Live action cartoons CoD/SaD

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Seen in the window of one of the film distributors in Soho a poster for a live action Version of 'Josie and the Pussycats'. This strikes me as considerable barrel scraping by some studio given that the original Hanna Barbera cartoon was considerable barrel scraping featuring characters moonlighting from other HB cartoons (Fred, the dumb arsed frat boy, from scooby doo as Alan, the dumb arsed roadie)

So any live action cartoon movies you've liked or would like to see and who would you like in them.

I'd like The perils of Penelope pitstop with a resurrected liberace as the hooded claw.

― Ed, Friday, 6 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Careful Ed - I have been led to believe that some of the folks round here are rather partial to the Josie And The Pussycats movie.

― Pete, Friday, 6 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Altman's popeye = only good movie altman (and robin williams) ever made

― mark s, Friday, 6 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Josie and the Pussycats edned up being a fairly hilarious pisstake on pop culture and the commoditization of society, actually. Plus, you get to see Seth Green blow up and Carson Daly in the part he was born to play (once you see the movie, you'll understand).

― Dan Perry, Friday, 6 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Hmm, Popeye being Altman's only good movie. A wee bit controversial that one - though I admit it is fun in a scary kind of way. No disagreements on the merits of Robin Williams career though. I think Nashville had its moments....

There was a much rumoured live action version of Mr Benn (no - not Tony) a while back to whom Mel Gibson was linked. There is silly season and there is ridiculous season in the UK Press. Alexei Sayle would play a wicked shopkeeper though. Or Omar Djalli.

― Pete, Friday, 6 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

My freind is way into anime and always insists its better than any live action movie could ever be. But these days its hard to tell what movies are live action and which are CGi imaging. Like "Final Fantasy". I liked when on SNL there were live action Scooby Doo characters.

― Mike Hanle y, Friday, 6 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Being serious (a bit): I think animation>>live action offers fantastic filmic opportunities rarely taken. Hence the (alleged) grateness of Josie, or the X-Men. Aki Kaurismaki's Noggin the Nog: I'd pay to see that. The remake of the first (terrifying) series of Pogle's Wood, where Pippin was kidnapped by a witch (David Jason and Judy Dench as the Pogles, Jude Law as Pippin, Tamzin Outhewaite as the witch). Baz Luhrman's The Magic Roundabout. Gregg Araki's Roobarb and Custard. Scorsese's Henry's Cat.

― mark s, Friday, 6 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Ah but who'd play Chris Rabbit, eh?

― Ed, Friday, 6 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

It's a De Niro/Keitel thing, surely?

― mark s, Friday, 6 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Batman -- the first one. I mean THE REALLY OLD ONE. And the one done by Tim Burton is OK too.

Josie has Rachael Leigh Cook. Nuff sed. I wish her well.

Destroy -- Both Flintstones (Sheesh...) Popeye.

― JM, Friday, 6 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

The whole principle of live action cartoons (as opposed to comic book adaptations, which I'm not in the mood to get into for whatever reason) is so utterly flawed, though. Haven't seen _Josie_ (big surprise), so I won't comment on its quality, but I think the fact that Dan pointed out its virtues were based on an ironic rereading of the core material is interesting. Can there ever in fact be a *straight* adaptation of a cartoon or is the fact that it's now 'real' mean that it has to be transformed beyond whatever it originally was?

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 6 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

1: Can there ever in fact be a *straight* adaptation of a [insert rival media here]?
2: Any adaptation is a [wankword alert] critique, whether or not it means to be...
3: (Great phrase my sister once put in a lecture about media: "from the World Wide Web to the potato print")
4: Brilliant idea I just had, in ref 2. Film adaptations of LPs!! OK Computer the Movie!! New Picnic Time the soap opera!!!!

― mark s, Friday, 6 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Er - Pink Floyd's The Wall? Even the worst ideas have already been done.

― Pete, Friday, 6 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

The Wall's a promo video, isn't it? I don't mean they have the music in them, I mean *proper* adaptations...

― mark s, Friday, 6 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Have you seen the publicity photo's for the live action Scooby Doo? Freddie Prinze Jnr as Fred? I *don't* think so! And as for the twat playing Shaggy... *well*!

Who *should* play Shaggy?

Oh yeah...

"Altman's popeye = only good movie altman (and robin williams) ever made"

Man speaks truth! Can't stand Altman usually but this is crazy in the coconut stuff. Williams' impenetrable Popeye is one of the most bizarre kiddie-movie heroes ever.

― D*A*V*I*D*M, Friday, 6 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Live action versions of cartoons automatically earn DUD status with me. They're all awful, even popeye.

― Nicole, Friday, 6 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

One problem with straight adaptations of most cartoons is that the cartoons themselves were never intended to handle more than 30 minutes of plot - commercial breaks. Many of the character just don't have the depth to carry of a full-length movie. One reason why Josie worked so well was because they took the defining characteristics of the characters from the series (along with some of the goofy tone) and placed them into a much more substantial and (dare I say) relevant framework. I mean, the boy band parody is pretty damn obvious, but the funniest thing about those scenes is the obscene amount of product placement surrounding them. It's extraordinarily impressive. This isn't even taking into account how insanely catchy the music is. Babyface outdid himself on this one.

― Dan Perry, Friday, 6 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Dud: I usually spend the whole thing looking at how they 3D-ised all the sketchy characters/objects/buildings from the cartoons (kind of like the whole guns named after swords thing in Romeo+Juliet), and the people involved probably spend too much time worrying about props as well. Dan makes a good point that most of the dudness actually comes from expanding the length and adding "depth" to make it into a movie - notice how excruciating Chicken Run is compared to the Wallace and Gromit shorts, which I blame on the unnecessary romantic subplots.

― Graham, Friday, 6 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Best live Action: FLash Gordon (circa 1980)! Remember the title song by Queen?

― Tom P, Friday, 6 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

I have seen pictures froom Scooby Doo and the bloke they have playing Shaggy looks NOTHING like him!

My friend Dan Clark should play Shaggy, he's a dead ringer, except he's a bit short. No, wait, Paul would make a great Shaggy, he's just as tall, just as skinny, and wears enourmous flares. However, he doesn't smoke pot, so that rules him out.

Hmmm, there really is a disturbing pattern to the boys that I fancy, isn't there?

Supposedly the Josie movie is really really good from riot grrl types I've heard from in the States. God knows when it will get to the UK, tho. It's been years since there was a movie I actually wanted to see.

― masonic boom, Friday, 6 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Josie is indeed tops, but the whole "corporate" thing works because the vision of it is SO cartoon like, sorta like those old Tandy books which featured Superman goin' on 'bout microcomputers.

But, more importantly, everyone seems to have forgotten Blade. Ah... Blade. Wesley Snipes in one of the most stand-and-deliver action fliks I've ever seen. Watch for the extraneous hand gestures... he turns them into an artform.

― Sterling Clover, Sunday, 8 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

I finally saw X-men on DVD last night. What were the comic nerds complaining about? It fucking RAWKED!!! It certainly helps if you have two great Shakespearian actors playing the opposing forces of good and evil. There's no one like Shakespearians to play cartoons.

Oh, and I really think Paul should grow his hair like Wolverine. Those sideburns. Mwroooaaawwwrrrr.

― masonic boom, Monday, 9 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Well, live action version of comics aren't bad -- I'm making a pedantic distinction here between cartoons and comics.

Wolverine is an obvious classic.

― Nicole, Monday, 9 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Films of US comics usually turn out better than those of UK comics. Look what they did to Tank Girl and Judge Dredd...GRR!

― DG, Monday, 9 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

I was just talking about the travesty that is Tank Girl yesterday, since it was on Comedy Central. It probably wouldn't have been so atrocious had they had the right lead, but Lori Petty??? Come ooooooon. One of the most annoying, grating, obnoxious actresses to ever grace the silver screen. Watch Point Break if you don't believe me! Or if you want to find a good form of self-harm...

― Nicole, Monday, 9 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Judge Dredd was going to be directed by Peter Hewitt, who went to filmschool with my sister, directed the second BILL&TED, and is (possibly) one of the world's great fan- experts on Dredd. But when Stallone was offered it, he brought in some pet twat — UK director who'd just had a v.mediocre thriller hit — who would DO STALLONE'S BIDDING, and knew nothing abt Dredd in advance. Hewitt went to the writers to protest — having had good meeting with them previously. They looked at him with cold eyes and waved massive wads of cash at him. THEY HAD BEEN BOUGHT OFF AND THEIR MUCH-VAUNTED 2000AD-STYLE CRED AND INTEGRITY WAS AS NOTHING!! This was his version of events, anyway, at the time.

― mark s, Monday, 9 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

That's probably true - I know there was some monkey business with John Wagner, as he wrote the original and unused screenplay.

― DG, Monday, 9 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Judge dredd was ruined (and in not just this way) by Stalone taking off his helmet. The Whole point about dredd is you only ever see his chin. Also they could have picked a million and one better plot lines. Made it much darker by picking one of the Dread/Death Plot lines which are surely some of the best

― Ed, Monday, 9 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Surely any Stallone movie is bound by contractual obligation, to be utterly dire? Esp. since he always likes to monkey around with the scripts to make the movie all about Stallone.

― nicole, Monday, 9 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Surely any Stallone movie is bound by contractual obligation, to be utterly dire?

Oh, come on. What about "Cliffhanger"? *snicker*

― Dan Perry, Monday, 9 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Josie and the Pussycats is the best movie ever. Whatsa matta with all ya'all, cartoon movies are great just as long as they aren't off of dumbass cartoons like the Flintstones. I wish they were still making that Speed Racer starring Henry Rollins.

― Ally, Monday, 9 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Henry rollins? who's incredible acting talent is only met by his skill as a musician....hehehe.

― Fat NIck, Monday, 9 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Which is exactly why he was made to be Racer X.

― Ally, Monday, 9 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

four months pass...

I think this thread should come back, so has anyone seen the Trailers to the live action Scooby Doo. Matthew Lillard. Crivens!

― Pete, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Josie and the Pussycats is the best movie ever.
I am of course the last sucker on earth to discover this was based on an old cartoon?

― helen fordsdale, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Look! An antique FatNick post!

― DG, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

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