5 Cartoons That Should Get a Live-Action Reboot

Hopefully one day our screens will be graced with live-action versions of these beloved cartoons.

Previously, we covered the 5 cartoons that should never get a live-action reboot, but what about the opposite here? Much like Avatar: The Last Airbender, there are a number of cartoons that lend themselves to the live-action format and to finding a larger group of fans. Of course there are no guarantees any adaptation will work, especially if the showrunners fail to hit the sweet spot of what long-time fans want and where to push the envelope in a new direction. But what’s life without a little risk and adventure, especially if you’re playing with someone else’s money? Let’s take a look at the animated series begging to be adapted as live-action reboots.

Dexter’s Laboratory

A boy-genius harbors a secret laboratory under his parents’ home. In this high-tech location, he creates a variety of wacky and wild experiments as he pushes the boundaries of science. Unfortunately, all of his inventions crash and burn because of his bumbling sister, Dee Dee, who is a human wrecking ball and never far from disaster. See how perfect it is for network television? It isn’t too difficult to imagine a live-action Dexter’s Laboratory show being a merger of the best qualities of Young Sheldon and Doctor Who as a sci-fi comedy. Another potential angle is to approach this as a straight-up family sitcom where Dee Dee is the only one who is aware of Dexter’s lab, while Mom and Dad remain blissfully unaware of what’s happening under their roof and this gets played up more than it did in the cartoon. All things considered, though, any potential live-action show would be entirely dependent on who is cast as Dexter and Dee Dee here.

Ben 10

In terms of reboots and continuations, Ben 10 is a cartoon that’s seen its fair share of adaptations throughout the years. In fact, it even received two original movies directed by Alex Winter of Bill & Ted fame. However, a full-blown live-action show about 10-year-old Ben Tennyson and his special alien watch (the Omnitrix) that lets him turn into powerful creatures could do the business on a streaming service like Max or Netflix. There’s a fantasy and wish fulfillment element to Ben 10 – much like there is in Avatar: The Last Airbender – as young children dream of being in the same situation as Ben where they are the main hero of this story and get to transform into various alien beings. Plus, in a world where there are infinite amounts of superhero programming and only more on the way, what’s another one here?

Doug

The young Doug Funnie tries to adapt to life in his new town of Bluffington. The shy boy doesn’t like to stand out, but he showcases a strong imagination and moral compass that attract attention from others. In many ways, Doug already acts as an animated version of Boy Meets World or The Wonder Years, since it’s also about growing up and finding one’s place in this world. So, it would only make sense to turn Doug into a live-action show at some point as well. Throw in the quirkiness of the characters, the imaginary adventures as Quailman, and Doug’s cute pup Porkchop, and there’s the potential to create a truly charming and unique coming-of-age series for the modern era.

BraveStarr

Set in the 23rd century on the planet known as New Texas, Marshall BraveStarr is the lawman who keeps the peace on this desert terrain. Yet, there’s always trouble around the corner as goons like Tex Hex and his outlaw crew try to kick up a storm. Fortunately, BraveStarr is able to call upon his pals and spirit animal abilities to fight off all threats. Thanks to the success of space western programming like The Mandalorian and Dune, it might not be too far-fetched to imagine a live-action adaptation of BraveStarr coming to fruition. For all intents and purposes, Jon Favreau’s sci-fi western Cowboys & Aliens proves to be a prototype of what could be possible if someone decided to do it. The only difference is that BraveStarr is actually interesting.

Recess

Who doesn’t love shows about elementary schools?! For example: Abbott Elementary established itself as a hit sitcom that focuses on the adults of the school, but what about a program that’s all about the kids and everything that happens on the playground? It exists in the form of the animated series Recess, which follows the adventures of six fourth graders – T.J., Vince, Spinelli, Gretchen, Mikey, and Gus – as they navigate everyday school shenanigans and learn how to survive the plots and ploys of bootlickers and menaces like Randall and Lawson. A live-action adaptation would have a short lifespan, though, as the child actors grow up and become less likely to be seen as elementary schoolchildren. However, it could have more mileage if the showrunners stretch out the timeline and let the audience follow these characters from elementary to middle school and thereafter.