20 Live-Action Adaptations of Cartoons: Then vs. Now

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20 Live-Action Adaptations of Cartoons: Then vs. Now

In what has astonished paleontologists for decades, the intro song to Denver, the Last Dinosaur says Denver is “my friend and a whole lot more.” But that is just weird, what else can a time-traveling dinosaur be besides your friend? Your best friend? Your lover, perhaps? It’s your lover, right? Well, that is precisely the pitch for our gritty, adult-oriented Denver, the Last Dinosaur movie – excuse us, motion picture. Just listen to that intro song again (we know you want to). All that talk about hot, hot jungles, seeing a world they never saw before, not caring about people stopping and staring… come on. This is a Freddy’s Revenge-type situation all over again, and our truth will not be silenced.

In the meantime, though, here are 20 live-action adaptations of cartoons, then and now. We take a look at the way cartoons have evolved, particularly focusing on live-action attempts at showing their forbidden man-dinosaur lov— sorry, our brain is just working on the script as we speak. Also, we add lots of anime besides American cartoons. Anime is also a medium that has had plenty of live-action adaptations, although we focus on the American attempts at translating their culturally-shocking otherness into Netflix viewing activity. Are all live-action adaptations of cartoons bad? Which of them are actually worthwhile? Will Ryan Gosling accept our proposal to play a sexy, guitar-playing dinosaur of an ill-defined species in our 10-episode prestige miniseries, Denver? Two of those three questions have answers in what follows. You’ll just have to see which ones.

The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle

Live-Action Adaptations of Cartoons Then vs. Now The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle Airing from 1959 to 1964, the absurdist quirkiness of this choppy-looking made it a classic. The 2018-2019 show was also well received, just as the 2014 CGI Mr. Peabody & Sherman film. Things get uglier with the 1992 and 1999 live-action movies, and especially with 2000's disappointing film. CRACKED.COM

Wikipedia

George of the Jungle

Live-Action Adaptations of Cartoons Then vs. Now George of the Jungle This 1967 TV show by the creators of The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show had more kid-oriented revivals in 2007 and 2015, but many people still just associate the brand with the 1997 Brendan Fraser movie. It had a great cast, reviews were average, and nobody remembers its 2003 straight-to-video sequel. CRACKED.COM

Wikipedia

Fist of the North Star

Live-Action Adaptations of Cartoons Then vs. Now Fist of the North Star The ultra-violent, post-apocalyptic manga was adapted into two anime series from 1985 to 1988. The critically-panned, straight-to-video film from 1995 is barely acceptable as a В movie, and as an anime adaptation, it's outright awful. CRACKED.COM

Wikipedia

Battle Angel Alita

Live-Action Adaptations of Cartoons Then vs. Now Battle Angel Alita The 1993 adaptation of the manga was very well received, and even James Cameron became a fan. In fact, he had wanted to make a live-action version for years, but instead ended up producing Robert Rodriguez' 2019 adaptation Alita: Battle Angel. It was... OK. Visually interesting, but that's it. CRACKED.COM

Wikipedia

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