Cartoons That Should Be Made Into Live-Action Movies

I’d be beating a dead horse if I argued that all Hollywood seems to care about these days is remakes. Remakes of classic cinema. Remakes of Disney animated hits. Remakes of horror movies. Remakes of foreign films. Remakes, remakes, remakes.

But, once in a blue moon, a remake actually works, and the ones that do work typically do something new, putting a fresh, inventive spin on the original title while staying true to its roots. Maybe that’s why cartoons lend so well to the world of live-action adaptations, providing nostalgia through a different artistic lens.

A number of live-action movie adaptations of cartoons have worked relatively well over the years. There was a big boom in the 1990s, with movies such as 1990’s lovable but rough-around-the-edges Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, 1994’s delightfully cast and deliciously campy The Flintstones, and 1995’s spooky-sweet family adventure, Casper. They weren’t great films per se, but they were charming, well-crafted, and remain beloved fan-favorites for many to this day.

Another big wave came in the 2000s: Josie and the Pussycat’s satirical, Y2K girl-power take on the classic Hanna-Barbera cartoon reinvented the concept for the new millennium in 2001, while 2002’s Scooby-Doo, though not exactly a critical darling, delivered a fun, cheesy-in-a-good-way adaptation that, while dated by today’s standards, remains nostalgic for its A+ casting.

READ MORE: Live-Action Movies That Should Be Remade in Animation

A few years later, in 2007, Michael Bay brought the toy-turned-’80s-cartoon to the big screen with his action-packed Transformers, which was a major hit and spawned an entire cinematic franchise, including spinoffs. The same year we saw Alvin and the Chipmunks effectively re-imagined in live action. Though geared for a younger audience, the family-friendly adventure was also a big hit, and was followed up by a series of harmless sequels. (Sorry, erm, “squeakquels.”)

Not every adaptation has been a hit, though, and some are better left forgotten. Yogi Bear, released in 2010, was anything but smarter than your average bear. In fact, it was absolutely brainless. Meanwhile, 2007’s Underdog (who even asked for that…?), 2010’s The Last Airbender (a travesty...), and 2015’s Jem and the Holograms (I can’t even talk about this one!) all failed to capture even a whisper of their respective source material’s magic, leaving fans not just disappointed, but offended.

Still, despite the many failures, flops, and forgotten flicks, recent years have delivered a string of well-received live-action movies inspired by cartoons, from 2019’s surprising Dora and the Lost City of Gold to the same year’s heartfelt Pokémon Detective Pikachu. (Technically that one was inspired by a spinoff video game, but it’s probably the closest fans of the Pokémon animated series will ever get to a live-action movie.)

With even more adaptations on the horizon, from Voltron to a new Masters of the Universe movie, as well as the recently announced, Jim Carrey-led Jetsons film, I can’t help but wonder what other cartoon shows would translate well to live-action. So, here’s my picks!