# Thundarr the Barbarian (1980)

> Thundarr the Barbarian and his companions Ariel and Ookla roam a devastated future Earth, battling evil wherever they find it.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/12865

## Facts

- Seasons: 2
- Episodes: 21
- Episode runtime: 30 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: animation, science fiction, fantasy, adventure
- Created by: Steve Gerber
- Network: NBC
- Cast: Robert Ridgely, Henry Corden, Nellie Bellflower, Dick Tufeld, Nancy McKeon, Alan Oppenheimer, Keye Luke, Avery Schreiber
- TMDB rating: 7.5/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0181262/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: mild
- Tone: earnest, breezy, adventurous, campy, nostalgic

## Synopsis

Thundarr the Barbarian (1980-1981) is a American animated post-apocalyptic sword and sorcery series created by Steve Gerber for NBC. Across two seasons and twenty-one half-hour episodes, the barbarian hero Thundarr (voiced by Robert Ridgely) travels a devastated future Earth with his companions Princess Ariel (Nellie Bellflower) and the mok Ookla (Henry Corden). Their engine is simple and direct: wander the ruined landscape and fight evil wherever they find it, with each episode delivering a self-contained clash against sorcerers, mutants and rogue forces. A narrator (Dick Tufeld) frames the adventures with grand, portentous announcements that heighten the drama. The series is a Ruby-Spears production with the bold, lurid colors and campy energy typical of early eighties Saturday morning cartoons. The tone is earnest and breezy, with an adventurous, swashbuckling spirit that favors spectacle over complexity. Fans of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and Mad Max will find resonance in its blend of barbarian heroics, wasteland survival and magic-tinged science fiction. It remains a nostalgic, easygoing watch for viewers who enjoy old-school cartoon heroics set against a vivid, broken world.

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