I still think it’s not going to be 100% faithful to the original series. No movie adaptation has been perfectly faithful to the original source whether it’s a cartoon, comic, or book.
All I’m saying is, expect changes regardless of what is said.
Chris here…
I completely agree - whenever any concept is adapted for the big screen there are changes made in the transfer. However, I think what I would most like to see with a ThunderCats movie is something that is true to the spirit of the original - when I think about the Spider-Man movie franchise, those guys took a lot of liberties with the continuity and even with some fundamental elements of the character (such as giving him organic webbing instead of web-shooters), but, certainly the first two movies IMO managed to successfully capture the spirit and essence of what makes Spider-Man so great. So, hopefully the same can be done with ThunderCats! 
And, can I say that whilst I reserve the right to be disappointed (as it may end up looking really “cartoony”), I also think CGI is the right road to go down for this - it needs to be a totally different style from Shrek, the Incredibles, TMNT, etc., more serious and realistic, but I definitely think that the TCats universe will be easier to bring to the big screen in CGI form rather than live action!
Take care…
You and I are thinking very alike Chris! 
Yep, computer-generated imagery is the hot ticket these days in the animation field. But the downside is that traditional animation suffers as a result, which is sad. I grew up on it; it nurtured my artistic drive. I know things change, but it would be wrong to throw traditional animation into the garbage can because everyone now believes it’s too old-fashioned and costly to be of any further use. It’s an important part of the entertainment industry, whether it’s movies or television, and the Biz would be cutting off its nose to spite its face if it got rid of it for good.:bengali:
If you’re familiar with the movie industry, there has been absolutely no traditional animated film in over two years. Everything has been computer animation because that’s what makes money. All 2D animation has either been set aside for television or for direct to video markets. And even then, the 2D animation is no longer hand drawn…everything is being done using computers.
That being said, I wish 2D and 3D could both be money makers, but studios are going to do what makes money and right now 2D just doesn’t cut it. No traditional animated movie has broken the $100 million dollar barrier since the late 1990s.
Chris here…
You’re quite correct of course, Manny - however, I do agree with Catspat that it’s a shame, as 2D animation is my first love as well. When I look at the beautiful stuff they can achieve in a regular animated show of today, it makes my mouth water to think of what they could achieve with a feature film’s budget - Disney were just beginning to tap into that potential before the switch in focus to CGI, think of what an “action toon” movie could have looked like!
Out of interest, does anyone know what the last 2D animated movie to be produced was? And, what was the last one to break the $100 million mark? I’m gonna take a wild guess that that was The Lion King - would love to know if I’m right!
Take care…
If its done like the new Beowulf film than I’d be ok with it, The worst thing they could do is make it like TMNT…oh the horror! 
The last animated-by-hand feature that I heard of was HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE, but I don’t know how much it made at the box office here and overseas. Maybe Manny can tell us.:?
Actually, I am in agreement with both you and Catspat. I would love to see a traditionally animated ThunderCats film. I grew up with Disney animated films and am a huge fan…you should see my DVD collection.
Out of interest, does anyone know what the last 2D animated movie to be produced was? And, what was the last one to break the $100 million mark? I’m gonna take a wild guess that that was The Lion King - would love to know if I’m right!
If you’re talking about the last fully hand drawn movie, it was The Little Mermaid. Every film beginning with Beauty and the Beast had some type of computer animation. But I’m sure you’re actually talking about 2D animation and the last animated film produced by Disney was Home on the Range which made $50 million.
The last animated film (non-CGI) to break the $100 million barrier mark was Tarzan in 1999 which made 171M. After that, everything went downhill.
I will say though, Brother Bear made me feel like Disney was going to have another renaissance because that was a brilliant movie which made 85M in 2003…but by that time, Michael Eisner had already destroyed what was once an empire of 2D animation.
But I digress…anyways, if you guys are interested in more of the Disney Renaissance of the 90s (also known as the second golden age for Disney films), here’s a great place:
Disney: 15 Years of 2D Animation
I told you I am a Disney fanatic.
Are you a Disney fan, Manny? I didn’t know that! I have a growing number of classic Disney films on DVD: The original “Bambi” from 1941 is the crown jewel and the original inspiration for my becoming an artist (when I was a child, I originally wanted to grow up and be an animator for them, but that never came about). I also have “Bambi II”, where Patrick Stewart voices the Great Prince of the Forest and goes a great job of it. I also have the original “101 Dalmations” on VHS, but I will get a DVD version of it. I just recently bought the 40th anniversary re-release of “The Jungle Book”, a film I saw in the theater when I was 13, and it’s another Disney classic that fed my desire to be an artist. There are other Disney films I plan on getting: “The Aristocats”, “Robin Hood”, and “Lady and the Tramp” among them.:cheetaraveryhappy:
I’m a big fan of the 80s and 90s Disney films, but I like most of the Disney (2d animated) films. My favorite Disney film is The Little Mermaid followed by Beauty and the Beast.
We should make a thread in the General Discussion forum on Disney movies…let’s keep this thread focused on the ThunderCats movie.
If the movie looks like Jerry O’Flaherty’s Gears Of Wars: http://youtube.com/watch?v=xj5y_QVzKng
Alot of fans would be pleased b/c it looks similar to live action, darker image. Just imagine how the Thundercats trailer would look with that animation!Future blockbuster in 2010!
Wow! T-cat, if the movie has this director attached, I think it might be pretty good, after all! I am getting very excited about all this great news, and I am eager to see what will come of it…
Oh, please do, Manny! That’d be wonderful! You might also think of starting threads for fans of anime films since Korea is now getting into that business. It would be interesting to see what people think of the Korean amine movies and how they compare to the Japanese ones.
Whats the difference between Korean anime and Japanese? Explain please, sounds interesting really…
I like the look of the work that O’Flaherty has done on Gears of War. Remember that what you see on these clips is done on the limited X-Box 360 systems. What he’ll get to do on a movie should be far more impressive visually.
Here are a couple of the Gears of War vids on youtube:
Hey all! Manny - I’ve been thinking. What do people think about trying to get a petition sent in, to try and get Warner Bros. to hire Larry Kenney to do the voice of Lion-o in the movie? Do you think it would be worth it? Or should we even worry about it?
It’s possible. I’ve never been confident about online petitions though. If there is enough interest in doing some kind of petition, (not necessarily online) I think the team can work something out.
I think it’s worth a try; at the very least it might make Warners think about Larry if they see that he has a large enough fanbase to make it worth their while. I say have the TCL team whip up an on-line petition. I’ll be more than happy to sign it!:cheetaraveryhappy:
I hope WB at least acknowledges Larry and gives him a part in the movie, if he doesn’t get the voice of Lion-O. I know it sucks to think of a Lion-O that isn’t voiced by Larry, but to have him in the movie may be as Mumm-Ra or some other character would be nice fan service.
Heck, why not have the other voice actors make cameos as well while we’re at it?