Thunderstone (1999 - 2000)
Children's series
52 episodes x 30 minutes
Series synopsis:
Thunderstone is the story of a boy and his quest to save the world’s animals. The year is 2020. Fifteen-year-old Noah (Jeffrey Walker) lives with his family in the futuristic underground community of North Col. The world above is a frozen wasteland after a massive comet strike destroyed all other life in the world including the animals. Fascinated by the extinct animals and with his inquiring scientific drive, Noah has been experimenting with a virtual reality device, but one night he accidentally time travels to the future.
Noah finds himself trapped in the year 2085 in a desolate desert place called Haven with a group of children, the Nomads, led by Arushka (Mereoni Vuki). They live in hiding from the evil warlord Tao (Stuart Halusz) who, with his Protectors, rules the mines of Thunderstone, an all-powerful mineral brought to Earth by the comet. Noah desperately wants to return home but it is not a straightforward journey. By unlocking the secrets of time travel, he also finds a way of bringing the animals from the past (1999) to re-populate the world. The success of this mission could change the history of the planet, but to do so, he and the Nomads are faced with an extraordinary battle against evil.
Curator’s Notes:
Thunderstone is an ambitious and epic series, produced by Jonathan M Shiff Productions following the international success of the Ocean Girl series. This is a fabulous looking production with high production values and complex set designs. The amazing sets by production designer Julie Belle range from the futuristic underground community of North Col, to the caves, tunnels and desert settings of Haven, to the Nomad’s community in Haven in the later part of the series.
Drawing on the iconic neo-primitive Australian film Mad Max 2 (1981), Thunderstone features amazing action vehicles – stripped down dune buggies, trucks and other vehicles, reconstructed using all sorts of junk including old bath tubs, push bikes and bed ends.
Key to the series is the hundreds of animals, both wild and tamed, involved in the production. The animals were filmed in various locations and in some cases interact with the characters in later episodes.
A good example of the quality output of children’s productions from Jonathan Shiff Productions, Thunderstone stars the talented and highly experienced young actor Jeffrey Walker as Noah, with newcomer Mereoni Vuki as Arushka. Veteran Gerard Kennedy appears as Dr Pretorius.
Thunderstone series one and series two were shot in 1999, and the shorter series three followed in 2000. Thunderstone won a Children’s BAFTA award in 1999 for best international series and a 2000 APRA Music Award for best television theme (composers Garry McDonald and Laurie Stone). Thunderstone series one won the ATOM award for best children’s television series in 1999 and series three won the same award in 2000.
Titles in this series
Thunderstone – Episode Three 1999
Fifteen-year-old Noah (Jeffrey Walker) is from the futuristic underground community of North Col. Attempting to time travel to the past, he is trapped in a desert, where he is captured by the Nomads, a group of children led by Arushka ...
