Since its premiere in 2011, Bob's Burgers has been a very popular show, and it makes all the sense in the world that Fox and creator Loren Bouchard would bring it to the big screen. From Rugrats to South Park, plenty of zeitgeist capturing cartoons have done very well as movies, and the Belcher family has legions of dedicated fans.
However, there have been lots of great animated series that have never made the transition from TV to film. Some are pop cultural juggernauts, others hidden gems cancelled before their time, but all of these shows deserve a shot at the theatrical (or at least streaming) experience.
Johnny Bravo
Wannabe lothario Johnny Bravo left quite an impression during his four-season run, being a favorite character of many fans of Cartoon Network's classic era. What made Johnny Bravo so special was seeing a self-centered, dim-witted, but lovable character go through crazy situations (including solving a mystery with Scooby-Doo) while being completely oblivious to how weird they are.
Rumors have swirled for years about a potential live-action film starring Dwayne Johnson, but nothing concrete has ever emerged. After nearly two decades away from the screen, a movie could be exactly the way to reward fans of Johnny Bravo's Fonzie-as-a-doofus charms for such a long wait.
American Dad!
While Family Guy will always be Seth MacFarlane's most iconic creation, American Dad! is arguably his most underrated. It's also probably better suited to a feature film, with a more plot-driven structure and farcical elements that are easier to adapt to cinema than Family Guy's joke-driven, almost sketchy format.
A movie could bring a lot of laughs while still having a solid narrative to justify the added length, especially if it explores Stan's inability to learn from his mistakes or Roger's depravity in greater detail. Former showrunner Mike Barker did discuss a potential film before his departure from the show in 2013, so this series may have more hope than most of crossing over.
The Grim Adventures Of Billy & Mandy
Made at a time when Cartoon Network delighted in pushing boundaries in their ostensibly kid-friendly shows, Billy & Mandy took a premise that wouldn't have been out of place in a horror movie and played it for surreal, surprisingly dark laughs. While the show had a few TV movies, its has always been ripe for a theatrical film.
Billy & Mandy's classic status comes from the hilarious dynamic between its mismatched trio and a bizarre mythology that parodied everything from Dracula, to Mesopotamian mythology, to Harry Potter. A new movie could expand that mythology by poking fun at more modern horror works and show how Billy, Mandy, and Grim deal with a new world.
Castlevania
Fans looking for great video game adaptations need to look no further than Netflix's animated Castlevania series, which takes elements from multiple entries in the franchise to create a gripping drama. Trevor Belmont's story may have wrapped up with last year's impressive fourth season, but a sequel following his descendant Richard is on the way, so a movie may be another road for the franchise to travel.
Given that Castlevania is a long-running series of games with so many titles, there's plenty of material for a film to pull from. A film introducing an original protagonist may be the most logical choice, especially since his 17th-century origin would serve as a bridge between the events of the 2017 series and its upcoming French Revolution-set sequel.
Danny Phantom
A prime example of a show gone too soon, Danny Phantom is one of Nickelodeon's most beloved shows, with a highly dedicated fanbase known for frequently clamoring for a revival. One of its greatest strengths was the fact that, even in the midst of all its comedy, it knew when to get serious, giving it more of an edge that creator Butch Hartman's other shows lack.
While the series' finale "Phantom Planet" ended with Danny revealing his identity and dating Sam, there's still a lot of potential for follow-up showing Danny as an adult and all the drama that entails. Plus, with superheroes more popular than ever, a Danny Phantom movie stands a good shot at reviving the franchise in a new, exciting way.
Bojack Horseman
As Netflix's first foray into animation, Bojack Horseman shocked critics and audiences expecting a typical cartoon sitcom, only to find a surprisingly deep show portraying difficult social issues through a fantastical lens. By combining black comedy with hard-hitting satire, it set itself apart from other adult animated shows and ensured itself an important legacy.
Bojack's finale "Nice While It Lasted" was praised as a fitting end to the series, but a movie would be a good way to give the show a nice follow-up without feeling like it's trying to supplant the original. A fresh-out-of-prison Bojack could try to take Todd's advice to set a new record every day and grow into a better person while still keeping his cynical edge.
Adventure Time
An epic saga of the kind only Cartoon Network could put out, Adventure Time has captivated fans for years with its delightfully weird sense of humor, fun cast of characters, and unique world-building. With the series being so popular and having such an expansive world, it makes sense that sequel and spinoff series would be made, so a film seems like a logical progression.
Although the Distant Lands episode "Together Again" seemed to tie up the original Finn and Jake's story, their reincarnation opens the doors to a whole range of new possibilities. Seeing a standalone film about the new (or old) versions of the duo could be a nice companion piece to the upcoming series following their female counterparts Fionna and Cake.
Gargoyles
Because they're the biggest studio on Earth, and with such a long history, it's natural that Disney would have some animated series that many fans have forgotten about, but Gargoyles stands out as one that deserves far more attention. The show was unique at the time for being dark, edgy, and with fairly intricate story arcs that few cartoons had even attempted.
While the adventures of New York City's gargoyle protectors were continued in comic book form, a film adaptation has been pitched in the past, most recently by Jordan Peele in 2018, but has never been picked up. A Gargoyles movie would be a great opportunity to revive one of Disney's most underrated properties for a new generation.
Muppet Babies
The Muppets have been entertaining audiences all over the world for decades, and the 1984 Muppet Babies series is one of the franchise's more underrated additions. The show almost served as a proto-Rugrats, in which the characters' overactive imaginations made every play session a grand adventure, but with musical numbers and live-action sequences that lent it a surreal touch.
Muppet Babies was rebooted for Disney Junior to much acclaim, showing that there is a market for more of Kermit, Miss Piggie, and the crew's infant adventures. A standalone movie that expands on Miss Piggie's imagined childhood from The Muppets Take Manhattan could be a fun way to bring the Muppets back to the big screen.
The Critic
Created by Simpsons alumni Al Jean and Mike Reiss, The Critic was a brilliant show that was sadly cut short after only two seasons. Besides Jon Lovitz's excellent voice performance as Jay Sherman, much of the show's appeal came from the fictional films that Jay would review, like the Merchant-Ivory parody The Tea Cozy.
With how much the film industry and film criticism have changed since the '90s, a movie following Jay in the age of superhero movies and internet reviewers could be hilarious. The show may be a time capsule now, but the basic subject matter is relevant to any era.