Category: Thundercats

PL writes: Collecting these various stories has been somewhat eye-opening. Two things, among many, which I have learned. The first is that the show was more than entertainment for many people. It often provided comfort. A 20-odd year-old Colombian confided that he was lonely at home and bullied at school; that ThunderCats became his family and his refuge. That’s quite astonishing, considering that he would not have seen the show broadcast and only experienced it on DVD. Many ThunderCats fans have shared this kind of information and emotion. The second thing I’ve learned is that all was not sweetness and light among the production staff and crew. That is a surprising revelation to me because I was so heavily and broadly involved in the production. Of course, I was aware there were occasional scratch-ups but I didn’t realize how deep some of the problems ran. (Later, you’ll read Chuck Hasegawa’s comments on this reality.) You may wonder what this has to do with Celesta’s story but some of the information she gave me touches on these two realizations – for for which I thank her; as I do – again – for the wonderful Sword Of Omens illustration she gave me. She is hugely talented.

Celesta’s words:

Once upon a time a lonely little girl in Iowa turned to the Thundercats for friendship. And they did what they do best — they rescued her. But then, after two decades, something amazing happened. She did her best to return the favor. (These words were inspired by  Alex Ross’ art book “Mythology” introduction. If he believed comic characters saved him, I can admit ThunderCats saved me.) My father was a United Methodist minister in the Mid West and Arizona and our family travelled wherever he was posted. We moved frequently, seemingly each time as I was just getting to know a new group of friends. Which, in itself, was difficult for me. I was often bullied for my love of drawing and sci-fi fantasy geekery, even when the bullies “stole” my work for a TV channel’s contest or for class as needed.

I first discovered ThunderCats more or less by a fortunate accident. I used to watch He-Man with my brother and when that was over was going to change channels. For some reason, I didn’t – and there it was. EXODUS. It was my story! The Thundercats had lost their planet and seemingly their remaining species — forced to flee their home and find and adjust to a new one. I bonded to the ThunderKittens and Lion-O first because they were my age, of course as intended, and then with the ThunderCats as a whole. I had a crush on Lion-O. They were the only longtime friends I had in those years. Moreover, my father was a news junkie and from a very early age I witnessed an often depressing worldview on television. ThunderCats gave me hope that the world could be a better place. In the Thundercats I found friends who I didn’t have to leave behind, and a more hopeful home, a sense of permanence and security which helped me deal with those bullying mutants at my many schools.

For some, perhaps ThunderCats was just a toy line advertisement but I found – still feel – that ThunderCats had many layers way beyond its action and drama. The characters were more real to me than a lot of people I met, and quite different. Underlying each story was a worthwhile theme which was overseen by the psychologist Dr. Robert Kuisis. I prefer the phrase ‘worthwhile theme’ to ‘morals’ (the word the producers used) because ‘morals’ seems to me to be a bit preachy and the ThunderCats stories never felt like that to me. Perhaps it was these worthwhile themes that pulled all the stories together no matter how far they strayed from the world Len Starr created.

Len’s original creations were quite extraordinary and almost incredibly he completed the bulk of the work in just a few days. Long before anyone began to design the characters and props, he sketched the world and included many characters and locations – some of which the show never visited!

There was so much depth to his ideas that they supported some wild imaginings that must have gone beyond anything he envisioned in the beginning. Compare Bill Overgard’s episodes with Len’s – or with Peter’s or Matthew Malach’s: such wild variations on the basic theme and yet they held together. Perhaps it was indeed the worthwhile themes or morals underlying each story that pulled all the episodes together no matter how far they strayed from the original world Len Starr created.

 

Len Starr and his original MummRa design

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I started to work as an illustrator and artist, my starting point was the ThunderCats artwork.

A friend wrote: “You’re supposed to be drawing Thundercats, not because they’re an end in themselves, but because they help you get in synch with your Muse, who will lead you to the next thing …  love the T’Cats as much now as ever. But you’re angry and broken-hearted as to how they (and, by extension, you) have been treated by others.”

I was indeed experiencing my own professional difficulties and had begun to learn how badly Len Starr was treated by Rankin/Bass. Among the other things he confided in an interview with James Gauthier: “The first I ever heard of Ted Wolf was when I saw his name on the opening credits of the first show.” The story is that Ted Wolf took the basic idea of mutated Catpeople to Rankin/Bass. The final show designs were nothing like those basics and he had nothing to do with the development. Indeed, his involvement seems quite obscure beyond that first meeting – yet he and his successors earned substantial residuals which were denied Len.

The interview continues: “Jules had had a Deal Memo prepared, specifying a certain sum for agreeing to the Memo, another for completion of a Bible … another sum in the event of commencement of production, a price for each following script, a specific percentage of any merchandising revenues, all else to be further defined in, quote, ‘a more formal and complete contract now in preparation.’ The merchandising percentage was okay but … I was more interested in residuals… so that if the Tcats ran at all, there would be additional revenue. Jules said we’d work that out when we did the formal contract … It all seemed okay, I’d done some specials that Arthur Rankin had asked me to write and they’d all gone well, no money problems, so I signed it.” The interview continues: “After about two years I asked Jules about residuals again. ‘Oh, we can’t give residuals on a cheap show like this.’ (I asked) ‘Has that “formal contract in preparation” been prepared yet?’ ‘Look,’ says Jules, ‘If you want to sue us, sue us. It’ll cost you a lot of money and you’ll lose.’ Huh. He jumps right from ‘how about the contract’ to ‘Sue us’?” I’ve read somewhere that Peter Lawrence is pissed off that a show which was heavily promoted for its positive social lessons has deep in its origins this mean-spirited, tight-fisted dishonesty. But my own experiences were quite similar – and my friend had written: “I say, the hell with the others. T’Cats made you come alive, and that’s what the world needs: you alive.” So I did my best to rise above the problems and focused on my ThunderCats art.

Going back to watching the show as a child, I loved the music’s epic feel. Bernie Hoffer, the composer, did an awesome job: which theme belonged to who; character cues; hero themes; villain themes; battle cues. All seemed to me to be more specific and characterful than, say, He-Man’s music. It turned me into a soundtrack junkie and I have a hard drive stacked with Bernie’s work. I listen to it while I’m drawing.In fact, my Holy Grail would be to have Bernie’s soundtrack remastered and released. I know someone has been trying to put it all on vinyl but I don’t know whether that’s actually happening.

Before the financial realities of life as an illustrator/artist hit me, I decided I wanted to become an animation artist and maybe work on the show or its successors, for a studio like Rankin/Bass. Then I discovered that the ThunderCats animation was produced in Japan and various Far East studios. What a disappointment – but there was still Disney and Hollywood! I made contacts – and more disappointment. One contact said ‘Yeah, great if you want to live on Corn flakes for the rest of your life.’

Cornflakes or not, nothing stopped me working as an artist. Here are some examples of my ThunderCats work.

My custom Book Of Omens

Not an illustrated cake – a real one – a celebration!

My ThunderCats art led me to connect with Manny Florendo asking me to join ThunderCats Lair (TCL) and later joined him to co-found ThunderCatsNOW (TCN) with him. At TCL, I was originally brought on as the encyclopedia illustrator and my workload expanded significantly. I contributed to the sites and social media of the latter for several years, only leaving when I felt the volunteer work impacting my artmaking.

But that put me in touch with David Crichton, writer of the definitive book on ThunderCats, HEAR THE ROAR!

Through the years, I’ve kept in touch with many of my fellow fans, many becoming my extended ThunderCats family, and met several of the original stars and crew at ThunderCon (L.A.). I know that Peter Lawrence feels that the crew behind the famous voices are under-appreciated but I have to say that I have always found Larry Kenney and the other stars very respectful, particularly of the late Lee Dannacher; not just the show’s principal producer but the godmother who kept it on track and loyal to its precepts.

I continue to work as a freelance illustrator – among other things currently like Doctor Who art cards, I finished an illustration of Hachiman for Peter Newman and Cheetara for Lynne Lipton this year. I didn’t forget Larry Kenney, with a surprise piece that he will have received at the posting of this spotlight:

You can see more of my work here:@celestasart.bsky.social I cannot see myself ever giving up art. In fact, I’m immersing myself in Procreate if the day ever comes when carpal tunnel or such affects my ability to draw, I will be able to continue to follow this passion. The app allows assistive features in line and color work with a stylus on the iPad/iPad Pro.

 

 

PL writes: Ryan and David Hunter co-host the Radical Retro Rewind podcast. Until I began to post the ThunderCAts of the Day, I knew nothing about Ryan and David or the podcast. It’s a work! Really worth checking out here.

Ryan’s story:

My earliest memory of truly falling in love with the series came from a worn VHS recording of Exodus, the movie that serves as the pilot. I remember being absolutely captivated by these characters. ThunderCats felt magical in a way that is hard to explain. It was heroic, mythic, comforting, and exciting all at once. Even as a little kid, I wished I could step through the television and be part of that world. Third Earth felt alive to me in a way few places ever had. It was also a show my father enjoyed watching with me, which made the experience feel even more special. The magic of ThunderCats truly transcended age.

And like many kids, I was both terrified of Mumm-Ra and completely unable to look away.As I grew older, Mumm-Ra became my favorite villain and one of my favorite characters from the 1980s.

Earl Hammond’s performance brought him to life in a brilliant and unforgettable way.

 

 

Because I discovered the show near the end of its original run, the toy aisles were already thinning out. What remained on shelves were the remnants of a fading line, and even those scraps felt precious. One day after first grade, my mother picked me up and waiting for me in the backseat was a brand-new Mutant Fistpounder, along with a Mumm-Ra and a Lion-O figure. I remember that day so clearly. It felt like I had been handed a tiny piece of Third Earth itself. As I got older, the hunt for ThunderCats figures became part of my life. I inherited my brother David’s ThunderTank and figures, which felt like being handed a treasure chest. I will never forget the day my father and brother went into our childhood basement and came back up with a forgotten box filled with ThunderCats toys. It felt like discovering buried treasure. Characters I had only imagined owning were suddenly in my hands.

Back then, collecting was completely different. We had toy-collecting magazines where people advertised figures they were selling. I would circle listings, dream about them, and ask my parents on special occasions if we could order something rare.

One of my favorite memories, and one that connects me deeply to my brother, is the story of the mail-away Mumm-Ra. When David was younger, he sent in the original LJN points and experienced that legendary eternity of waiting for the figure to arrive. Years later in the 1990s, I wanted that same figure so badly that I ordered my own from one of the toy-collecting magazine ads. Opening that package is still a crystal-clear memory. Inside was the mail-away Mumm-Ra and an LJN toy catalog. That catalog became my constant companion. I carried it everywhere inside a plastic wallet cover and dreamed of finding the figures that felt lost to time. Decades later, I learned that a fellow listener and now friend named Zack had the exact same experience. Another reminder that children all over the world shared the same wonder.

One of the great surprises of growing up was discovering ThunderCats on Cartoon Network’s Toonami programming block. By this time I was in the fifth grade. I stumbled upon it by accident and I could not believe it. ThunderCats was on TV again! Beyond the few VHS tapes we rented endlessly from Blockbuster and the local library, suddenly there were more adventures, more stories, and more magic. Every day after school I would rush home to watch. It felt like reconnecting with old friends I thought I would never see again.

Decades later, I could never have imagined we would be living in a world overflowing with ThunderCats merchandise again. New figures, deep cuts, and characters we never dreamed would be produced. My younger self would have absolutely flipped.

When my brother David and I decided to start our nostalgia podcast in 2020, we knew ThunderCats had to be a part of it. One night, while watching a random episode for comfort, I realized there was not a dedicated podcast that covered every episode from start to finish. Many had started and stopped over the years, but none had completed the journey. So we dove in. One episode at a time. One adventure at a time.

 

We never expected what came next. Listeners began reaching out from Scotland, Australia, England, South Africa, Brazil and Greece! These were places I never imagined our little show would reach. So many people shared the same memories, the same feelings, and the same joy. For years, I thought I was just a kid stuck in the past who loved an 80s show that felt lost to time. But ThunderCats was never lost. It was waiting. It was loved. It was global.

Along the way, I had the honor of meeting icons like Larry Kenney and Peter Newman. I have met fellow fans who became true friends. Through every message, every episode, and every shared memory, I am reminded of something I often say. ThunderCats was never just a show created to sell toys. The writers, creators, artists, and cast poured so much heart into these characters that they became timeless. Forty years later, the stories still resonate beautifully. Not many series from that era can say the same.

ThunderCats shaped my childhood, connected me to my brother, and eventually brought me into a worldwide community of fans who share the same spark. Now, as our podcast approaches the final season, the experience feels nothing short of magical. It is a full-circle journey that I never expected, but one I am grateful for every day. Thank you, Peter, for inviting us to share our story. And thank you for helping create something that continues to inspire generations of fans, including two Long Island kids who just wanted to step inside the world of Third Earth!

 

David’s ThunderCats Memories :ThunderCats was everything to me growing up. I was the middle child, which meant I spent a lot of time on my own. My home life was complicated at times, and I have always been a very contemplative person. Even as a child, a lot of thoughts weighed heavily on my mind and heart. ThunderCats was not just a fantastical world with amazing characters and the action every young boy craves. It was also a place where I could escape whatever was troubling me. It became a safe place that gave me comfort during moments when I felt unsure, overwhelmed, or lonely.

Mumm-Ra and his transformation, I have to say, was hands down one of the scariest cartoon characters I had ever seen as a kid. I still remember his first appearance and the look of real fear in young Lion-O’s eyes as he hid behind his Claw Shield. Moments like that stuck with me and made the world feel emotionally grounded in a way I never forgot.

Another memory that always stands out to me is waiting for Mumm-Ra in his mummy form. I remember I had to send away for him, and if I am not mistaken, it required proof of purchase from other ThunderCats items. I waited and waited for what felt like forever. I honestly began to think he was never going to arrive. I kept imagining that he had been lost somewhere in the mail, floating around in some warehouse I would never see. Then the day finally came when he showed up. I remember opening that package so carefully, handling him with kid gloves because he felt like something rare and precious. It was like being given a treasure that no one else could possibly have. You could not walk into a store and buy him at the time, so having him felt incredibly special. I was so proud of that figure. It felt like a reward for all that waiting and hoping.

One of my favorite toys ever was the Sword of Omens. I played that thing until it practically fell apart. I wish I still had it. That toy made me feel powerful, brave, and connected to the universe of the show in a way nothing else did.

This, coupled with the fact that I knew my old ThunderCats toys were being loved, played with, and given new life in Ryan’s care, made me incredibly happy. One of my favorite memories is buying the ThunderCats DVDs years later when they were first released and giving them to Ryan. I felt so much joy being able to help him complete his collection. ThunderCats became something we shared together, not just something from my childhood.

On the podcast, we often talk about good storytelling. We love writing that sparks a child’s imagination while also encouraging them to think and grow without ever talking down to them. ThunderCats did all of that for me. One of my earliest memories is hearing Tygra use the word reconnoiter. I had no idea what it meant, so I looked it up in a dictionary and felt like I had discovered the most important word in the world. The show respected my intelligence even as a child and challenged me. Something that always stayed with me was the idea that it was okay to be flawed. These powerful and capable heroes had their own weaknesses, but they learned lessons and followed a code of conduct that reflected the morals and values I was trying to understand as a kid. The show taught me that growing, learning, and striving to be better were just as important as being strong or brave.

Having a strong female character like Cheetara meant a lot to me as a gay kid. She showed me it was completely normal to have girl friends that I admired and played with. She was capable, confident, and an all-around powerhouse, respected by both boys and girls.

That representation mattered more than I realized at the time. She became a symbol of strength for me, someone who helped me feel seen in ways I could not articulate as a child.

 

ThunderCats also sparked my imagination about human history. Even as a young child, the Egyptian influences and ideas of lost civilizations fascinated me. It reminded me of Thundarr the Barbarian, another show that pulled me in for those same reasons. The sense of ancient mystery mixed with futuristic adventure shaped how I viewed stories from that point forward.

ThunderCats has come full circle for me and for my brother. It opened the door to meeting fans, artists, musicians, writers, actors, and so many creative people we never would have met otherwise. But the biggest gift ThunderCats has given me is a legacy of love, camaraderie, and friendship. I know that may sound a little sentimental, but it is true. I spend so much meaningful time with my brother, sharing memories while we work on the podcast. I have met people across the world who love this franchise, and many of them have become dear friends. These friendships span the globe. I would have never crossed paths with these people if it were not for ThunderCats. This community has become like an extended family to me.The kindness, friendship, and love that has been shown to Ryan and me is beyond anything I ever expected. For a show to bring so many people together in such a positive way is incredible. ThunderCats has been a treasure in my life in more ways than I can ever fully express. It has shaped who I am, the people I cherish, and the joyful memories I continue to build with my brother and with fellow fans around the world.

PL writes: if I have regrets about my time at Rankin/Bass, one of them would be that I did not get to know so many of the people who worked on the shows. Pete Cannarozi is one. Talking to him for these posts, we realized we probably only met once, at a R/B barbecue at Bass’s house. My excuse is that I was always balls to the wall on my part of the production but I could have, and should have, made more effort. Something that’s heartening – yes, all this intense production happened 40 years ago but almost everyone that I’ve contacted is still working in entertainment and production and still enthusiastic about that work. In a business not famous for longevity of career, that’s a tribute to their talent and attitude.

Pete Cannarozi writes:

In the wild world of ThunderCats fandom and the various events that celebrate the shows and the spun-off toys, I’m probably best known as the ‘voice’ of the SilverHawks’ Copper Kid. The funny thing is that when my agent Scott Cook suggested my first show, I had forgotten that Copper Kid did indeed have a voice – not just sound effects – which I recorded on a vocoder. It’s a voice that fans love to hear at those shows.

But turning to ThunderCats, I owe my involvement to the composer Bernie Hoffer. He was a prolific jingle writer working largely at MZH studios (where Barry Manilow was also one of the jingle writers!).

Initially, he hired me to play the synthesizer but I was also a studio musician and worked with some well-known musicians, among them Chaka Kahn, Roberta Flack, George Benson and Ashford and Simpson.

Yoko Ono was maybe the most interesting and ‘different’ of them. A huge chocolate aficionado – there were always chocolates all over the studio – she wasn’t really a musician per se. Her MO was to bring or sing her ideas then disappear for a while and let us play with them. Much more hands-off than many artists.

After John was shot, we had a strange moment one day in August of 1982 when a commercial advertising Mother’s Day came through the sound system (Mother’s Day is in May!) – audio leakage, a well-known phenomenon and not usually thought of as something ethereal or supernatural. Yoko, however, was convinced that it really was John because he loved his mother deeply. Yoko believed this was a direct message from him.

Bernie was the truly talented composer and arranger responsible for all the ThunderCats score – music, music cues and sound effects. In the beginning, he would go to  Rankin/Bass and play Jules compositions on the piano in the office. Given Jules’ approval – and I cannot imagine that was ever withheld… perhaps a comment or two – he then hired the orchestra and recorded his composition and arrangement. This was a full orchestra complete with a string section. Nothing electronically created and everything composed specifically per episode and to the story’s requirements. After a while, of course, we had built up a substantial library which the show increasingly used. The wealth and variety of Bernie’s work is what gives one the feeling that everything was scored to the action. There’s no impression that the show uses generic library music, cues or effects.

When Bernie had recorded the orchestra, I came in to add the specific sound effects. Roars, explosions, collisions and everything else you hear in the show. I was a perfectionist – still am! – and was rarely satisfied with my first tests but Bernie was usually happy with those first efforts and his catchphrase was ‘Pete! Stop! Don’t improve it.’

Writing about this experience- not just ThunderCats but SilverHawks and ComicStrip too – I have to pay tribute to the late Lee Dannacher. She had a rare passion not just for the shows but for the soundtracks and studio work. She was meticulous, stopping at that point just before obsession! But she was almost always right on point – and kind and respectful. Really a remarkable woman. I wonder what the shows would have done without her.

By the time it came to the Comic Strip and Bernie and I were producing the music for Street Frogs, a lot of the established studios had closed down – miniaturized, digitized, ‘binaried’ out of business. I was no longer carrying around my eight foot sound rack, now reduced to the size of a shoebox. I had built a studio in my home and that’s where Bernie and I recorded all the Street Frogs music, sending the tracks in to R/B for the rap/hip hop lyrics to be added.

I still compose, play and record, working out of my home studio. You can find me here at https://petecannarozzi.com.

You’ll see that I’m also the organist for the New Jersey Devils! I play the situational music – the triumphant flourishes, the fanfares, the demonic cues and the songs which feature while they’re clearing the ice. 1,000 games and still counting. Great fun and I love it – just as I did the several years working on those R/B shows with Bernie Hoffer and Lee Dannacher and that great cast.

To repeat myself: it’s only recently that I have started to connect fully with the huge family of ThunderCats aficionados – thanks largely to Buddha, Nick Carver and Egmond Du Plessis. As you can see on the ‘ThunderCats & More’ link, I’ve been posting short blogs about some of the writers, the production team, studio crew and, of course, various SuperFans.

I’ve reached out to as many people as I can. A couple aren’t interested – which is fair enough and I’m not about to hustle anyone. But there are many more of you out there for whom I have no contact information. You range from the Japanese crew – sorely missed on these pages – through the New York contingent, to this huge international world of ThunderCats and SilverHawks aficionados. There are so many more of you than I could ever have imagined – and TigerSharks supporters too.

PLEASE… IF ANYONE OUT THERE WANTS TO CONTRIBUTE TO THIS ON-GOING STORY – CONTACT ME. (SEE ‘CONTACTS AND LINKS.’) I’LL BE HAPPY TO POST ANYTHING THAT WORKS FOR US!

If and when I run out of ThunderCats material, I’ll switch to SilverHawks and then to some of the other shows I’ve been involved with.
By the way – and speaking of the fanbase – I recently lectured at a Colombian university, intending to talk about our loss of empathy and metaphor and the strangling of originality by AI and the monstrous corporatization of ‘creativity.’ However, I opened by saying I’d be happy to divert to any other subject – and immediately ThunderCats came up. Remember, this was a group of 18-22 year olds. And Colombian. How the Hell would they know about a show that aired 40 years ago? Well… they did. They were excited and I was happy to share whatever I had. For an hour out of the two we were together.

Just another astonishing example of the reach of the show. We must have done something right. I’m not sure what that was – but happy and proud to have been a part of it.

Super-aficionado Egmond Du Plessis was kind enough to interview me for his podcast. A great pleasure to talk with such an enthusiast. The podcast.

Baie dankie, Egmond!

Here’s an example of how even in a production as tight as ours, one hand doesn’t necessarily know what the other is doing. Of course I knew Tony – but as a generic studio guy. I did not realize that he timed so many of the shows, an essential part of the Rankin/Bass system and one that I had thought was Lee’s sole responsibility. Here’s Tony in his own words:  

My former boss Howard Schwartz was treating me to lunch at Cafe Centro in the old Pan Am building in Grand Central Station. I started working for Howard at 24 as a messenger and quickly moved up to tape duplication, then assistant engineer, engineer and eventually studio manager. Over the years I worked for him on and off, (I actually got fired twice!) even with our ups and downs, we remained friends. I loved the people I worked with there and many remain close. Howard gave me one of life’s greatest gifts – life long friends. But now I had left a management position at his recording studio to work at one of the music studios across.

My year at that studio was fraught with drama including in-house fighting, crazy policies and nightly over-the-top celebrity client demands (try finding borsht at 2:00am even in NYC!). To add to the theatrics, a security alarm went off at least twice a week, always around 3:00 am and always triggered by the cleaner as he left the building. As the new guy, I had to take a cab from Queens to Manhattan in the middle of the night to meet the police officers who would show up every time the alarm went off. We saw each other so often we became friends! All this was happening as I was experiencing a bad break-up with my fiancée, losing my cheap apartment and inevitably crashing at my parents. I was pretty much unmoored.

My lunch meeting with Howie was focused on my personal and professional woes and an ask to keep an ear open for opportunities for new work in recording or production. Initially, my goal in becoming an engineer was to learn how to be a producer. Howard didn’t have anything for me in his studio but said he’d be happy to recommend me if something turned up. After lunch I walked him back to his studio. As I was leaving, an attractive woman was coming down the hall. We smiled at each other before she entered Howard’s office. I continued my way back across town to the job I so desperately wanted to leave. The attractive woman was Lee Dannacher, an executive producer at Rankin Bass, producers of several Christmas Specials and animated features, among them Frosty The Snowman, Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer and The Hobbit.

Lee was assembling a creative team to be housed at Howard’s studio for their newest project, ThunderCats. She needed an additional hire, asked Howard if he knew anyone and he recommended me. So by the time I got back t my office there was a message from Howard saying Timing Is Everything.

My interview with Lee took place in Howard’s studio A on the first day of recording of the ThunderCats one-hour pilot episode. Behind the studio glass were famous voice actors, Larry Kenny, Peter Newman, Lynn Lipton, Bob McFadden, Earl Hammond and Shakespearian actor Earl Hyman. In the control room were dialog engineer John Curcio and R/B owners Arthur Rankin and Jules Bass.

Jules, Arthur and a sleighful of bucks!

I had worked with producers every day but this was the big time and I was still green, living by the motto Fake It Till You Make It.

The first few months, a challenging learning curve. Animation production is different from the corporate advertising clients I had been used to. Rankin Bass had developed a system that was unique at the time. Most productions over-dubbed character voices then added music and sound effects after the animation was complete. R/B recorded the dialog, edited it and added music and sound effects. Lee and others timed the tracks to allow time for the action. Then the entire locked track was mixed in New York before it was sent to the animation team at Pacific Animation in Japan, who were not allowed to open the track or adjust it in any way. This system made for precise lip-synching and tighter, more powerful action scenes – and an iron grip on the process. It did, of course, mean that R/B’s timing had to be perfect. Inevitably, there were misjudgments which show up from time to time in episodes. However, by and large, the system enabled Rankin/Bass to maintain a high degree of creative control and facilitated a smoother, more predictable production process. Greater financial control too. At first, Lee wasn’t impressed with my work. She scrutinized every creative choice I made. Daily, I thought I’d be fired. Then while she was in Japan meeting with the animators, I sent my mixes to Jules Bass for approval. After he reviewed and approved a few shows, he trusted that I knew what I was doing and allowed me to send my mixes directly to Japan. Because Jules was confident in my work, Lee’s confidence grew too and for the next four years I worked at my dream job.

Each week, Mathew and Karen Malach, John Crenshaw, Chuck Hasegawa, Steve Gruskin, Heather Winters and Connie Long kept all the balls of production in the air. Head writer Peter Lawrence led a crew of talented writers, turning out stories which I would take to the next level. I loved the job so much that if Lee asked us to work all the hours that god sends when we were behind schedule, I was happy to oblige.

 

 

 

 

 

I was grateu to work with two great producers, Larry Franke and Michael Ungar.

The company had an outstanding music cue library composed by Bernie Hoffer that gave us all the elements to make every episode come alive. Everything from Jazz, to Classical to Rock. Listen to Panthro’s theme on YouTube sometime. It will blow your mind!

 

 

 

I must absolutely pay respects to the world class animators from Japan and the Far East.Credit goes to Masaki Iizuka,President of Pacific Animation with unparalleled contributions…

 

 

… from Tsuguyuki Kubo, Minoru Nishida, Tameo Kohanawa…

… and their international team.

One hundred and thirty ThunderCats episodes and then we went on to SilverHawks and The Comic Strip. I have so many great memories of that time. Fan letters from kids, the ThunderCats Live show at Madison Square Garden: hilarious. Outrageous outtake reels. Dinner parties. Engagements. Weddings. Babies. Birthday cakes provided by The Erotic Bakery. It was an incredible ride!

 

I will always be grateful to Lee Dannacher, the show and the crew for gifting stability, cherished memories and dear friends.

 

 

 

 

I’ve now changed careers. I’ve been an acupuncturist for 21 years. Although my life is far those 80s days of hectic production, I remain active creatively, developing live action shows and working on a ThunderCats follow up. I hope someday I will be living on Third Earth once more!