Cartoons That Didn't Have to Be Cartoons

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Derica H

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Have you ever thought that there was a cartoon that could have easily been live action? Sometimes it just wasn't necessary to make it a cartoon. Some shows that come to mind are Doug, Hey Arnold!, All Grown Up, The Proud Family, and Recess. There are probably much better examples, I just can't think of them right now. Any others you think didn't need to be a cartoon?
 
Home Movies could have been made live action, but I'm not sure how well it would have worked. Realistically, it probably did have to be a cartoon.

Other than that, the Ace Ventura Animated Series could have been done as a live action show, and it definetly would have done well, as it was very successful as a movie and Carrey was a fast-rising star. It already had its audience before it even came out.
 
The Proud Family? But Oscar defied the laws of physics on a semi-regular basis. And the Gross Sisters were pale blue. That sort of thing screams "cartoon" in my book.
 
King Of The Hill is the best possible response to this question. It's a funny show, but there is nothing in this show that couldn't be done in a traditional live-action sitcom.
 
Some of the physical gags would be hard to pull off in live action. And eps like "bobby goes nuts" would just be more disturbing than funny if not animated.
 
Anything that is basically an animated 'Saved by the Bell' type show set in a mundane school. Stuff like Braceface or that Ginger show.

Strangely enough on the other hand I don't think 6Teen would have worked in live action.
 
KOTH, Beavis and Butt-Head, and to a lesser extent Daria were done in a somewhat realistic fashion, but so many of the characters undergo so much physical pain in a weekly episode it would have come off cartoonish anyway. Office Space is an example of a live action Mike Judge cartoon. But that one was more dialogue based.
 
Beavis and Butthead would be a lot harder than you think. Infact B&B Do America was suppose to be a live action movie, but was animated.

The reason is that it would be extremely hard, maybe impossible to find some healthy teens with the same bodily structure of Beavis & Butthead. Thus the show is justifiable in the medium. Now if they went with the original taller sketches of Beavis and Butthead, then the cartoon could have probably worked in live action. The original sketches are used on one episode as people reenacting a bank robbery committed by the duo and another episode using the sketches are on a Driver's Ed video featuring a duo by the name of Vinnie and Frankie.
 
Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends.

Come on, THIS could have been CN's Live Action/Animation hybrid instead of the painful Out of Jimmy's Head.

Imagine a live action Frankie, Mac, and Madame Foster interacting with imaginary (and 2D) friends.
 
It also wouldn't "work" in my books, either. Despite CN's low budget, I despise live action/animation hybrids shot with a stationary (live-action) camera and no shading/highlights/cast shadows on the toons to make them "blend in" with their environment.
 
I suppose Jem could have been live-action if Christy Marx (the de facto "creator" of the TV show; and yes I know that the IP was Hasbro's creation) wanted it that way. However, I personally think that animation was the right medium for this show. Otherwise, it would have just another generic drama series (aimed at the parents, even). Thus, if this show ever got remade, I would like to see it animated, because live-action would at this point be far too predictable.

The same principle above also applies to Maxie's World (based on another Hasbro property).

Devlin (one of H-B's very few dramatic series) could have been live-action, I guess. Then again there's the matter of the title character being a motorcycle daredevil...

Heck, I'll go ahead and say it: the 1973 version of Charlotte's Web could have been live-action, or at the very least live-action with animated animals (The Incredible Mr. Limpet, anyone?).

Strawberry Shortcake (both the 1980's and 2000's versions) can actually work in either medium. Yes, that's right: live-action complete with the franchise's same fantasyland setting we all know and love.

That's all I can think of at the moment.
 
Though these are two shows that I liked, live action versions would have ended looking like the other live action junk on Disney Channel or Nick. The best LA show that kinda reminds me of Braceface is Clarrisa Explains it all. I fell in love with Mellissa Joan Hart watching that show as a youngin.

I'm a ST-Voyager fan of 7of9. Cyborgs can be really cool. Ghost in the Shell would make a great live action show with todays SPFX. Serenity looked like a Live Action of Outlaw Star from it's previews. I was disappointed.
 
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