From beloved cartoons to iconic anime, some characters just don't translate well to reality. Join us as we count down our picks for the animated characters most butchered in the leap to live-action! Our countdown includes beloved heroes, martial artists, and colorful creatures who lost their charm when they stepped out of animation and into our world.
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo and today, we're counting down our picks for the animated characters
00:09that were most butchered in the leap to live action.
00:1610.
00:21He-Man – Masters of the Universe Sporting bulging muscles, blonde hair and a classic
00:25sword from a stone, there's no denying that Dolph Lundgren looks the part of the universe's
00:30namesake defender.
00:31It's a real shame then that this 1982 film completely misses the mark on He-Man's heroic
00:37charm.
00:47He isn't just a bulky beefcake.
00:48He-Man is a symbol of nobility, pride and an unironic need to do good.
00:53But the live action adaptation abandons all of that and replaces it with corny jokes that
00:57elicit more eye-rolls than awe.
01:04With a better script or a more serious tone, Lundgren could've been the He-Man the universe
01:13needed.
01:14Instead, we're left with a whole lot of pointless flexing.
01:179.
01:18Mr. Magoo – Mr. Magoo – Quincy Magoo is a lot of things.
01:32Filthy rich, stubborn to a fault and hilariously unpredictable just to name a few.
01:38What he isn't though is slapstick.
01:48Fundamentally, 1997's Mr. Magoo misses out on the specific brand of humor that made the
01:53character a household name.
02:05Rather than unintentional situational comedy, the movie is a series of tired gags and obvious
02:10punchlines.
02:11Magoo himself suffers the most.
02:13Stripped of all his comedic charm, he comes off as negligent at best or uncaring at worst.
02:18Time for a little red cross here, Magoo.
02:25Let me see.
02:26Oh, my dear child.
02:27You should have your dentist file down those teeth.
02:30Fans of the series should look elsewhere for a belly laugh.
02:32This guy is only Magoo in name alone.
02:358.
02:36The Smurfs – The Smurfs – Despite what their skin color would have you believe, the Smurfs
02:41will have you feeling anything but blue.
02:43Not that you'd be able to tell based off the 2011 misfire of an adaptation.
02:47Gone is the cross-generational appeal of the original.
02:58No, the live action Smurfs is obviously and painfully aimed at children.
03:02Tossing aside decades of careful characterization, the cast is reduced to one note caricatures
03:17meant to cater to the lowest common denominator.
03:20Although some of these jokes are so bad, it's hard to say if even children would find them
03:24amusing.
03:31So, who was this made for exactly?
03:35We're genuinely wondering.
03:377.
03:38Spike Spiegel – Cowboy Bebop
03:39Look, it's clear Jon Cho really loves Spike Spiegel.
03:42And how could he not?
03:43The character is suave, stylish and filled with deep layers of trauma and growth.
03:48I'm not going there to die.
03:50I'm going to find out if I'm really alive.
03:54Unfortunately, passion does not always equate to quality.
03:58Especially when you're dealing with live action anime adaptations.
04:01Cho's take on the character is symptomatic of the issues the whole show faces.
04:05It's too beholden to the original, but too different to satisfy either.
04:17The result is a main character that's stuck between two clashing visions and accomplishes
04:21neither.
04:22Is he supposed to be witty?
04:23The smart one?
04:24Headstrong?
04:25It's bad for your health out here.
04:32Yeah, I've heard that too.
04:35The only thing we can agree on is Spike is better in animation.
04:386.
04:39Albert – Fat Albert
04:48Early on in 2004's Fat Albert, some magic shenanigans bring the title character out
04:53of the TV and into live action for the first time.
04:56Based on how it went, he probably should have just stayed too deep.
05:00Will you stay away from me?
05:01I'm going to call 911 on you.
05:06This cannot be happening.
05:08I'm losing my mind.
05:09Despite Kenan Thompson's effortless comedic timing in the role, the same gags that work
05:14in a children's program don't translate to a big budget Hollywood tentpole.
05:19Like, say, following a character named Fat Albert.
05:21His schtick works in stories that wrap up in 20 minutes, but when he's carrying a full-length
05:26feature, the overblown weight jokes become grating.
05:29I know big.
05:30And you, my friend, are big.
05:33And fat.
05:34I'm Fat Albert.
05:36Suffice it to say, this film didn't prove any Fat Albert haters wrong.
05:405.
05:41The Chipmunks – Alvin and the Chipmunks
05:43Credit where it's due, this movie renders the chipmunks in surprisingly good CGI for the
05:48fans.
05:49Sadly, that same effort was not put into the script.
05:51You know what's weirder than that?
05:53A grown man bringing another grown man.
05:55A big box with a bunch of chipmunks in it who not only speak English, but can sing.
06:00It makes it clear Simon's smart, Theodore's naive, and Alvin's the troublemaker.
06:05That's it.
06:06The trio are regressed to their barest character traits and left as walking, talking cliches.
06:11Don't you wish your girlfriend was a freak like me?
06:14There's this new thing.
06:17It's called knocking.
06:18Get out.
06:19I'm waiting for the rinse cycle.
06:21Alvin's the biggest victim by far.
06:24Without any positive qualities to balance him out, his mischievous antics feel less charming
06:29and more headache-inducing.
06:30They may be good for a toe-tapping musical number here and there, but otherwise, Alvin, Theodore,
06:34and Simon are majorly lost in translation.
06:454.
06:46Jim.
06:47Jim and the Holograms.
06:48Some characters only work in animation.
06:50Like, for example, a teenage girl who turns into a superstar with the help of supercomputer
06:55earrings.
06:56Okay, let's do this.
06:58I wouldn't believe we made it here.
07:01If you can't tell already, Jim and the Holograms is the kind of screwball concept that only
07:11something in the 80s could get away with.
07:13So, it's truly baffling that the 2015 live-action film decided to retool the series into a cringy
07:19young adult drama.
07:20Wait, let me explain what's been going on, okay?
07:23Explain what?
07:24What are you gonna explain?
07:25That you wanna go solo?
07:26I tried to tell you guys, but we were gonna lose the house and I thought I could take care
07:30of it.
07:31Seeing Jim so firmly focused on boy trouble isn't just boring.
07:35It's totally at odds with the rocking charm of the original character.
07:38At least the music isn't half bad.
07:41That's literally the only thing this new Jim got right.
07:45I threw my heart in the fire.
07:46I never fall into fire.
07:47I never fall into fire.
07:52Number 3.
07:53The Turtles Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
07:57How do you mess up the Turtles this battle?
07:59Their personalities basically right themselves at this point.
08:02Michelangelo, I've been looking all over the carnival for you.
08:06Why'd you do that?
08:07I was right here.
08:09Here, I won these for you.
08:13It probably has something to do with the special effects, which are impressive but don't quite
08:18escape the uncanny valley.
08:20Or maybe it's the potty humor which stinks up any attempt at plot or characterization.
08:25Well, miss, we're ninjas.
08:29We're mutants.
08:30Well, technically we're turtles.
08:31Oh, and we're teenagers.
08:33But we can still have adult conversations.
08:36Either way, this is not the Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello or Michelangelo we know and love.
08:42Oh, and don't even get us started on Shredder.
08:45The iconic big bad looks like he's held together with duct tape and children's glue.
08:49All these guys can crawl back into the sewer they came out of.
08:522.
08:53Son Goku – Dragon Ball Evolution
09:02It's ironic that one of anime's most high profile characters is completely unrecognizable
09:07in his own Hollywood film.
09:09What, you missed the episode where Goku goes to high school?
09:12That's because it never happened.
09:14Dragon Ball Evolution doesn't even try to hide its attempts at Americanizing the story.
09:27But rather than broaden in the series' appeal, it instead turns Goku's legendary tale into
09:32yet another dull high school romance.
09:35I'm not saying that Chi-Chi's a stupid name.
09:37I'm just saying that it's not normal.
09:40But normal's overrated.
09:42I'm not saying that you're stupid or overrated.
09:44I'm just, I'm gonna stop now.
09:46Fans wanted power-up, roars, high-speed martial arts, and earth-shaking beam struggle.
09:51Not a version where Piccolo randomly has a film for Tao's sidekick.
09:54Dragon Ball's small-screen efforts ensure Goku's legacy persists to this day.
09:59But it's in spite of this film, not because of it.
10:02Frieza?
10:03What?
10:04I'd rather be a brainless beast than a heartless monster.
10:07Like you.
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10:221.
10:25The Avatar Cast
10:26The Last Airbender
10:27Woah boy.
10:28Where to even begin with this one?
10:31The Firebender started a war.
10:33I left a few days ago.
10:36We could talk about how the leading man was a martial artist first and an actor second.
10:40Or how part of the cast was allegedly only hired due to plain and simple nepotism.
10:45Then there's the obvious and harmful whitewashing.
10:48Really, we could go on.
10:49But the long and short of it is The Last Airbender is an utter disgrace to the Avatar name.
10:54They make me look totally stiff and humorless.
10:57Actually, I think that actor is pretty spot on.
11:00How could you say that?
11:02The movie fails to adapt any one of the show's expansive cast well.
11:06Which is maddening since they had a near perfect blueprint to work off of.
11:09How such a slam dunk went oh so wrong is still beyond us.
11:13You're angry.
11:14You must let this go.
11:15As the Avatar you are not meant to hurt others.
11:16What's an animated show you think would actually be a great live action movie?
11:29Let us know in the comments down below.
11:31You're staying.
11:36Then I'll stay too.
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