Top 10 Weirdest Movies to Get Cartoon Adaptations
Whose bright idea was this? Welcome to WatchMojo and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the top 10 weirdest movies to get cartoon adaptations.
For this list, we’ll be going over movies that some deranged TV executives decided to turn into cartoons. We base our decisions both on how bizarre the end result is and on the oddness of the choice in film source.
#10: “Napoleon Dynamite” (2004)
A quirky, cult classic comedy film about the awkward teenaged titular character, “Napoleon Dynamite” is an acquired taste, but one that many people enjoy. Still, it’s rather surprising that this indie hit managed to get a cartoon adaptation on network TV. A crowd-funded sequel film or even a cartoon on Adult Swim? That, we could see. Unlike the majority of the movie to cartoon transitions on our list, this one managed to retain practically its entire original cast. Sadly, it wasn’t enough to keep the show on the air for more than a season, as its offbeat humor didn’t translate to high ratings.
#9: “Godzilla” (1998)
The 1998 “Godzilla” movie went over like a ton of fish with audiences and critics, so it’s pretty strange that the black sheep of the franchise managed to garner a cartoon based on it. Still, for as divisive as its source material is, “Godzilla: The Series” manages to be a pretty entertaining monster show. It follows a team of scientists and others who, along with Godzilla, defend the world from various threats. The paper thin characters from the film are given more room to develop and there’s some decent action. Plus, there’s a funny robot that gets blown up more often than Kenny from “South Park!”
#8: “The Mummy” franchise (1999-2008)
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“The Mummy” films released around and after the turn of the millennium proved popular with audiences, mixing the pulpy action with a familiar movie monster. Although this does seem like good fodder for a cartoon, albeit with fewer disturbing deaths, the resulting animated series does shift focus in an unexpected way. While the films primarily centered on Rick and Evy as the protagonists, the animated show instead featured their son Alex in more of a leading role, no doubt in an attempt to pander to kids. The whole family ends up fleeing the mummy, Imhotep, resulting in globe-trotting adventures which somehow seem a bit forced.
#7: “Police Academy” franchise (1984-94)
The “Police Academy” movies are a series of low-brow and often crude comedies that typified the humor of the lowest common denominator, at least during the 1980s. Although they gradually became more kid friendly as they went along, we can definitely think of some safer film choices to base a cartoon around. While the sophomoric humor translated well to the animated format, other cartoon clichés, such as the addition of talking police dogs, were uncomfortably squeezed in to cater to kids. Plus, like so many cartoons during the ‘80s, it also had a toy line - not that anyone particularly cared.
#6: “Beetlejuice” (1988)
This horror comedy film has a pretty dark sense of humor, with the occasional adult joke – you know, typical Tim Burton stuff. Still, “Beetlejuice” is one of his more macabre films, so it’s a little weird that a cartoon version was greenlit at all. Unlike the movie which bears his name, the show made the smart move of putting Beetlejuice front and center, focusing on his attempts to prank or con everyone he encounters, with the character’s signature zany, madcap humor translating well to the animated medium. We’re not sure why the show happened, but we’re kinda glad it did.
#5: “Back to the Future” franchise (1985-90)
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These classic sci-fi films about Doc Brown and Marty McFly and their time travel adventures wrapped up pretty neatly, though with the possibility for further adventures left open. Although the concept of a time travel cartoon with these characters isn’t that strange in concept, in execution, it’s pretty odd. Doc and Marty are often sidelined in favor of Doc’s kids, and the show never really lives up to its source material, often relying on forced catchphrases and not doing its protagonists justice. Still, the live action segments with Christopher Lloyd and Bill Nye, of all people, are pretty entertaining. So wait, is “Bill Nye the Science Guy” a spin-off of “Back to the Future?” Great Scott!
#4: “Dumb and Dumber” (1994)
Jim Carrey was the man in comedy films during the ‘90s, so it’s no surprise that animated shows were made featuring some of his iconic roles. Still, it’s pretty weird that so many of them were made at the same time! “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective” and “The Mask” track pretty well, considering the larger-than-life characters at the center of them, but “Dumb and Dumber” is arguably the biggest headscratcher among the group. Sure the movie’s juvenile humor made it a hit with kids and fans of toilet humor, but this short-lived show had us questioning the intelligence of whoever’s idea it was to include a purple talking beaver in the series.
#3: The View Askiewniverse (1994-)
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“Clerks” and its various sequels and interrelated films are pretty decidedly aimed at adults, what with the coarse language and the fact that several of its most recurring characters are drug dealers. This makes the decision to make an animated series based on the franchise, particularly on family friendly network ABC, pretty baffling. Granted some things are toned down, like Jay and Silent Bob selling illegal fireworks instead of weed, but the characters’ observational humor and pop culture references still shine through, and “Clerks: The Animated Series” is a cult classic that was cancelled too soon.
#2: “Rambo” franchise (1982-2019)
The “Rambo” franchise alternates between meditations on the horrors of war and what it does to a man, and the glorification of violence through over-the-top action sequences. Neither of these really scream “cartoon for kids” to us, but the ‘80s were a weird time. However, the decade was also all about military themed animated shows, so “Rambo” certainly was able to capitalize on the success of similar shows like “G.I. Joe,” but it’s still really jarring when you compare the source material to a cartoon made to sell toys (because of course it was).
Before we get to our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:
“Friday” franchise (1995-2002)
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“The Toxic Avenger” franchise (1984-89)
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“Evolution” (2001)
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“Attack of the Killer Tomatoes” franchise (1978-88)
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#1: “RoboCop” franchise (1987-2014)
“RoboCop” is one of the bloodiest, most violent films ever made, full of gore, death, and mutilation aplenty. So it’s pretty dang shocking that someone actually managed to convince someone to adapt the film into a cartoon. Sure, studio executives will buy pretty much anything for a dollar, but this one still has us floored, even if they of course toned down the violence to “acceptable” levels for kids. Even more surprising is the fact that another “RoboCop” animated series was made a decade later! Who says lightning never strikes twice?
