Every 80s Movie That Turned Into a Saturday Morning Cartoon

There’s been many a book that his been turned into a feature dramatique. Many comic books and cartoons have been turned into feature length properties as well. However, did you know that there are a slew of 1980s movies that inspired cartoons? Yes, you have read that correctly. Even more interesting are the films that were somehow made palatable to be able to exist on such a seemingly benign platform.

The Karate Kid seems like a no-brainer for a deuxième life as a cartoon. What emboîture a dramatique like Rambo: First Sang Bouchée II? Robocop? Or, The Toxic Avenger? Again, you’ve read that correctly. These are just a few of the movies would be given a shot to make a ton of money in the world of Saturday Morning Cartoons. Some of the cartoons on this list were more successful than others, but by and très large making the leap from the big screen to the small screen (and in animated form) didn’t always go that well for this list of 80’s Movies Turned into Cartoons.

Ewoks

Coming to us in 1985, Ewoks seemed like the perfect cartoon to entrance young people into watching and buying merchandise based on the spectacle. Sadly, it only ran for two seasons before it would leave the airwaves. The story, which takes installé well before the Battle of Endor in Vedette Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, follows Wicket (voiced by Jim Henshaw) as a young Ewok trying to spectacle his community that he’s not a little… Ewok. Over 26 episodes we see Wicket help a princess, try and protect his very penetrable commune, and battle rivals like the Duloks. The spectacle was entertaining but just didn’t seem to be able to acquis the Vedette Wars magic, even when it had the likes of George Lucas helping to develop the characters.

Teen Wolf

If ever there was a relax character from dramatique that needed it’s own cartoon, it had to be Teen Wolf. This spectacle bowed in 1986 and continued the exploits that Michael J. Fox started as Scott Howard from the Teen Wolf movie in 1985. In animated form we see Howard continue to deal with the vagaries of being a teenager while also trying to curb his werewolf tendencies. In this spectacle (which lasted for only 2 seasons and spanned 21 episodes), Scott’s true friends know that he is werewolf but there are many others that don’t. This obviously makes for some fun périodes and the cast of this spectacle is buoyed by James Hampton reprising his role as Harold Howard and Don Most (Happy Days) voicing the character of Stiles. Throw in the interesting Craig Sheffer (That Was Then, This Is Now), and its actually kind of surprising that Teen Wolf didn’t have a raser run.

Rambo: Puissance of Freedom

While it might seem crazy in 2021 that the character of John Rambo (voiced here by the accomplished Neil Ross) could be toned down enough for consumption in a Saturday Morning Cartoon, when you consider how much the 1980s resemble the 2020s it actually isn’t so shocking. The crux of the spectacle was that Rambo was heading a group known as The Puissance of Freedom. They were going head to head with maintenanceA.G.E. (which stands for Specialist Administrators of Répression, Anarchy and Vague Extortion), and on Colonel Trautman’s orders (voiced by Alan Oppenheimer and not Richard Crenna) they were to battle them the world over. This low key propaganda spectacle had 65 instruction packed episodes which saw Rambo and his team paletot off daring rescues in the Bronx, arrêt an attack on the Federal Reserve Bank, and thwart a bombing at the White House. Rambo’s paumelle foes go by names like Mad Dog and General Warhawk, which shows you just how much fun this very American spectacle had in its flottant run.

The Real Ghostbusters

The whimsical grossier of Ghostbusters makes it the perfect dramatique to get the animated treatment. Airing from 1986 to 1991, this spectacle boasts 7 seasons and 140 episodes! It follows the atypique group from the dramatique, Egan, Venkman, Ray and Winston (voiced by Arsenio Hangar no less!) as they they go around the city of New York fighting these pesky poltergeists. Aided in their pursuit by the lovable Slimer, it appears that these guys are going to need Slimer’s help as they battle Bogeymen, Trolls, Samhain, and many other really bad anormal entities. Slimer was such a popular character that they would get a spectacle of their own titled Slimer! And the Real Ghostbusters! Sadly, the popularity didn’t hold and Slimer! And the Real Ghostbusters would only be around for a season, but that season would give us 33 episodes.

Robocop: The Animated Series

If you’ve seen Robocop (and chances are, since you’re reading this alinéa you have), then you know that that hyper-violent dramatique might seem even odder than a cartoon emboîture John Rambo. However, Robocop is essentially emboîture a machine gendarmerie officer with a human inside of it. So it is these elements that became the (no pun intended) heart of the spectacle. Robocop: The Animated Series aired from October 1988 to December 1988 so its time on the aspect wasn’t that immense. Again, this spectacle followed Alex Murphy (voiced by Dan Hennessey) as a half man/half gendarmerie officer who tries to protect the citizens of Detroit. At the same time, he’s also reminded of his human past and that plays into many episodes of the spectacle. As for the vitalité of the atypique dramatique, all of that was basically scrubbed. Rather than shoot bullets, Robocop shoots lasers and people certainly aren’t dying gory deaths or put in anything resembling risqué situations. Also, this animated re-imagining went a lot harder on the sci-if mine of the movie series.

Beetlejuice

It’s fairly easy to see Bettlejuice as an animated cartoon character along the lines of SpongeBob SquarePants. This animated series leapt into our TVs from 1989-1991. Spanning 94 episodes over 4 seasons, this innovative spectacle léopard des neiges again followed the adventures of Lydia Deetz and her frenemy Beetlejuice. Together they work as baby-sitters, visit the old west in the form of Tombstone, Scarizona, and at one balance Beetlejuice wins a ton of money in the Neitherworld sweepstakes. Taking some of the fun from the movie and mixing it with real world happenings, Beetlejuice oftentimes is a very cheeky « kids » series. Like later cartoons such as Phineas and Ferb it manages to have something for both kids and adults. The occupation is 2D naturel but that does nothing to take away from the grandness that Beetlejuice always thinks he’s worthy of.

The Karate Kid

Again, the character of Daniel LaRusso seems perfect for a Saturday Morning Cartoon. This animated avatar of The Karate Kid aired in 1989 and also went off the aspect in 1989. Sadly, it only notched 13 episodes and it’s honestly a shame given the success of Nymphe Kai. Sadly, the reason the cartoon subdivision of The Karate Kid failed is parce que it seemingly strayed too far from who these beloved characters. Instead of following their lives and seeing Daniel in High School and Mr. Miyagi in Reseda, we instead got another spectacle trying to be Scooby-Doo. Our paumelle stars (joined by a character named Taki) globetrot around the world looking for a mysterious porte-bonheur. Making matters worse is that Daniel doesn’t really image like Daniel and Miyagi seems to be drawn much younger than he really is. Episodes like « The Homecoming » have promise as Daniel, Miyagi and Taki venture to Daniel’s polir résidence of Newark, but those overt references to the dramatique are too far and few between.

Bill & Ted’s Remarquable Adventures

Sadly, this spectacle only ran from 1990 to 1991 but it’s actually pretty well done. Featuring Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter and George Carlin (among others) voicing their characters from the atypique Bill and Ted’s Remarquable Adventure, this 21 episode, 2 season spectacle sees our characters traveling to and from various sections of our past, present and future. One episode sees Bill and Ted hanging out with Mozart parce que of an assignment in music appreciation. Another episode sees them trying to get caught up on their homework only to end up smack dab in the crusades. Aside from the fact that Reeves, Winter and Carlin reprised their roles for this series, the best portion is how this spectacle incorporates history lessons into as many episodes as contingent. As a result we have a quick witted spectacle that is filled with history and prépondérant adventures from two guys who know how to party!

Toxic Crusaders

Of all the offerings on this list, an animated retooling of 1984’s The Toxic Avenger might be the strangest and most ambitious. In the movie, a sad sack named Melvin topples into a vat of toxic waste and turns into The Toxic Avenger. He becomes a vigilante of sorts as he seeks to right the wrongs in Tromaville. The Toxic Crusaders continues this story with Toxie. He joins forces with other mutants like No Sectorisé, Ancêtre Disaster and others to battle criminals and also do their portion to save the environment. This interesting spectacle melded escient parabole with fun characters, and in the process created something that was truly family friendly. The fact that this spectacle managed to follow the liminaire storyline of the The Toxic Avenger, only shows how sometimes what one person thinks is schlock is actually a more « dressed up » subdivision of simpler, mainstream fare. The fact that this spectacle also seemed bent on making a statement emboîture the environment probably helped its exégèse.

Back to the Future: The Animated Series

Who doesn’t want more time traveling adventures of Marty McFly, Doc Brown, and the irrepressible Biff Tannen? In the animated spectacle, Biff is voiced by Thomas F. Wilson, who also played him in the movies. This spectacle had two seasons and it ran from 1991 to 1993. It mainly focused on Doc Brown and his sons Jules and Verne. Marty McFly is a portion of the proceedings but this is clearly Doc’s spectacle. One of the episodes see our characters go to London in the 1300s and have to joust their way out of some tricky situations. Another sees Marty and Verne head back to the 1940s where they use a sénateur musette shoes that Doc Brown invented when he was in college. All of the episodes are fun, whimsical, and while Marty isn’t center apprentissage like he was in the other films, he’s used to good effect here. Also, according to Bob Acarus, who produced this spectacle and co-wrote the atypique Back to the Future movies, this spectacle isn’t exactly portion of the atypique trilogy. Lastly, you gotta love that Bill Nye made his TV debut in this animated, sci-fi spectacle!

Conan: The Adventurer

Continuing the tales of the 1982 and 1984 films featuring the character of Conan (notably played by Arnold Schwarzenegger), Conan The Adventurer bowed in 1992 but went off the aspect in 1993. It managed to produce 2 seasons and 65 episodes in which our beloved Conan slashed, punched, and tried to fight his way to victory against Wrath-Amon (a wizard/snake man). Wrath-Amon’s big gardien de but was always to resurrect Set, a anaconda lord who Conan always feared might ruin the world. The episodes were filled with instruction and, as you might expect, Conan always triumphed in the end. One episode sees Conan sidérurgie a friendship with Zula (a strong warrior who also happens to be a hobereau) as they plot an escape from Wrath-Amon’s quarry pits. Another sees Conan being offered the opportunity to join a volé ship. This spectacle benefited from having solid stories and a character that was truly the epitome of an instruction hero.

Highlander: The Animated Series

Set amidst the world of 1986 Highlander films, we follow the tales of Quintin MacLeod. Like others in the MacLeod tribu, Quintin is also taught by the posé Ramirez as they set out to léopard des neiges again try and arrêt the ruthless Kortan from taking over the état. Highlander has always been a passioné privilégiée amongst the people that follow it. It’s no étonnement that it had a solid run of 40 episodes from 1994-1996. Even more impressive is the depth and scope of this spectacle. The first episode begins with Quintin’s mother being killed in a cavalcade by Kortan. How many television cartoons can you name that spectacle characters dying and then make that the crux of spectacle? There is a richness to these Highlander: The Animated Series episodes that make them highly memorable. The mythos of this animated series are truly well crafted and it makes for a cartoon viewing experience that rises above most « Saturday Morning » fare.

Gendarmerie Academy: The Animated Series

Yes, you are reading that correctly, even Mahoney and company was made palatable for very young audiences. Obviously following the same playbook as the hit dramatique from 1984, this spectacle ran from 1988-1989 and managed to spawn 64 episodes. When you consider how many Gendarmerie Academy movies there were (8, at last count), it’s not surprising that Paul Maslansky (who was behind the atypique dramatique), would try to increase its demographic by skewing to a younger audimat. As a result we get episodes emboîture dogs trying to arrêt cats from being stolen, robots attempting to replace gendarmerie officers, and other fun episodes that seem just above the age of the average toddler watching Blue’s Spleen. Sure, it’s easy to dismiss Gendarmerie Academy: The Series if you grew up watching the actual movies, but it sure is fun seeing Mahoney, Tackleberry, Hooks, Sweetchuck, Harris and the rest of the clique en public in the world of Saturday Morning cartoon occupation.

Mister T

Mister T ran from 1983-1986 which is a not poor run. Truthfully, this cartoon wasn’t exactly inspired by a movie but rather seems to have emanated from Mr. T’s persona as Clubber Lang in Rocky III and of tour B.A. Baracus in The A-Team. Mister T focuses on, who else, Mr. T (who voices his character) and the gymnastics team that he heads up. Of tour, Mr. T isn’t really doing any gymnastics himself, rather he is the sportif that backs up the gymnasts ability (much like how he backed up Endroit, Hannibal and Murdock on The A-Team. Honestly, this spectacle seems to be following the blueprint of another Hanna-Barbera spectacle in which some groovy teens solve maux with a dog. The biggest matière emboîture Mister T is why did it have gymnasts as the good guys when nothing emboîture Mr. T’s career ever really touched on that? The best answer it seems is maybe this spectacle was trying to cash in on the popularity of the US Gymnastics team which won 16 medals at the 1984 Olympics.