The Failure of He-Man & The Masters of the Universe (2002)
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- Опубликовано: 31 май 2024
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In this video, we delve into the ill-fated revival of the beloved He-Man & The Masters of the Universe franchise in 2002. With high hopes and a dedicated fanbase, this reimagining aimed to breathe new life into Eternia and its ongoing battle between He-Man and Skeletor. However, despite its initial promise, the series faced numerous challenges that ultimately led to its downfall.
From character redesigns spearheaded by The Four Horsemen to the overall art direction, we examine the choices made and their impact on the series' visual identity. Additionally, we delve into the narrative decisions that shaped the storyline and explore how they influenced audience engagement.
The video also delves into the marketing strategies employed and how they resonated with both existing fans and a new generation of viewers.
Join us as we uncover the legacy of the 2002 He-Man series and draw valuable lessons from its shortcomings. Whether you're a die-hard fan or just curious about the world of Eternia, this retrospective offers a comprehensive look at a crucial chapter in He-Man's storied history.
SOURCES:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/He-Man_...)
/ mypheman
academickids.com/encyclopedia...
www.he-man.org/forums/boards/...
battleramblog.com/toyfare-71-...
he-man.fandom.com/wiki/Master...)
www.he-man.org/forums/boards/...
mypheman.blogspot.com/2013/09/...
www.hemanworld.com/he-man-mas...
web.archive.org/web/201206031...
web.archive.org/web/200407161...
archive.ph/20120525201130/htt...
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Развлечения
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It really is sad this show didn't last, it was truly top tier! This was my He-Man!
I feel ya. Shout out Toonami for the good times
I have just restarted to rewatch this serie and its really well done grew up on the 82 version but this version is really good
💯
It was too far ahead of it’s time
The problem with this series was they just updated the old series. Every episode was EXACTLY the same as the original minus the diamond of disappearance
This deserved one more season.
Hordak's return would've been epic.
Absolutely. Especially with how they planned to introduce Adora too. Just a top-tier show.
Another season would've been great.
I agree. This show had a lot of potential. I've seen pictures of what She-Ra and the Rebels would have looked like for the 2002/200X version. Plus, the episode about King Grayskull is one of my favorites.
@Reddragon05100 we would have gotten a really awesome She-ra not the gay lgtb version we ended up with
@@doaldox True. Although, the 2018 version of She-Ra wasn't too bad. I've often thought about converting that version of her sword to look like the Live-action movie Sword of Power.
Many things about the reboot I like were Skeletor & Randor as half-brothers, Man-At-Arms & Fisto as brothers as well as his relationship with Sorceress where he's Teela's biological father instead of foster.
Man at Arm was still her Foster dad, Teela real father was never revealed
I do remember it was either a reveal or not, but Teela didn't seem to care because he sees MOA as her father regardless. I actually liked the 02' version. Not as classic as the earlier 80's version, but it does the job. Cant say the same for the Thundercats remake..
@@luigivincenz3843 it never bothered her Probably because she didn't know either one of them
@@jeromethompson5848 In one episode it was heavily inferred that Fisto was Teela's biological father, which may have something to do with why the sorceress chose Duncan to raise her, as at the time Fisto had gone missing in battle. Had the series gone on longer as its creators had hoped, I suspect the truth may have been revealed eventually.
@AmbientShades this more than likely is the truth because the sorceress said that the warrior had lost his memory in a battle ...plus both of them are red heads
Man... listening to that He-Man commercial drives home how much lesser the world will be when Cullen and Welker finally leave us.
Their voices are just a part of what it means to be a geek.
Absolutely! Hearing that old toonami track and Peter Cullen talking just fills me with just pure nostalgia and reminds me of just how much I LOVED any Peter Cullen narrations on Toonami.
Yeah, that ad was a treat. I was like "hey, Optimus Prime is promoting He-Man."
In this commercial he *definitely* had the touch AND the power!
@@spoonimefan When the time comes,and Peter Cullen will have to be laid to rest; will they play The Touch,and will his eulogy end with "till all are one"?
I'm going to grieve like I lost a family member when the day comes, I just know it
I was working retail when this show was on the air. I remember hanging the action figures on the pegs. The case packs were almost completely full of l He-man. Mattel massively under produced the other characters. Especially all of the villains. This line died because every store had an army of He-man and nobody for him to fight.
Wasn't that relatively common? There was always a dozen Spider-Man variants and no villains, same with Batman and to a lesser extent TMNT.
This is normal, most people will buy the Hero/Heroine first, then they will buy the villain IF they can afford it, or are still interested when they have money. adult collectors might buy the villain first if the design is better, but for kids... less likely.
And your he-an figure can always fight Batman, or another hero from DC or Marvel that simply aren't worth mentioning because they don't matter when Batman is available.
Bucky O’ Hare was another line sabotaged by that oversight. In their case, Toad Air Marshal was the over produced. It’s an all too common problem. Indicative of a failure in marketing.
I worked midnight stock at KB Toys one Christmas season during it’s run. I was excited to stock these figures and was seriously tempted to pick a few up before they even hit store shelves. I grew increasingly frustrated trying to make a balanced display that wasn’t a single copy of any given figure with the rest of the peg behind it filled to the brim with He-Man and nothing else. Even then He-Man would get two full pegs to be front facing.
@@HelloMisterJAMWAH That was the logic used by MOTU's brand manager at the time: all kids want the main heroes (like in the ultra-successful Spider-Man and Batman toylines), and only some kids want the secondary heroes and villains. They figured that no one would buy Stratos or Mer-Man if they didn't already own He-Man. They saw He-Man and Skeletor as Barbie and Ken: they're the centrepieces of the play pattern, and every other character is an accessory. And the swift decline of the 1980s toyline is often attributed to the glut of secondary characters like Buzz-Off and Mosquitor clogging retail shelves, with He-Man and Skeletor nowhere to be found.
And if the 2002 toyline/cartoon had been more popular with kids, that's probably what would have happened. Kids would have eagerly snapped up case after case of He-Man and Skeletor, leaving plenty of Trap Jaws and Teelas to go around. But instead, the fanbase was mostly made up of completists who wanted every character. And when they couldn't get the supporting characters they wanted, they got frustrated and gave up on the line.
This, to date, remains the best He-Man series ever. Canceling it was a damn shame.
To me, the 2003 version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles remains the best series also.
@@dreamguardian8320 Fully agree. I never watched all of 2003 TMNT though, so I'm working on that after Spooky month is over.
I feel parts of 2003 mixed with 2012 would have been the ideal show. Basically the characterizations of the 2012 turtles and Shredder but in the overall setting and with the supporting cast of 2003's. To me there's no single definitive TMNT interpretation yet (though IDW comes very close)
Bullshit. 🙄
Na give me 1980s he-man anyday! The original!!!
The 2002 cartoon is truly the best motu has to offer. It's too bad it ended so early.
I agree
Honestly this was one of the best ways to modernize an older show, it wanted to be the 80 series in whole but simply designed for modern audiences
Yeah. The 2002 series had a very clear direction: start with the template of the 1983 series, remove those clumsy elements that everyone makes fun of, and elaborate on all the story elements that the original series was frustratingly vague with.
I was just entering my teens in 2002. This show, along with anime, kept my love of animation going, even through dark times in my life. This show deserved better.
As a somewhat casual fan of the original 80s series, I appreciated what the 2002 series brought to the table.
I remember reading about the showrunners' plans for the show after cancelation, including but not limited to:
-the paternity of Teela between Man-at-Arms and Fisto
-Duncan becoming a Snake Man under King Hiss
-Hordak making a full on appearance along with the Horde and establishing his dominance over Skeletor
-Skeletor breaking free of his servitude
-the introduction of She-Ra when "the time was right"
I don’t like any of those ideas. I’m glad it ended before it was ruined.
@@JohnSmith-ns6dp you don't like Hordak eventually showing up? 🙄
@@jinpei05 She-Ra ruined He-man. Hordak ruined Skeletor.
@@JohnSmith-ns6dplmao ok buddy. Take your butthurt somewhere else 🤣
@@JohnSmith-ns6dpKevin Smith ruined He man. Whoever was in charge of the awful she ra cartoon ruined Hordak
I was 12 when this aired--back then I thought it was extremely cool that it was airing alongside Transformers, which was also going through its own revival on Cartoon Network. Both MOTU (2002) and Transformers Armada were my jumping-on points for their respective franchises.
As a child of the 80s it was this incarnation that really hooked me into the lore and all that was going on with the property and stories. My young son and I would watch every episode and a few of the better classic ones; waiting for the next episodes to premiere, enjoying every Toonami goodness.
Whilst classic He-Man has a special place in my heart growing up watching it and playing with the toys... The 2000 remake was a brilliant remade series. Even loved watching it in the middle of the night on Cartoon Network. It's just disappointing and a shame we didn't get the season with Hordak.
I absolutely loved the 2002 series and thought it was light years better than the original. I hated it when they cancelled the show. Personally I think part of the failure were distribution of the toys. They shipped in cases of 6 and 2 of those 6 were always He-Man and Skeletor. It was incredibly hard to find the other characters particularly when the pegs were stuffed with the 2 leaders.
Actually, I think the case assortment was 3x he-man or skeletor, 2x of the next hero or villain and 1x of the remaining figure depending the case was a hero or villain. So whoever wanted each figure would have a very hard time finding that third figure in the case. That was what killed my interest in the toyline
Best animated action show. Wasn't too computer animated like stuff today either.
@@srchan Yeah, I'm pretty sure the case assortments were 3/2/1 as well. Finding the rare heroes wasn't too hard (because they were pretty minor characters like Stratos, Mekanek and Sy-Clone) but the villains were extremely popular with fans (and hence resellers, as well) so they would disappear quickly. I would go to Wal-Mart and Toys R Us twice a week in 2002 and 2003, and I only ever saw Trap Jaw once (when I was foolish enough to drive to the mall during a flood), and never saw Mer-Man (luckily I got him for Christmas from my brother.)
Kevin Smith wrote a stand-alone "Clerks" comic about the ordeal of trying to collect Star Wars toys in the late 90s, but that was nothing compared to the ordeal of collecting MOTU 2002.
Of course, pretty much every toyline is that bad to collect at retail nowadays. But at least pre-ordering toys online is a bit more reliable.
@@srchan You're right. It's been 20 years, memory is a little fuzzy. :)
Better than the original? I DON'T THINK SO!!!
Adults grabbing up the unique characters weren't as big a problem as the unique characters only being 1 per case with the rest of that case made up of equal parts He-men and Skeletors, because Mattel were sure kids were going to be grabbing up those amazing main characters non stop. And then we got Smash Blade and Spin Blade Palooza. it got so bad, Mattel offered an exclusive Moss Man to people who bought up all the He-Men and Skeletors clogging shelves and preventing stores from getting new product in (similar to how Origins started out). Mattel acknowledged that it was so bad and they were trying to re-balance cases, but it would take a while for those balances to hit shelves, but by that point, stores were actively sending product back to Mattel.
By the time the Snake Men arrived in the US, they were dropped off at places like Aldis, and the line died shortly after.
And it was a shame, because the 200X designs were, to this day, my favorite MotU character designs (barring a few). I loved that they went more detailed and more unique looking, and less away from the basic human body shapes of the original line. Webstor, Leech and Mosquitor were great creature designs.
Now, it's almost impossible to find a He-Man figure. I see everyone else, but not him. They need to keep putting out REGULAR He-Man and Skeletor figures. Also, why is Mark Hamill doing his Joker voice, for He-Man, in the horrible new Netflix series? I mean, Alan Oppenheimer is still alive, and is THEE voice of Skeletor.
I remember this coming out at the same time as transformers Armada. As an 80s brat i was in heaven. I loved the different takes both shows did, and was saddened when masters was cancelled. From the animation to new lore it was awesome.
Now adays people just want 1:1 of the old 80s shows and freak out over every little change.
Man I still pop these DVDs in occasionally. I absolutely loved that series. Great video!
This was an amazing show.
I agree
I started on the 2002 version honestly was always excited to watch it I loved it
Wait this was considered a failure? I thought this was a great reboot…
Yeah the general consensus is that people really seemed to appreciate the show but the company didn't like how much money it wasn't making so they cancelled it. Same thing happened with the Thundercats reboot from the same time.
@@deathsnitemaresinfullust2269Companies are so petty and ungrateful, doing what is best only for themselves and not the fans. I hate them for that.
@@Disneyfan82 right?
Now we come to appreciate it. However, at the time, the ratings were low and didn't get the spark that the 80s did achieve.
Many people blame it on Cartoon Network, the TV cable channel. They kept jumping the hours so nobody could follow suit.
Today, with Netflix, you don't have that problem.
Unfortunately being good doesn't always translate to being a success.
I don’t remember a lot about the episodes themselves, but as a fan of the original when I was a kid, I thought this reboot had pitch-perfect updated designs of the characters, and the Keldor backstory for Skeletor was really well done!
I was an OG He-man fan, but the story was very rough back then. It was very much a work in progress, and confusing at that. Mattel just wanted to sell toys--not ensure lore continuity.
But MOTU200x bested OG MOTU with a well thought out story, and a bit greater sense of seriousness and danger. It was truly a shame that Mattel's short-packing cartons resulted in collectors gobbling up anything decent and leaving casual box store customers with a minimal variety of toys to pick from. That shut down the toyline, and more importantly to me, it shut down the thoroughly improved story.
A+ product. C- management.
OG Motu was a Well thought out story unless you think writer's like Paul Dini, J. Michael Straczynski and Larry DiTillio can't tell a good story.
@@Fenris30 Those are talented writers, but the original series was early in their careers. The writing was overly simplistic and illogical. It was fine as a kid, but doesn't stand up to adult viewing. I can remember an episode in which Stratos incited a monster to chase him by verbally insulting it.
Completely agree. I'm not a hardcore collector, but I wanted the core characters, but the shelves were stocked with fire-armour Skeletor, or whatever it was. I think there were six variations of He-Man and four of Skeletor, and they didn't even match the art in the show (e.g. the samurai armour).
I was into the original 1983 He-Man, didn't watch The New Adventures of He-Man (He-Man in space) and I was not even aware that there is a new one, started in 2021 and has run several years (they may still be making them I dunno) on Netflix that is cgi. I've given it a bit of a look, so far not impressed, just my opinion.
@@Fenris30they were good writers who wanted to do a good job but all sorts of things held them back. Being "for kids" there were strict limitations on what they could do, it was very episodic so no character growth or ongoing stories, a limited animation budget plus you have to sell the toys.
I loved it as a kid, but without the nostalgia the original series is not very good.
I loved it even more as it also managed to give villains who previously didn't associate with Skeletor a different reason for them to exist. For example, Tri-Klops is now Skeletor's Technology expert which is something he's never had in his team. (Seriously, nearly every hero/villain team now has a Tech-Head if you think about it.)
People like you ruin everything. 😒
Absolutely. That detail about the Snake Men Arc having anything to do with it's failure is, IMO, complete BS. It helped explain alot about the Sorceress and Teela's background that for YEARS the MOTU community would debate about! In fact, although I can't confirm this but IYKTYK, I believe the writer(s) borrowed that idea from Conan the Adventurer from '92, only tweeking a few details!
Dad and I both loved this adaptation of the Masters series. He also agrees on the toy situation. He says that this concept introduced the individual characters as races, not just another fancy hero or villain. So collectors and kids alike were buying the Buzz-offs and Clawfuls to create a group. But you only needed one He-man or Skeletor to lead these groups. Therefore Mattel missed out by flooding shelves with 3 or 4 He-man/Skeletor figures but only 1 or 2 of the others. (Kids like armies in their bedroom battles)
My favorite version of He-Man. I was crushed when they ended this show. The DC comic sort-of continued it and that helped a bit, but it was such a great series.
This show was absolutely amazing. The acting, music and storytelling was marvelous. It absolutely had to continue for more seasons. It’s cancellation is one of the biggest disappointments in cartoon history.
I mean... let's be fair. There have been a lot of heart breaking cancelations in the animation work, just in the past few years.
It took me the longest time to get used to it's animation style, sound effects & music library. I did not appreciate it until several full run throughs on DVD. I came to love the superior world building and martial arts long after it's cancellation.
@@DanielBMS You didn't appreciate it, but you still ran though out several times on DVD?
@@3dpprofessor I love He-Man and the fight scenes are some of the greatest in an American kid's show.
The modern updates and little details on this show were amazing! First no more wrestling briefs and boots. The long loincloth design felt like the costumes in Troy. Some of the evil warriors were barefoot with only shin armor. Orko’s O was a medallion, Man At Arms’ had a fade and a TopKnot. Moss Man had a country accent, ManEFaces spoke like a thespian. Zodak was African American, his brother eaten by King Hiss! I watch this show regularly on RUclips. Revelations once!
A reboot I was actually behind. It was ahead of its time. This is the He-man we need now
Loved this show so much. A perfect update to the original series. Sad we didn’t get more than we did.
I agree.
I remember setting up these He-Man toys along side the classic figures. The series looked great, especially Evil Lyn, Teela, and Skeletor.
I grew up on the original 80s cartoon. This rekindled everything I loved about MOTU. So to see this and the toy line end hit me pretty hard. It was like I lost a best friend 😢
I grew up watching the original series, and the 200X series helped re-ignite that nostalgia spark for not just this franchise, but all of the 80s franchises that have been revived in the last 20 years. This series deserves a lot of credit.
I want to give the 2002 series credit for this: it has my favorite Teela design!
This is why I gave 4Kids all the credit in the world for holding on so tight to the TMNT at the same time. Sure, they had a larger stake in that than CN had in He-Man, being the licensee at the time while CN was simply airing the series. It was 4Kids' only real successful franchise at the time, aside from Yu-Gi-Oh, so they kinda had to. Of course, being on non-cable TV made it more accessible as well. Had it not been for those factors, that show would have met the same fate as this He-Man series. That said, I remember a bunch of purists complaining how it wasn't the same as the original, and therefore trash. I never got to catch it until well after it ended (cable), but the few episodes I eventually saw just felt almost exactly the same as the original series which I also eventually saw at the time. Only with more complex animation, and the scripts not having to work around Filmation's stock libraries of footage. Most other updates at the time were completely different from the originals, but this just felt like it was an upgrade in terms of storytelling and animation, but the same show essentially.
I grew up on the original He-Man, and I've gotten to see all of the later iterations. This one really was my favorite version.
what timing ! i just started re-watching 200x last night, 7 episodes in currently and it's every bit as epic as i remembered, on par with the 2018 she-ra imo
he-man 200x was my own personal introduction to the motu franchise ♡✨️
i watched it every chance i could, even in re-runs, i had at least a handful of the figures and the two tie-in video games as well.
we didn’t get much more past season 2 but we still have the dc comic run from the 10's, that were essentially a pg-13 version of this show
This was an awesome series! I saw it years later and scoured resources for a couple of days to finally stop after the show had indeed been cancelled. I was surprised how dark it was for a “kids’ show”. I was also looking as to when and where it aired-couldn’t be after school right? Wrong. This is the He-Man we should have gotten two years ago.
The masterful snark of the 82 Skeletor shall remain unparalleled by any villain, perhaps for all time. 💀 👑
I think the panoply of American 80's cartoon villains are a fairly solid line-up; Skeletor, Venger, Megatron, Mumm-Ra, Tex Hex...etc. All subsequent copies of them seem like pale ghosts in comparison.
I loved this show. I was around for the original in the 80's but I honestly enjoyed this version more.
So did I.
I'm still most partial to the minicomics' version of He-Man/Skeletor/Castle Grayskull
I agree better than the original
I loved this series! I grew up with the original MotU, but I preferred this reimagining, ss the characters had more depth and the story had more plot progression. Plus, the toys designed by the Four Horsemen were gorgeous. Castle Grayskull was a standout playset.
Also as I just found out they incorporated the later lore at the tail-end of the 80s series that Skeletor was Randor's half-brother.
I enjoyed this show. A fun thing that ended up happening was I saw the character, The Facelessone. My 15 year old self thought it was so cool, that I used the name as a username. On another note I still love the sword in this series. The fact it transforms along with Prince Adam. Just cool. I know a lot of people will disagree. But it makes more sense the original sword.
I would've been 1 years old when MOTU originally came out, and it's one of those toy lines that I always loved as far back as I remember. My brother and I used to play with them all the time, so I was absolutely crushed when they went missing one day, and my mom told us she donated them to a class room.
Many years later when the 200X line came out, I was a little late in collecting the figures, so I had to play catch up. Some of my favorite designs came from that line. I also liked that they kept the action features for a lot of the figures, which they haven't done with Classics/Origins/Masterverse for the most part.* I would love to see some of these designs revisited in the Masterverse line.
*What's more exciting: watching Rattlor's head shoot out as his neck extends, or having to pull off his head, add a neck piece, and put the head back on? Be honest.
The 2002 intro is one that still sticks with me to this day. Skeletor and his goons straight up crashing the iconic "fabulous secret powers" monologue tells you _exactly_ what kind of show you're in for.
This series was certainly my favorite version of He-man! it's truly fabulous. The music was really catchy. The characters were cool too. I bought a whole bunch of the toys! I liked how Man-of-arms had a better kinship with Teela on this series. It was smart to make him her actual father this time. This series will forever have a place in my heart!
Just like Sega's Golden Axe, He-Man was a moment in history.
A moment in history indeed. I'm 43, that realisation hit me recently like a ton of bricks. It's gone and we ain't getting it back.
@@didyeaye2481 Maybe in the afterlife we can. (Not that we should commit suicide or anything.)
Like tears in the rain...
@@dreamguardian8320 It's a nice thought.
agreed, we live in a moment where things are endlessly recycled but I don't think bringing back He-man will ever be that popular again, muscular dudes seems like a relic of the 80s- and all the characters have cool designs but it's a weird mish mash of ideas
I LOVED the pilot for this, just a nonstop battle, truly epic stuff.
As a kid I had loved reruns of He-man. I was in university in 2003 and discovered the new series. I showed it to my roomate who had absolutely hated the animation of the original series (he had never seen it as a child). We were both immediately enthralled with the 2002 series. I thought it was fantastic and really appreciated that they developed more lore than just Skeletor kidnaps someone, He-man saves the day that the original series seemed to have so much of.
This was the best version of He-Man. Definitely deserved a third possibility 4th season
Rise of snake men is season 4
They need to do a sequel series as a continuation to this series
Totally!!!!
agree
Absolutely agree. This show was lit. Honestly, I miss having solid, action cartoon series.
It was an excellent show. Too bad its run was so short.
I was an o.g. He-Man fan and loved the original show. At least until TMNT came out and dominated my childhood. Anyways, I credit He-Man for me finding out the truth about Santa Claus. My parents got me the Castle Grayskull play set one year for Christmas. My dad tried to put it all together for me on Christmas Eve while I was asleep. The amount and volume of profanities that came out of that man that night woke me up and kept me up for a While! I had a great Christmas with the completed play set, but at what cost?’
The cost? an easier Christmas next year when they didn't have to pretend anymore.... maybe that is why there were so many loud profanities, your dad was just sick and tired of pretending :)
Mine was similar, not he-man, but another complicated construction that made too much noise. I always thought it was awesome the level and effort my parents went to so they could keep magic, wonder and imagination alive for another year, so the cost? loss of magic. The benefit? knowing I had parents who tried their absolute best.... 100% worth the trade off
I’m about to be 41 and I’ve been a fan of MOTU my whole life. I was introduced to the figures by my uncle and then had to have my own. Loved watching the toon. And I was one of those in the internet fan community when the internet became a thing. I remember the excitement when I first saw the looks of the new figures and toon. I loved the 200x version and wish they would at least give us an animated movie with the Horde that the next season would’ve had
Still the best and mature MOTU animated series.
A real shame. It was arguable the best iteration of the masters of the universe. I’d love for them to go back and give us a proper finale but seeing how the franchise has been mishandled recently…
I would love to see the 2002 version of He-Man get a third season. The plan was to bring in the Horde as the main villains.
The Cgi he-man series was alright. Battlecat in that’s series looked like a zoid which was neat.
@@bearerofbadnews1375 oh the cgi was decent
I was referring to the OTHER one…
Coming from a guy that grew up with the original, this cartoon was GREAT! Every character felt important to their team and could carry their own in a fight instead of just spouting lame one liners and getting knocked out of the picture. And the story lines were great as well. Bring this back.
I was little when He-Man was new but I remember owning and playing with those toys, I was on cloud nine many years later when they announced this show. I remember recording every single episode and buying every single action figure and they're on my display shelf right now! At the time there were too many variants that didn't sell and the sales of the line suffered, I don't think the show was cancelled mid season, season one had twenty six episodes but season two was meant to have thirteen only, Wizard Magazine's sister publication covered all this at the time. To this day I haven't finished my collection of 200X MOTU figures as it's become known, and I'm so thankful we're still getting new He-Man shows. Now to go find that Loot that Body video.
specter creative has done a video explaining why the 2002 series failed and it was primarily because kids weren't getting attached to he man because they saw him as a guy running around infurry underwear, Though that did lead to the snake armor revamp but by then it was too late. Also I would say Mattel was also competing against themselves in the toy aisle given that the Justice League animated series Had only started airing it about a year prior so there were probably a lot more Justice League figures available than Motu
I honestly considered this series to be one of, if not the best He-man series to date. Despite it's cancelation, this series did justice for the characters while updating the overall story. My biggest disappointment is that She-ra didn't make an appearance in this series. Also, He-man DOESN'T have more power than Jesus!
Yes he does!
@@mevan883 He-man DOESN'T have more power than Jesus Christ!
It was great. I still remember the hype, the leadup on cartoon network. The art style and animation was so awesome, the story had. ..matured, *they actually hit each other* , it was like nothing else. I was so confused when it just stopped showing uo
I wish they'd brought the series back for for the Horde storyline. It's probably my favourite MOTU series.
Also, the King Grayskull origin story was epic..
Seeing the Toyfare pages in this video kicked in my nostalgia HARD.
It's sad that this show, the Thundercats reboot and Transformers: Animated didn't last. They were all excellent and respectful reboots. The only one that really succeeded (ignoring the cyber-future season) was the 4Kids Ninja Turtles.
My problem with MotU2002 was the colorless gray backgrounds in many scenes.
Still waiting for you guys to do The Tick.
I really wanted one more season, this show was so well done.
The series was perfect in every way. Great stories, great voice work, great music. The originals taught kids lessons on how to be good. The relaunch series was a trophy to them for growing up.
That was beautiful 🥲
That's a neat way to put it. I gotta remember that.
I was a kid when the original show was on tv in the 80s, but this was definitely a worthy successor
It was a really fun show that ended way too quickly.
Much better reimagining than the 2011 Thundercats. Didn't assassinate any of the characters or make arbitrary changes just to be different. Like all good reboots, it stuck to the source's essence and characterizations while maturing things a bit, expounding on lore where it needed, and cutting what didn't work, and most of all didn't try to put its stamp on things by overcomplicating the overarching main narrative.
This and the Thundercats reboot were great. Such a shame it ended the way it did. I grew up in the 90s, but got into this cause of my interest in the more anime like designs, and just the overall story.
I loved this show. Way better than the Netflix show.
Which one? There are two and one I’d argue is as good as 200x.
No
@@MungkaeX The one from Kevin Smith
@@SpcT0rres that was the wrong answer. I could accept the CGI one as it’s a silly kid’s show where the “Power of Friendship” is the most powerful force in the Universe and it was “inside of you all along”. Plus it’s CGI and looks a bit goofy, but I’m also aware I’m not the target audience of that one either.
Revelation was fantastic. The animation is better than 200X (barely, but it’s clear it was made with modern HD standards). The story was something legitimately new to the series while still paying homage to the original series, toyline, and subtle nodes to other media like the live action Film. The designs were at once familiar and modernized, especially after the in story time skip. I didn’t know how much I wanted to see the techno corrupted members of Skeletor’s main crew, but the whole church of Mother Board and that final reveal/teaser had me giddy with excitement.
The biggest “problems” with Revelation were a bunch of clickbait content farms picked it up at the first teaser poster and started imagining outrage before there was anything to judge. These are the same people who a year ago started talking about how bad Mutant Mayhem was going to be. A bunch of killjoys who exist solely to whine and complain.
And don’t get me started on the people who use the word “Woke” while talking about Revelations; since they clearly have no clue about the series as a whole because the complaints they throw around are just as true about 200X and even Filmation’s run.
@@MungkaeX they killed he man in the first episode and made teela an unlikable bitch they also ruined and cucked skeletor and replaced him with evil Lyn and the final battle between he man and skeletor isn't even the main focus its on teela and evil Lyn also the anti woke people as cringe as they can be were one hundred percent right Kevin Smith said the show would be about he man the character people actually cared about and it wasn't he lied they would have been better off bringing back the 2002 he man x men 97 style
I actually enjoyed it I grew up with the He-Man of course they came out in the 1980s.
God I love you Dan! Best historian ever everywhere!
The story was so full! The new imagining was dope, I wish they would’ve kept going.
When I was a kid I was actually addicted to this show. I am quite surprised even to this day that it failed to meet expactations. I even had both the He-Man and Skeletor toys, the Skeletor came with his robotic bat too which I enjoyed fidgeting with. Wouldn't mind a release of these figures with extra articulation for collectors even.
4:55 I’ll never get tired of that Primus joke 😁
This version of He-man was way better then that crap Kevin Smith gave us that's for sure
I was a HUGE fan of the original 80’s show and toy line. That came out when I was about four or five years old - the key demographic age to sell toys to, and it definitely worked. I had a bunch of He Man and Star Wars toys that I would have epic battles with in my room. Fond memories. Thanks for the nostalgia!
THIS was the incarnation that introduced me to the franchise, and it's the one I'm a fan of the most. When Mattel did a 2002-styled He-Man for the MOTU Origins line a couple years ago, I wound up picking it up and got it signed by He-Man/Adam's VA from this series, Cam Clarke. (Who surprisingly was the only US-based VA in the entire cast.)
I've since gotten the 2002-styled Skeletor they made for the line, and can only hope Brian Dobson shows up at a convention near me in the future...
That show was awesome. I grew up on the original but saw this as a reimagining that gave us the violence and action we thought we were getting in the old show.
Skeletor was a great character in the new show. He had a lot of the funny personality traits we loved in the first one but wielded power to make him scary. He struck a great balance for a villian. It became much harder to watch when the Snake-Men became the villians.
I loved this version as well! But have read so much about reboot feedback that I started a tribute channel where I basically am recreating the 80s cartoons in audio form as a tribute to MOTU. Brian Dobson (200x) skeletor is my acting coach and i have mostly pro actors helping me out! Check it out!!
This series was epic. A perfect remake of the classic series, shame it didn't get a proper conclusion.
This was actually my first Heman show I watched, and my dad would watch it with me and react to how different the characters were from the 80s cartoon that him and his friends would watch in college.
I was both shocked and delighted by the inclusion of that Tom Cardy song.
“Loot that Body! Loot that Body now!”
Excuse me while I go rock out for a few minutes.
My god what a good show but the reason why it failed was because there was too many figures of Heman and Skeletor ant not enough of the others
I didn't want no Jungle Armor He-man or Snake Armor He-man, anyway. WTH was the difference between those?
@@texasbeast239 yeah both pointless when I had them I made them into other characters like Tri clops
The toy line wasn't selling. Too many variants and Mattel withdrew financial support and although the series was a hit, Cartoon Network didn't want to bankroll it alone.
Same with the new Thundercats series.
Both were EXCELLENT remakes that drew on original lore but added a LOT to it.
But the shows were made to sell toys and the toys weren't selling.
I was a huge He-Man fan as kid before I even started preschool. But the 2002 series had me hooked as a grown man in his early 20s. I still own the DVD of the first 10 episodes that I bought at Walmart during the recession...and I have 2 or 3 of the action figures. I loved the 2002 series and wish it would've gotten to season 3, which was supposed to feature Hodak as the main villain
This video was so necessary. As a 90's kid this 2002 series was my first true introduction to He-Man and it was glorious! Even without having really watched the 80's series, it felt like the foundation that it laid was fully elevated by the 2002 series. From the obvious animation upgrade, character designs, action and overall story it all felt fully explored. And even with all that, I think the one thing specifically, and fellow 90's kids will feel me here, finding out that Joseph LoDuca, the man responsible for scoring shows that were pillars of my childhood being Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Xena: Warrior Princess and Young Hercules was the ultimate cherry atop of an already A+ sundae. As a result everything felt fresh but familiar at the same time. Even though it clearly didn't get it when it initially aired, as the years go on I hope this particular series continues to get the credit it earned for just how awesome and important it was and is for the legacy of He-Man &The Masters of the Universe.
I didn't even know the series was coming out and getting to see it in the early 2000s was the best. Made me feel like a kid again having all the excitement. For new stories and adventures.
The first series was good, then the second blew my mind. The backstory with the history, bring in the Snakemen and Horrak being teased. This would have made an unbelievable third season but that was not ment to be. Though the ending with the defeat of King Hiss, was a good conclusion for the series. I also got to see every episode which is rare for a cartoon series import into the UK.
Also noticed the clip from the Eagles Nest with Garry (Can't be bothered to remember his name.). One of the most cringests videos on RUclips, you will laugh at how bad it is.
Seeing this guy go on about now evil these 80s cartoons and toys are. With their links to witchcraft and devil worship. You would think they would start to play the cartoons backward. Looking for hidden satanical messages. You need to find it, play it in the background while spending quality time with your toy collection.
Much better than the Netflix version !
I agree
Indeed 100%
The New Adventures of He-Man were better than that tripe shit out by Kevin Smith for Netflix.
Peter Cullen doing the ad read is fantastic as he used to do ads for the original He-Man.
The idea of Count Marzo in that series was absolutely amazing
Probably the best version, more ppl should watch this!
indeed ! the best version
The 2002 series is excellent
This was one of my favorite shows growing up and my introduction to Masters of the Universe.
This was such a cool show, and a blueprint for how to "update" older franchises. I remember the combat animation was especially cool; they might have twirled their weapons a tad too much, but it was dynamic as hell.
I grew up on and love the OG, but this was definitely my favorite version of MotU.
I liked this version of He-Man. It had far better animation and character designs for the most part. And it was a more serious take on the original.
At least it was better than that Netflix trash. That stank worse than Lowtide on asshole beach...
Which one? There’s 2 Netflix shows
IMO most of the blame falls on Mattel. Because they shortpacked the characters that were not He-Man or Skeletor. We retailers got an assortment which included 6 figures. Each wave consisted of 2 assortments (one for the good guys, one for the bad guys) and 6 figures (2 of which were versions of He-Man and Skeletor). But instead of 2 figures of each character per assortment you got 4 He-Mans and 4 Skeletors and 1 each of the new characters. Later it got even worse and you got 5 He-Man or Skeletors and 1 and 0 of the new characters. My boss ordered 7 assortments for each side (good/bad) and we got 1 (!) Teela and 0 Kobra Khans. Even I who worked there had to order Kobra Khan from eBay. This lead to scalpers snatching up all the interesting characters and TRU and other retailers were stuck with variants and variants of He-Man and Skeletor that nobody really cared for. Not to mention the last attempt to save the line with those bonkers repaints like Disco Skeletor.
Mattel REALLY dropped the ball here.
This version was perfect. It is much better than recent Revelotions version. Shame it didn't get a proper conclusion. Hope one day it get a new season or a new version closer to that version.
I prefer this He-Man to that Trash that Netflix gave us
This was the pinnacle of the franchise.
I remember catching this on TV when I was in high school during the early/mid 2000s. Thought it was pretty neat, and was disappointed when it vanished off the air waves.
It was always entertaining how straight they played the over-the-top framing; can always expect dramatic wind to pick up after someone lands/poses and stares at their foe for a few seconds.
I can't get enough of these videos. XD
LOVED the original 80's He-Man as it's what I grew up with, but also kind of digged whatever whatever was happening with the early 90's. That was probably all nostalgia based, though, as those were great time as a kid! lol