Beyond Thundera Podcast

Earle Hyman was the unforgettable voice of Panthro on ThunderCats, but his extraordinary career stretched far beyond Third Earth. In this special episode of Beyond Thundera, Sean McKeone and ThunderCats writer and showrunner Peter Lawrence are joined by Dr. Patricia Akhimie, Director of the Folger Institute at the Folger Shakespeare Library, to explore the remarkable life and legacy of the actor b...

What if one of the most memorable slasher movies of the 1980s was originally supposed to be something completely different? This week on Beyond Thundera, we're stepping away from ThunderCats and into the world of classic horror as Peter Lawrence takes us behind the scenes of the 1981 cult favorite The Burning . And he's got some incredible stories to tell! Peter was the film's screenwr...

You might recognize John Curcio's name from the credits of ThunderCats , but his incredible career in entertainment goes back long before Lion-O ever raised the Sword of Omens! This week on Beyond Thundera , we're joined by the veteran recording engineer for a fascinating trip through decades of animation, music, and entertainment history, including his work with Rankin/Bass Productions an...

You grew up watching ThunderCats, SilverHawks and TigerSharks. But you probably never imagined some of the things happening behind the scenes while these cartoons were being created! We're bringing together Jim Meskimen, Pepe Moreno and Dennis Woodard, three of the artists who helped shape the Rankin/Bass universe, alongside ThunderCats and SilverHawks writer and showrunner Peter Lawrence for a re...

What did it actually take to make ThunderCats SOUND like ThunderCats? Pete Cannarozzi and Steve Gruskin were there, and this time they get deep into the stuff most fans never got to see: the synthesizers, recording sessions, sound effects, strange studio experiments and little creative decisions that helped give ThunderCats and SilverHawks their identities. Pete played across all 130 ThunderCats e...

Lio  Convoy aka Thomas Guerra shares his passion for preserving the history of the original 1985 ThunderCats series, including rare scripts, animation cels, model sheets and hundreds of pieces of original production material. He also discusses James Gauthier’s incredible archive, including scripts, the ThunderCats series bible and an alternate ThunderCats intro that Lio says has never been publicl...

The original ThunderCats and SilverHawks recording crew reunites to reveal how Rankin/Bass created the dialogue, sound effects, music, voice performances, and final mixes behind two of the most iconic cartoons of the 1980s. Sean “Buddha” McKeone and Peter Lawrence are joined by Tony Giovanniello, Michael Ungar, Matthew Malach, John Crenshaw, Larry Franke, and Steve Gruskin for a rare behind-the-sc...

Brian Scott McFadden, son of legendary ThunderCats voice actor Bob McFadden, joins Beyond Thundera for a rare and personal look at the man behind Snarf and the incredible voice acting career that extended through ThunderCats, SilverHawks and decades of animation. Brian shares what it was really like growing up with Bob McFadden, hearing famous voices and impressions around the house, visiting reco...

Author David Crichton , creator of Hear the Roar: The Unauthorized and Unofficial Guide to ThunderCats , joins Sean "Buddha" McKeone and original ThunderCats writer Peter Lawrence for an incredible conversation about documenting one of animation's most beloved series. David reveals how a passion project turned into years of research, more than 100 interviews with the cast and crew, and one of the...

Friends, Seinfeld, Everybody Loves Raymond, Ellen, How I Met Your Mother, SilverHawks, and decades of Hollywood history all come together in this incredibly honest conversation with actress Maggie Wheeler. Best known to millions as Janice from Friends and the voice of Melodia in SilverHawks , Maggie joins Sean "Buddha" McKeone and original ThunderCats writer Peter Lawrence for a fascinat...

Why did ThunderCats suddenly bring King Arthur and Excalibur to Third Earth—and what does the writer who created the episode think of it almost 40 years later? Peter Lawrence takes us back inside “Excalibur,” an episode that has remained one of the most memorable of his time writing ThunderCats. We learn how an idea from Jules Bass collided with Peter's lifelong love of Arthurian legend, why t...

William “Bill” Overgard's name appears on some unforgettable ThunderCats episodes. But the story behind that name is considerably stranger — and more fascinating — than the credits ever revealed. Peter Lawrence didn't just work with Bill Overgard. He became his friend. In this episode, Peter takes us inside that friendship with stories about martini-fueled lunches, an incredible old farm filled wi...

Where did Mongor actually come from? More than 40 years after writing the ThunderCats episode, Peter Lawrence went back and reread his original "Mongor" script — and discovered things in it that even he hadn't realized were there. In this episode of Beyond Thundera, Peter reveals the real idea behind Mongor, why fear itself became the foundation of the story, the horror novel that un...

Most ThunderCats, SilverHawks, Comic Strip & TigerSharks fans have seen Steve Gruskin's name in the credits. Very few know what he actually did. Steve Gruskin helped shape the sound of ThunderCats, SilverHawks, TigerSharks, and other beloved Rankin/Bass productions, yet many fans only know his name from the credits as "Soundtrack Supervisor." In this episode of Beyond Thundera, S...

ThunderCats collector, customizer, educator, and historian Nick Carver (Nick from Thundera) joins Sean "Buddha" McKeone and original ThunderCats writer Peter Lawrence for a fascinating conversation about one of the most unique ThunderCats projects ever created—a university course dedicated entirely to the history of ThunderCats. Best known throughout the ThunderCats community for his inc...

ThunderCats fandom is global, in this episode of Beyond Thundera, we sit down with t ThunderCats fan Egmond Duplessis aka We Want More ThunderCats on Instagram  From growing up in South Africa watching ThunderCats during the 1980s to discovering the toys for the first time, losing collections and rebuilding them, Egmond’s story  will resonate with fans everywhere. We also discuss  the rise of the...

ThunderCats fans have probably seen Zack Ramadan's name before—even if they didn't realize it. Zack is one of the fans who contributed to the official ThunderCats DVD releases, and in this episode of Beyond Thundera he shares the incredible story of how that happened, along with his lifelong journey through the ThunderCats fandom. Join Sean "Buddha" McKeone and original ThunderCats writer Peter La...

Before ThunderCats, Larry Franke was working in the legendary New York recording scene alongside names like John Lennon, Billy Joel, Paul Simon, Fleetwood Mac, Steely Dan, and producer Phil Ramone. Then his career took an unexpected turn into the world of Rankin/Bass, where he became one of the key recording studio figures behind ThunderCats, SilverHawks, and other beloved animated classics. In th...

ThunderCats Live remains one of the most fascinating and least documented chapters in ThunderCats history. In this first time  interview, Sean "Buddha" McKeone and original ThunderCats writer Peter Lawrence sit down with Marty Almaraz , who portrayed Tygra, Buzzsaw, and multiple characters in the legendary touring arena production that brought ThunderCats, SilverHawks, TigerSharks, Karate Kat, and...

ThunderCats fans, animation historians, and aspiring artists will love this  conversation with Jim Meskimen. Before becoming known for his incredible impressions and voice acting, Jim worked behind the scenes at Rankin/Bass as a secondary character designer on ThunderCats, later contributing to SilverHawks, The Comic Strip, and more. In this episode, Jim Meskimen tells the incredible story of how...

Lion-O, Tygra & Janice from Friends Together? Yes, It Happened! What happens when these castmates reunite for a their first conversation in 40 years? A lot of stories you've probably never heard before. A lot of stories you've probably never heard before. This episode starts with a surprise guest appearance that even the other guests didn't know was coming and quickly turns into a...

ThunderCats, SilverHawks, The Comic Strip, Galaxy Rangers, Gargoyles, ExoSquad, and 1980s animation history all collide in this incredible behind-the-scenes conversation with writer and character designer Dennis Woodyard. In this episode of the Beyond Thundera Podcast, Dennis Woodyard joins Peter Lawrence and Sean “Buddha” McKeone to discuss his work on ThunderCats, SilverHawks, The Comic Strip, T...

ThunderCats fans, retro animation lovers, and artists alike — this may be one of the most personal and emotional episodes of the Beyond Thundera Podcast yet. Join ThunderCats writer/story editor Peter Lawrence and author Sean “Buddha” McKeone as they sit down with longtime ThunderCats fan artist Celesta Johnston for a deeply honest conversation about fandom, creativity, animation, preserving class...

ThunderCats, SilverHawks, and 1980s animation fans — this episode is packed with rare behind-the-scenes stories, honest creator reflections, and deep discussion pulled directly from the ThunderCats Reddit and Discord communities. In this special AMA episode of the Beyond Thundera Podcast, ThunderCats writer/story editor Peter Lawrence and author Sean “Buddha” McKeone answer fan-submitted questions...

In this episode of the Beyond Thundera Podcast, Sean “Buddha” McKeone and Peter Lawrence sit down with Scott Cook of Epic Entertainment U.S., the live event agent who represents ThunderCats legends Larry Kenney, Peter Newman, Lynn Lipton, Pete Cannarozzi, and more. Scott shares how he got started in the convention world, why he only represents properties he personally loves, and what it is like he...