MovieChat Forums > Thundarr the Barbarian (1980) Discussion > Scenes from the opening credits...

Scenes from the opening credits...

posted 13 years ago by GreatWhiteApeofBarsoom
4 replies | jump to latest

It always annoyed me Thundarr had scenes in the opening credits that were never part of the series proper. The wizard summoning the demon was my favorite. (I've heard speculation that that wizard was Sabien, Ariel's stepfather, but don't know if that was the intent. It would have been a great addition to the canon if true.) The scene of Gemini and Ariel fighting was another. Why this was in neither of the Gemini episodes has always puzzled. Of course Thundarr's escape from the mutant slavers is not one to be discounted. I just wish the filmmakers could have given us another couple of episodes to show these scenes in their broader context with the undoubted visual wonders that would have accompanied them. Ah, well.

Carthago delenda est.

[–] xenophile2002 13 years ago

I wonder if those were scenes made specifically for the opening, or if they are from episodes which were never completed.

The hurtling planet stuff I always assumed was created for the opening, but the other stuff?

I disagree with you, but I'm pretty sure you're not Hitler.
- Jon Stewart

[–] grendelkhan 12 years ago

The opening titles of most cartoons were done specifically for the title sequence and were rarely made up of clips from the series. Jonny Quest was one of the rarer instances where they used clips. Some reused stock scenes, which was a regular cost saving method, particularly at Filmation. In some cases, the title sequence was test footage, though most animation shows were sold using illustrated mock ups and model sheets, coupled with a story bible.

"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read."-Groucho

[–] jrowe805 10 years ago

My favorite part of the intro was Ookla getting mad and kicking the helicopter controls. It was so funny in that episode!!

[–] Techto (1089) 3 years ago

Yes, the quality of animation in the opening sequence is markedly better than that of the show itself. Thundercats was the same way. My guess is it would have been too costly to animate the programs to the level of quality of the opening.