The Circus Train
- Studio
- Rankin-Bass Productions, Pacific Animation Corporation
- Distributor
- Lorimar-Telepictures
Synopsis
A bounty hunter known as Captainain Bragg comes to Third Earth to help the ThunderCats get rid of the Mutants and the Lunataks. Captain Bragg tricks Wilykat in going with him and they first go after the Mutants. After capturing them, they go to capture the Lunataks. They capture all except Luna and Amuk, who free the other Lunataks, put Bragg in a cage and tie Wilykat to the train's engine. Lion-O and Wilykit arrive to save Wilykat and the Lunataks are defeated. All the Mutants and all the Lunataks are captured and exiled.
Characters
Lion-O, JackalMan, Cheetara, Wilykit, Luna, Queen Luna, Tygra, Wilykat, Ben-Gali, Monkian, Panthro, Red-Eye, Hammer-Hand, Captain Cracker, Grune The Destroyer, Mongor, Mumm-Ra, Tug-mug, Amok, Snarf, Slythe, Lynx-O, Pumyra
Credits
Producing
- Producer
- Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin Jr (Executive Producers)
- Supervising Producers
- Peter Bakalian, Lee Dannacher
Writing
- Writer
- William Overgard
- Head Writer
- Leonard Starr
- Based on Characters Created By
- Ted Wolf
- Script Supervisor
- Peter Lawrence
Voices
- Voice
- Larry Kenney (Lion-O, JackalMan), Lynne Lipton (Cheetara, Wilykit, Luna, Queen Luna), Peter Newman (Tygra, Wilykat, Ben-Gali, Monkian), Earl Hyman (Panthro, Red-Eye, Hammer-Hand, Captain Cracker, Grune The Destroyer, Mongor), Bob McFadden (Snarf, Slythe), Doug Preis (Lynx-O), Gerrianne Raphael (Pumyra), Earl Hammond (Mumm-Ra, Tug-mug, Amok)
Music
- Music
- Bernard Hoffer
Animation
- Animator
- Tsugu Kubo, Minoru Nishida, Katsuhito Akiyama, Akihiko Takahashi, Yukimatsu Ito, Yuji Yatabe, Kazafumi Nomura (Pacific Animation Corporation)
Art Department
- Art Director
- Dennis J. Woodyard
- Secondary Character Design
- Jim Meskimen
Visual Effects
- Effects
- Peter Cannarozzi
Production Management
- Production Staff
- Tony Giovanniello, Matthew Malach, Connie Long, Heather Winters
- In Charge of Production
- Masaki Iizuka
Crew
- Project Development
- Leisure Concepts
- Psychological Consultant
- Robert Kuisis
- Recording Staff
- John Curcio (Dialogue), Michael Farrow (Music), Tom Perkins (Editorial), Larry Franke (Editorial)
Companies and other credits
- Project Development: Inc
Production notes
ThunderCats was first marketed in 1983, but the series was not released until two years later.
The services of psychologist Robert Kuisis, Ph.D. were retained to ensure that ThunderCats offered children moral guidance. Dr. Kuisis reviewed each episode throughout production; as well, he offered comments on each show in a "Synopses and Morals" booklet given to TV stations.
"The anime style was introduced into the design to allow our Japanese animators to inject some of their creativity," recalled executive producer Arthur Rankin, Jr.
The services of psychologist Robert Kuisis, Ph.D. were retained to ensure that ThunderCats offered children moral guidance. Dr. Kuisis reviewed each episode throughout production; as well, he offered comments on each show in a "Synopses and Morals" booklet given to TV stations.
"The anime style was introduced into the design to allow our Japanese animators to inject some of their creativity," recalled executive producer Arthur Rankin, Jr.