Why don't more properties have animated spinoffs?

[Gotham Central]

The science fiction and fantasy genre does really well in animated form. However, other than Star Wars and comic books, few big properties really make use of the form.

For instance, Star Trek took only one stab at the effort and never tried again. It was fairly mediocre and done on the cheap.

Watching the animated remakes of the lost Doctor Who episodes shows how amazing and animated series could be if done properly.

Buffy was repeatedly rumored to get an animated spinoff but it never materialized.

Stargate did get an animated series…sort of, but it to was handled poorly.

There was an anime version of Supernatural, which was apparently well received…so why wasn't more done with it?

 

[The Wormhole]

In North America, animation is still mostly considered to be a children's medium, with the exception of sitcoms like Simpsons, Family Guy, South Park and their ilk.

My guess is there simply isn't any interest in creating a children-oriented show out of sci-fi franchises. Even the franchises which have animated spin-offs that are popular among the adult fanbase like Star Wars or the various comic books are made for a target audience of children. And when doing such a show, there's also the matter of making sure toys are released in tandem with the show in order to maximize the popularity of both. It is quite an ordeal when all things are considered.

Although, Bad Robot has been talking for years of doing an animated Star Trek series set in the Abramsverse, so there's at least something being considered.

 

[Christopher]

For instance, Star Trek took only one stab at the effort and never tried again. It was fairly mediocre and done on the cheap.

Actually, by the standards of 1970s television animation, it was pretty extraordinary. It was the first attempt to do an adult-oriented animated series in American Saturday morning programming, and was actually promoted as such. It was under Gene Roddenberry's creative control more fully than any live-action incarnation of the franchise ever was, and had an extraordinary number of TOS veterans and other "prime-time" writers doing the scripts, evidently because there was a writers' strike at the time which kept them from doing live-action work. And far from being "done on the cheap," its per-episode budget was $5-10,000 higher than the average for animated series at the time, due in part to the large cast. (Source: Creating the Filmation Generation by Lou Scheimer with Andy Mangels, pp. 96-98.) And in fact it's the only incarnation of Star Trek ever to win a non-technical Emmy Award.

What people today don't realize is that all TV animation in the '70s looked a lot cruder than it does today, because the techniques and technology have evolved so much since then. Star Trek: TAS looks clunky to us, but other shows from that era generally looked even worse. For 1973-4, it was pretty state-of-the-art.

Watching the animated remakes of the lost Doctor Who episodes shows how amazing and animated series could be if done properly.

I found that the animated reconstruction of "The Invasion" looked very similar to Filmation's work on shows like Star Trek.


There have been a number of animated adaptations of major films -- The Real Ghostbusters, Men in Black: The Series, Godzilla: The Series, you name it. Back in the '80s there was even a Rambo cartoon and a Police Academy cartoon, as inappropriate as those sound for kids' TV.

And of course whenever there's a Marvel or DC superhero movie, there tends to be an animated series developed to synergize with it. Even Batman: The Animated Series was to some extent a tie-in to the Tim Burton movies, at least when it started (which is why it had to use the Burton designs for Catwoman and Penguin). Perhaps the reason we don't see more direct animated adaptations of genre films is that so many genre films these days are themselves adaptations of comic books.

But it still happens sometimes. Last year we had Tron: Uprising, a prequel to Tron: Legacy, with several of the film's creators and cast members participating in the show (Bruce Boxleitner was a regular and Olivia Wilde had a guest appearance). And a lot of animated films have TV spinoffs, including several Dreamworks films such as Kung Fu Panda and How to Train Your Dragon.

 

[cylkoth]

The Ace Ventura Pet Detective animated series was far more inappropriate than the Police Academy spin off could ever be. I never saw the film until well after the toon had been on, and nearly had a stroke when some sexually explicit scenes came up. Of course, there were kids on the room, and I couldn't reach the remote fast enough.

A few other animated series based on popular films include, Teen Wolf, Back to the Future, The Mummy, and the 70s & 90s Godzilla.

 

[Christopher]

What I liked about the animated Rambo series (other than a voice cast with such stalwarts as Michael Ansara, Alan Oppenheimer, and James Avery) was that it was scored largely with Jerry Goldsmith's cues from the two Rambo movies then extant. The only reason I ever watched the movies is because I loved the music from the show and wanted to hear it in its original context.

The music was my favorite thing about the Police Academy cartoon too. It was one of John Debney's early credits, and it had a rather Ron Jones-y quality to it. (Although it was based heavily on the movies' main theme by Robert Folk.)


There have been two animated RoboCop series, the first of which was moderately faithful to the movie but toned down (they retconned Boddicker and his gang as having been arrested rather than killed), and the second of which was just bad and silly all around.

There were two seasons of the Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventures animated series, the first of which was by Hanna-Barbera and actually starred the movie cast, whereas the second was from DIC and starred the same cast as the live-action TV spinoff of the same name, which was shot earlier but didn't actually air until a year or two after the cartoon.

 

[Mr Light]

I remember loving a Back to the Future cartoon as a little kid.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

There have been a number of animated adaptations of major films -- The Real Ghostbusters, Men in Black: The Series, Godzilla: The Series, you name it. Back in the '80s there was even a Rambo cartoon and a Police Academy cartoon, as inappropriate as those sound for kids' TV.

And of course whenever there's a Marvel or DC superhero movie, there tends to be an animated series developed to synergize with it. Even Batman: The Animated Series was to some extent a tie-in to the Tim Burton movies, at least when it started (which is why it had to use the Burton designs for Catwoman and Penguin). Perhaps the reason we don't see more direct animated adaptations of genre films is that so many genre films these days are themselves adaptations of comic books.

Yeah, I was going to bring up the two sets of examples. Interestingly, there's a rumor that they want to make a Guardians of the Galaxy cartoon, so this could continue.

 

[Greylock Crescent]

Don't forget Transformers: Prime which takes its inspiration from the recent "live action" films.

 

[Lance]

What I liked about the animated Rambo series (other than a voice cast with such stalwarts as Michael Ansara, Alan Oppenheimer, and James Avery) was that it was scored largely with Jerry Goldsmith's cues from the two Rambo movies then extant. The only reason I ever watched the movies is because I loved the music from the show and wanted to hear it in its original context.

The music was my favorite thing about the Police Academy cartoon too. It was one of John Debney's early credits, and it had a rather Ron Jones-y quality to it. (Although it was based heavily on the movies' main theme by Robert Folk.)


There have been two animated RoboCop series, the first of which was moderately faithful to the movie but toned down (they retconned Boddicker and his gang as having been arrested rather than killed), and the second of which was just bad and silly all around.

There were two seasons of the Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventures animated series, the first of which was by Hanna-Barbera and actually starred the movie cast, whereas the second was from DIC and starred the same cast as the live-action TV spinoff of the same name, which was shot earlier but didn't actually air until a year or two after the cartoon.

I remember all of these from my childhood with fondness.

 

[Christopher]

What about live-action spinoffs/adaptations of animated properties? I guess there have been a lot of live-action movies adapting old cartoons, like The Flintstones, Scooby-Doo, Dudley Do-Right, George of the Jungle, etc, but they're generally remakes long after the fact rather than direct, near-contemporary spinoffs (although the live-action versions of Scooby-Doo might kind of count because there are still animated Scooby series in production).

Oh yes, there was Shyamalan's misguided The Last Airbender, but that was an adaptation of the show's first season, whereas I'm looking for for spinoffs/continuations.

There were two live-action Ben 10 movies, and the first was originally considered to be in continuity with the series canon (as I was personally told by the producers at a New York Comic-Con panel one year), although they must've changed their minds, since a later episode referred to it as an alternate timeline. Oh, and there have been two live-action TV movies based on The Fairly Oddparents, produced by the same people behind the cartoon and pretty authentic to it, though I'm not sure how "canonical" they are (not that the show bothers much with continuity).

And apparently there's a live-action sequel series to Code Lyoko, which is definitely the sort of thing I was looking for, an ongoing animated work spawning an ongoing live-action continuation. The characters are still CGI in the virtual world, looking the same as they did in those parts of the original series, but now the real-world stuff actually is real rather than 2D animation. (I'm disappointed that the English dub doesn't use the same voice actors as the English dub of the full-cartoon version.)

And according to TV Tropes, a ton of anime series have had live-action adaptations. I'm aware of the Space Battleship Yamato live-action movie from a few years ago. Plus some that have had American adaptations like Speed Racer. I remember seeing a couple of live-action films based on The Guyver, though I've never seen the original version.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

Might not fit the current landscape? Right now, there's a rather limited outlet for new animation, basically Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, Disney and occasionally The Hub or Fox/CW on the weekend. It seems that the shows being aired now have become increasingly unique in their visual design and really bear their creator's stamp.

It might be hard to get more traditional spinoff fare into such an environment. I think you probably have to get someone who really wants to run with such a property and has some flexibility in adapting it.

 

[The Borgified Corpse]

I'm very ambivalent about the Back to the Future cartoon series. The new voices for Marty & Doc weren't entirely convincing. Too many of the episodes focused too much on Jules & Vern. And sometimes they would do stupid stuff to tie into the weekly science lessons, like use a bunch of lemon batteries to power the Delorean.

But at the same time, you're Back to the Future. How could I ever stay mad at you!

Even Batman: The Animated Series was to some extent a tie-in to the Tim Burton movies, at least when it started (which is why it had to use the Burton designs for Catwoman and Penguin).

I don't really see that. The Tim Burton movies certainly fueled an interested in the property and opened the door for darker interpretations. But it didn't seem to me like Catwoman or the Penguin looked very much like their Batman Returns counterparts.

And according to TV Tropes, a ton of anime series have had live-action adaptations. I'm aware of the Space Battleship Yamato live-action movie from a few years ago. Plus some that have had American adaptations like Speed Racer. I remember seeing a couple of live-action films based on The Guyver, though I've never seen the original version.

I think I've recently seen some live action movies based on Blood: The Last Vampire & Death Note.

Have they done a Thor TV series? They totally need to do a Thor TV series. They've even got a ready made ensemble with Lady Sif & the Warriors Three. And make it a prequel to the movies so that Loki is still technically a good guy. I'd call the series: Thor & the Warriors of Asgard.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Penguin was definitely based on Batman Returns. He was small, hunchbacked, and had webbed hands.

 

[Christopher]

I'm very ambivalent about the Back to the Future cartoon series. The new voices for Marty & Doc weren't entirely convincing.

Marty was played by David Kaufman, who later played Jimmy Olsen in Superman: The Animated Series and the title character of Danny Phantom. He was recognizably not Michael J. Fox, but he had a very similar quality to his voice, so I could buy it.

Doc was doubled by Dan Castellaneta, aka Homer Simpson. It was a pretty decent impression, although I was disappointed that Christopher Lloyd, who participated in the live-action host segments, didn't do the voice work as well.

Still, though, in animated adaptations it's far more common to use replacement actors. Heck, Ernie Hudson auditioned for Winston in The Real Ghostbusters and was turned down! So rather than being disappointed when an animated show uses doubles, I'm impressed when it uses some of the original actors. The BTTF cartoon had Thomas F. Wilson (who's done a lot of animation since then, notably Gargoyles) and Mary Steenburgen, and that was awfully cool.

Too many of the episodes focused too much on Jules & Vern. And sometimes they would do stupid stuff to tie into the weekly science lessons, like use a bunch of lemon batteries to power the Delorean.

Well, it was a kids' show, so naturally it focused on the kids -- though I did find Vern rather annoying. And I can't fault the show for being educational -- and for being a stepping stone for Bill Nye's career as a science popularizer.

I thought the first season of the show was pretty good, but it lost its way and got more dumbed down in the second season -- the usual fate of Saturday morning network animated shows, alas.

I don't really see that. The Tim Burton movies certainly fueled an interested in the property and opened the door for darker interpretations. But it didn't seem to me like Catwoman or the Penguin looked very much like their Batman Returns counterparts.

Penguin very much did; he was given the same fat, distorted appearance and flipperlike hands, completely unlike the standard version of the character, who's just a short, long-nosed but otherwise fairly ordinary-looking guy in fancy dress. And Catwoman was required to be blonde like Michelle Pfeiffer; Catwoman has very rarely been portrayed as blonde in the comics. Note that when the producers revived the series a few years later, after the Burton films had run their course, they redesigned both Penguin and Catwoman to look more like their comics versions.

Have they done a Thor TV series? They totally need to do a Thor TV series. They've even got a ready made ensemble with Lady Sif & the Warriors Three. And make it a prequel to the movies so that Loki is still technically a good guy. I'd call the series: Thor & the Warriors of Asgard.

The 1966 Marvel Super Heroes series, which did crudely animated adaptations of comic stories, included Thor as one of its segments. They rotated between five different heroes on five days of the week, and they fittingly aired Thor's episodes on Thursdays.

But that's the only solo series he's ever had. There was apparently one announced in 2008, but it was never made. And of course the 1988 TV movie The Incredible Hulk Returns, with Eric Allan Kramer as Thor, was a backdoor pilot for a live-action Thor series that never got picked up. Other than that, he's been a regular on the past two Avengers cartoons and Super Hero Squad, and has made guest appearances on various other heroes' shows in the '80s and '90s. (In his '90s Fantastic Four and Incredible Hulk guest appearances, he was played by John Rhys-Davies!)

He has been featured in two direct-to-DVD animated movies, though, Hulk vs. Thor and Thor: Tales of Asgard.

 

[publiusr]

I'm very ambivalent about the Back to the Future cartoon series. The new voices for Marty & Doc weren't entirely convincing.

Marty was played by David Kaufman, who later played Jimmy Olsen in Superman: The Animated Series and the title character of Danny Phantom. He was recognizably not Michael J. Fox, but he had a very similar quality to his voice, so I could buy it.

Doc was doubled by Dan Castellaneta, aka Homer Simpson. It was a pretty decent impression.

Or you could watch Rick and Morty

 

[Shaka Zulu]

Have they done a Thor TV series? They totally need to do a Thor TV series. They've even got a ready made ensemble with Lady Sif & the Warriors Three. And make it a prequel to the movies so that Loki is still technically a good guy. I'd call the series: Thor & the Warriors of Asgard.

The 1966 Marvel Super Heroes series, which did crudely animated adaptations of comic stories, included Thor as one of its segments. They rotated between five different heroes on five days of the week, and they fittingly aired Thor's episodes on Thursdays.

But that's the only solo series he's ever had. There was apparently one announced in 2008, but it was never made. And of course the 1988 TV movie The Incredible Hulk Returns, with Eric Allan Kramer as Thor, was a backdoor pilot for a live-action Thor series that never got picked up. Other than that, he's been a regular on the past two Avengers cartoons and Super Hero Squad, and has made guest appearances on various other heroes' shows in the '80s and '90s. (In his '90s Fantastic Four and Incredible Hulk guest appearances, he was played by John Rhys-Davies!)

He has been featured in two direct-to-DVD animated movies, though, Hulk vs. Thor and Thor: Tales of Asgard.

There was also a Thor daughter, Torun, in the DTV DVD movie Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow. Here are some pictures of her:

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSxJlixPaXhIaK6_fXT0-QZci3Xf3HbTS4qC1x9Hr6ESpnw0OdT

I'd love to see a TV show based on this movie, just so that younger kids can get into Marvel better.