Thundarr the Barbarian

Updated on Dec 13, 2023

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Thundarr the barbarian tv cartoon intro 1980

Thundarr the Barbarian is an American Saturday morning animated series, created by Steve Gerber and produced by Ruby-Spears Productions. The series ran two seasons, 1980 and 1981. Action figures of the three main characters were released by Toynami in 2004.

Thundarr the Barbarian Tuesday Toonsday Get to Know the Characters of Thundarr the

Thundarr the barbarian the complete series

Plot

Thundarr the Barbarian is set in a future (c. 3994) post-apocalyptic wasteland divided into kingdoms or territories — the majority of which are ruled by wizards – and whose ruins typically feature recognizable geographical features from the United States, starting in New York City and working itself to Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Mount Rushmore, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.. Other episodes with recognizable settings are located in Mexico, while one is in London. Another notable feature of this future Earth is that the Moon was broken in two pieces. The shattered moon and the ruins of the former human civilization were caused by the passage of a runaway planet between the Earth and the Moon in 1994, which, from scenes shown in the opening sequence, caused radical changes in the Earth's climate and geography. However, by the time period in which the series is set, the Earth and Moon seem to have settled into a new balance. Earth is reborn in a world of "savagery, super-science, and sorcery".

Thundarr the Barbarian Thundarr the Barbarian Wikipedia

The hero Thundarr (voiced by Robert Ridgely), a muscular warrior, whose companions include Princess Ariel, a formidable young sorceress, and Ookla the Mok traveled the world on horseback, battling mostly evil wizards who combine magical spells with reanimating technologies from the pre-catastrophe world. Some of these malevolent wizards enlist the service of certain mutant species in doing their bidding.

Thundarr the Barbarian Thundarr The Barbarian The Complete Series Animated Views

Other enemies include The Brotherhood of Night (a group of werewolves who could transform others into werewolves by their touch), the cosmic Stalker from The Stars (a predatory, malevolent cosmic vampire), and various mutants. Intelligent humanoid-animal races include the rat-like Groundlings, the crocodile-like Carocs, and talking hawk and pig-like mutants. New animals that existed include fire-shooting whales, a giant green snake with a grizzly bear head, and mutated dragonflies and rabbits.

Thundarr's weapon of choice, the Sunsword, projects a blade-like beam of energy when activated, and can be deactivated so that it is only a hilt. The Sunsword's energy blade can deflect other energy attacks as well as magical ones, can cut through nearly anything, and can disrupt magical spells and effects. The Sunsword is magically linked to Thundarr and as such, only he can use it; however, this link can be disrupted.

Comic book writer-artist Jack Kirby worked on the production design for the show. The main characters were designed by fellow comic book writer-artist Alex Toth. Toth, however, was unavailable to continue working on the show, so most of the wizards and other villains and secondary characters that appear on the show were designed by Kirby. He was brought onto the show at the recommendation of comic writer Steve Gerber and Mark Evanier.

The series was the creation of Steve Gerber. Gerber and friend Martin Pasko were having dinner in the Westwood area one night during the time Gerber was developing the series. Gerber commented to Pasko that he had not yet decided upon a name for the Wookiee-like character the network insisted be added to the series, over Gerber's objections. As the two walked past the gate to the UCLA campus, Pasko quipped, "Why not call him Oo-clah?" Pasko later became one of several screenwriters also known for their work in comics, such as Roy Thomas and Gerry Conway, to contribute to the show. After writing several scripts, singly and in collaboration with Gerber, Pasko became a story editor on the second season. Other writers included Buzz Dixon and Mark Jones.

Characters

The series' narrator was Dick Tufeld.

Thundarr (voiced by Robert Ridgely) – The main protagonist of the series. He is a barbarian who was once a slave to Sabian until he was freed by Princess Ariel and given the Sunsword which he uses as a weapon in his fight against evil wizards and other villains. Thundarr was known for frequently uttering such pronouncements as "Demon dogs!", "Lords of Light!", and the Thundarr war-cry "Aaaaahh-ee!". Thundarr, along with his friend Ookla, are largely unknowledgeable about the world and rely on Ariel's guidance, but Thundarr is respectful of knowledge gained. When once asked what kind of man he was, Thundarr simply replied "Free!"

Ookla the Mok (voiced by Henry Corden) – Ookla is a member of the Mok species, a leonine humanoid with fangs and yellow eyes. In Thundarr the Barbarian's backstory, Ookla and Thundarr were enslaved in the court of the wizard Sabian until Sabian's stepdaughter Princess Ariel helped them escape. As a Mok, Ookla has great strength, usually fighting by ripping up a nearby sapling or piece of wreckage to club his enemies. On a few occasions he is shown to use a longbow that fires a type of paralyzing arrow. However, he is also the most likely of the heroes to charge right into an enemy attack or to be enraged by unusual nuisances or threats. Moks dwell in their own territory, ruled by a king; they fear and hate water, preferring to face overwhelming odds in battle rather than wade through a stream to escape. Both Thundarr and Ariel generally understand the howls that make up Ookla's speech, but Thundarr seems to know more about Mok culture than Ariel, perhaps because he and Ookla met and worked together as slaves before either met Ariel. Whereas Thundarr and Ariel ride horses for transportation (his is white; hers is brown), Ookla's steed is another quadrupedal species called an equort.

Princess Ariel (voiced by Nellie Bellflower) – Ariel is a beautiful and powerful sorceress. Not much was revealed about her past before she met Thundarr except that she was the stepdaughter of an evil wizard named Sabian. She learned of Earth's history from his library, and thus is considered the "academic" of the group. In the episode "Battle of The Barbarians", it is revealed that Thundarr was once a slave of the evil wizard Sabian before being freed by Princess Ariel. It was never revealed exactly where she was a princess. Her most common feats of sorcery involved creating light constructs, ranging from throwing exploding spheres to levitating weights to summoning nets, shields, or bridges over chasms. She could also produce powerful energy blasts, blinding light and magically reanimate machines. At times she shows romantic feelings towards Thundarr; although he never outwardly returns them, it is clear that he does care greatly for her. Also, they are shown to share a tent. Ariel's attire consists of knee-high boots and an open-backed, leg-baring cyan (with yellow trim) costume which suggests a bathing suit.

Additional voices

The series' voice director was Alan Dinehart.

Henry Corden – In addition to Ookla the Mok, Corden voiced: Caroc Leader, Gemini, Vortak, Skullus, Captain Willows (in "Island of the Body Snatchers"), Mutant Deputy #2 (in "Trial by Terror")

Michael Ansara – Vashtarr

Marlene Aragon – Maya

Liz Aubrey – Valorie Storm

Michael Bell – Yondo

Alan Dinehart

Al Fann

Joe Higgins – Korb

Stacy Keach Sr.

Keye Luke – Zevon, Kublai

Chuck McCann – Artemus, Mutant Deputy #1 (in "Trial of Terror")

Nancy McKeon – Tye

Julie McWhirter – Stryia

Shepard Menken

Alan Oppenheimer – Mindok, Morag

Avery Schreiber – Octagon

Hal Smith – Simius

Joan Van Ark – Cinda

Janet Waldo – Cerci

William Woodson – Crom

Production

Twenty-one half-hour episodes were produced by Ruby-Spears Productions, an animation house formed by former Hanna-Barbera head writers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears, from October 1980 to September 1982, when the show went off the air. The show ran on the ABC network. Reruns of the program appeared on NBC's Saturday morning lineup in 1983.

Season 1 (1980)

All episodes of season 1 were directed by Rudy Larriva and produced by Jerry Eisenberg.

Season 2 (1981)

All episodes of season 2 were directed by Rudy Larriva and John Kimball, with animation supervision by Milt Gray & Bill Reed.

DVD releases

The debut episode of Thundarr the Barbarian was released on DVD as part of Warner Home Video's Saturday Morning Cartoons: 1980s compilation series. The DVD set, containing episodes of ten other shows, was released on May 4, 2010.

On September 28, 2010, Warner Archive released Thundarr the Barbarian: The Complete Series on DVD in region 1 as part of their Hanna–Barbera Classics Collection. This is a Manufacture-on-Demand (MOD) release, available exclusively through Warner's online store and Amazon.com. The DVD packaging mistakenly implies the series was made by Hanna-Barbera rather than Ruby-Spears.

References

Thundarr the Barbarian Wikipedia

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