Saturday morning cartoons, after school cartoons, seasonal cartoon TV specials, and animated features all hold a special place in the heart of a lot of viewers. As a child, cartoons entertained and enthralled, a lot of times they were the “babysitter” for the child when when they got home from school, or the morning friend and companion when the child woke up early on a Saturday morning, sometimes before the sun was completely up. In adulthood, reverence and nostalgia took over, and the fondess and the familiar linked the individual back to a time of innocence and naivety, all understood through the watching of cartoons. What is evident is that there’s a fascination that exists between art in motion, i.e. animation, and the human penchant for it.
However, something even more interesting takes place when that same penchant goes in a different direction, or inverses, and the need to see those same cartoons so well-loved in live-action adaptations takes over. Fortunately, over the years, there have been several live-action adaptations made. Here are some live-action cartoons that worked and are worth checking out.
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10 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)
Originally, a comic book series self-published by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were kickstarted into fandom through a toy licensing agreement that later produced a cartoon television series. Needless to say the fanfare for the turtles continued to rise and eventually the cartoon became a live-action feature film.
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At the height of the toys’ and cartoon’s popularity, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie was huge box office success, and the story of the four turtles, Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael became legend. The movie featured work from Jim Henson as molds were made to cast the whole bodies of the turtles in rubber latex so that they were more posable and movable.
9 How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
Imagine Entertainment
One of the most beloved animated Christmas movies of all-time, How the Grinch Stole Christmas became a live-action feature film starring Jim Carrey as the Grinch. Originally, a 1966 cartoon movie that subsequently returned every Christmas season, the live-action adaptation of How the Grinch Stole Christmas was made at the height of nostalgia taking over, fostering the adaptations of older cartoons.
However, what this live-action film did in capturing the atmosphere and the mood of the cartoon was very accomplished, and how Jim Carrey embodied the titular character was heralded. This live-action adaption is so good that presently it runs side-by-side with the original cartoon during the Christmas season.
8 Masters of the Universe (1987)
The Cannon Group, Inc.
He-Man and the Master’s of the Universe debuted as a cartoon on Saturday mornings in 1983 as an extension of the Mattel action-figure series. The cartoon series itself only lasted two seasons, but reruns seemed infinite as it went into syndication, and the popularity of the show soared enough to garner a live-action movie. While Masters of the Universe was considered cheesy and campy with critics, the Dolph Lundgren as He-Man led movie has seen a revival as a cult-classic in recent years.
7 Popeye (1980)
Paramount Pictures
Popeye is a musical based off of the original cartoon strip that ran in the 60s and later in the 90s with a cartoon adaptation as well. Robin Williams stars as the titular character, Popeye, the spinach eating, punchy sailor. While the comic strip and cartoon were extremely popular, the movie/musical, directed by Robert Altman, failed at the box office and with critics. But in retrospect, the film is viewed differently and is held up by its supporters with much respect given to a serious director like Robert Altman taking on a cartoon adaptation.
6 The Flintstones (1994)
Universal Pictures
Probably the most famous cartoon in the Hanna-Barbara cartoon line-up, The Flintstones originally ran as a primetime television series for six years before going into syndication. The Flintstones, the live-action adaptation, was directed by Brian Levant and saw John Goodman in the starring role of Fred Flintstone, Rick Moranis as Barney Rubble, Elizabeth Perkins as Wilma Flintstone, and Rosie O’Donell as Betty Rubble. The story itself is a prehistoric wink at the 1950’s sitcom The Honeymooners. Much like other films similar to this that originated in cartoon form, critics disliked it with all of hits gags and puns and mix of adult-like themes such as affairs and job-oriented happenings and politics, but that was not the case for audiences as it was a huge box office success, warranting a sequel several years later.
5 Aeon Flux (2005)
MTV Films
Charlize Theron starred in Aeon Flux, which was based on a meta, sci-fi expressionistic cartoon series that ran originally on MTV between 1991 and 1995. The show was seen as a risk-taker and the titular character was a dominatrix super-assassin for a city called Monica that was at war with another city called Bregna. The show pushed boundaries and with such source material the stage was set for the film to be a huge hit, leaning heavily into a feminist action-flick, a kind of movie that would work perfectly for the sensibilities of the early to mid-2000s.
However, the production company, Paramount, tampered with the finished product by director Karyn Kusama, heavily editing it. This ultimately destroyed what the film was about and caused the movie to flop when it should have been an overwhelming success. Even still, the movie is worth checking out as glimpses of the powerful source material can still be seen.
4 Speed Racer (2008)
Warner Bros. Pictures
Speed Racer is based on the 1960s Japanese animated series about a kid who loves to race cars named Speed Racer. The larger plot of the series is that Speed Racer’s older brother was killed in an accident racing cars, but when Speed Racer himself begins racing in the same world and circle that his brother was in, he finds out that everything may not be what it seems, and that his brother’s death may not have been an accident. Directed by the Wachoski’s of The Matrix fame, Speed Racer was heavily done in CGI and called back the Japanese animation style of the original series. Like many of its cartoon to live-action adaptation predecessors, the movie flopped originally only to find its footing and place as a cult classic later.
3 Transformers (2007)
Transfomers is another movie that is based on action figures that later became a cartoon television series. At the time, Hasbro, the maker of the action figures, linked with Marvel Comics to create comics that would provide backstory and context for their new line of action figures that were robots that could transform into various real life things, like cars and trucks and airplanes. The stories would ultimately support the original television series that, subsequently, launched the live-action movie. Transfomers in every iteration has been a success, including the first live-action movie that was a big summer blockbuster done by Michael Bay. Since the first feature film, there has been several sequels.
2 Scooby-Doo (2002)
Warner Bros.
The original Scooby-Doo cartoon that the live-action movie is based on ran from 1969 to 1976 and was about a talking dog named Scooby-Doo and a group of teenagers who drove around to different destinations solving mysteries along the way. The cartoon series were full of gags and unmasking a villain that was always trying to get away with some crime. The 2002 movie, Scooby-Doo, was a live-action film starring Freddie Prinze, Jr. Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Matthew Lillard, but also contained computer animation for Scooby-Do himself and other characters. Ultimately, the film is viewed as mediocre, but still did well at the box office, enough to garner four sequels.
1 Garfield: The Movie (2004)
20th Century Fox
As hard as it is for Garfield the cat to resist lasagna, it is equally hard to not love a live-action adapatation about a cat who loves lasagna. Garfield: The Movie is based on the incredibly successful and mega hit comic strip by Jim Davis, which ultimately became a cartoon series in the 1980s and found its way into syndication. Needless to say after years of reading and watching the antics of the Garfield, who lived in a house with a cartoonist, Jon Arbuckle, and a pet-sibling that was a dog named Odie, it was time to bring the character to the big screen in the form of live-action movie. Garfield: The Movie stars Bill Murray as the voice of Garfield and several big name actors of the time like Jennifer Love Hewitt, Breckin Meyer, Brad Garrett, and even Jimmie Kimmel.
Bill Murray is lauded for his voice acting performance in this one, really giving Garfield the lazy and lethargic drawl from the cartoons. The story pulls from the fat cat’s odd relationship with Odie, twisting it into a plot that has Garfield culpable in Odie being abducted only for Garfield to have a change of heart and have to find a way to get Odie back, but with some help from friends. Garfield: The Movie is a fun romp and was successful at the box office, garnering a few sequels.
