The Best Animated Versions Of Live-Action Movies And TV Shows

What happens when a live-action TV show or film takes off and viewers want more? Sometimes, sequels and subsequent seasons are made. Other times, however, studios opt for an animated solution. Even the most devoted pop culture aficionado might be surprised to learn just how many animated versions of live-action properties exist: Everything from "Emergency!" to "Free Willy" to "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" has gotten its own cartoon. Some adhere closely to their source material, while others take a looser approach.

Sadly, not every animated take on beloved live-action productions is a winner. Yet for every flop that hits the big or small screen, there's at least one other cartoon that ends up matching, or even surpassing, the original live-action material — even when it's not entirely faithful to it. From "Batman: The Animated Series" to "Extreme Ghostbusters," these are the very best animated versions of live-action movies and TV shows.

Not many people know that the "Men in Black" saga actually started as a comic book with a more generalized focus on the paranormal. Ultimately, of course, it was 1997's alien-centric "Men in Black," starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, that really brought the franchise into the public eye. An animated series soon followed, simply titled "Men in Black: The Series," which is set in a similar universe as the original movie, albeit one where Agent K apparently never retired. The show follows K and J as they continue handling extraterrestrial affairs and threats on Earth, earning a whole lot of laughs along the way.

With regular appearances from Agent L, Zed, and aliens like Frank the Pug and the Annelids (aka "the Worms"), this intelligently written show feels like a natural continuation of the first movie. Season 2 even crafts a sort-of sequel by having members of movie villain Edgar the Bug's species (all voiced by Edgar's on-screen actor, Vincent D'Onofrio) hunt Agent L for murdering their kinsman. Perhaps most impressively, this cartoon introduces widely-embraced additions to the mythos, including K's infamous mentor, Alpha. Though the "Men in Black" sequel films have never looked to the cartoon for inspiration, it manages to have the last laugh: "Men in Black: The Series" incorporates the movies into its continuity in a way that suggests they're adaptations of the events of the cartoon, rather than the other way around.

The "Matrix" films weren't just hits — they quickly became a multimedia event. The story that begins in the first "Matrix" movie has been fleshed out in comics, video games, and animation. Among the most memorable entries in the saga's canon is 2003's "The Animatrix," an animated anthology movie that answers many questions about the Wachowskis' fictional world. The film's third chapter, "The Second Renaissance," details the story of the man-machine war that ravaged the Earth, for example, while "Kid's Story" reveals how Neo recruited Kid, the eager young resistance fighter from the second and third films. The CGI-animated "Final Flight of the Osiris" actually leads straight into "The Matrix Reloaded."

Other segments of "The Animatrix" aren't necessarily essential to the series' mythology, but are dazzling all the same. This is due, in large part, to their stunning animation. Shinichiro Watanabe, director of the legendary anime series "Cowboy Bebop," brings his noir sensibilities to "Kid's Story" and "A Detective Story," while "Ninja Scroll" creator Yoshiaki Kawajiri shows there's more than one way to exit the Matrix in "World Record." The "Animatrix" adds enormously to "Matrix" lore, though you won't be lost if you skip it — you'll just be making a colossal mistake in doing so.

1976's "The Muppet Show" became a cultural phenomenon. While the Muppets have returned in many forms since, the original series' unique charm can be hard to replicate. But one cartoon not only captures what makes "The Muppet Show" so great, it puts a unique spin on the franchise that brought in a whole new demographic. Spinning off from a scene in "The Muppets Take Manhattan," 1984's "Muppet Babies" stars the Muppets in their infancy, playing the sort of games you'd expect real-life toddlers to play ... which are enhanced, of course, by the Muppet Babies' extremely active imaginations. The cartoon also added a brand-new Muppet to the franchise, Scooter's sister Skeeter, first voiced by famed comedian and "Bobby's World" creator Howie Mandel.

Like many Muppet productions, "Muppet Babies" isn't afraid to make its fair share of pop culture references. It's notably less star-studded than its live-action inspiration, however, which makes it more accessible to younger viewers not yet familiar with the many celebrity guests who appear on "The Muppet Show."  Although "Muppet Babies" concluded in 1991, the show's enduring popularity eventually spawned a new, CGI-animated reboot of the series in 2018.

One could certainly argue that most "Addams Family" movies and TV shows are adaptations of Charles Addams' original comic strip. However, 1992's "The Addams Family" can be seen as both an animated version of the classic strip and the various live-action productions it inspired, particularly the 1991 "Addams Family" movie. What results is delightfully demented.

The fact that the 1992 cartoon is not a strict adaptation of any past version of the Addams clan is to the show's benefit: It manages to place its own stamp on the characters, while staying true to what's always made them so beloved. The most thoroughly changed characters are Wednesday, who is presented as a cultured overachiever with a sadistic streak, and Pugsley, who is gruffer and more mischievous. Beyond them, the rest of the family is depicted as they usually are, with John Astin from the original live-action series even returning to the role of Gomez. With a bigger budget than the 1973 cartoon at its disposal, the '92 "Addams Family" series is also able to fully revel in the outlandish hijinks of the titular group. Though it's a bit sanitized for its youngest viewers, this cartoon is no less funny and charming than any other "Addams Family" production.

On paper, 1996's "Mighty Ducks: The Animated Series" sounds like both the biggest case of "missing the point" you can imagine and exactly the kind of cartoon 7-year-olds would love. Rather than starring the kid hockey team of the Emilio Estevez-led movies, this cartoon revolves around a team of humanoid, superhero ducks who protect the Earth from sinister anthropomorphic dinosaurs called the Saurians ... when they aren't playing hockey, that is. Other than the hockey elements and our heroes' uniforms, this cartoon bears a much closer resemblance to superhero comics than the movies it's supposedly based on.  

Yet somehow, "Mighty Ducks: The Animated Series" absolutely works. The superhero elements are well done, and the show never takes its premise too seriously. As a result, it maintains a solid balance of action, drama, and humor, not to mention plenty of duck and hockey puns. It may not have lasted long, but the "Mighty Ducks" cartoon remains fondly remembered. It also stands as proof that a spin-off show doesn't have to be 100% faithful (or even 75% faithful) to its source material for it to be good.

Those who've seen the original 1988 "Beetlejuice" film know that its eponymous entity is neither Lydia Deetz's friend or a nice ghoul by any stretch of the imagination. The 1989 "Beetlejuice" animated series, however, changes the two characters' dynamic drastically, making them outright pals and Beetlejuice more of a lighthearted troublemaker than a malevolent specter. Lydia's main ghostly allies from the movie, Adam and Barbara Maitland, are also absent from the series, but many other, much more outlandish supernatural characters take their place. A greater emphasis is placed on both the Netherworld and Lydia's school life as well. 

All in all, this cartoon isn't so much of a companion to the live-action movie as it is a different take on the same characters. But these differences aren't a bad thing — in fact, they result in a series with its own fresh and funny vibe. Moreover, as different as he might be from Michael Keaton's version, the cartoon's Beetlejuice (voiced by Steven Ouimette) is just as wild and hilariously gross. And really, isn't that all anyone truly wants out of a "Beetlejuice" production?