Works based on Thunderbirds
This article primarily discusses screen and audio works of fiction based on Thunderbirds, a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson.
Produced by Anderson Entertainment, the audiobooks feature Jon Culshaw as the voices of Jeff Tracy and Parker with Genevieve Gaunt as Lady Penelope.
[12] Intended for broadcast in two-hour family timeslots, the format was branded "Super Space Theater" and sold to American cable and syndicated TV.
[17] Sylvia Anderson, who was a production consultant,[18] endorsed the adaptation; in her memoirs, she expressed regret over the "negative vibes that were already being circulated before even a foot of film was being shot.
[23] Originally due to be released in time for Christmas 1995, the film would have been directed by Renny Harlin, with Tom Cruise a possibility for the role of Scott Tracy.
[27] A mixture of budgeting concerns, disagreements over the writing and characterisation, and the poor box office response to Lost in Space and The Avengers (both adaptations of other 1960s TV series), caused the production to stall again.
[15][32] Sylvia Anderson proposed continuing the adventures of Lady Penelope and Parker as an American-made spin-off series but remembered that ITC "dismissed [the idea] out of hand.
[12][15] In this re-imagining, developed from a concept by Anderson titled Thunderhawks (but without his knowledge or approval),[38][39] the vastly-expanded International Rescue operates a fleet of 17 Thunderbird machines and is based within a massive arcology.
[24] ITC cut 13 episodes down to half of their original length and added new opening titles, synthesised music, and dialogue provided by American actors.
[24] The update was designed to capitalise on the success of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and other popular children's programmes of the 1990s, besides acquainting American audiences with the premise of Thunderbirds before the release of the live-action film (then expected to appear in 1995).
[42] It also added live-action scenes featuring a pair of Californian teenagers from the year 2096 – Tripp (Travis Wester) and Roxette (Johna Stewart-Bowden), nicknamed the "Hack Masters" – who are pulled into a parallel universe called "Thunder-World".
[44] He held the acting and dialogue and "gaudily painted set" of Hackmaster Command in particularly low regard and threatened legal action against the producers to force the removal of his name from the credits.
Century 21 designers Reg Hill, Brian Johnson and Martin Bower contributed to the concept art, but NBC rejected the 13-episode proposal in favour of rival story ideas.
This concept moved International Rescue's base of operations to a giant submarine, reinvented FAB 1 as a custom-built Porsche, and eliminated Brains' stutter and myopia.
[24] This proposal featured a G-Force space fleet headed by Galaxy, a colossal vessel housing a factory capable of manufacturing vehicles and equipment tailored to the requirements of any rescue mission.
[24] The latter, which was provided by a Russian studio, was judged to be of poor quality; as remaking this material would have made the series cost-prohibitive, production on GFI was abandoned.
Funding was secured through a successful Kickstarter campaign, started by Pod 4 director Stephen La Rivière, which ultimately raised £218,412 against an initial goal of £75,000.
In this world, the Tomahawks (an organisation similar to International Rescue) operate a VTOL rapid-transit aircraft, an airborne carrier craft, a "sub-atomic warhead" and a space station (corresponding to Thunderbirds 1, 2, 3 and 5).
[72][73] The comedy of the puppet film Team America: World Police (2004), produced by South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker, was inspired by the idiosyncrasies of Thunderbirds-style Supermarionation techniques.
[62] In an interview, Stone and Parker stated that while they were not especially fans of Thunderbirds, they thought highly of the series' visual style: "What's made it last is the time and care that the people who did that show put into the marionettes".
[35][75] The 1980s Australian comedy The D-Generation featured Thunderbirds-themed sketches with live actors imitating wire puppets; storylines included "Thunderbirds Pizza", in which the characters operate a global pizza-delivery business.
[35][81][83][86][87] Cover versions of "The Thunderbirds March" have been released by musicians and bands including Billy Cotton, Joe Loss, Frank Sidebottom, The Rezillos and The Shadows.
countdown have been adopted by Level 42 for use in live concerts, as seen in the video release of their 1987 performance at the old Wembley Stadium in London; an updated version, combined with the opening fanfare to the band's song "Heaven in My Hands", is still used to start their gigs.
[89] In 1983, Gerry Anderson directed the music video for "SOS", a song performed by Moya Griffiths (the singing voice of Kate Kestrel in Terrahawks) whose lyrics make reference to Thunderbirds characters and vehicles.
[90][91] In 1991, in collaboration with Andrew Dawson, Gavin Robertson and Thunderbirds puppeteer Christine Glanville,[89][92] Anderson directed the video for the Dire Straits single "Calling Elvis".
(The Pressure Mix)" contained footage from the TV episodes intercut with specially filmed shots of the original Parker puppet, dressed in "era" clothing and working as a DJ.
From 1965 to 1967, AP Films created a series of themed television adverts for the brands Lyons Maid and Kellogg's, featuring the original voice cast and promoting products including Fab ice lollies and Sugar Smacks breakfast cereal.
When Virgil emerges from a tunnel into the dazzling sunshine, his "Reaction" lenses immediately darken to protect his vision; the Hood is not so fortunate and, blinded by the light, crashes into a mountain.
[98] Jan King, a member of the crew on Captain Scarlet, returned as puppet operator for the filming of the scene, which used green-screen chroma key compositing to create the mountain background shots.
website hosted a making-of video revealing that Brains' movements were created using a mixture of live-action puppetry, motion capture and computer animation.
