Norton is thinking about sharing) was the next best way to give fans proper closure (Dan Norton sounded very enthusiastic in this interview, showing his passion working on the show) and this could help inspire fan works to fill in the blanks. It was cool hearing about how Grune would play a significant role after he was trapped in the Astral Plane and the many returning characters (both in the 1985 Series and the earlier episodes of the 2011 Series) that we could have seen; I admit I am curious about if there were plans to bring Ratar-O back after "Curse of Ratilla" (he was one of my favorite villains in the 2011 Series). I also agree with Dan Norton about how there is no such thing as an original idea but the important thing is the execution of these ideas and good execution can put a unique spin on an idea even if it isn't original.
I recall my times in the talkbacks for the episodes on this series when it was on the air and I thought it would be a good idea to share the link to this interview so fellow fans can receive closure on the series and share their thoughts on these details. Happy listening and thought sharing to all!
*It sounds like Season 2 would have started with a time skip with the power balance in Mumm-Ra's favor and he would tempt rebels to join his side or die if they stayed on Lion-O's side. They also planned to have Lion-O come up with the Code of Thundera from the 1985 Series and they planned for the symbols on the red crests of the armor "to be earned". They also planned to rebuild Thundera to include all who oppose Mumm-Ra.
*The 2nd episode would have been about the Berbils makeing the New Thundera technologically more advanced than the old one. Panthro plans to steal Mumm-Ra's technology to give them an advantage and the Berbils would follow him. This episode is also the one that would reveal Snarf's species' origins and show Flashbacks of when Panthro was trapped in the pyramid after Grune's betrayal (this was a detail that was mentioned a few years ago at a convention). Ro-Bear Bill would have sacrificed himself to save Panthro and ensure the heroes would have the advantage Panthro planned.
*The 3rd episode would have been about other details that was revealed at a convention, Slithe's motives for siding with Mumm-Ra, Lynx-O's spotlight appearance, Slithe's grudge against Lynx-O and Slithe killing Lynx-O. There would be hints of Pumyra wanting more power too.
*The 4th episode would have given the spotlight to Cheetara and her status as the last Cleric. We would have met an old rival of Cheetara's from her Cleric training days (a fat snow leopard) and we would have learned that Cheetara blames herself for her grandma's death because of her speed to deliver medicine. It turns out that Cheetara was wearing weights and they would have been destroyed when she forgave herself. Like her 1985 Series Counterpart, Cheetara would gain the ability to see into the future in this episode.
*An episode would have focused on Jaga and confirmed that the Astral Plane is where Jaga's spirit resides. This episode also confirmed that Grune is still trapped in the Astral Plane and he has been trandformed into a more monstrous version of himself (with Panthro's arms attached to him). Grune would also steal the Blue Power Stone (known as the "Soul Stone").
*An episode would have shown some flashbacks to explain how the Kittens acquired their items (the Flink and the Flupe), they were in the maze of Baron Karnor (a nod to the Tower of Baron Karnor from the 1985 Series).
*An episode would have involved islands and a nautical vibe. The Tiger Sharks would have made an appearance and the Bolkins from the 1985 Series would have appeared and been made into a community of fishermen. They would also have to deal with the Berserkers lead by Hammerhand (a group of cybernetic pirates that appeared in the 1985 Series). The ThunderCats would also have to ring an enchanted bell guarded by a blind troll to remove the fog surrounding these islands.
*These episodes would have shown Mumm-Ra uses the Power Stones to power-up his pyramid and one of these episodes revealed one of these power-ups to be turning sand into a black mist and releasing it within a chamber that turns whom ever breaths it into a more powerful but more monstrous form. This ties into something that was revealed at a convention, Pumyra would transform into a mutant-bug monstrosity. Pumyra would be in this form for a few episodes and Tygra would kill Pumyra when it became clear she is beyond the point of redemption.
*The first batch of 13 episodes from this set of 26 episodes would end with Lion-O entering the Book of Omens to train some more.
*Another major point from these episodes would be the Kittens splitting up on somewhat bitter terms during the time skip. WilyKit went to live with the Elephants at one point and became their queen while WilyKat still focuses on finding El Dara and becomes a King of Thieves.
*Hachiman (the samurai from the 1985 Series) was planned to appear, learned how to fight from a group of roach people and have a sword created by the Drifter. The Conquedor would have been revealed to be Safari Joe from the 1985 Series. The Lunataks (a group of aliens that also became main villains alongside Mumm-Ra and the animal villains in Season 2 of the 1985 Series) were planned to appear too.
*One of the concepts they had in mind for the show was Lion-O going from boy to man, from man to king and from king to kingdom. Lion-O would emerge from the Book of Omens 10 years later (looking like the ThunderCat equivalent of Conan The Barbarian) and WilyKit would eventually become the Queen to Lion-O's King. Bengali would appear as Tygra & Cheetara's son in this series (an example of "Related In The Adaptation").
*After Lion-O returns from the Book of Omens, Mumm-Ra's pyramid would have enough power to float again and he plans to use it to attack the ThunderCats but it takes over the course of this next batch of 13 episodes to reach the Cat's Lair. The ThunderCats would face off against Grune again to reclaim the Soul Stone and Panthro would reclaim his arms from Grune, which now have an ability known as an "Astral Punch".
*After this last confrontation with Grune, Mumm-Ra would steal the Soul Stone but Slithe would betray him and give the stone to Lion-O and be killed by Mumm-Ra in retaliation (Slithe betraying Mumm-Ra and being killed by him were revealed at a convention a few years ago). Tygra would also die before the final battle when he takes a hit from the Sword of Plun-Darr intended for Lion-O.
*The final battle would show all of the ThunderCats' allies answering Lion-O's battle cry/battle call, the Drifter would return with all the Swordsmen who regained their swords taken by the Duelist and Ponzi would return with Lucy. When Lion-O defeats Mumm-Ra a bandage would fly off into the wind.
*The epilogue would show peace has returned to Third Earth but the final scene would show the bandage from the final batle landing on the face of an innocent animal herder in the desert, forcibly mummify him and bury him under ground in the desert.
*There were two different ideas for whether Tygra could be brought back to life or if he stayed dead; the gauntlet combined with all the Power Stones would have the power to restore things (the debate was whether it could restore life or not). If they went with the Tygra stays dead route, there would have been a scene where Lion-O shows Bengali statues of previous kings and there would be a statue dedicated to Tygra.
*Some ideas for new abilities and weapons the ThunderCats would obtain were also brought up and a few other episode ideas were brought up. There were some toy designs for some of these characters and forms from these episodes and Dan Norton did mention the possibility of showing some concept art relating to these episodes to the public to help give fans closure.
*It turns out the series was renewed for Season 2 at some point which is how they were able to start rough drafts for the scripts of the first 5 or 6 episodes of the season. Dan Norton explains this in greater detail during the interview and also talks about the viewer ratings as well as the situation regarding Lego Chima.
*The end of the interview has Dan Norton mention he is currently working at Riot Games and has hopes to make a movie in the future.
Overall, I can say I am grateful for this interview. ThunderCats (2011) was a series I really enjoyed and many of my relatives also enjoyed it; it was really nice how my relatives and I looked forward to watching each episode and talking about them together and we still speculate about it to this day. Since the show wasn't going to get renewed, this interview (and the concept art Dan Norton is thinking about sharing) was the next best way to give fans proper closure (Dan Norton sounded very enthusiastic in this interview, showing his passion working on the show) and this could help inspire fan works to fill in the blanks. It was cool hearing about how Grune would play a significant role after he was trapped in the Astral Plane and the many returning characters (both in the 1985 Series and the earlier episodes of the 2011 Series) that we could have seen; I admit I am curious about if there were plans to bring Ratar-O back after "Curse of Ratilla" (he was one of my favorite villains in the 2011 Series). I also agree with Dan Norton about how there is no such thing as an original idea but the important thing is the execution of these ideas and good execution can put a unique spin on an idea even if it isn't original.
I recall my times in the talkbacks for the episodes on this series when it was on the air and I thought it would be a good idea to share the link to this interview so fellow fans can receive closure on the series and share their thoughts on these details. Happy listening and thought sharing to all!
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