ThunderCats

Despite being one of my childhood favorites, I remember very little about the story of ThunderCats. Lion-O was king, Cheetara was fast, Mumm-Ra was the bad guy, and Snarf was always whining "Lion-O! Snarf! Snarf!".

Now there's a new version on Cartoon Network. The names may be the same, but the feel is a bit different.

The first thing I noticed was Lion-O's youth. He's literally a cherub-faced teenager - gone are the He-Man muscles. I'm still adjusting.

Is it really necessary for Cheetara to bare her midriff? Were the twins always thieves, and so young? Tygra is Lion-O's brother? Where's Panthro? They killed Panthro?!

Lion-O and Tygra have a fierce sibling rivalry. Tygra embraces traditional attitudes about Thundara and the world beyond; Lion-O believes in fables and doesn’t fully accept the status quo. Yet despite their differences, Tygra has Lion-O's back.

As does Cheetara, who's a bit mysterious at this point.

Panthro is presumed dead in the "outside world" he was sent to explore; the twins are so impoverished they steal to survive; and Snarf (thankfully) does not talk.

The premiere was a nice set up for Lion-O's hero journey. Still, I miss Panthro, and wonder how the twins will get connected to the main action.

So I'll keep watching, looking for Panthro to show up and hoping Snarf never gains the ability to talk.