10 Unlikely Children’s Cartoons Based On Adult Movies

In theory, a television adaption of a popular film gives fans of the movie more of what they love. People who obsess over Silence of the Lambs will surely tune in each week for Hannibal (At least they should have). Now what if, instead of a prime-time drama, the story of Hannibal Lecter was animated and ran on Saturday mornings?

It might sound absurd, but there’s a history of movie studios taking what adults loved, smoothing off the sharp edges, and repackaging it for children. From successful spin-offs that helped launch franchises, to odd misses that became cult classics, these are children’s cartoons with surprisingly adult origins.

10 ‘The Real Ghostbusters’ (1986-1991)

Based On ‘Ghostbusters’ (1984)

Arguably the most successful cartoon spin-off of all time, The Real Ghostbusters continued the story of the smash hit 1984 comedy, Ghostbusters. While the main characters’ designs stray away from the likenesses of the actors in the film, the main focus of the cartoon remains on busting ghosts and how good it makes everyone feel. The animated series is also notable for featuring the voice talents of comedian Arsenio Hall as Winston Zeddemore and Full House veteran Dave Coulier as Dr. Peter Venkman for portions of the show’s run.

In hindsight, adapting Ghostbusters into a cartoon was a brilliant move–just ask anyone at Kenner Toys who couldn’t keep Ghostbusters action figures on the shelf. The adaptation seemed slightly curious, because the original film had a more adult edge, with no shortage of sexual jokes running at the center of the plot – Gatekeeper and Keymaster come to mind – that had an adult audience in mind. When the cartoon premiered, a younger demographic was invited to fall in love with the characters and most likely helped turn a single film into a franchise that’s still active.

9 ‘Beetlejuice: The Animated Series’ (1989-1991)

Based On ‘Beetlejuice’ (1988)

Never one to pass up a party, the ghost with the most appeared in the land of Saturday morning cartoons when Beetlejuice: The Animated Series launched on ABC in 1989. The series follows Beetlejuice (Stephen Ouimette) as he goes on adventures in the afterlife with his best pal, Lydia Deetz (Alyson Court). Tim Burton’s art style lent itself well to a half-hour cartoon, and the format was successful enough to produce 94 episodes.

While the Beetlejuice of the film was more of an antagonist – albeit an entertaining one – his role was altered to more of a good-natured trickster in the cartoon series. Along with Beetlejuice turning into a poltergeist version of Bugs Bunny, his relationship with Lydia was changed to that of best friends, with no more mentions of him trying to marry her. The new dynamic between Lydia and Beetlejuice was probably confusing for fans of the movie, but it ultimately was a smart move to give Beetlejuice a person to play off that could also serve as a relatable entry point for children.

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8 ‘Fast and Furious Spy Racers’ (2019-2021)

Based On ‘The Fast and Furious’ Franchise

Once again, it’s all about family in the Netflix animated series, Fast and Furious Spy Racers. The computer-animated cartoon followed young Tony Toretto (Tyler Posey), the cousin of Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel), as he tried to make a name for himself as a street racer. Before long, Tony and his friends are recruited to infiltrate a secret race that will lead to espionage, high-stakes racing, and the universal truth that there’s nothing more dangerous than a teenager behind the wheel.

Considering where The Fast and the Furious franchise has gone in recent years, a cartoon is actually a logical extension of the brand. However, when looking back at the roots of the series, when it was a lower-stakes film about Paul Walker as an undercover cop trying to find the culprits of a hijacking ring, a cartoon would have made less sense. All that said, Fast and Furious Spy Racers was a decent hit for Netflix, lasting 52 episodes spread out over 6 seasons.

7 ‘Dumb and Dumber’ (1995-1996)

Based On ‘Dumb and Dumber’ (1994)

Roughly a year after the Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels starring Dumb and Dumber was released in theaters, a cartoon adaption of the same name hit television. Dumb and Dumber: The Animated Series followed Lloyd (Matt Frewer) and Harry (Bill Fagerbakke) as they traveled around with their pet beaver. Each episode would be a new adventure for Harry and Lloyd, wisely opting out of a larger narrative to structure the season around.

While
The Mask
had a superhero conceit to work with, and
Ace Ventura
was essentially a cartoon in live-action form,


Dumb and Dumber



’s plot
didn’t have the same built-in appeal for children to be interested.

1995 saw 3 cartoon adaptions of Jim Carrey films, the other two being The Mask and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, both of which enjoyed moderate runs. While The Mask had a superhero conceit to work with, and Ace Ventura was essentially a cartoon in live-action form, Dumb and Dumber’s plot didn’t have the same built-in appeal for children to be interested in. Dumb and Dumber: The Animated Series was canceled after 13 episodes, with presumably the failure of the cartoon saving audiences from Liar Liar: The Animated Series or Me, Myself & Irene: The Anime.

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6 ‘The Cartoon Adventures of Teen Wolf’ (1986-1987)

Based On ‘Teen Wolf’ (1985)

After the success of the Michael J. Fox comedy, Teen Wolf, CBS aired the kid-friendly, The Cartoon Adventures of Teen Wolf the following year. The television adaption loosely rests aspects of the story from the film, exploring how teenager Scott Howard (Townsend Coleman) adjusts to his life as a werewolf. Episodes showed Scott struggling to control his wolf powers while trying to win the affection of the most popular girl in school, Pamela (Ellen Gerstell). The cartoon also expanded on Scott’s family, adding a little sister and grandparents who did not appear in the film.

“…the themes of fitting in as a teen, or wanting to date the popular girl at school
are concepts better suited for an older crowd.”

Teen Wolf wasn’t a violent film or filled with sexual humor – although it was there – but the themes of fitting in as a teen, or wanting to date the popular girl at school are concepts better suited for an older crowd. Children sitting down for Saturday morning cartoons were probably more familiar with Fox as Marty McFly in Back to the Future (which also received its own cartoon), but Teen Wolf was a more awkward fit. The cartoon does have its fans, but ultimately, The Cartoon Adventures of Teen Wolf was a miss and canceled after 21 episodes.

The Cartoon Adventures of Teen Wolf is currently not available for streaming in the U.S.

5 ‘Swamp Thing’ (1990-1991)

Based On ‘Swamp Thing’ (1982)

If there’s anything that children love above all else, it’s monsters that draw their power from the swamp. Adults listened and produced Swamp Thing, an animated adaption of the film and Vertigo/DC comic of the same name. Swamp Thing tells the story of Alec Holland (Len Carlson), a scientist who is tragically mutated in an accident caused by the evil Dr. Anton Arcane (Don Francks). Now bestowed with the powers of the swamp, Swamp Thing fights Dr. Arcane and his mutated henchmen from accomplishing their dastardly plans of securing the secret to immortality.

“… the overall look of the show may seem like they would be off-putting to children, but in context,

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe

and

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

were recent money-making machines…”

The Swamp Thing comic book with its dark science fiction/horror tone was not a property traditionally aimed at children. The same can be said for the 1982 film version of Swamp Thing which was directed by horror legend Wes Craven. The monstrous creatures and the overall look of the show may seem like they would be off-putting to children, but in context, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were recent money-making machines, and the conclusion could be mistakenly drawn that Swamp Thing was more of the same. The gamble didn’t pay off, because Swamp Thing only ran 5 episodes before it was canceled.

Swamp Thing is currently not available for streaming in the U.S.

4 ‘Toxic Crusaders’ (1991-1993)

Based On ‘The Toxic Avenger’ (1984)

Troma Entertainment, the studio behind classic films such as Nymphoid Barbarian in Dinosaur Hell and Pterodactyl Woman from Beverly Hills, did the most unlikely thing: they produced a cartoon for children. In 1991, Toxic Crusaders was released, a children’s adaptation of the R-rated The Toxic Avenger. The cartoon was about a nerdy janitor named Melvin who, during the fallout of a prank, falls into a barrel of toxic waste. The chemicals disfigure Melvin but also give him superhuman size and strength, turning him into Toxie (Rodger Bumpass).

The film The Toxic Avenger is a graphically violent film in no way intended for children, but once again, the runaway success of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles made the idea of softening Toxie to a younger audience look profitable. Chuck Lorre, co-creator of The Big Bang Theory, wrote the first episode of Toxic Crusaders after previously writing the theme song for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Toxic Crusaders only lasted 13 episodes, but the cartoon has established a cult following over the years.

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3 ‘Attack of the Killer Tomatoes’ (1990-1991)

Based On ‘Attack of the Killer Tomatoes’ (1978)

It’s going to be even harder for kids to eat their vegetables after watching Attack of the Killer Tomatoes. In 1990, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, a sequel series to the Attack of the Killer Tomatoes parody films, debuted on Fox Kids. The series followed young teen Chad Finletter (Christian Guzek) and his half-tomato half-human friend Tara Boumdeay (Kath Soucie), as they try to spoil the plans of evil Dr. Putrid T. Gangreen. Not an outright failure, but not quite reaching the status of a hit, the show ran for 21 episodes over 2 seasons.

The original films were meant as comedies, so this wasn’t the case of trying to adapt a horror film into children’s fare, but there was a significant amount of adult humor that would need pruning. It’s likely the animated series Attack of the Killer Tomatoeswouldn’t exist at all if not for footage from the original film being used in a top-rated Muppet Babies episode. Renewed interest led to the creation of a second film, and before too much longer, the cartoon series. Attack of the Killer Tomatoes is also notable for being one of the first to use computer animation for their episodes.

Attack of the Killer Tomatoes is currently not available for streaming in the U.S.

2 ‘RoboCop: The Animated Series’ (1988)

Based On ‘RoboCop’ (1987)

Part man, part machine, and full-time children’s entertainer, RoboCop: The Animated Series was an animated series based on the Paul Verhoeven film of the same name. The cartoon would run similarly to the film, with Old Detroit police officer Alex Murphy (Robert Bockstael) mortally wounded in the line of duty and being rebuilt into RoboCop. Alongside his partner, Officer Anne Lewis (Susan Roman), RoboCop fights street crime while struggling to hold on to what little of humanity he has left.

“…but the themes touched on in the cartoon, such as the shortcomings of relying too heavily on technology, would be too advanced for the Saturday morning crowd.”

The original RoboCop film included intense scenes of violence, so it was highly unlikely children were familiar with the product, but the animated adaptation appeared to have an older audience in mind. Guns with live rounds were replaced with guns that shot lasers, but the themes touched on in the cartoon, such as the shortcomings of relying too heavily on technology, would be too advanced for the Saturday morning crowd. While the film franchise is still remembered fondly by its fans, the cartoon has received less love with only 12 episodes to reference.

RoboCop: The Animated Series is currently not available for streaming in the U.S.

1 ‘Rambo: The Force of Freedom’ (1986)

Based On ‘First Blood’ (1982)

First Blood, starring Sylvester Stallone, was an action drama about a Vietnam veteran who, after being abused by the local authorities, wages a one-man war for survival and dignity. Rambo: The Force of Freedom is the cartoon adaptation that follows John Rambo as he leads a team of special operatives known as the “Force of Freedom” to battle the evil organization of S.A.V.A.G.E. If you’re looking for the connective tissue between the two, it’s just the name John Rambo.

The cartoon managed to emulate the animated series GI Joe more than it did the Stallone films it was based on. GI Joe was white-hot in the mid-80s and capturing even a fragment of that audience would lead to hopefully sizable toy sales. One would assume a cartoon for children based on the post-traumatic stress of a Vietnam soldier who felt abandoned and abused would sink into obscurity, but the show managed to produce 65 episodes before the story of Rambo continued on the big screen.

Rambo: The Force of Freedom is currently not available for streaming in the U.S.

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