Hollywood is often criticized for its lack of original ideas and simply churning remakes of any established property. The criticism seems especially harsh when talking about live-action remakes of beloved cartoon franchises.
The trend is certainly not dying down with live-action remakes of Tom and Jerry and Clifford the Big Red Dog on the way. But while audiences might have a fondness for these characters, bringing cartoons into a live-action movie has a pretty terrible track record with fans.
Fat Albert (2004) 4.3
The classic cartoon adventures were much beloved back in the day, but with the association of disgraced comedian Bill Cosby, few fans will ever want to revisit it. But even before Cosby's career fell into decline, the Fat Albert movie wasn't held in high regard.
The comedy finds Albert and his friends step out of the animated world and into modern-day Philadelphia. The result is a lot of obvious and unamusing fish-out-of-water jokes about these cartoon characters making sense of the real world.
Alvin And The Chipmunks: Chipwrecked (2011) 4.3
The Alvin and the Chipmunks franchise has remarkably been able to spawn a franchise of four films despite being heavily derided by critics and audiences. The fourth and final film to date finds Alvin, Simon, and Theodore falling off a cruise ship and getting marooned on a desert island.
If the squeaky-voiced protagonists weren't enough to annoy audiences, the jokes are barely enough to make even the youngest viewers laugh. It's not surprising that David Cross didn't have fond memories of making this movie.
The Adventures Of Rocky & Bullwinkle (2000) 4.2
The classic duo of Rocky and Bullwinkle broke into the live-action world for this family-friendly adventure. When their archenemies, Boris and Natasha, find a way out of the cartoon world and into the real world, Rocky and Bullwinkle must follow them and save the day.
It doesn't help that the computer-generated versions of these classic characters never look right. Despite the silliness of the whole film, the movie managed to acquire some great actors, including Robert De Niro, to embarrass themselves.
Inspector Gadget (1999) 4.2
A live-action version of the bumbling detective Inspector Gadget could have made for a really fun movie. However, what audiences got was a tired and lame version of the character that seemed to be oblivious to what people like about the original cartoon.
Matthew Broderick is miscast as the titular hero in an origin story that shows how he was transformed from a lowly security guard into a cybernetically enhanced police officer.
Mr. Magoo (1997) 4.0
Leslie Nielsen is a legendary comedic actor who has appeared in such classics as Airplane! and The Naked Gun. So it says something about Mr. Magoo that even someone as talented as Nielsen couldn't save this unfunny and uninspired adaptation.
Magoo is an eccentric billionaire with very poor eyesight who stumbles into crazy scenarios while being totally oblivious. That simple premise might work for a cartoon, but the joke gets stretched very thin in a feature-length movie.
The Cat In The Hat (2003) 4.0
Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas starring Jim Carrey was a massive blockbuster that is still enjoyed by fans every holiday season. However, another live-action adaptation of Seuss' work, The Cat in the Hat, proved to be an embarrassment for all involved.
Mike Myers stars as the magical feline who appears to help brighten the day of a couple of bored kids. While the Grinch was meant to be somewhat scary, the terrifying sight of Myers as a cat monster is too much for youngsters and older audiences were just confused with this noisy and pointless adventure.
The Last Airbender (2010) 4.0
When M. Night Shyamalan's original stories have started to become too silly for audiences, he tackled the beloved anime cartoon The Last Airbender. Instead of being a career comeback, the film was a new low point for Shyamalan.
The story follows the young Aang who comes from a long line of warriors who harness the four elements in order to defeat the Fire Nation from enslaving the other kingdoms. Despite the epic potential, Shyamalan's take ended up being a dull and insulting misfire.
Dudley Do-Right (1999) 3.9
Brendan Fraser seems to have an affinity for live-action cartoon adaptations. He also starred as the title character in George of the Jungle and while that movie is certainly not considered a classic, its reputation is at least better than Dudley Do-Right.
The comedy has Fraser playing the titular inept Canadian Mountie who simultaneously tries to woo his sweetheart and defeat his arch-nemesis, Snidely Whiplash. Audiences found little charming about this would-be adventure.
The Flintstones In Viva Rock Vegas (2000) 3.7
The first live-action Flintstones movie starring John Goodman didn't receive high praise, but it looks like a masterpiece compared to its ill-advised sequel. The story of the Flintstones and the Rubbles taking a trip to the flashy city of Rock Vegas.
The new cast isn't as likable as the original and the movie seems to ignore the established personalities of these famous characters. Fans of Stone Age puns will find some enjoyment, at the very least.
Dragonball Evolution (2009) 2.5
The Dragon Ball series is one of the most popular anime franchises of all time and has reached audiences all over the world. Fans were very excited by the news of a live-action take, but it didn't take them long to realize the movie was not going to live up to expectations.
Aside from the fact that nearly the entire cast of characters was mostly whitewashed with non-East-Asian actors playing the parts, the story is an incomprehensible, poorly acted mess. It remains one of the most disappointing and misguided movies in a long time.