Best animated series based on a movie? [Archive]

ChrisIII

03-06-2008, 12:00 PM

Sort of like the other thread I did, but in reverse.

It can be a live-action or animated movie-Disney of course has done several series based on their animated films, but there have been several animated series based on live-action films. Star Wars has had three-Droids, Ewoks, Clone Wars (Plus the Holiday Special short if you want to add that)-and a new incarnation of Clone Wars is on the way. Other series with animation have included Ghostbusters, Back To The Future, Highlander, Rambo, Robocop, Godzilla, King Kong etc.

There's some animated series based on movies that were never made-there were plans for animated series based on Gremlins, Jurassic Park, and Aliens, but these fell through due to concerns about the source film's violence. (That didn't stop them making the Rambo cartoon, though).

CDB

03-06-2008, 12:09 PM

Star Wars Clone Wars and Ghostbusters are the top two that stand out above the others.

Mike Pothier

03-06-2008, 12:54 PM

Beetlejuice! I loved that show as a kid. It was better then the movie.

DoctorDoom

03-06-2008, 04:10 PM

Ghostbusters, and possibly Men in Black. I felt there wasn't a need for a sequel to MIB due to the cartoon.

Pauly T

03-06-2008, 04:36 PM

I'll second (or third) Clone Wars and The Real Ghostbusters.

I'll also nominate Buzz Lightyear of Star Command.

Sean Whitmore

03-06-2008, 04:48 PM

Ghostbusters, but only the early years, when JMS was involved and the show maintained the quirkiness of the movie.

Men in Black was a fun series. Didn't feel anything like the movie at all, but it had its own mood and back story that was interesting.

Does Batman the Animated Series count? The Burton movies seemed to be as much of an influence as the comics, what with the show's 1950s-era designs and the Elfman score.

SEAN

StoneGold

03-06-2008, 05:24 PM

Does Batman the Animated Series count? The Burton movies seemed to be as much of an influence as the comics, what with the show's 1950s-era designs and the Elfman score.

SEAN

Given it also swiped things like the Batmobile and Penguin designs from the movies, I'd say yes, definitely.

And I believe there was a reference or two to Jack Napier, which was a movie creation.

StoneGold

03-06-2008, 05:26 PM

Oh, and this.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=OmJKKYByTYY

Jamal

03-06-2008, 05:43 PM

EZMOHR

03-06-2008, 05:47 PM

Ghostbusters hand down for me.

shades of eternity

03-06-2008, 06:00 PM

Roughnecks - starship troopers (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jg-Qs-M6WyI)
most improved movie to tv show conversion ever.

StoneGold

03-06-2008, 06:42 PM

Ghostbusters hand down for me.

That was based on a TV show, not a movie.

http://cardboardmonocle.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/ghostbusters.jpg

DWEarhart

03-06-2008, 06:49 PM

Ghostbusters hand down for me.

That was based on a TV show, not a movie.

http://cardboardmonocle.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/ghostbusters.jpg

The Real Ghostbusters was based on the 1984 movie with Bill Murray, Dan Ackroyd, and so on.

Filmation's Ghostbusters, with the ape, is based on a live-action tv show from the 70's called The Ghost Busters. Jake and Eddie, the guys in the car, play the sons of the previous ghost busters from the live-action show.

EZMOHR

03-06-2008, 07:25 PM

That was based on a TV show, not a movie.

http://cardboardmonocle.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/ghostbusters.jpg

Sorry, should've said Real before. I think we all know what I meant though. Although ape Ghostbusters was alright also.

Athena Bast

03-06-2008, 07:29 PM

Oh, and this.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=OmJKKYByTYY

Why do I not remember this?

Sean Whitmore

03-06-2008, 07:45 PM

I loved the Little Shop of Horrors cartoon when I was a kid. It was actually based on the Roger Corman movie, even though it was a musical like the 80s version. I'm still hoping someone will throw their old, crappy VHS copies of the show on YouTube someday.

SEAN

Loren

03-06-2008, 08:20 PM

Michael P

03-06-2008, 08:50 PM

I sincerely doubt it, Loren.

The Aladdin cartoon was pretty cool, I thought.

ZT4

03-06-2008, 08:51 PM

Men In Black began as a comic

lonewolf23k

03-06-2008, 09:12 PM

Seconded on the Aladdin cartoon, as well as MIB and Roughnecks.

I should add that the Godzilla Cartoon, which was based off the subpar movie, definetly made me like that version of the monster a lot better.

Jared

03-07-2008, 12:02 PM

More nods for Real Ghostbusters, Roughnecks, and Clone Wars.
BTW, I never saw all of Roughnecks: did it have an ending? I know there were more episodes after Razack died.

While Batman owes a great deal to the Burton movies, it wasn't an adapation/spinoff. It stands as its own thing. Hell, when I think "Batman" it's the cartoon that comes to mind before anything else.

Anyone remember The Toxic Revengers? I think it was from the people beyond Ninja Turtles. Silly but fun. Speaking of toons from B-movies, there was Attack of Killer Tomatoes on Fox, but all I can recall from it was the theme song.

brundlefly

03-07-2008, 12:17 PM

I've got to go with Ghost In the Shell "Stand Alone Complex."

AS much as I liked the first GITS movie this series completely expanded on the characters and created an action drama on the level of a live action tv show.

Totally agreed. GITS: Stand Alone Complex is an intelligent and thoroughly addictive animated serial that surpasses most live action shows. I really dug that SAC movie (Solid State Society), too.

Rabid Trekkie

03-07-2008, 06:52 PM

BTW, I never saw all of Roughnecks: did it have an ending? I know there were more episodes after Razack died.

There were some more after Razack died, but the show never got to finish its story line. UPN cancelled it for some reason, only reason I can think of is that its a good show.

StoneGold

03-07-2008, 08:12 PM

Sorry, should've said Real before. I think we all know what I meant though. Although ape Ghostbusters was alright also.
I know, I was being a literallist dick.
Why do I not remember this?

It was only on for a season. I mostly remember it had an amazing theme song. Although the plot was kind of ripped off years later by Jacky Chan Adventures. An old man, a heroic martial artist and a girl traveling around the world to track down a mystical object that causes wacky magic stuff to happen? Could be either show.

StoneGold

03-07-2008, 08:15 PM

Does 'Muppet Babies' count as a movie spin-off (from "The Muppets Take Manhattan")?

I sincerely doubt it, Loren.

Actually, when Muppet Babies came out, it was very much marketed as being inspired by the sequence from Muppets Take Manhattan. And I realize it's Wikipedia, but this is a line for the entry from the movie:

The film introduced the Muppet Babies, as toddler versions of the Muppet characters in a fantasy sequence. The Muppet Babies later received their own Saturday morning animated television series, which aired from 1984 until 1992.

StoneGold

03-07-2008, 08:18 PM

While Batman owes a great deal to the Burton movies, it wasn't an adapation/spinoff. It stands as its own thing. Hell, when I think "Batman" it's the cartoon that comes to mind before anything else.

That would be revisionist thinking. When I think of MASH, I think of the TV show. It doesn't mean it wasn't spun out of the movie.

There was too much design-work based on the movie for it not to have been. All of the vehicles, the design of the Penguin, the Joker being Jack Napier... it's all from the movies. That's not to say it's the same as the movies, but the same goes for MASH.

Sean Whitmore

03-07-2008, 08:21 PM

There was too much design-work based on the movie for it not to have been. All of the vehicles, the design of the Penguin, the Joker being Jack Napier... it's all from the movies.

This is a minor one, but Catwoman being blonde, too.

SEAN

The Batman

03-07-2008, 09:37 PM

The Batcaves had a similar asthetic too.

That being said, while they did take some visual cues from the movies and the show was certainly a result of the Batmania generated by the movies, I'm not sure if it's fair to call this a spin off of the movies because of the stuff being pulled in from other sources.

GRANT!

03-07-2008, 10:29 PM

I have a particular affection for the 'Back to the Future' cartoon, although it wasn't anything fantastic. I'm also not sure how well it holds up today.

Does 'Muppet Babies' count as a movie spin-off (from "The Muppets Take Manhattan")?

I say it does. But do you really want to be the dude who says Muppet Babies over Batman or Conan?

I'll say Clone Wars. It was basically everything I wanted from the prequels and never got.

StoneGold

03-08-2008, 03:35 AM

I say it does. But do you really want to be the dude who says Muppet Babies over Batman or Conan?

Muppet Babies was f'n brilliant, plain and simple.

Proof: http://youtube.com/watch?v=b9nrTO2pP-Q&feature=related

lonewolf23k

03-08-2008, 06:38 AM

Muppet Babies was f'n brilliant, plain and simple.

Proof: http://youtube.com/watch?v=b9nrTO2pP-Q&feature=related

Watching these, I realise something..

...Rugrats ripped off the Muppet Babies.

ZT4

03-08-2008, 07:30 AM

Rugrats ripped off everything.

ChrisIII

03-08-2008, 07:37 AM

Regarding Batman-I'd say it sort of borrows from various incarnations of Batman (Even the old TV show, such as the Grey Ghost episode)-in the same way, the Superman animated series was a mix of stuff from the comics, the old TV series, the Reeve movies, the old Fleischer toons etc.

stealthwise

03-08-2008, 08:44 AM

Bill and Ted!

Your Imaginary Pal

03-08-2008, 08:53 AM

either the ghostbusters or Men In Black.
yes I think the Men in Black cartoon was awesome.

StoneGold

03-08-2008, 11:19 AM

Watching these, I realise something..

...Rugrats ripped off the Muppet Babies.

Damn straight.

You know, the more that I think about it, Muppet Babies really was the best of these. Maybe not as an adult, but it was funny, engaging, told a story, taught you something, and yet was well done enough and interesting that an adult could watch it with you without feeling their IQ points drop.

Granted, most of the same could be said about Ghostbusters or Batman, but not so much the teach you something. There was an inspirational/educational aspect to Muppet Babies the other shows didn't have. Also, from a parental point of view, no one was going to get their ass kicked from to simulate the action on Muppet Babies.

Sion

03-08-2008, 12:03 PM

The Mask was pretty entertaining.

The Zapper

03-08-2008, 02:44 PM

And I believe there was a reference or two to Jack Napier, which was a movie creation.

Once. It was never mentioned again and pretty much retconned out.

The Batman

03-08-2008, 03:09 PM

In Mask of the Phantasm they stuck to the Joker was a gangster before he was Joker bit from the movies. They might not have called him Jack Napier, but he was alot like Jack Napier there.

HynerianChef

03-08-2008, 03:22 PM

If Batman and Muppet Babies count, then I agree they are awesome and I loved them both. Though I do admit that they initially didn't pop out as examples of "based on a movie" when I first saw this thread, probably because the connection is less blatant than stuff like Real Ghostbusters and Clone Wars. Of those more blatant ones, Clone Wars definately gets my nod.