Movies based on cartoon shows

[Silvermoth]

I would love to see the powerpuff girls all grown up.

Blossom - Emma Stone
Bubbles - Melissa Benoit
Buttercup - felicity jones
The professor - George Clooney

 

[Heretic]

I would love to see the powerpuff girls all grown up.

Blossom - Emma Stone
Bubbles - Melissa Benoit
Buttercup - felicity jones
The professor - George Clooney

There's this...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Cb6GlKyklw

 

[Heretic]

There's someone here named Thundarr or something that has long pushed the idea of a Thundarr the Barbarian movie.

I've seen a lot of people pushing for a Gargoyles movie...but I never saw that cartoon.

Thundercats would be cool.

I think M.A.S.K. is wrapped up in GI Joe.

Voltron is a popular choice, and I think is in the works.

By the way...stuff like Garfield and Josie aren't based on cartoons.

PS: Yes, I'm aware that I posted about movies that people want instead of movies that already exist. It's the natural direction for this thread to take once a list is formed.

 

[Mandon Knight]

G Force : Battle of the Planets needs a live action adaptation, been saying it for years.

Those unfamiliar. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acOnskcyrtA, it was a massive part of my childhood.

 

[2kt09]

G Force : Battle of the Planets needs a live action adaptation, been saying it for years.

Those unfamiliar. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acOnskcyrtA, it was a massive part of my childhood.

 

[Mandon Knight]

Aah, but does it have the voice of Kasey Kassam ?

 

[Breogan]

The Wacky Racers-only do it in a Death Race 2000 kinda way

You posted 1-09-2007
Kudos to being way ahead of them!

 

[2kt09]

You posted 1-09-2007
Kudos to being way ahead of them!

The guy's a total time traveler

 

[childeroland]

I always really liked Altman's Popeye. Never understood the critical lambasting it gets.

Aeon Flux isn't great, but it's not horrid either.

 

[Thundarr]

Æon Flux: Never watched the cartoon or the movie.
Garfield: Terrible
Dudley Do-Right: Made Garfield look like a masterpiece.
The Flintstones: While I understand why some people might not like it, I personally thought I was pretty good.
George of the Jungle: I found it to be pretty funny.
Inspector Gadget: I thought it was stupid, even considering the source material.
Josie and the Pussycats: Never watched the cartoon or the movie.
Mr. Magoo: Never saw the movie.
Popeye: Been a long time since I've seen it, but I loved it as a kid.
Ri¢hie Ri¢h: I found it pretty enjoyable.
Rocky and Bullwinkle: Never saw t movie.
Scooby-Doo: Wasn't great, but I still found it pretty funny. Honestly, I don't get a the hate.

(Cartoons You Forgot)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990): Freakin' awesome!
Jem & The Holograms: I didn't really watch the show as a kid, and had no desire to watch the movie but I could tell from the trail that it was s**t.
Masters Of The Universe: I must admit this is a guilty pleasure of mine. It is a bad movie, very bad, but it's just so ENJOYABLY bad. One of those "it's s bad it's good" kind of films.
Casper: Personally , kinda liked it.
The Addams Family: I'm including this one as it was a cartoon in the 1960's or 1970's before becoming a live action film. And it is awesome.
Transformers: Better than I expected but not as good as I'd hoped. I liked the action and the VFX but I HATED Shia LaGoof.
Speed Racer: Never watched the cartoon or the movie.
Avatar The Last Airbender: Loved the cartoon. Refuse to watch the movie. I could tell by the trailers that it's a piece of s**t.

As for cartoons I'd like to see made into live action movies? First and foremost, THUNDARR THE BARBARIAN. I've actually written a screenplay for a movie, and plan to shoot some select scenes to edit together into a theatrical trailer to show to studio execs. In fact, Conan Stevens (aka: "The Mountain" Ser Gregor on Game of Thrones) has even contacted me expressing interest in playing the role of Ookla The Mok.

Another that I would love to see is Disney's GARGOYLES. If they were to do something along the lines of the Pirates Of The Caribbean movies, that would be awesome.

And of course, Masters Of The Universe. Done properly this time of course. I'd go with a live action retelling of the first few episodes of the 2003 series. Maybe delving a little bit deeper into Keldor's background and motivations, before he becomes Skeletor.

 

[Spider-Fan83]

what about...

Yogi Bear

Underdog

Ben 10
(if we counting made for TV movies?)

another TV movie live action adaption
A Fairly Odd Movie: Grow Up, Timmy Turner!

Paddington Bear
(although the cartoon was based on the books, so idk if that count)

I guess The Smurfs probably wouldn't count either, since it was a comic first

Alvin and the Chipmunks?

 

[Breogan]

I guess The Smurfs probably wouldn't count either, since it was a comic first

The original poll is all over the place:

... past and future live-action movies based on cartoon shows.

Garfield
Josie and the Pussycats
Popeye
Ri¢hie Ri¢h

All in comics first.

 

[Thundarr]

Dungeons & Dragons? That had more to do with the Board Game than the cartoon though.

Fat Albert was a decent movie for what it was.

None of the D&D movies were based on the cartoon. They were all based on the RPG which the cartoon was also based on.

 

[Isildur´s Heir]

The problem with cartoon movies is that they choose the cartoons too difficult to translate into movies.
How they never did the movie based on "Tom & Jerry" is beyond me....

Also, they have the same problem that video game movies have (they are nearly the same thing, but still), which is their target audience.
Just like video game movies are target for gamers, and as such, they throw everything they think they will like; cartoon based movies are aimed for kids, so, they don't put much effort into it.

Both are made for money reasons and they don't even try to be more than that.

 

[Thundarr]

The problem with cartoon movies is that they choose the cartoons too difficult to translate into movies.
How they never did the movie based on "Tom & Jerry" is beyond me....

Also, they have the same problem that video game movies have (they are nearly the same thing, but still), which is their target audience.
Just like video game movies are target for gamers, and as such, they throw everything they think they will like; cartoon based movies are aimed for kids, so, they don't put much effort into it.

Both are made for money reasons and they don't even try to be more than that.

I partially agree with you. While the cartoons CAN be difficult to translate into live action, if enough care is taken in the production process that's hardly an issue. Take The Flintstones for example. Visually the movie was very good. It was even nominated for an Oscar for best VFX. The problem was that the plot was too "adult" for the kids' movie. Kids aren't too interested in movies about industrial espionage, corporate embezzlement, and adultery (the main plot of The Flintstones Movie).

On the other end of the spectrum you have movies like Masters Of The Universe. The writers and director wanted to make a movie that would please the fans of the franchise, but the studio didn't give a s**t about making a good movie and gave them a substandard budget and instructions to have the movie set on Earth because they didn't want to pay for elaborate sets or flying to exotic locations. So what we ended up with was a less than faithful adaptation of the source material.

And then there's movies like the 1990 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. the overall story was that of the original comics, but the way that th turtles were portrayed, plus April O'Neal being a TV news reporter, was all taken from the cartoon series. So what we ended up with was a very exciting action film with elements that will please both the older fans of the comics AND the younger fans of the cartoon.

So it's not so much that "cartoons/video games don't translate well to live action films". Remember they said the same thing about LOTR for DECADES until Peter Jackson finally proved them wrong. It's more a case of giving the film rights to people who can tell a good story which will (a) please the original fans of the show, (b) is enjoyable by the general audience, and (c) will attract new fans to the original cartoon. Is it difficult? Absolutely! Does that mean it's impossible? F**k no! There's a great quote that I heard on TV once. "Difficult tasks you do right away. The impossible ones take a little longer."

 

[2kt09]

Remember they said the same thing about LOTR for DECADES until Peter Jackson finally proved them wrong.

I thought those were adapting the books?

 

[Thundarr]

I thought those were adapting the books?

They were. My point is just because some studio exec says "This cartoon/video game/comic book/novel won't translate very well to a live action feature" doesn't mean that they're right. It just means that they're afraid and/or unwilling to invest the necessary time, money, effort, and care into the project.

 

[2kt09]

They were. My point is...

I got your point. It was just that one didn't make sense with the rest of them, since it's not a cartoon adaptation.

Plus, there's a substantial difference between a single source being too taboo vs an entire medium that's been grouped into a subgenre and has yet to hit a widely renown theatrical homerun

The problem with that first TMNT movie was actually that it was at times too dark for kids, too childish for Mirage fans, but overall too nonsensical for everyone else.

 

[terry78]

I keep angling for WB to make a live action Blue Falcon and Dynomutt, but they can just not seem to get the hint. Basically have their world be a dark and gritty Gotham City type deal and Dynomutt kind of stands out as this goofball CG robot dog who is also crazy powerful.

 

[Isildur´s Heir]

I partially agree with you. While the cartoons CAN be difficult to translate into live action, if enough care is taken in the production process that's hardly an issue. Take The Flintstones for example. Visually the movie was very good. It was even nominated for an Oscar for best VFX. The problem was that the plot was too "adult" for the kids' movie. Kids aren't too interested in movies about industrial espionage, corporate embezzlement, and adultery (the main plot of The Flintstones Movie).

Sure, but The Flintstones is one among many.
It's the exception that proves the rule.
There are 3 good cartoon adaptation to 20 bad ones.

On the other end of the spectrum you have movies like Masters Of The Universe. The writers and director wanted to make a movie that would please the fans of the franchise, but the studio didn't give a s**t about making a good movie and gave them a substandard budget and instructions to have the movie set on Earth because they didn't want to pay for elaborate sets or flying to exotic locations. So what we ended up with was a less than faithful adaptation of the source material.

Masters of the Universe is based on a toy line, just like Transformers.
You are right, but it's not original a cartoon.

And then there's movies like the 1990 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. the overall story was that of the original comics, but the way that th turtles were portrayed, plus April O'Neal being a TV news reporter, was all taken from the cartoon series. So what we ended up with was a very exciting action film with elements that will please both the older fans of the comics AND the younger fans of the cartoon.

The same applies.
TMNT was a comic book before being a cartoon.

So it's not so much that "cartoons/video games don't translate well to live action films". Remember they said the same thing about LOTR for DECADES until Peter Jackson finally proved them wrong. It's more a case of giving the film rights to people who can tell a good story which will (a) please the original fans of the show, (b) is enjoyable by the general audience, and (c) will attract new fans to the original cartoon. Is it difficult? Absolutely! Does that mean it's impossible? F**k no! There's a great quote that I heard on TV once. "Difficult tasks you do right away. The impossible ones take a little longer."

I never said that "cartoons/video games don't translate well to live action films", i don't even think that, never did.
What i said was that those movies are mainly made to make money, with quality being in the back burner

 

[Thundarr]

Sure, but The Flintstones is one among many.
It's the exception that proves the rule.
There are 3 good cartoon adaptation to 20 bad ones.

I never said that The Flintstones wasn't an exception. I was pointing it out as a example of a cartoon which (while still flawed) was successfully translated to a live action film.

Masters of the Universe is based on a toy line, just like Transformers.
You are right, but it's not original a cartoon.


The same applies.
TMNT was a comic book before being a cartoon.

First, I don't think the OP ever said anything about the source material having to be originally a cartoon. Simply that it be a live action movie based on a cartoon.

Second, you'll be hard pressed to find any cartoon that is not based on something. Charlie Brown was a comic strip before it was a cartoon. Flash Gordon was both a comic strip and a live action serial before it was a cartoon. The Flintstones were an animated version of The Honeymooners. Baggy Pants & The Nitwits were based on Charlie Chaplin's Tramp movies. The Smurfs were a comic and toy line before they were a cartoon. Disney's Gummy Bears was based on a brand of Candy. I believe the inspiration for Scooby Doo was the adventures of The Hardy Boys & Nancy Drew. The talking dog was added because the network was afraid that the show would be too scary for kids.

Sure there are examples of cartoons that aren't adaptations of other shows or comics (Loony Toons, The Jetsons, Space Ghost, etc). But they're in the minority.

I never said that "cartoons/video games don't translate well to live action films", i don't even think that, never did.
What i said was that those movies are mainly made to make money, with quality being in the back burner

No, what you said was "The problem with cartoon movies is that they choose cartoons that are too difficult to translate to live action movies."

Nowhere in that post did you say that movies based on cartoons are made I order to make money, with quality being put on the back burner. Those were points that I brought up when mentioning The Masters Of The Universe.

I believe that it was someone else who compared movies based on cartoons to those based on video games. But you both made the same argument. That they're both "too difficult to translate to live action movies." And I strongly disagree.

Once again I point to Peter Jackson's LOTR movies as an example. While not an adaptation of a cartoon, film makers made the exact same argument for decades. "Tolkien's stories are too difficult to translate to a live action film." I always thought that that excuse was a bunch of bull as well. It took a director with vision and courage, and a studio willing to supply the necessary budget (about $150million per film) in order to prove George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and everyone else who ever said that such an endeavor was impossible absolutely wrong.

 

[Rowsdower!]

I would love to see a truly faithful Aeon Flux adaptation. A TV series would be better than a film because that world is so vast and there's so much to explore. And it needs to be cynical and postmodern and pervy as hell.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

Still think there is tons of potential in:

Mighty Max

Generator Rex

Johnny Quest

Space Ghost

Galaxy Rangers

Gargoyles

Darkwing Duck (CGI, natch)

Bionic Six

The Herculoids

Exo-Squad

 

[Isildur´s Heir]

No, what you said was "The problem with cartoon movies is that they choose cartoons that are too difficult to translate to live action movies."

Nowhere in that post did you say that movies based on cartoons are made I order to make money, with quality being put on the back burner. Those were points that I brought up when mentioning The Masters Of The Universe.

??!?!?!?
Look at my first post again, look at the post you even quoted. Look at the last sentence:
> "Both are made for money reasons and they don't even try to be more than that."

I believe that it was someone else who compared movies based on cartoons to those based on video games. But you both made the same argument. That they're both "too difficult to translate to live action movies." And I strongly disagree.

Also me.
Look at the same post. I wrote:
> "Also, they have the same problem that video game movies have (they aren't nearly the same thing, but still), which is their target audience.
Just like video game movies are target for gamers, and as such, they throw everything they think they will like; cartoon based movies are aimed for kids, so, they don't put much effort into it."

But i didn't said it was too difficult to translate....so maybe there was someone else that also brought that up.

 

[Thundarr]

??!?!?!?
Look at my first post again, look at the post you even quoted. Look at the last sentence:
> "Both are made for money reasons and they don't even try to be more than that."


Also me.
Look at the same post. I wrote:
> "Also, they have the same problem that video game movies have (they aren't nearly the same thing, but still), which is their target audience.
Just like video game movies are target for gamers, and as such, they throw everything they think they will like; cartoon based movies are aimed for kids, so, they don't put much effort into it."

But i didn't said it was too difficult to translate....so maybe there was someone else that also brought that up.

We seem to be misunderstanding each other. Either we're both misreading each other's posts, or we're both not making our positions very clear.

First, I want to point out that I was agreeing with you that many film makers who produce live action adaptations of cartoons put very little effort into it and are just looking to cash in on the popularity of the original cartoon, quality be damned. That's exactly the problem with the majority of the live action cartoon adaptations.

The only part of your post that I disagreed with was where you wrote that "The problem with cartoon movies is that the producers choose cartoons that are too difficult to translate into a live action movie". The problem isn't the choice of cartoon, or that it's too difficult to translate to live action. The problem is the very point that we both agree upon, that they half-a$$ the attempt and produce a sub-par product in an attempted money grab.

There's no such thing as a movie that's too difficult to shoot. With today's technology, and enough money, even the most outlandish stories can be made into high quality live action features. You just can't do a half-a$$ed job on a shoestring budget and expect to get anything good.