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There is also news about ThunderCats’ voice cast. Larry Kenny, the original voice actor for Lion-O, will return to play Lion-O’s father, Claudus. Matthew Mercer, who’s had bit parts on dubbed versions of anime favorites like Cowboy Bebop and Trigun as well as video games like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, will play Tygra. These two are the only voices cast so far, but Panthro’s revised character model looks perfect for fellow Bebop alum Beau Billingslea.

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ThunderCats is scheduled for a 2011 debut on Cartoon Network.

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Children of the ’80s, your latest nostalgia trip is drawing near. After announcing last June that ThunderCats would return to television on Cartoon Network, Warner Bros. has released the first official artwork and a revised plot synopsis for the series.

The new show will be animated by STUDIO4°C out of Japan. The animators are veterans of anime movies and TV shows, as well as notable western work like the latest Transformers animated series, as well as the Animatrix and Batman: Gotham Knight film tie-ins.

While the original ThunderCats was also produced in the United States and animated in Japan, the anime influence is much more intentional and obvious for the new series. You can see the Japanese heritage in Lion-O’s shorter, more segmented hair and asymmetrical costume. The more exaggerated size difference between the characters (Cheetara is smaller and waifish, while Panthro is a huge bruiser-type) also feel very eastern. The new look should allow for much better differentiation between the main cast.

Warner Bros. has also released an extended synopsis for ThunderCats:

    The new “ThunderCats” will appeal to viewers who have loved the characters all their lives as well as young newcomers to the franchise. A sweeping tale combining swords and science and boasting ferocious battles with the highest of stakes, the grand origin story of Prince Lion-O’s ascension to the throne – and of those who would thwart his destiny at any cost – takes on epic dimensions in this sharp new telling. As the forces of good and evil battle each other in the quest for the fabled Stones of Power, Lion-O and his champions learn valuable lessons of loyalty, honor and mortality in every episode.

The newest incarnation already has a promising pedigree in executive producer Sam Register, who’s worked on everything from Teen Titans to the previously mentioned Transformers. He’s also an executive producer for Young Justice, as well as the generally top-notch series of DC Universe features like Batman: Under The Red Hood and the upcoming All-Star Superman. Michael Jelenic (writer of Wonder Woman and Legion of Super Heroes) and Ethan Spaulding (Avatar: The Last Airbender) are also producing.

In addition to the official artwork, fan site ThunderCats Lair snagged a few photos from the London Toy Fair. In the finest tradition of 80s cartoons, the series is being made with an eye for its merchandise. You can see action figures for Lion-O, Cheetara, Panthro and Tygra, as well as a plastic Sword of Omens and what looks like a faithful recreation of the Thunderian’s car/tank.They also got a look at some more promotional art.

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MTV: Everyone's asking about the anime vibe in the image. Will the series have an anime feel to it? Does the anime vibe extend beyond the character designs?

SPAULDING: [It will extend to] the visual storytelling as well. The original show was done in Japan, and many people probably don't know that. A lot of the artists went on to be in Studio Ghibli, and worked on [Hayao] Miyazaki's first film. So "ThunderCats" does have a footprint in Japanese animation. We're kind of going back and honoring that in the new series. I was always a huge fan of the original show and I love the Japanese animation and what they can do, so we're really going back to the roots...

...MTV: Lots of people are asking about Tygra...

SPAULDING: [Laughs] Everyone wants to know about Tygra, but that's sort of story-specific. I can't reveal too much. Basically, we wanted to make him cooler than he was. The consensus was that he was the boring guy of the old show, so we wanted to make him more interesting and gave him another dimension. But don't worry — he still has the whip. People were wondering where the whip was at one point, but it's on his belt...

MTV: I noticed that even Panthro's nunchuks with the claws made it through the redesign...

SPAULDING: We liked all of the aspects of the old stuff. That's the iconic aspect of these characters — you have to have the nunchuks with the claws at the end. That was the challenge, though: How do you update it? Our art director has done a great job. He actually did the first pass on all the characters, updating them, and then we sent it all to Japan. The character designers there take a pass over the designs, put the final spin on them, and then we give notes. It's like a co-production thing going on here.

MTV: Another thing everyone's asking about is the characters we don't see in the new image. What's up with Snarf, or WilyKit and WilyKat? Will we see them soon?

SPAULDING: Yeah, you'll see them. We're going to slowly reveal that stuff. Rest assured, they're in there, and they look great. They're redesigned in a little different way, though, and you'll see what I mean when it comes time to reveal them....

...MTV: It also looks like Lion-O is a little younger in this iteration of the series...

SPAULDING: Yes, that's part of the story, too.

MTV: And Panthro's looking a little more grizzled with that scar on his eye and such...

SPAULDING: Yeah, we're making him the older veteran. He's been out there on Third Earth exploring. He's the elder of the group, once they get together.

MTV: Are you surprised by the massive reaction to the series and everything that's been released so far?

SPAULDING: A little surprised, yeah — but when I think about it, I understand it. "ThunderCats" has been in pop culture since 1985, so it's had time to marinate.

MTV: What attracted you to this project in the first place? Were you a big fan of the original series?

SPAULDING: I was a big fan when I was young. Everyone talks about the opening animation for "ThunderCats," and it's still to this day one of the greatest openings of any animated series. I appreciated the fantasy and science-fiction elements, and gravitated toward the character designs. I drew when I was a kid, so I always responded to the way everything looked in that show.

Hopefully we're doing justice to the characters. They're icons now, and we're trying to do justice to the old show and its spirit, and flesh out the characters more so than the original series.