Animated Series That Deserve A Come-Back!

This month Cartoon Network has a premiere I’m more excited for than any Hollywood blockbuster coming to the theaters this summer. A remake of the 80’s classic cartoon Thundercats will air its hour-long pilot episode on July 29. It seems that there will be a few things different about this revamp from the original series, but I’ll be damned if I’m not excited for it. Thundercats was my favorite cartoon as a child, so even in my 20’s you can bet I’ll be buying the new Sword of Omens when I find it. Rumors swirled for years there was going to be a Thundercats CGI movie made, but it turned into a TV series instead. I hope this paves the way for other 80’s/early 90’s cartoons that need to be revived. Here are a few I can name off the top of my head.

10. Captain N: The Game Master (1989)

 When the original Nintendo became a phenomeon people decided to cash in on the craze. One way was a cartoon about a gamer named Kevin, and his dog Duke, who get sucked into Videoland through his Nintendo. Kevin was summoned by Princess Lana to help defeat Mother Brain using the Nintendo blaster gun and controller, which granted him special powers. The N Team consist of Nintendo characters Simon Belmont, Mega Man, and Kid Icarus. Even Link from The Legend of Zelda made appearances, and eventually the portable Nintendo system Gameboy was worked into the show.

I think this would make a great time-piece film where it has to be the original Nintendo, and not an updated version. If you make Videoland full of Nintendo characters, anyone who ever played a Nintendo in their life will come to see it!

9. Silverhawks (1986)

 After the success of Thundercats the creators took on another series about five space policeman who were sent to the part of the galaxy known as Limbo to defeat the evil MonStar. The theme of the show was "partly metal, partly real". The Silverhawks could fly in space using this metal wings, and laser beams that shot out of their shoulders. One of them was even a country bluegrass pilot. This series could be a little silly, but still better than most of the cartoons I see being made these days.

8. Gargoyles (1994-1996)

In Scotland 994, the Gargoyles protected Castle Wyvern from Viking raiders. They were protectors at night, but during the day were stone, until betrayal causes a massacre of the clan during their stone sleep . A spell was cast on the six survivors putting them to "Sleep, until the castle rises above the clouds." In present day, a billionaire named David Xanatos purchases the castle and moves the crumbling remains, piece by piece, to the top of New York City and awakens the Gargoyles in modern day.  The Gargoyles must adapt to their new surroundings as they vow to protect the citizens of New York.

Does that sound like a badass movie or what? The voice casting for this series was great with Keith David, Ed Asner, and Star Trek: TNG star Jonathan Frankes all lending their talents. The ensemble of the six gargoyle personalities is enough to make this series great, not to mention Xanatos is a villian who could give even Lex Luthor a run for his money.

7. The Real Ghostbusters (1986-1991)

I'm not talking out the Filmation one with the giant monkey. While there have been two films, as well as a cartoon series, I think it's time for a reboot. The original films were a great blend of humor, fantasy, and action. If it can be recaptured again this franchise could be reborn.

6. Captain Planet and the Planeteers (1990-1996)

Go Planet! With Hollywood and the rest of the world going green these days why not make a film or television series about it. "Gaya (voiced by Whoopi Goldberg) the Spirit of Earth, can no longer stand the terrible destruction plaguing our planet. She sends five magic rings to five special young people, Kwami (voiced by LeVar Burton), from Africa, with the power of Earth. From North America, Wheeler, with the power of Fire. From the Russia, Linka, with the power of Wind. From Asia, Gi, with the power of Water. And from South America, Mah-Ti, with the power of Heart. When these five powers combine they summon earth’s greatest champion, Captain Planet."

They don't make them like this anymore kids, and with an assortment of villians from Duke Nukem to Hoggish Greedley this could be a great film trilogy. The five planeteers come from five parts of the Earth. It could be not only be a franchise about saving the planet, but about cultural differences. I rest my case.

5. The Legend of Zelda (1989)

Sure most movies based on video games suck, but do this thing right and it would be like a Lord of the Rings-type film. Link is a great leading character, and the bickering between him and Princess Zelda in the cartoon series provided some funny banter. I’m just wondering why this film hasn’t been made yet?

4. He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (1983-1985)

Forget the 1987 film with Dolph Lundgren and Courtney Cox. Everyone is allowed one bad movie early in their career. Stick with what worked in the original cartoon. A skinny, white, prince picks up a magic sword and turns into a big, buff, black guy. He-Man can fight Skeltor for control of Eternia with such classic sidekicks as Man-At-Arms, the bumbling magician Orko, and He-Man's mode of transportation, Battle Cat. Several other He-Man series were made in 1990 and 2002, but didn’t catch on like the original one. Word has it a film is already in pre-concept stages, but let's hope it doesn't involve anything called "The Key".

3. The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest (1996)

What little boy didn't grow up wishing to be Jonny Quest? He travels the world with his billionaire dad looking for adventure. They are accompanied by their bodyguard Race Bannon, Jonny’s best friend Haji, and their dog Bandit. The Quest family had some badass adventures. I know this series was based on the 1964 cartoon series, but this remake was what I watched when I was a kid. In this version they also added a new character, Race's daughter, Jessie. Jonny, Jessie, and Haji could be the new Harry, Hermione, and Ron. And while Questworld seemed silly at the time, I can just picture it now with Tron: Legacy graphics!

2. Mighty Max (1993-1995)

Based on the popular toys, Mighty Max was about a smartass kid who becomes the capbearer and can travel through worlds trying to defeat the SkullMaster, who wants the magical hat for himself. Along the way Max is accompanied by Virgil, the wise chicken, and his Conan the Barbrarian-like bodyguard, Norman. A series like this has a Harry Potter-style written all over it. My only concern would be making a CGI chicken to communicate with. But if they can make Yoda CGI real I guess Virgil could work.

1. Exo-Squad (1993-1995)

Not too many people know about this 90's animated show. It was on Sunday mornings, so most of us were in church, but it was a goodie. Set in the 22nd Century, humans have created a new being called Neo Sapiens that are much stronger than humans, and they use them to collimate Mars and Venus, but when the Neo Sapiens revolt it's a full-scale civil war. Lt. J.T. Marsh commands Able Squad, a group intent on defeating the Neo Sapiens using machines called E-Frames. These things were like what Ripley had at the end of Aliens except can fly in space, and have a crap load of weapons. Although Able Squad spent quite a bit of time out of their E-Frames the drama and action of this series was epic. This series had a very serious tone for a cartoon, and dealt with racism, tolerance, and had epic space battles. If you like Star Trek, Firefly, or enjoy a good space tale check it out at Hulu.com.