We’re going to be totally blunt here: most cartoon shows based off hit movies are terrible. A quick online search will return numerous examples of this dubious phenomenon, including poorly conceived animated outings from franchises like Star Wars, RoboCop, Planet of the Apes and more.
But not all cartoon series inspired by live-action films are a bust. On the contrary, a select few even live up to the high standard set by their source material – which is especially impressive when you remember that many have been retooled to appeal to a much younger audience! With this in mind, here’s a list of 10 Animated Spin-Offs As Good As The Movies They’re Based On.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Star Wars fans had been fantasizing about the Clone Wars ever since the legendary conflict was namechecked way back in 1977. However, we only get to witness the beginning and end of the Clone Wars in the prequel trilogy – and it fell to director Dave Filoni and his team to fill in the blanks on the small screen.
Inspired by the wildly popular Clone Wars 2D animated shorts, Star Wars: The Clone Wars got off to a rocky start. Indeed, audiences and critics alike responded negatively to Lucasfilm’s ill-advised decision to repackage the first few episodes as a less-than-stellar theatrical release.
However, those viewers who stuck with The Clone Wars were richly rewarded with an uncommonly sophisticated, surprisingly dark all-ages expansion of the saga’s mythos, which paved the way for equally well-received follow-up Star Wars Rebels.
The Real Ghostbusters
Ask anyone who grew up in the late 1980s/early 1990s about The Real Ghostbusters, and chances are they will have very fond memories of this cartoon continuation of the beloved comedy franchise. Despite its more junior target demographic, The Real Ghostbusters perfectly captured the general tone of the movies, and even did a decent job of referencing their continuity – which is rare for animated adaptations then and now.
Sure, the later seasons are a bit too kiddie-oriented (even for a program aimed at children), soft-pedalling the already-restrained spooky elements, while its Slimer-centric sister series is best avoided entirely. But in its prime, The Real Ghostbusters was a top-shelf effort that broadened Ghostbusters’ following – as evidenced by its toy line and tie-in comic book series!
Clerks: The Animated Series
When you think of films that would translate well to an animated TV show, Kevin Smith’s black and white indie comedy Clerks isn’t likely to be the first movie that springs to mind. Yet not only did Clerks: The Animated Series happen, it lived up to its critically acclaimed counterpart (and then some!).
Taking advantage of the growing market for “adults only” animation in the early 2000s, Clerks: The Animated Series retains the same raunchy, profanity-laden wit that made the film a surprise hit. At the same time, it also takes advantage of the possibilities provided by animation, weaving in surreal gags that would be near-impossible to pull off in a live-action joint, so it’s a real shame the show was cancelled after one season.
Beetlejuice
On the face of it, Beetlejuice isn’t in the same league as the comedy/horror flick it’s loosely based on. After all, the scares are virtually non-existent, the humor less risqué, and the overall vibe decidedly more mainstream. But what saves this animated series is that, unlike every other entry on this list – with the exception of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which had input from Star Wars creator George Lucas – Beetlejuice was developed by director Tim Burton himself.
This means that the above changes – along with other major alterations, like reworking the titular poltergeist as a loveable prankster rather than a malevolent pest – were overseen by Burton. As a result, Beetlejuice overcomes its watered-down nature by virtue of being unusually well-thought out, and the cartoon (particularly early in its run) stands out as one of the most delightfully inventive and offbeat kids’ programs of its day.
Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventures
A recurring theme between the animated series featured on this list is that they tend to go off the rails even quicker than regular TV shows – and Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventures is no exception. Things started out well enough; aside from the odd curse word or mature reference, the Bill & Tedmovies are almost tailor made for young audiences, so Hanna-Barbera and CBS didn’t need to tinker with the formula for the small screen. But best of all, Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter and George Carlin reprised their big screen roles, adding an extra layer of authenticity to proceedings.
But then Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventures jumped ship to Fox, and everything went terribly, terribly wrong. Sure, the scripts – which leaned into the fun (and educational value) of the franchise’s time travel mechanic – were still solid. But network executives demanded that Reeves, Winter and Carlin be replaced by the cast of its then-upcoming live-action adaptation (which, incidentally, flopped), and without its original stars, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventures soon fizzled out.
Jumanji: The Animated Series
Jumanji: The Animated Series serves as a great reminder that animated spin-offs don’t need to be 100% faithful to their source material to work. And make no mistake: the show deviates drastically from the continuity established in Jumanji in several respects. Indeed, Jumanji: The Animated Series’ basic premise – Alan Parrish is trapped within the eponymous boardgame’s fantasy jungle environment, and siblings Judy and Peter try to rescue him each week – flies in the face of the 1995 blockbuster’s ending.
Yet it’s thanks to these differences that the cartoon manages to live up to (and even outdo) its live-action progenitor, as they make it possible for the creative team to set the show largely inside Jumanji itself. The upshot of this is an increased emphasis on exploration and world-building – which is probably why Jumanji’s two theatrical sequels wound up going down a similar route when re-launching the property!
The Mask
We don’t think we’re saying anything controversial when we argue that The Mask owes more to Tex Avery’s Looney Tunes animated shorts than it does to the Dark Horse Comics series it’s based on. So really, when a tie-in cartoon dropped in 1995, it felt like a logical progression for the franchise – so much so that the Mask’s madcap antics actually seemed better suited to the medium.
Voice artist Rob Paulson deserves a shout-out for his performance in the lead role, as he – alongside the show’s talented team of artists – handles the unenviable task of standing in for comedy icon Jim Carrey about as well as anyone could. Duane Capizzi , the mastermind behind the adaptation, also deserves kudos for preserving as much of the film’s bawdy humor as possible – an episode was even pulled for being too rude for a show aimed at kids!
Men In Black: The Series
As much as we all love the Men in Black movies, a large part of their appeal can be attributed solely to Will Smith’s near-superhuman charisma. Strip that away, and all you’re left with is a clever premise and memorable visual effects, both of which are increasingly let down by shoddy screenwriting (seriously: did anyone really enjoy the sequels?).
And yet Smith’s absence is ironically the reason why Men in Black: The Series is such a satisfying animated spin-off. Without the mega-star to rely on, the creative team is forced to focus more on smart scripting, and over the course of MIB: The Series’ four season run, Agents K and J embark on some genuinely mind-bending missions that put much of what we see on the big screen to shame!
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective
The Ace Ventura flicks haven’t aged particularly well since arriving in theatres in the mid-90s – and they weren’t exactly masterpieces to begin with. As such, the animated spin-off Ace Venture: Pet Detective didn’t have a high bar to clear in terms of equalling what had come before it.
But credit where credit is due, the Ace Ventura cartoon does a decent job of aping the Jim Carrey comedy vehicles upon which it’s based, despite its younger target demographic. Otherwise, the main reason to revisit the series is to lay eyes on some of Seth MacFarlane’s earliest writing efforts – the Family Guy creator penned a handful of scripts while still a freelance scribe.
Star Wars Resistance
Much like Star Wars: The Clone Wars before it, Star Wars Resistance faced an uphill battle for acceptance early on…and depending on who you talk to, it’s a battle the show never fully won. After growing accustomed to the stylized CGI and more mature storytelling that characterized both Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels, older fans weren’t exactly thrilled with Resistance’s cel-shaded aesthetic and more simplistic plotting.
Still, the series – the first to be set during the Star Wars sequel trilogy – went on to garner positive reviews for its smart approach to all-ages fare and won over more than a few doubters along the way. Further bolstering the revised opinion of Resistance among hardcore devotees is the presence of actors Oscar Isaac and Gwendoline Christie, reprising the roles they originated on the big screen.
