Interview With Dan Norton: The Rest of ThunderCats (2011) Detailed

[ShadowBeast]

Have you ever look for any evidence that he showed no respect towards the source? People need to get over this situation and sorry but you tend to make accusations that he disrepected the source when none of the stuff he said in the interviews implied as such. Many people forget to realise that the reboot was never intended to be like the original.

Some of those may have been weird but it's not for the best that this show didn't continue and I really disagree with your theories that the creators disrepected the source material by trying it to be too edgy. If I were you, I would refrain from saying that because that's not really a good thing to say and that it comes off as a huge insult. I'd rather not make anymore implications that the creators showed no respect towards the source without any evidence that the creators stated as such.

I wasn't expecting the reboot to be completely like the original, but there must be some similarities given. A lot of what was planned was not good at all. like the killings of Pumyra and Tigra, and Mumm-Ra being the source of where animal characters came from. These changes are indeed an insult to the franchise.
The He-Man reboot was able to be a great show without trying to be very dark and edgy like the Thundercats reboot was trying to do. It was still He-Man. The Thundercats reboot's first season (with the exception of Pumyra's betrayal) was great. The designs alone are fantastic in comparison to the original, but a some of what was planned feels questionable.

 

[AdrenalineRush1996]

SNIP

Not everyone was going to like it, of course but you know what would've been an insult to the franchise aside from what you said? If the reboot was like the horrible Ultimate Marvel storyline Ultimatum. Now, that would've angered many.

The He-Man reboot was able to be a great show without trying to be very dark and edgy like the Thundercats reboot was trying to do. It was still He-Man.

I'll say this, had the ThunderCats reboot been on Adult Swim than on CN or had it got a similar tone as Voltron: Legendary Defender, then it would've lasted longer.

The ThunderCats reboot's first season (with the exception of Pumyra's betrayal) was great. The designs alone are fantastic in comparison to the original, but a some of what was planned feels questionable.

Some of them feels questionable, sure but your comments towards the creators are among the reasons why fandoms can't have nice things and I think this is why more details of the scrapped plans didn't get revealed until now because of presumably angry fans of the original attacked the ones who did the reboot.

Anyway, you have your views and I have my views. Why don't we shake on this and call it a day, okay?

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[ShadowBeast]

Not everyone was going to like it, of course but you know what would've been an insult to the franchise aside from what you said? If the reboot was like the horrible Ultimate Marvel storyline Ultimatum. Now, that would've angered many.

Why was my quote replaced with SNIP?

Yes but it too had a serious and dark feel as well and it too was cut short by CN. I'll say this, had it been on Adult Swim than on CN or had it got a similar tone as Voltron: Legendary Defender, then the reboot would've lasted longer.

But it wasn't dark like where the Thundercats reboot was heading to. Plus it still got a second season, and didn't go the route of killing off well known characters. Both Thundercats and He-Man are meant to sell toys as well, so there's a limit to how dark they can make the shows since they need to be seen by those who'd want the toys. So I doubt either show would do good on Adult Swim.

Some of them feels questionable, sure but your comments towards the creators are among the reasons why fandoms can't have nice things and I think this is why more details of the scrapped plans didn't get revealed until now because of presumably angry fans of the original attacked the ones who did the reboot.

It's just feels forced into being something else. If the show was meant for older audiences, that usually means it was meant for the fans of the classic show as well. So there needs to be enough similarities to the original series for the original fans to connect to it while adding new characters and stories to make it it's own thing and bring in new fans.

 

[AdrenalineRush1996]

Why was my quote replaced with SNIP?

Because I just couldn't think of a good response on that part.

But it wasn't dark like where the Thundercats reboot was heading to. Plus it still got a second season, and didn't go the route of killing off well known characters.

But it still was cut short despite this and trust me, there have been more shows that have been overtly dark than the ThunderCats reboot.

Both Thundercats and He-Man are meant to sell toys as well, so there's a limit to how dark they can make the shows since they need to be seen by those who'd want the toys. So I doubt either show would do good on Adult Swim.

Both franchises have older fans as well, not to mention there have been comics from both franchises that have been aimed at said fans and there has been a reboot of a beloved Eighties animated show that aired on Adult Swim. G.I. Joe: Resolute, anyone?

It's just feels forced into being something else. If the show was meant for older audiences, that usually means it was meant for the fans of the classic show as well. So there needs to be enough similarities to the original series for the original fans to connect to it while adding new characters and stories to make it it's own thing and bring in new fans.

Like I said, not everyone was going to like it and not every reboot have to get enough similarities to the original, either. Sorry but it is true and this is among the reasons why fandoms can't have nice things.

Why don't we just call it a day and move on from this subject because I feel like that this has derailed the thread?

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[ShadowBeast]

Because I just couldn't think of a good response on that part.

Okay just wondering.

But it still was cut short despite this and trust me, there have been more shows that have been overtly dark than the ThunderCats reboot.

But it didn't end on a cliffhanger, it got to finish up a chunk of it's stories before being cancelled.
Even if there are darker shows (which I know there are), that doesn't change the fact that the direction it was headed to wasn't a good.

Both franchises have older fans as well, not to mention there have been comics from both franchises that have been aimed at said fans and there has been a reboot of a beloved Eighties animated show that aired on Adult Swim. G.I. Joe: Resolute, anyone?

I know both franchises have older fans. But the two shows still need to sell toys in order to continue. This goes for many action shows really.
From what I've checked, G.I. Joe: Resolute only had one season with eleven episodes that were 5-minutes each. G.I. Joe is a different story since it focuses on terrorism and relies on the use of guns, it can't exactly focus on kids in this time era.

Like I said, not everyone was going to like it and not every reboot have to get enough similarities to the original, either. Sorry but it is true and this is among the reasons why fandoms can't have nice things.

Why don't we just call it a day and move on from this subject because I feel like that this has derailed the thread?

You keep saying that "fandoms can't have nice thing", but the direction that the show was heading to wasn't exactly "a nice thing for the fandom" if it can't stay true to the franchise. And yes it should have certain amount of similarity to the original in respect to it's older fans. And I'm not talking about making it exactly like the original, just enough to connect to make it feel like it's Thundercats.

We haven't derailed the thread since we are technically discussing about the show and the direction that it was gonna go to.

 

[AdrenalineRush1996]

SNIP

Listen, I'm sorry for what I said. It's just that I liked the reboot and felt that cancelling it wasn't a great idea. Of course, some of the ideas for the second season would've been quite unusual or different that could have most likely divided fans such as Pumyra being an insect monster, Tygra being killed and several animal-based alien races turning out to be evolved from humans via experiments but again, I apologise for what I said and I respect your opinion on them.

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[ShadowBeast]

Listen, I'm sorry for what I said. It's just that I liked the reboot and felt that cancelling it wasn't a great idea. Of course, some of the ideas for the second season would've been quite unusual or different that could have most likely divided fans such as Pumyra being an insect monster, Tygra being killed and several animal-based alien races turning out to be evolved from humans via experiments but again, I apologise for what I said and I respect your opinion on them.

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I like the reboot as well. The redesigns are fantastic (especially Snarf's) and a lot of the stories are very interesting. But like you pointed out, that stuff would've been nose-dive to the series.

 

[AdrenalineRush1996]

I like the reboot as well. The redesigns are fantastic (especially Snarf's) and a lot of the stories are very interesting. But like you pointed out, that stuff would've been nose-dive to the series.

We can definitely agree that said stuff would've likely divided fans and I do apologise for being quite argumentative. That being said, I will be taking a break from this forum for a while in order for me to recover.

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[ShadowBeast]

I wonder what animal species they intended to have possession of the soul stone, along with what the soul stone's power is in comparison to the spirit stone?
Dan mentions fixing things like bringing Tigra back. I wonder if that means other characters would be coming back too?

 

[Cassidy]

Knowing what was going to happen in season 2 makes me more max they the show for canceled. I wish the new one would get scrapped and have the 211 series take it’s place.

 

[dumbfoolkid5]

Knowing what was going to happen in season 2 makes me more max they the show for canceled. I wish the new one would get scrapped and have the 211 series take it’s place.

Me too.

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[Vuxovich]

*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.

No offense intended, but, according to some sources, the 2011 reboot was going to last 65 episodes. How about that?

 

[DBTrilogy100]

No offense intended, but, according to some sources, the 2011 reboot was going to last 65 episodes. How about that?

Dan Norton mentioned in this interview that they had 52 episodes planned out for the story they wished to tell but also had ideas for an additional 13 episodes (Episode 53-Episode 65) if they were given the green light for them. The Lunataks seem to be part of these episodes based on the choice of words used and there was talk about an idea of Mumm-Ra rebelling against the Ancient Spirts of Evil to control his own fate.

I should also mention that there is a post on the 2nd page of this thread that contains more information from the revised version of this podcast interview, if you are wondering about other details from the interview that is not in the first post.

 

[DBTrilogy100]

Dan Norton recently shared some concept art from the rest of the series, following up on his comments in the podcast interview linked in this very thread about having plans to share this concept art at some point in the future. Due to the executives canceling the series after initially giving the green light for Season 2, it is important to keep in mind that most (if not all) of these pieces of concept art are rough drafts which means there is a chance that the finished versions of the designs in a hypothetical scenario where Season 2 was completed might differ compared to the rough draft designs that have recently been shared.

For the sake of simplicity and managing image sizes, I will give each piece of concept art a name and the names will indicate which spoiler tag contains which concept art. I will also provide a quick description and any new tidbits Dan Norton may have provided when he shared these pieces of concept art for the sake of providing context for those who may view this post.

Spoiler: Lion-O (First-Half of Season 2) Concept Art 1

Spoiler: Lion-O (First-Half of Season 2) Concept Art 2

These images feature costume variations for Lion-O after the first time skip (the time skip set between the end of Season 1 and the start of Season 2). Dan Norton also clarified that the first time skip would take place 2 to 3 years after the end of Season 1 which means Lion-O would be 19 to 20 years old during the first-half of Season 2 (crew members of the series had previously revealed Lion-O was 17 years old during Season 1). At the time of this post being made, Dan Norton mentioned that he has not yet revealed concept art for what Lion-O would look like during the second-half of Season 2 (the 2nd time skip that would have been 10 years).

Spoiler: Kaynar (Season 2) Concept Art

This image contains costume variations for Kaynar (who was known as "Jackalman" in the 1985 Series and ThunderCats Roar) during Season 2. Dan Norton's use of "Jackelmen" rather than "Jackalman" initially gave me the impression that these costume variations were for other members of Kaynar's species rather than being how Kaynar might have looked during Season 2 but after further clarifications, it seems as though the use of "Jackelmen" was in reference to the fact that there were multiple costume variations.

Spoiler: Addicus (Season 2) Concept Art

Similar to the above, this image contains costume variations for Addicus (who was known as "Monkian" in the 1985 Series and ThunderCats Roar) during Season 2. That leaves half of Mumm-Ra's Generals whose concept art regarding costume variants for Season 2 have yet to be revealed at the time of this post being made (Slithe and Vultaire).

Spoiler: Brute-Men Rough Draft Concept Art

For those unfamiliar with the franchise, the Brute-Men were a species from the 1985 Series that were very strong and normally docile. In the 1985 Series, the animal villains (or "Mutants", as they were called in the 1985 Series) brain washed the Brute-Men to construct their base of operations on Third Earth, Castle Plun-Darr. If memory serves me right, I believe the Brute-Men were also brainwashed to construct the Lunataks' base of operations on Third Earth, Sky Tomb.

Spoiler: Berserkers Rough Draft Concept Art 1

Spoiler: Berserkers Rough Draft Concept Art 2

Spoiler: Berserkers Rough Draft Concept Art 3

As it was mentioned in the podcast interview linked in this very thread, the Berserkers (a group of cyborg pirates from the 1985 Series that also appeared in ThunderCats Roar) were set to appear in an early episode of Season 2.

At the time of this post being made, it is not clear exactly how much concept art for the rest of the series has been made but I will be keeping a look out to see if Dan Norton will share any more pieces of concept art in the future and will be sure to provide links to them in this thread as I have done so for the concept art pieces that has been revealed so far.

 

[Vuxovich]

I reckon the real reason why the 2011 ThunderCats show only lasted for 26 episodes was because the Japanese animation studio that did the show underwent restructuring, as well as the change of the Japanese animation industry/studio system stemming from the the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. As far as I know, the show's production took the place around the time of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. That disaster ended up changing the Japanese animation industry. How about that?

 

[DBTrilogy100]

Dan Norton recently shared some concept art from the rest of the series, following up on his comments in the podcast interview linked in this very thread about having plans to share this concept art at some point in the future and having done so roughly 4 years ago. Due to the executives canceling the series after initially giving the green light for Season 2, it is important to keep in mind that most (if not all) of these pieces of concept art are rough drafts which means there is a chance that the finished versions of the designs in a hypothetical scenario where Season 2 was completed might differ compared to the rough draft designs that have recently been shared.

For the sake of simplicity and managing image sizes, I will give each piece of concept art a name and the names will indicate which spoiler tag contains which concept art. I will also provide a quick description and any new tidbits Dan Norton may have provided when he shared these pieces of concept art for the sake of providing context for those who may view this post.

Spoiler: Tygra (First Half of Season 2) Concept Art

This image features costume variations for Tygra after the first time skip (the time skip set between the end of Season 1 and the start of Season 2). Back when he provided the concept art for Lion-O's costume variations for Part I of Season 2, Dan Norton also clarified that the first time skip would take place 2 to 3 years after the end of Season 1 which means Tygra would be as young as 21 years old or as old as 23 years old during the first-half of Season 2 (crew members of the series had previously revealed Tygra was as young as 19 years old or as old as 20 years old during Season 1). Back when he provided the concept art for Lion-O's costume variations for Part I of Season 2, Dan Norton mentioned that he has not yet revealed concept art for what Lion-O would look like during the second-half of Season 2 (the 2nd time skip that would have been 10 years) which means there is a possibility that concept art for what Tygra would look like during the second-half of Season 2 might also exist (where or not such concept art exists is currently unknown at the time of this post being made).

Spoiler: Cheetara (First Half of Season 2) Concept Art

This image features costume variations for Cheetara after the first time skip (the time skip set between the end of Season 1 and the start of Season 2). Back when he provided the concept art for Lion-O's costume variations for Part I of Season 2, Dan Norton also clarified that the first time skip would take place 2 to 3 years after the end of Season 1 which means Cheetara would be 21 to 22 years old during the first-half of Season 2 (crew members of the series had previously revealed Cheetara was 19 years old during Season 1). Back when he provided the concept art for Lion-O's costume variations for Part I of Season 2, Dan Norton mentioned that he has not yet revealed concept art for what Lion-O would look like during the second-half of Season 2 (the 2nd time skip that would have been 10 years) which means there is a possibility that concept art for what Cheetara would look like during the second-half of Season 2 might also exist (where or not such concept art exists is currently unknown at the time of this post being made).

Spoiler: Slithe (Season 2) Concept Art

After some further clarifications being made, It turns out what I initially thought were costume variations for members of Kaynar's species & members of Addicus' species were, in fact, costume variations for Kaynar & Addicus, themselves, during Season 2. In turn, this image contains costume variations for Slithe during Season 2. That leaves Vultaire as the remaining member of Mumm-Ra's 4 Generals whose concept art regarding costume variants for Season 2 has yet to be revealed at the time of this post being made.

Spoiler: Brute-Men Colored Concept Art

Following up from the rough draft sketch that Dan Norton revealed roughly 4 years ago, this concept art is a more refined/colored version for how the Brute-Men might have appeared in the 2011 Series. For those unfamiliar with the franchise, the Brute-Men were a species from the 1985 Series that were very strong and normally docile. In the 1985 Series, the animal villains (or "Mutants", as they were called in the 1985 Series) brain washed the Brute-Men to construct their base of operations on Third Earth, Castle Plun-Darr. If memory serves me right, I believe the Brute-Men were also brainwashed to construct the Lunataks' base of operations on Third Earth, Sky Tomb.

Spoiler: Tiger Sharks Base Concept Art

While Dan Norton mentioned in the podcast interview linked in this very thread that the Tiger Sharks were planned to appear in Season 2, his comments alongside this piece of concept art he shared reveals that the Tiger Sharks were the animal species that were tasked with guarding the Blue Power Stone. The notes featured in this concept art reveal that a whale shark and a harbor for sailboat races were the main inspirations for the design of the Tiger Sharks' base.

I will continue to keep a look out to see if Dan Norton will share any more pieces of concept art in the future and will be sure feature them in named spoiler tags in this thread as I have done so for this post.

As far as non-concept art related information goes, Dan Norton did reveal in one of the comments for this batch of concept art that Ratar-O was planned to be a one-shot villain in the 2011 Series/"Curse of Ratilla" was intended to be Ratar-O's only appearance in the 2011 Series.

 

[Fone Bone]

Unfortunately, it appears as though an error has occurred with the links from my previous post and the edit button is no where to be found for some reason which leaves me unable to fix the errors of that post.

After a certain length of time, for most Toon Zone posters, they are unable to edit old posts. You have to ask the mods permission to allow you that specific privilege. Probably in the Feedback and Suggestions forums. Because of my work on The Drawing Board I needed that specific feature and the mod were gracious enough to grant me it. I'm sure if you explained your striving for accuracy in all the work you are doing here will help your case.

 

[DBTrilogy100]

After a certain length of time, for most Toon Zone posters, they are unable to edit old posts. You have to ask the mods permission to allow you that specific privilege. Probably in the Feedback and Suggestions forums. Because of my work on The Drawing Board I needed that specific feature and the mod were gracious enough to grant me it. I'm sure if you explained your striving for accuracy in all the work you are doing here will help your case.

After some time, I was able to find a means to contact the mods and they were gracious enough to grant me permission to edit older posts which means I was able to fix the errors so that the first batch of concept art can now be viewed in the same manner as the 2nd batch of concept art (named spoiler tags for the sake of simplicity and managing image sizes). You have my thanks for pointing me in the direction of how to remedy the situation.

 

[AdrenalineRush1996]

I reckon the real reason why the 2011 ThunderCats show only lasted for 26 episodes was because the Japanese animation studio that did the show underwent restructuring, as well as the change of the Japanese animation industry/studio system stemming from the the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. As far as I know, the show's production took the place around the time of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. That disaster ended up changing the Japanese animation industry. How about that?

I doubt that's the reason why the 2011 reboot didn't get a second season.

 

[Fone Bone]

I always found the morality of the show messed up. Maybe if it were for adults that would be okay, but the fact that the Pilot normalized both slavery and caste systems without making a moral judgment against either always bugged me, as did the character of Tookit whose stealing was always presented as harmless fun.