Creating live-action movie adaptations of cartoons is nothing new. In our lifetime, we've seen animated series such as The Flintstones, G.I. Joe, Yogi Bear, and Scooby Doo rendered in the real world. Even Dora the Explorer will be getting the same treatment with Dora and The Lost City of Gold.
We have to admit that we're not particularly excited about a Dora movie (but we bet millions of kids will). But there are a ton of other cartoons we'd love to see as a live-action movie. Here are some of them:
1. Biker Mice From Mars
A few years back, a movie poster of Biker Mice From Mars appeared online and we were totally hyped. It was eventually revealed that there was no live-action movie happening and that we were excited about nothing. But that hasn't stopped us from hoping for this to actually happen. The title itself is so badass (and weirdly specific) that we cannot imagine Hollywood messing this one up.
2. Dexter's Laboratory
We don't know why Dexter's Laboratory has never been made into a movie. We feel like this will be a blockbuster hit just by tapping the nostalgic nerve of all who grew up in the '90s. But the appeal of creating a Dexter's Laboratory movie lies not only in telling the story of Dexter and Dee Dee but with the possibility of an entire franchise being formed around it. As far as we're concerned, Monkey (Dial M for Monkey), The Justice Friends, and even Dexter's arch-nemesis, Mandark, can all star in their own spin-off movies.
3. The Centurions
If we're talking about the coolest cartoon costumes of all time, the exo-frame suits from The Centurions are definitely near the top of that list. We'd love to see how filmmakers render the suits on the big screen. And given the relative success of the Transformers and GI Joe franchises, a Centurions movie might be a sleeper hit.
4. BraveStarr
With eyes of the hawk, ears of the wolf, strength of the bear, and speed of the puma, Marshall BraveStarr became one of the most iconic heroes in TV toon history. A live-action adaptation could continue the trend of portraying cultural and societal minorities as superheroes. We're not saying that this will surely become the next Black Panther but with a story that features space cowboys, robot horses, and a slew of despicable villains, BraveStarr: The Movie should at least be considered.
5. Wacky Races
Wacky Races was always one of our favorite cartoons growing up. If made into a movie, it would be the ensemble comedy equivalent of Speed Racer and Mad Max: Fury Road. Needless to say, we're most interested in who would play the cast of drivers that include Dick Dastardly and Penelope Pitstop.