ThunderCats is an American/Japanese animated television series, produced by Ethan Spaulding and Michael Jelenic. A reboot of the original 1980s TV series of the same name, ThunderCats was developed by Warner Bros. Animation and Studio 4°C, and combined elements of western animation, with Japanese anime. The series began with an hour-long premiere on Cartoon Network on July 29, 2011.

Following the destruction of their home, the kingdom of Thundera, the ThunderCats are forced to roam the planet Third Earth, in order to find a way to defeat the evil sorcerer Mumm-Ra, who plans on taking over the universe. Story-wise the series attempts to take a much darker and more cinematic approach than the original show, featuring a lot more focus on characterization and more sophisticated themes.

Initially planned for 52 episodes, it was confirmed by ThunderCats art-director Dan Norton in early 2013 that the show had been canceled after only one season. Reruns of the show later aired on Adult Swim’s Toonami block.

ThunderCats is an American animated television series that was produced by Rankin/Bass Productions debuting in 1985, based on the characters created by Tobin “Ted” Wolf. The series, for which Leonard Starr was the head writer, follows the adventures of a group of cat-like humanoid aliens. The animation was provided by Japanese animation company Pacific Animation Corporation whose artists later went on to join Studio Ghibli. Season 1 of the show aired in 1985, followed by a TV movie entitled ThunderCats – HO! in 1986. Seasons 2, 3, and 4 followed a new format of twenty episodes each, starting with a five-part story.

The series was originally distributed by Rankin-Bass Productions’ then-parent company Telepictures Corporation, which would later merge with Lorimar Productions in 1986. In 1989, Lorimar-Telepictures was purchased by and folded into Warner Bros., whose television syndication arm would eventually assume distribution of the show; Warner Bros. have had the rights to the series from that point on.

There were also several comic book series produced: Marvel Comics’ version, 1984 to 1988; and five series by Wildstorm, an imprint of DC Comics, beginning in 2003. Items of clothing featuring the ThunderCats logo and DVD boxsets of the original series have enjoyed a resurgence in recent years as nostalgia for the former children’s favorite has grown.