Cartoons with heavy reference to literature.

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higdon2k3

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Cartoons like all mediums will contain references to different bits of culture, including literature (Books).

The point of this thread is not to describe small references or adaptations, or adaptations of literature but shows with a heavy reference to a particular source or genre.

1. Gargoyles- While there were many literature references, Greg Weisman would use many references to the Shakespeare plays. Some are a take on the characters (Macbeth, Puck, Oberon) or using the name of characters (Banquio and Fleance)

2. Dragonball- The characters and stories are similar to the Chinese novel "Journey To The West". Though Goku's origin in DBZ does parallel Sun Wukong originating from the stars.

3. Detective Conan- Aside from being a modern day style Sherlock Holmes, the Japanese Version pays tribute to the various detectives (Ellery Queen, Kogoro Akechi, Arsene Lupin, Cordelia Gray) through their characters names.
 
The World's Greatest Superfriends was a season with a heavily acknowledgment of classic novels:

- Terror at 20,000 Fathoms (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea)
- The Planet of Oz (Wizard of Oz)
- The Superfriends Meet Frankenstein (Frankenstein obviously)
- Rub Three Times for Disaster (The Arabian Knights)
- Space Knights of Camelon (King Arthur)
- The Lord of Middle Earth (Lord of the Rings)

I'm not sure if 'Lex Luthor Strikes Back' or 'Universe of Evil' had any basis in literature.

Then there was the Challenge episode where three of the heroes got trapped in 'Gulliver's Travels', 'Alice In Wonderland' and 'Jack & The Beanstalk'.
 
The Simpsons and Futurama -

They constantly reference bestselling and science and/or sci-fi writers. I know there's others out there but my mind is drawing a blank currently for some reason. I know Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex: made a reference to JD Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye in its "Laughing Man" story arc....
 
You're both right. Sun Wu Kung (or Son Goku in Japanese) was originally known as "Stone Monkey" because he fell to Earth as an infant inside a meterorite. Much of Dragonball incorporates bits and pieces of Journey to The West, from ongoing character dynamics (Goku/Bulma/Yamcha/Oolong) to one-shot episode (Boss Rabbit). But in Dragonball Z, much of Goku's origin was retconned to incorporate elements of the Superman mythos.

By the way, Journey to The West, or Saiyuki, as it is known in Japan, has probably had more manga incarnations and parodies than any other literary work. From Tezuka's Saiyuki (known in America as Alakazam The Great), through Leiji Matsumoto's Space Saiyuki (American title: Spaceketeers), Monkey Magic, Shinzo (currently running on Jetix/Toon Disney), Saiyuki (and its sequel, Saiyuki Reload), and of course, Dragonball. There are probably others I don't know about. And references to the story can be found in countless other anime, from Read or Die (in which Yomiko Readman battles the "real" Genjo Sanzo, who is equipped with Son Goku's telescoping staff) to Paprika (in which the title character briefly takes on a persona resembling the Monkey King.

Among the other literary-themed anime I've found include Poirot and Marple: The Great Detectives, which animated Agatha's Christie's two most famous characters, Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. Despite a few small liberties taken to place two unconnected characters in the same continuity, it's surprisingly faithful, including some supporting characters like Poirot's "Watson", Captain Hastings, and his secretary, Miss Lemon.

Of course, there's Lupin the Third, who is the grandson of Maurice LeBlanc's Arsene Lupin.

In American cartoons, there was Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century, most of the episodes of which were pastiches of the Holmes canon, updated to a futuristic setting.

In the South Park episode, "A Million Little Fibers", Towlie's book was a spoof of James Frey's A Million Little Pieces.

Hanna Barbera had a cartoon based on The Three Musketeers, another that heavily referenced Gulliver's Travels, and a live action/animation hybrid featuring the further adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. Of course, they had one called Arabian Knights. It didn't really have much to do with 1001 Arabian Nights, but it is a reference, so I guess it counts. All of them were featured on the Banana Splits.

HB also had Frankenstein, Jr., which actually seemed to cop more from Mitsuteru Yokoyama than from Mary Shelley, and a cartoon called Moby Dick, about two boys in scuba gear who befriend a protective white whale.

In feature films, both The Pagemaster and Chuck Jones' The Phantom Tollbooth have many literary references.
 
That....actually sounds very interesting! I may have to keep my eye out for that.

The old Warner Brother shorts had a lot of one-shots based on literacture. As did the more recent animaniacs. Including the very blatant segments where one character would recite Shakespear, and another would translate into modern speach...
 
I've seen a few cartoons that made references to Dune, like Earthworm Jim and The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy. Especially more so in the latter, because there was one episode where the plot looked to be lifted wholesale from the book God Emperor of Dune.
 
American Dragon carries a lot of Shakespearan-esque to it.

In The Academy Jake drank a potion that supposedly gave him the appearance of death.

In Act 4,Scene 15 was actually based around Anthony and Cleopatra.

And then the enemies falling in love definitely hints Romeo and Juliet-esque.

That kind of thing is particularly why I loved the show so much. :anime:
 
Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends - Blockhead's Guide tois known to be the Dummies of the show's universe.

Fairly Oddparents: It had an entire episode based off story parodies which included Moby Dick (Moby Duck), Frankenstein (Franken Monster Truck), The Cat In The Hat (The Rat With Big Shoes), and Tom Swayer (Main Villian of Episode).
 
South Park based the character Pip on the protagonist of Great Expectations, and even adapted the plot of the novel for an episode (with the added bonus of robot monkeys).
 
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