Integration

[Joe Moore]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlexofThundera

I have always disliked the way WB has handled the Thundercats. IMO they treat it like a cash cow (the horrible DVD release) and nothing more.

The reason why Thundercats is as big as it is IS & ALWAYS will be due to the original. I had always felt that if they were to do a new series they should simply pick up where TOS left off. After all, it's those classic characters that have amassed legendary status in the world of pop culture. This whole "re envisioning" of the NS has not worked out as well as they thought. Sure, modernize it a bit, but you don't go changing the recipe that's been working for more then two decades. All I have to say is look at Panthro. He honestly bears no resemblance to the original that everyone, even people who never watched TOS, know and love. Big mistake IMO.

Unfortunately, I don't agree 100% there. Thundercats hasn't been working for 2 decades simply because there was nothing out there to "work". Thundercats actually has a very, very small following of vocal long time fans. If the fan base was larger, all of the TC fan sites would be booming, but even the long time sites barely got a bump in their already small memberships when the new show started.

For the most part, Thundercats had a very clean slate to work with. they had a small group of "hardcore fans" a larger amount of "casual" fans and a near infinite number of people who never even heard of Thundercats. And the casual fans remember three very specific things about Thundercats...The theme song/opening cinematic, the main characters and the fact that they were naked in the first episode. What WB was really aiming for were the kids who had no idea about the brand and casual fans who just remember the Thundercats existed. That was where the money was to be made. Going for the "hardcore" fan market is a sure fired way to lose money.

But the problem is, WB cocked it up. Bandai was just not up to the task of keeping shelves fresh, or even selling the lien to retailers adequately. Cartoon Network and WB were on different pages about the show. CN had two significant airing breaks that killed the initial momentum of the show. And it was never marketed correctly at all.