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The Ten Worst Live-Action Movies Based on Cartoons

By Dustin Rowles | Posted Under Seriously Random Lists | Comments (71)

aaron_carter10.jpg

Earlier today, TK announced that there would be another reboot of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise, returning it back to the live-action state that made the first 1990 movie a fairly sizable hit. Inspired by that, I took a gander back at all the live-action movies based on cartoons (not comic books, just cartoons) and came to this simple realization: Live-action movies based on cartoons are a terrible idea. How bad, historically, are live-action movies based on cartoons? Michael Bay’s Transformers is not only the best, but The Wachowski Brothers’ Speed Racer doesn’t even crack the top 10. You’ll know why when you see this list. It’s impossible to rank them, in fact. The entire top ten is tied for worst.

10. Popeye

9. George of the Jungle

8. Dudley Doo-Right

7. Fat Albert

6. Dennis the Menace

5. The Flintstones and The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas

4. Scooby Doo and Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed

3. Garfield and Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties

2. Inspector Gadget

1. The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle







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Comments

Surprisingly enough, the worst cartoon movies based on live actions TV shows list is signifigantly shorter.

Posted by: Kamikaze Feminist at April 23, 2009 4:20 PM

Garfield never happened.

Garfield never happened.

Garfield never happened.

Garfield never happened.

Garfield never happened.

Garfield never happened.

Garfield never happened.


Oh, Bill Murray... Is it me? Is it my fault? Why would you do such a thing?

Posted by: TK at April 23, 2009 4:20 PM

Awww.... I liked George of the Jungle!
Mind you, that could have had something to do with Brendan Fraser's ridonkulously-honed body..
No, wait. I also thought it was funny, in a simple-minded way.

Posted by: Tarn at April 23, 2009 4:24 PM

No disagreement on George of the Jungle, but that clip is from the sequel. The sad, pathetic reason I know that is that Brendan Fraser and Leslie Mann (!!) were the leads in the original, not Anonymous McNoName shown here. But how awesome that simpering Julie Benz was in this dreck! She truly has zero talent, beyond the obvious.

Posted by: socalledonlycousins at April 23, 2009 4:24 PM

No mention for the Gadget sequel with squinty face French Stewart in the title role?

Posted by: Popcultureboy at April 23, 2009 4:28 PM

My problem is that every time I see or hear Bill Murray, I start to sing in my mind. It's either the CIT song from Meatballs or the lounge singer version of Star Wars. It makes Garfield all better. Really. I know. My kids love those damn movies. Fortunately, we also have many of the Garfield and Friends DVDs and, someday, they will discern the difference. We are known to break in to "Get ready to party, get ready. I hope you bring lots of spaghetti" for no apparent reason. People don't travel with us any more.

Posted by: slower lower at April 23, 2009 4:29 PM

Don't you dare disparage Popeye. That movie is a classic!

Posted by: Snath at April 23, 2009 4:35 PM

Holy hell, I saw a bunch of these. I can safely say that these films are so bad, in comparison, Transformers deserved an Oscar sweep. Here are the abominations I watched, I suspect my parents saw them too, poor souls:

Rocky and Bulwinkle
Both Scooby Doo's
Garfield the Movie
George of the Jungle (Yes, I did get called George of the Jungle in 1st grade, by a kid named Forrest)

Posted by: George at April 23, 2009 4:35 PM

Have you actually seen Popeye, or are you basing this on its reputation? It's a disappointment, to be sure, but it has lots of goody in it -- not the least of which is Shelley Duvall's spot-on Olive Oyl and a great cast of acrobats, mimes and physical comics. A noble failure, far better than the others on this list.

Posted by: Ned at April 23, 2009 4:35 PM

Holy hell, I saw a bunch of these. I can safely say that these films are so bad, in comparison, Transformers deserved an Oscar sweep. Here are the abominations I watched, I suspect my parents saw them too, poor souls:

Rocky and Bulwinkle
Both Scooby Doo's
Garfield the Movie
George of the Jungle (Yes, I did get called George of the Jungle in 1st grade, by a kid named Forrest)

Posted by: George at April 23, 2009 4:36 PM

Is that Aaron "That shithead from The Backstreat Boys actually has a less talented younger brother" Carter in that picture of Fat Albert?

The late 90's and early 00's may well have been the low point of our artistic culture.

Posted by: George at April 23, 2009 4:39 PM

Don't you dare disparage Popeye.

Damn right.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PwsDb6K6S0

Posted by: Jay at April 23, 2009 4:43 PM

The saddest part is the sheer amount of quality actors who have sullied their names with these abortions:

Academy Award Winner Robert De Nero
Academy Award Winner Whoopi Goldberg
Academy Award Winner Robin Williams
Academy Award Winner Elizabeth Taylor
Academy Award Nominee Bill Murray
John "Big Lebowski's Walter" Goodman
Sarah Michelle Geller (Okay, Geller's a shitty actress, but she's still Buffy)

Posted by: George at April 23, 2009 4:53 PM

I thought the first George of the Jungle was...well, kind of adorable and dorky. It's one of my secret loves. Plus, Brendan Fraser looked ridiculously hot all tanned and muscley and WEARING NOTHING BUT A LOINCLOTH. So, three pluses right there. Never saw the second one, thank God.

"Bad guy falls in poop. Classical element of physical comedy. Now comes the part where we all throw our heads back and laugh. HAHAHAHA!"

And I think Fat Albert wins. Just one look at that photo up there makes me want to punch him in the face.

Posted by: figgy at April 23, 2009 4:53 PM

Aw, I love Dennis the Menace!

Posted by: Kolby at April 23, 2009 4:54 PM

You (or your children) will someday eat your disparaging words about Speed Racer.

Posted by: ed newman at April 23, 2009 4:55 PM

Geller's a shitty actress, but she's still Buffy

Why's there a "but"?


Hee hee....hee.

Posted by: Jay at April 23, 2009 4:56 PM

Alvin and the Chipmunks. Not saying it should have made it on, but that also is a measure of the suckitude of this list.

Two of these movies grossed over $100mil, and only one grossed under $25mil.

Posted by: branded at April 23, 2009 5:02 PM

You forgot Alvin and the Chipmunks. The preview for that burned my soul. I couldn’t bring myself to watch over an hour of that atrocity.

Posted by: Morgagod at April 23, 2009 5:02 PM

I had to be dragged kicking and screaming to George of the Jungle, and I (sob) really kinda liked it.

Bullwinkle on the other had was horrible. They seemed to forget that their audience was 50 year business men. Seriously. When the TV show first came out, they advertised toys on it, and after the Nielson research came back, they realized they need to be advertising cars and insurance and lawn mowers.

Posted by: BWeaves (from a different IP address) at April 23, 2009 5:08 PM

No Ninja Turtles?

Posted by: Dave Shepherd at April 23, 2009 5:09 PM

Aaaaw the Dennis the Menace movie was great!!! I laughed! I cried!! When I got older I 'aaaaaaaaawed' at that little cross eyed kid(when younger....i laughed)


It doesn't deserve to be on this list, not when you forgot Alvin and the Chipmunks and ...probably others. But Dennis the Menace wasn't bad. Specially given that the american cartoon was originally based on a british comic, thus invalidating it on this list which you yourself defined as being movies based on cartoons.

haHAAA!!!! You want to talk geekery?! I'LL SHOW YOU GEEKERY!!!! I SPENT THE WEEKEND EXPLAINING THHE ENTIRE DISCWORLD UNIVERSE TO MY BF AS WELL AS SLIPPING HIM A POTENT SHOT OF GAIMAN, THEN THIS MORNING DISCUSSED STAR TREK WITH MY DAD!!! QUEEN GEEK MUTHA FUCKASS!!!

Ahem

Posted by: Nadine at April 23, 2009 5:11 PM

Apparently, you've never seen The Garbage Pail Kids Movie (1987), 'cause brother, that movie makes everything else on this list shine with the dazzling light of a thousand sunshiny, smiling suns. That movie fucking sucked. Not cool in a kitschy way, not cool in any hipster way, not good for hangovers, morphine-induced couch-comas, arousal, shot-putting, gag gifts, etc... It is a truly, truly shitty movie. Even if you loved collecting the cards, this movie sucks pickled taint.

Guh...

Posted by: Skitz at April 23, 2009 5:13 PM

Skitz!!!! BLASPHEMY!!!!!

My older brother and older sister ADORED that film, we used to quote it verbatim!!! UGLY!!!I'LL SHOW YA UGLY!!!*Insert exaggerated fart noise*

Posted by: Nadine at April 23, 2009 5:15 PM

Obviously the Garfield clip will only be a Rick Roll since Garfield movies don't exist.

I saw Speed Racer a few weeks ago and, dammit, liked it.

Posted by: jM at April 23, 2009 5:22 PM

I LOOOOOOOoooOOOOoooOOoOOOoooOOOoooOOooOoOve Dennis The Menace. And the octopus in Popeye made me afraid of swimming in the deep end of our pool.

Posted by: Sofía's Identical Hand Twin at April 23, 2009 5:38 PM

Oh Skitz, I love you, I adore you, I want to have your children!

The Garbage Pail Kids Movie sucked so hard; even as a dumbass 12 year old I was horrified by it.

But I loved George of the Jungle. It was so darn sweet and adorable and that scene where he's running around after the horses and all the women are sighing... I was sighing right along with them.

Posted by: Kelly at April 23, 2009 5:38 PM

Kelly, I swear to God I was about to mention that specific scene of George of the Jungle.

Brendan in that white shirt and in slo-mo...... drooooooool

Posted by: Sofía's Identical Hand Twin at April 23, 2009 5:43 PM

I know right!? It's the best scene in the whole damn movie.

My best friend and I went to the theatre to see George of the Jungle. There we were, in our mid-twenties, surrounded by a sea of small children and trying to wipe the drool running down our chins before we frightened the wee ones.

We mostly succeeded.

Posted by: Kelly at April 23, 2009 5:47 PM

Whenever it was on TV I'd wait for that scene and turn it off afterwards.

Just kidding. I watched it till the end. When he was shirtless again.

Posted by: Sofía's Identical Hand Twin at April 23, 2009 5:49 PM

The funniest part is that De Niro was in the middle of the Rocky & Bullwinkle shoot with that ridiculous Fearless Leader haircut when he presented that honorary Oscar to Elia Kazan.

Posted by: DarthCorleone at April 23, 2009 5:50 PM

Add me to the list of those that LOVE Popeye. The sets! The singing! I will gladly pay you tuesday for a hamburger today!

Posted by: HB at April 23, 2009 5:54 PM

I just had the chilling vision of Amanda Bynes playing Marge Simpson in the inevitable live action re-do ten or so years from now. Or would she be considered too old?

Posted by: Andrew at April 23, 2009 5:55 PM

Coprophagy: Good ole kid humor?

Posted by: Recondite at April 23, 2009 5:57 PM

Oh God, I've seen way too many of these. WAY WAY WAY WAAAAAAAAAAY too many of these.

Posted by: Jeremy Feist at April 23, 2009 6:58 PM

"What is it with chicks and horses?"

But noo, the best scene in George of the Jungle is when he comes out of the shower and HE IS COMPLETELY NAKED AND WET and the girls are all :O and heehee, I think I've loved Leslie Mann since then.

Hot damn: http://cindyjacks.com/images/brendanfraser.jpg

Posted by: figgy at April 23, 2009 7:14 PM

Why's there a "but"?

Jay, I swear to godtopus that one day I am going to kidnap you, tie you to a chair, tape your eyes open, and force you to watch all seven seasons of Buffy. And possibly at least four of Angel (I might not subject you to the utterly superfluous mess that was Connor. Torture has its limits.)

And possibly have my way with you. That's still up in the air.

Posted by: lizzieborden at April 23, 2009 7:23 PM

Please tell me I'm not the only one who thinks Dudley Do-Right is ridiculously underrated. I loved it as a kid, and I recently caught it again on a random channel and it was surprisingly funny. I could have been viewing it through nostalgia tinted lenses, but I was giggling throughout.

Posted by: Pilot at April 23, 2009 7:29 PM

Oh God. I couldn't even watch any of those.

Posted by: Odnon at April 23, 2009 7:31 PM

Thanks, Dustin. Now I have to rip my eyes out and nail them to my scrotum. I HAD suppressed these, but noooo you had to bring them back out of th vault and ruin my life ONCE AGAIN.

Seriously, if anyone ever makes me watch another live action rendition of a cartoon again I'm gonna... well, nail my eyes to my scrote.

Posted by: Hellajet at April 23, 2009 8:32 PM

Brendan Fraser was so adorable before he fucked up his hairline.

Posted by: stardust savant at April 23, 2009 8:33 PM

lizzieborden, I am totally down with giving you a hand on that. I'm really good with the duct tape. Also, I already have all the DVDs.

Posted by: Anna von Beaverplatz at April 23, 2009 9:02 PM

Oh! and I forgot. I liked Popeye too. It was just a dumb thing to base a movie on, really. But Shelley Duvall was awesome.And the singing.

Posted by: Anna von Beaverplatz at April 23, 2009 9:04 PM

I never watched Popeye. My dad tried to get me to watch it once as a kid, but he freaked me the fuck out (Popeye, not my dad) and I just couldn't do it. Never gotten over that.

Posted by: figgy at April 23, 2009 9:16 PM

I heart Shelley Duvall. After Fairy Tale Theater, the woman can do no wrong. And she really was dead perfect for Olive Oyl. Not that I've ever seen Popeye, actually.

Excellent, Avb. Could you bring seasons 1-3 and 5 of Angel with you? (Really, I kinda prefer to pretend that season 4 never happened. All that vigorous shark jumping and demon-birthing and Connor.) I've got all of Buffy already. As well as Firefly and Serenity.

Oh, and the booze and snacks of your choice. Preferrably things Jay refuses to try so we can force-feed those to him as well.

Posted by: lizzieborden at April 23, 2009 9:39 PM

George of the Jungle gets a pass for this one moment:

Narrator: And so, onward and upward the tired trekkers trudged... on feverish footsies over perilous paths. When they finally beheld the mighty Ape Mountain, they reacted with awe.
Everybody: Aww.
Narrator: I said "awe." A-W-E.
Everybody: Ooh!
Narrator: That's better.

Posted by: Blair at April 23, 2009 10:08 PM

Hey, I ate a few capers today! And they were boring!

Well, okay, I hadn't been refusing them previously. Just hadn't encountered.

Posted by: Jay at April 23, 2009 10:13 PM

Popeye should get a pass for having been directed by the incredible Robert Altman. Even if it was subpar in comparison to not only his own work, but also every other movie that came out that decade.

Posted by: William B Roy at April 23, 2009 10:18 PM

Haaaaaaa! yes, Blair! That movie's full of funny little lines like that. I thought it had a pretty clever screenplay.

Meanwhile, at a very expensive waterfall set...

Posted by: figgy at April 23, 2009 10:26 PM

Popeye is a classic! Any movie aimed at a young audience that has a song and dance number set in a racetrack/whorehouse is a winner. Duvall and Williams were perfect for those parts. I read somewhere that the set for Sweet haven for the film is still being maintained where it was filmed (Somewhere in Greece or Cypress) Supposedly it's a pretty popular tourist attraction.

Posted by: EJ at April 23, 2009 10:30 PM

George of the Jungle doesn't deserve to be on this list - it's honestly pretty funny in a pleasant, fmaily-friendly sort of way. It's not brilliant Pixar-level entertainment or anything, but it's not an antagonistic waste of your time either; at the end you sit back, say "well, that wasn't bad," and you are fine.

(The sequel is dogshit of the lowest calibre, though.)

Far better options for "worst cartoon movie" that deserve its place:

Transformers (it's crap. Deal with it)
Thunderbirds (puppets count for cartoons!)
Casper (ugh ugh UGH)
Richie Rich (Macaulay Culkin! Nuff said)
Bratz (AGGGGH STOP THE PAIN)
Mr. Magoo (Leslie Neilsen in his unfortunate dotage)
Aeon Flux (unwatchable)

...and above all, Alvin and the Chipmunks, which is so noxious David Cross actually apologized for being in it after initially refusing to apologize for being in it.

Posted by: mightygodking at April 23, 2009 10:54 PM

Seriously, remove George of the Jungle from this list post haste.

Garfield, on the other hand... Jesus. I still can't believe I actually had to watch that crap.

Posted by: SaBrina at April 23, 2009 11:28 PM

Ha, I just remembered that I watched Garfield...at a drive-in in Lancaster, Ohio of all places. A Honduran at a drive-in in Ohio. Good story. Horrible movie.

Posted by: figgy at April 23, 2009 11:30 PM

I've seen none of these and so even at my advanced age and average level of inebriation I have more brain cells left than the rest of you HAH!

Posted by: , (the commenter formerly known as bucdaddy) at April 23, 2009 11:53 PM

Jay that was the weirdest non sequitur ever. Have you been watching Buffy already? What has it done to you?

Posted by: general rhubarb at April 24, 2009 3:39 AM

With all the love it's getting in this thread, I'd say replace George of the Jungle on the list with Carey's Grinch, or Myers' Cat in the Hat.

Posted by: Rykker at April 24, 2009 3:42 AM

Yeah..I'll be honest, I too love Popeye, George of the Jungle and Dudley Do-Right(the angry italian 'indian's in Dudley slayed me)

I want to watch these movies again so I do

And also yes, Brendan and the white flowing shirt and the hair and that whole thing may have possibly given me certain ......urges

Posted by: Nadine at April 24, 2009 3:46 AM

I caught a bit of "Rocky and Bullwinkle" on TV a few weeks ago, and it rightly deserves to be number one on that list.

Posted by: UncivilizedMike at April 24, 2009 4:41 AM

Oh! No, it's just out of context. There's been an argument raging over whether capers are delicious or horrid, so I finally ate a few and felt both unimpressed and undisgusted. I threw the rest away. Perhaps I'd have the same reaction to Buffy. For now it's more a staunch refusal.

Posted by: Jay at April 24, 2009 8:58 AM

This will probably cost me my spot at the 17th annual Pajiba Dinner Dance and Shuffleboard Tournament, but...I liked Inspector Gadget and Rocky and Bullwinkle. Both were just silly, fun humor; and Gadget is one of the last times I remember Andy Dick being anything remotely close to funny. As for Rocky and Bullwinkle...I loved the cartoon, I liked that everyone could kick back and just lampoon themsleves, and I just had fun.

I'm surprised Space Jam isn't on this list. C'MON LOLA FREAKIN' BUNNY! (At least Looney Tunes Back in Action isn't up there. THAT was a funny movie.)

Posted by: Doctor Controversy at April 24, 2009 10:13 AM

Aw, Popeye is the first movie my dad ever took me to see, as a reward for good grades in elementary school. For that reason alone, I will never speak against it.

I have seen NONE of the others. At least with the Flintstones it seemed like they tried. But Kyle McLachlan was in that? Really? Oh, Kyle. You were FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper. But now you're nothing to me. NOTHING.

Posted by: DeadBessie at April 24, 2009 11:01 AM

George of the Jungle 1 was a solid kids' movie with just enough entertainment for adults mixed in. I never saw the sequel, but I'm sure it sucks.

Posted by: Lucas at April 24, 2009 12:56 PM

Figgy,

How the fuck did you end up in Lancaster, OH? Even by Southeast Ohio standards, that place blows. (Though it is the location of the closest Target store to me. I have to get out of Athens).

Posted by: Tammy at April 24, 2009 1:02 PM

George of the Jungle is a guilty pleasure, cheesy and forgettable enough to be cute.

I liked The Flintstones, too. Damnit; it was the costumes, ok?

I read somewhere that Inspector Gadget was considered one of the worst movies of the decade. Shame on you, Ferris.

I can't hate Dennis the Menace, only because I love Walter Matthau and Mason Gamble (Dennis) was so cute. I actually went to high school with him and besides being nice, he turned out to be pretty hot. I'm just saying.

Posted by: Brie at April 24, 2009 1:16 PM

Tammy,

U.S. 50 to West by-God.

We'll keep the still on for you.

Posted by: , (the commenter formerly known as bucdaddy) at April 25, 2009 2:37 AM

This is a surprisingly accurate and depressing list.


Dear God.

Seriously, we're better off making movies out of Bazooka Joe comic strips.

Posted by: karstark at April 25, 2009 8:31 AM

The Popeye film set is still maintained and a tourist attraction. Popeye was shot in Malta (where I'm from) so I like to think it's pretty good since very few movies are shot here. I've never actually watched the movie but now I've got an inkling to do so.

I remember liking Dennis The Menace when I was young and although I haven't watched it as an adult I have a feeling it doesn't deserve to be on this list. I think I also watched the Flinstones movie at some point but don't remember it. The rest probably fully deserve to be on this list.

Posted by: barf at April 25, 2009 4:30 PM

George of the Jungle?! POPEYE?!?!
DENNIS THE "CHRISTOPHER LLOYD AS A NUTJOB" MENACE?!?!!

My good sir, take those classics off this list at ONCE!!!

The others can stay I guess.

Posted by: Bob of Mars at April 26, 2009 7:24 AM

Robin Williams was the bomb in Popeye, yo. snoogins

Posted by: Jack Random at April 27, 2009 6:24 PM

"DENNIS THE "CHRISTOPHER LLOYD AS A NUTJOB" MENACE?!?!!"

Isn't that just about every Christopher Lloyd role (except for Back to the Future, and even there he's "eccentric").

And nthing the love for George of the Jungle. I never liked the cartoon, but I thought the movie was hilarious (I was in my mid-teens at the time, but I don't think my opinion would change if I saw it again). It was cleverly self-aware, which is what made it not just another dumb kids movie. "Thor, were you fighting with the narrator?"

Posted by: Jurgan at April 29, 2009 2:58 PM

Posted by: elisamaza at April 30, 2009 1:11 AM


















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