# Stop making live action versions of animated/drawn things! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 5, 2009, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-making-live-action-versions-of-animated-drawn-things/484539 "2009-02-05T06:20:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Hatchie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hatchie/32/3983_2.png) [@Hatchie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hatchie)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2022, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-making-live-action-versions-of-animated-drawn-things/484539/41 "2022-07-17T15:30:48Z")
I think the Original Poster objects to remakes of animated hits from past decades - Aladdin, the Jungle Book, Lion King - which just use the same story (and in some cases, are largely just animated themselves in the new realistic computer style). Agree that there’s little point to them other than selling old wine in new bottles, since the old scheme of Disney re-releasing the original Pinocchio or Bambi every 20 years no longer works thanks to home media. Live action versions of comic books are more like bringing novels to the screen. You have to make a lot of editorial choices and rethink how a still drawing pinned to a page can come to life in a way that’s engaging, a very different problem. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2022, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-making-live-action-versions-of-animated-drawn-things/484539/42 "2022-07-17T15:51:08Z")
> [@MichaelJohnBertrand](#): > > I am sooooo damned tired of Hollywood thinking it’s such a fabulous idea to make a live action version of something animated or drawn. The unspoken and unquestioned assumption is that live action is superior, and that things are only animated because they couldn’t afford to do live action. I know I’m jumping in late here but I disagree with the OP’s assessment of what movie executives are thinking. I doubt they were thinking of the quality of the product. What they were thinking was probably more like _“The original version of this movie was really popular and has an existing fan base. I can do a cheap remake of it and sell tickets to that fan base.”_ ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2022, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-making-live-action-versions-of-animated-drawn-things/484539/43 "2022-07-17T20:49:06Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > > [@MichaelJohnBertrand](#): > > > > That said, animation is not for everything. World War II movie? Live action. 😛 > > [Grave of the Fireflies](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095327/) Not to mention _Barefoot Gen_. (Okay, _to_ mention _Barefoot Gen_) > **[Barefoot Gen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barefoot_Gen)** > > Barefoot Gen (はだしのゲン, Hadashi no Gen) is a Japanese historical manga series by Keiji Nakazawa, loosely based on Nakazawa's own experiences as a Hiroshima atomic bombing survivor. The series begins in 1945 in and around Hiroshima, Japan, where the six-year-old boy Gen Nakaoka lives with his family. After Hiroshima is destroyed by atomic bombing, Gen and other survivors are left to deal with the aftermath. It was published in several magazines, including Weekly Shōnen Jump, from 1973 to 1987. It wa... Also, not around when this thread started, movies like _Giovanni’s Island_ > **[Giovanni's Island](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giovanni%27s_Island)** > > Giovanni's Island (ジョバンニの島, Joban'ni no Shima) is a 2014 Japanese animated historical drama film directed by Mizuho Nishikubo and produced by Production I.G and co-produced and presented by the Japan Association of Music Enterprises. The film was released on February 22, 2014, in Japan and North America on March 22, 2014, in New York International Children's Film Festival. GKIDS licensed the film for release in North America and released it on Blu-ray and Digital on February 21, 2023. The film... and _In This Corner of the World_. > **[In This Corner of the World (film)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_This_Corner_of_the_World_(film))** > > In This Corner of the World (この世界の片隅に, Kono Sekai no Katasumi ni) is a 2016 Japanese animated wartime drama film produced by MAPPA, co-written and directed by Sunao Katabuchi, featuring character designs by Hidenori Matsubara and music by Kotringo. The film is based on the manga of the same name written and illustrated by Fumiyo Kōno. It premiered in Japan on November 12, 2016. Animatsu Entertainment licensed the global distribution rights of the film in June 2016. Shout! The film is set in the 1... ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2022, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-making-live-action-versions-of-animated-drawn-things/484539/44 "2022-07-17T21:33:44Z")
How long until there’s a live action Simpsons? ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2022, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-making-live-action-versions-of-animated-drawn-things/484539/45 "2022-07-17T21:45:29Z")
They’ve already made the first minute: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/brh6KRvQHBc/hqdefault.jpg "Live action Simpsons") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brh6KRvQHBc) ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2022, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-making-live-action-versions-of-animated-drawn-things/484539/46 "2022-07-17T22:05:46Z")
That was really pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2022, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-making-live-action-versions-of-animated-drawn-things/484539/47 "2022-07-18T01:32:13Z")
As a lifelong comic book and manga fan, I was always saying “They’ll never be able to film THIS…” And, for most of my adult life, I was right. Then, thanks to everyone who labored so hard on improving CGI, they were able to make special effects a seamless part of a movie. And finally, someone could fly without us seeing wires, fight without looking like a “wirework” Hong Kong martial arts film, and make other super powers look believable. _“They’ll never be able to film THIS…”_ Ha, I’d thought that about SO many books (Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter), until they did it. The effects, **AND the casting** made it work. (Come to think of it, the casting really made the superhero movies: Christopher Reeve as Superman, Gal Gadot as WW, Robert Downey Jr. as Iron man, Chris Evans and haley Atwell in Capt. America, right up through Tom Holland as Spidey, Chadwick Bozeman as Black Panther, and Chris Hemsworth as Thor (skinny _and_ fat versions!) Now, there are still plenty of comics and manga/anime that I don’t WANT to see in live-action (_Attack on Titan,_ starring Vin Diesel as a giant, anyone? Yuck!). But I’ll now admit they _could…_ ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2022, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-making-live-action-versions-of-animated-drawn-things/484539/48 "2022-07-18T02:22:01Z")
> [@Hatchie](#): > > I think the Original Poster objects to remakes of animated hits from past decades - Aladdin, the Jungle Book, Lion King None of these were a thing when the OP was posted _thirteen years ago_. > [@Hatchie](#): > > the old scheme of Disney re-releasing the original Pinocchio or Bambi every 20 years no longer works thanks to home media. Streaming was also just getting off the ground in 2009. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2022, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-making-live-action-versions-of-animated-drawn-things/484539/49 "2022-07-18T04:55:39Z")
> [@Terminus\_Est](#): > > None of these were a thing when the OP was posted _thirteen years ago_. Maybe the OP was concerned about a potential live-action version of [his webcomic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beef-with-opinions/496959) about a gay bull named Hank, his transexual best friend Petunia the Pig, and their lives on the farm. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2022, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-making-live-action-versions-of-animated-drawn-things/484539/50 "2022-07-18T06:20:23Z")
> [@Terminus\_Est](#): > > the OP was posted _thirteen years ago_. > [@Giles](#): > > some of the actors were great eye candy, especially [Sailor Mercury / Hama Chisaki](http://www.genvid.com/PGSM/cast/merc-hama.htm). I think we need these zombie revivals to remind us of the time it was considered completely unobjectionable to talk about 15y.o.s as “great eye candy” on these boards. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2022, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-making-live-action-versions-of-animated-drawn-things/484539/51 "2022-07-18T13:49:24Z")
> [@Terminus\_Est](#): > > > [@Hatchie](#): > > > > the old scheme of Disney re-releasing the original Pinocchio or Bambi every 20 years no longer works thanks to home media. > > Streaming was also just getting off the ground in 2009. You young folks may not remember this but back in the day, we had a thing called video tapes. And you could buy (or rent) a copy of a movie and your kid could watch it over and over again. Or, in the case of a particular favorite, over and over and over and over and over and over and over… ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2022, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-making-live-action-versions-of-animated-drawn-things/484539/52 "2022-07-18T17:50:50Z")
> [@Prelude\_to\_Fascination](#): > > Or a live action Bugs Bunny! It came out eight years after this post, but DC comics issued the **Batman/Elmer Fudd #1** comic in 2017. It’s unbelievably better than you might think from the title, and it imagines several WB cartoon characters – including Yosemite Sam, the Tazmanian Devil, and Bugs himself as human characters > **[BATMAN/ELMER FUDD SPECIAL #1 | DC](https://www.dc.com/comics/dc-meets-looney-tunes-2017/batman/elmer-fudd-special-1)** > > After a chance meeting with billionaire Bruce Wayne, Elmer Fudd's obsession quickly escalates into stalking Batman through the dark alleys and high-class social settings of Gotham City. Welcome to Bat Season! > **[Batman/Elmer Fudd Special Vol 1 1](https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Batman/Elmer_Fudd_Special_Vol_1_1)** > > "Pway for Me": At the bar Porky's, Elmer Fudd confronts Bugs "The Bunny" for the murder of his lover, Silver St. Cloud, and declares his intent to kill him. While the two take in the atmosphere of t Batman/Elmer Fudd Special #1 is a one-shot with a... > **[Batman/Elmer Fudd Special (2017) Chapter 1 - Page 29](https://readcomicsonline.ru/comic/batmanelmer-fudd-special-2017/1/29)** > > Batman/Elmer Fudd Special (2017) Chapter 1: 1 - Page 29 ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2022, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-making-live-action-versions-of-animated-drawn-things/484539/53 "2022-07-19T02:19:43Z")
Oooh - you’re not going to like this: [Pinocchio (2022)](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4593060/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1), starring Tom Hanks as Geppetto. Why? oh why? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-making-live-action-versions-of-animated-drawn-things/484539.md?page=2)