In March, history was made when Avatar: The Last Airbender was adapted into a live-action reboot that was considered passable by fans. When a former live action version was so bad that it turned fans off the franchise altogether, we were worried about Netflix’s eight-episode attempt. There’s something so magical and innocent about Nickelodeon’s original Avatar: The Last Airbender and even its sequel, The Legend of Korra.
While Netflix’s version is still enjoyable, it doesn’t hold the same joy and wonder as the original series. With today’s technology, animated series that we never thought could be adapted into live action now have that capability (with big budgets and lots of CGI, of course). But just because they can be adapted doesn’t mean they should be. Sometimes, the original magic of a first go at a series is what makes it special. And there are plenty of animated series that should never be adapted into a live action version.
The Rugrats (1991 – 2004)
This might be kind of obvious, but if The Rugrats went live-action, it would just be creepy. Imagine CGI talking babies? That’s not something I ever want to picture. Tommy, Chuckie, Phil, Lil, Angelica, Suzie (and later Kimmy) have rapport and imaginations unlike any other show since. But a live-action version would require either aging the characters up from babies into kids, which eliminates some of the show’s innocence, or somehow making babies talk. Plus, because they often go on imaginary adventures to strange lands, The Rugrats in real life would require a pretty big budget and set design department.
The Magic School Bus (1994 – 1997)
Who else remembers learning about the biology because of Ms. Frizzle’s field trip inside a real human’s body? The Magic School Bus made impossible adventures a reality, such as time and space travel, all in the service of education. While rewatching it today is always a great time–Lily Tomlin was the voice of Ms. Frizzle so it was a pretty high-quality show–a live-action reboot would require quite a bit of effort for a pretty low pay-off. We doubt many adults would watch the series, and without the art of the animation, the adventures could lose some of their quirky creativity.
Adventure Time (2010 – 2018)
Adventure Time is already weird enough without adding in special effects and actual human bodies. Between its animation style playing its own role in the show and the nature of the ever-changing magical scenery, a live-action reboot would read more like an Ari Astor film and less like a kid-friendly dream world.
SpongeBob SquarePants (1999 – )
Yes, most of the cartoons on this list would just be plain odd if adapted into a live-action reboot, and SpongeBob SquarePants definitely deserves to be on that list. Funnily enough, it was adapted into a Broadway musical, which is about as live-action as it can get, and it was actually an incredibly moving, funny, and impressive musical. But as a live-action series? No way. One thing musicals and cartoons have in common is that they can and should be larger than life. But live-action series and films often need some sort of basis in reality and grounding. SpongeBob should never be grounded, and not just because it takes place under the sea. People dressed as the characters, like in the musical, would look tacky in a series, but CGI versions of the Spongebob characters would just be off-putting and unnatural, no matter how good it is.
BoJack Horseman (2014 – 2020)
We’re not just thinking about kids’ cartoons, which often lose their innocence in a live-action reboot. But adult cartoons, like BoJack Horseman, would lose something else if adapted into a live-action version. Much of the show is wrapped up in the art of the animation. Fantastical elements (such as animal characters and dream sequences) morph with realism to tell a story beyond a simple script and plot. BoJack Horseman uses the animation, along with the soundtrack, to elicit emotions of nostalgia, empathy, hopelessness, and more. If we brought some of those magical realism elements into live-action, I can’t help but worry that BoJack would lose its emotional heart, simply replacing that with the goofiness of a talking horse.
