00:00Welcome to WatchMojo and today, we're counting down our picks for the animated characters
00:09that were most butchered in the leap to live action.
00:1610.
00:21He-Man – Masters of the Universe Sporting bulging muscles, blonde hair and a classic
00:25sword from a stone, there's no denying that Dolph Lundgren looks the part of the universe's
00:30namesake defender.
00:31It's a real shame then that this 1982 film completely misses the mark on He-Man's heroic
00:37charm.
00:47He isn't just a bulky beefcake.
00:48He-Man is a symbol of nobility, pride and an unironic need to do good.
00:53But the live action adaptation abandons all of that and replaces it with corny jokes that
00:57elicit more eye-rolls than awe.
01:04With a better script or a more serious tone, Lundgren could've been the He-Man the universe
01:13needed.
01:14Instead, we're left with a whole lot of pointless flexing.
01:179.
01:18Mr. Magoo – Mr. Magoo – Quincy Magoo is a lot of things.
01:32Filthy rich, stubborn to a fault and hilariously unpredictable just to name a few.
01:38What he isn't though is slapstick.
01:48Fundamentally, 1997's Mr. Magoo misses out on the specific brand of humor that made the
01:53character a household name.
02:05Rather than unintentional situational comedy, the movie is a series of tired gags and obvious
02:10punchlines.
02:11Magoo himself suffers the most.
02:13Stripped of all his comedic charm, he comes off as negligent at best or uncaring at worst.
02:18Time for a little red cross here, Magoo.
02:25Let me see.
02:26Oh, my dear child.
02:27You should have your dentist file down those teeth.
02:30Fans of the series should look elsewhere for a belly laugh.
02:32This guy is only Magoo in name alone.
02:358.
02:36The Smurfs – The Smurfs – Despite what their skin color would have you believe, the Smurfs
02:41will have you feeling anything but blue.
02:43Not that you'd be able to tell based off the 2011 misfire of an adaptation.
02:47Gone is the cross-generational appeal of the original.
02:58No, the live action Smurfs is obviously and painfully aimed at children.
03:02Tossing aside decades of careful characterization, the cast is reduced to one note caricatures
03:17meant to cater to the lowest common denominator.
03:20Although some of these jokes are so bad, it's hard to say if even children would find them
03:24amusing.
03:31So, who was this made for exactly?
03:35We're genuinely wondering.
03:377.
03:38Spike Spiegel – Cowboy Bebop
03:39Look, it's clear Jon Cho really loves Spike Spiegel.
03:42And how could he not?
03:43The character is suave, stylish and filled with deep layers of trauma and growth.
03:48I'm not going there to die.
03:50I'm going to find out if I'm really alive.
03:54Unfortunately, passion does not always equate to quality.
03:58Especially when you're dealing with live action anime adaptations.
04:01Cho's take on the character is symptomatic of the issues the whole show faces.
04:05It's too beholden to the original, but too different to satisfy either.
04:17The result is a main character that's stuck between two clashing visions and accomplishes
04:21neither.
04:22Is he supposed to be witty?
04:23The smart one?
04:24Headstrong?
04:25It's bad for your health out here.
04:32Yeah, I've heard that too.
04:35The only thing we can agree on is Spike is better in animation.
04:386.
04:39Albert – Fat Albert
04:48Early on in 2004's Fat Albert, some magic shenanigans bring the title character out
04:53of the TV and into live action for the first time.
04:56Based on how it went, he probably should have just stayed too deep.
05:00Will you stay away from me?
05:01I'm going to call 911 on you.
05:06This cannot be happening.
05:08I'm losing my mind.
05:09Despite Kenan Thompson's effortless comedic timing in the role, the same gags that work
05:14in a children's program don't translate to a big budget Hollywood tentpole.
05:19Like, say, following a character named Fat Albert.
05:21His schtick works in stories that wrap up in 20 minutes, but when he's carrying a full-length
05:26feature, the overblown weight jokes become grating.
05:29I know big.
05:30And you, my friend, are big.
05:33And fat.
05:34I'm Fat Albert.
05:36Suffice it to say, this film didn't prove any Fat Albert haters wrong.
05:405.
05:41The Chipmunks – Alvin and the Chipmunks
05:43Credit where it's due, this movie renders the chipmunks in surprisingly good CGI for the
05:48fans.
05:49Sadly, that same effort was not put into the script.
05:51You know what's weirder than that?
05:53A grown man bringing another grown man.
05:55A big box with a bunch of chipmunks in it who not only speak English, but can sing.
06:00It makes it clear Simon's smart, Theodore's naive, and Alvin's the troublemaker.
06:05That's it.
06:06The trio are regressed to their barest character traits and left as walking, talking cliches.
06:11Don't you wish your girlfriend was a freak like me?
06:14There's this new thing.
06:17It's called knocking.
06:18Get out.
06:19I'm waiting for the rinse cycle.
06:21Alvin's the biggest victim by far.
06:24Without any positive qualities to balance him out, his mischievous antics feel less charming
06:29and more headache-inducing.
06:30They may be good for a toe-tapping musical number here and there, but otherwise, Alvin, Theodore,
06:34and Simon are majorly lost in translation.
06:454.
06:46Jim.
06:47Jim and the Holograms.
06:48Some characters only work in animation.
06:50Like, for example, a teenage girl who turns into a superstar with the help of supercomputer
06:55earrings.
06:56Okay, let's do this.
06:58I wouldn't believe we made it here.
07:01If you can't tell already, Jim and the Holograms is the kind of screwball concept that only
07:11something in the 80s could get away with.
07:13So, it's truly baffling that the 2015 live-action film decided to retool the series into a cringy
07:19young adult drama.
07:20Wait, let me explain what's been going on, okay?
07:23Explain what?
07:24What are you gonna explain?
07:25That you wanna go solo?
07:26I tried to tell you guys, but we were gonna lose the house and I thought I could take care
07:30of it.
07:31Seeing Jim so firmly focused on boy trouble isn't just boring.
07:35It's totally at odds with the rocking charm of the original character.
07:38At least the music isn't half bad.
07:41That's literally the only thing this new Jim got right.
07:45I threw my heart in the fire.
07:46I never fall into fire.
07:47I never fall into fire.
07:52Number 3.
07:53The Turtles Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
07:57How do you mess up the Turtles this battle?
07:59Their personalities basically right themselves at this point.
08:02Michelangelo, I've been looking all over the carnival for you.
08:06Why'd you do that?
08:07I was right here.
08:09Here, I won these for you.
08:13It probably has something to do with the special effects, which are impressive but don't quite
08:18escape the uncanny valley.
08:20Or maybe it's the potty humor which stinks up any attempt at plot or characterization.
08:25Well, miss, we're ninjas.
08:29We're mutants.
08:30Well, technically we're turtles.
08:31Oh, and we're teenagers.
08:33But we can still have adult conversations.
08:36Either way, this is not the Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello or Michelangelo we know and love.
08:42Oh, and don't even get us started on Shredder.
08:45The iconic big bad looks like he's held together with duct tape and children's glue.
08:49All these guys can crawl back into the sewer they came out of.
08:522.
08:53Son Goku – Dragon Ball Evolution
09:02It's ironic that one of anime's most high profile characters is completely unrecognizable
09:07in his own Hollywood film.
09:09What, you missed the episode where Goku goes to high school?
09:12That's because it never happened.
09:14Dragon Ball Evolution doesn't even try to hide its attempts at Americanizing the story.
09:27But rather than broaden in the series' appeal, it instead turns Goku's legendary tale into
09:32yet another dull high school romance.
09:35I'm not saying that Chi-Chi's a stupid name.
09:37I'm just saying that it's not normal.
09:40But normal's overrated.
09:42I'm not saying that you're stupid or overrated.
09:44I'm just, I'm gonna stop now.
09:46Fans wanted power-up, roars, high-speed martial arts, and earth-shaking beam struggle.
09:51Not a version where Piccolo randomly has a film for Tao's sidekick.
09:54Dragon Ball's small-screen efforts ensure Goku's legacy persists to this day.
09:59But it's in spite of this film, not because of it.
10:02Frieza?
10:03What?
10:04I'd rather be a brainless beast than a heartless monster.
10:07Like you.
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10:221.
10:25The Avatar Cast
10:26The Last Airbender
10:27Woah boy.
10:28Where to even begin with this one?
10:31The Firebender started a war.
10:33I left a few days ago.
10:36We could talk about how the leading man was a martial artist first and an actor second.
10:40Or how part of the cast was allegedly only hired due to plain and simple nepotism.
10:45Then there's the obvious and harmful whitewashing.
10:48Really, we could go on.
10:49But the long and short of it is The Last Airbender is an utter disgrace to the Avatar name.
10:54They make me look totally stiff and humorless.
10:57Actually, I think that actor is pretty spot on.
11:00How could you say that?
11:02The movie fails to adapt any one of the show's expansive cast well.
11:06Which is maddening since they had a near perfect blueprint to work off of.
11:09How such a slam dunk went oh so wrong is still beyond us.
11:13You're angry.
11:14You must let this go.
11:15As the Avatar you are not meant to hurt others.
11:16What's an animated show you think would actually be a great live action movie?
11:29Let us know in the comments down below.
11:31You're staying.
11:36Then I'll stay too.
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11:47We'll see you next time.
11:48Bye.
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