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Some franchises are already massive, but their animated series managed to take things to a whole new level! Join us as we count down our picks for the greatest animated shows born from already-huge franchises! From caped crusaders to galaxy-spanning wars, these shows didn't just ride their franchise's coattails — they defined them.
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00:00And I'll be smiling again, just as soon as we take that man there, and slap him in that box
00:08there, and roll it into that vat of acid there!
00:12Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at animated shows that were created from franchises that were already huge.
00:19Yet these shows sometimes outshined what came before and after.
00:27Ow!
00:30Number 10. The Real Ghostbusters
00:32Although Ghostbusters is a franchise that many consider sacred, there are really only two entities that unify every member of
00:39the fandom.
00:40The 1984 blockbuster film, of course, and The Real Ghostbusters animated series.
00:46Well, what do you know? I guess all he really wanted was his old sled back.
00:50Sure he did, Ray. There's a happy little kid inside all of us.
00:54While the film could go further with its adult humor, the freedom of animation opened the show up to stories
01:00that might have been considered too ambitious for live action at the time.
01:03Even now, some of these ideas would likely be deemed too expensive for live action.
01:08In animation, there are no limitations to the variety of ghosts to bust.
01:13Slimer, I'm going to ask your opinion and I want an honest answer, okay?
01:17Whereas most of the films that followed relied more on nostalgia and established formulas,
01:22The Real Ghostbusters evolved the premise, suggesting that maybe animation is where the franchise should be focused moving forward.
01:29Okay, jokesters. Laugh this one off. Paranormal disturbance at the airport. Better move it!
01:35Number 9. Mickey Mouse
01:37Mickey has been a bankable face for nearly a century.
01:42So much so that Disney has done everything to reinforce those copyright guardrails.
01:46While the Steamboat Willie version is in the public domain, Disney can still capitalize on later incarnations.
01:52This one harkened back to Mickey's more mischievous early days before becoming a safe corporate mascot.
01:57No snacks! Movie time will be ruined!
02:00At the same time, Paul Rudish put a fresh, even twisted spin on the character,
02:04feeling closer to Ren and Stimpy or the Powerpuff Girls.
02:08Rudish actually worked on the latter, so that's not surprising.
02:11What is surprising is that Disney allowed Rudish to give Mickey an edge again.
02:18It paid off with a brand that lasted nearly a decade between the original shorts and the wonderful world of
02:23Mickey Mouse.
02:24Number 8. Muppet Babies
02:26The Muppets became an enduring franchise thanks in part to Jim Henson's puppetry.
02:31The idea of removing that element from a Muppet show might not have sounded promising.
02:38Fossey! What are you doing?
02:41I don't know, but I'm not eating cupcakes.
02:44Setting the entire series in a nursery also seemed to restrict the possibilities.
02:48When using your imagination, though, you can go anywhere.
02:51We gotta go now. This fantasy is rated PG. We're underage.
02:58Muppet Babies would take viewers to an assortment of inventive locales,
03:01often incorporating footage from movies like Star Wars and Indiana Jones.
03:05Whereas some argue that screens impede our imagination,
03:09Muppet Babies understood that movies and television can be a source of inspiration,
03:13expanding our creativity rather than limiting it.
03:15It did so with the traditional Muppet humor and timeless characters,
03:19making a show about babies that all ages could enjoy.
03:27Number 7. Garfield and Friends
03:29While Garfield has been a household name for decades,
03:32people forget he was a merchandising giant in the 80s.
03:35So our tale is adjourned.
03:37With this lesson to be learned,
03:40helpless folks you shouldn't flog,
03:42people love an underdog.
03:45The end.
03:46Jim Davis' creation culminated in the animated series Garfield and Friends,
03:50the latter referring to the U.S. Acres segment.
03:53Although head writer Mark Evanier maintained the spirit of Davis' characters,
03:57he incorporated a more satirical side to the show.
04:00He's on the show. Be back here tonight.
04:03Me? On TV?
04:05Well, it took him long enough to discover my natural talents.
04:09This allowed Garfield to venture beyond domestic issues,
04:12getting into more far-out scenarios that could still be resolved in seven minutes.
04:17The show also had a self-awareness to it.
04:19Not only would Garfield break the fourth wall,
04:22but he'd even call out the show's animation errors
04:24and push back against network interference.
04:26It was an animated kid show that prioritized clever writing,
04:30foreshadowing more to come.
04:31I really am sorry.
04:33Well, you should be.
04:35Imagine thinking I would mail Nermal to Abu Dhabi again.
04:39Be quiet, Odie. You'll like the Yukon.
04:42Number 6. The Spectacular Spider-Man
04:45Of all the Spidey-centric shows,
04:47The Spectacular Spider-Man is arguably the best
04:50and the most prematurely canceled.
04:52While it's unlikely the show's cliffhanger ending will ever be resolved,
04:56it's still impressive just how much character development
04:59Greg Weissman and Victor Cook packed into just 26 episodes.
05:02He's back, boys!
05:04Beyond the comics,
05:05the show may have our favorite version of the Alien Costume Saga,
05:09among other well-known Spider-Man story arcs.
05:11The show also knew how to honor the source material
05:13while spinning its own web,
05:15giving us a Flash Thompson who isn't one-dimensional,
05:18a more sympathetic Eddie Brock,
05:20and a Norman Osborn who keeps us guessing.
05:27We also feel for Peter
05:29as he tries to navigate a normal teenage life
05:31while balancing the responsibilities of being Spider-Man.
05:35What are those supposed to do?
05:37They're supposed to hurt.
05:39Number 5. Tiny Toon Adventures
05:41This isn't like you.
05:43I know.
05:44But in this episode,
05:45we're showing the evils of alcohol.
05:46The Looney Tunes were as marketable as ever in the 90s,
05:50and still could be if Warner Brothers remembered what they have.
05:53While Bugs and Company would appear in Tiny Toon Adventures as mentors,
05:57creator Tom Ruger shined the spotlight on a new generation.
06:06Although cut from the same cloth as their predecessors,
06:09this new class stood on their own with standouts including Babs Bunny,
06:13Montana Max,
06:14and, of course, Baby Plucky.
06:15It laid the groundwork for the mix of slapstick and satire
06:18that would be further refined in Ruger's subsequent shows.
06:21What distinguished Tiny Toons from other shows in the Rugerverse,
06:25as fans call it,
06:26was the adventure angle,
06:27which was taken to the next level in the straight-to-video feature
06:30How I Spent My Vacation.
06:32Good luck.
06:33By the way, I love your show.
06:37Eh, Warner Brothers paid me to say that.
06:40Number 4. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
06:42But what's really important is that we all did our best.
06:46Good job, everyone!
06:47The idea may have essentially started as a joke,
06:50but the Ninja Turtles franchise has spanned generations.
06:53Although your favorite incarnation is likely the one you grew up with,
06:56we think the 2012 series is objectively the goat.
07:00Why?
07:00Because it combined the best elements of every Ninja Turtles property,
07:04from the grit of the original comics,
07:06to the humor of the 1987 series,
07:09to the more character-focused stories of the 2003 show.
07:13Now we're getting somewhere.
07:15Yet this Ninja Turtles left its own signature through the animation,
07:18writing, and approach to classic storylines.
07:21You got the sense that the creatives involved here were fans,
07:24leading to an onslaught of in-jokes and Easter eggs.
07:27At the same time,
07:28they delivered a series that served as a great entry point for newcomers.
07:32For tonight, you will finally perish.
07:37Indeed.
07:38I will end your nightmares, Saki.
07:41Fermanently!
07:42Number 3.
07:43Star Wars The Clone Wars
07:44Commander Rex,
07:46you're in violation of Order 66.
07:49I accuse you of treason against the Grand Army of the Republic.
07:53You'll be demoted and ranked from commander and subject to execution,
07:56along with the traitor Ahsoka Tata.
07:58The prequel trilogy has gotten a reappraisal,
08:01but let's be honest,
08:02part of that is because the Clone Wars animated series
08:05compensated in areas where the movies left something to be desired.
08:11Let me go.
08:13Let me die!
08:15That said,
08:16showrunner Dave Filoni and his team
08:18gave us some of the best character development
08:19in the entire Star Wars saga,
08:22fleshing out Anakin Skywalker,
08:24Count Dooku,
08:24and Darth Maul.
08:25Even Jar Jar is better.
08:27The Clone Wars also created new icons like Ahsoka Tano,
08:31who has her own involving character arc,
08:33while adding another layer of tragedy to Anakin's.
08:36While Filoni's focus has gravitated
08:38toward live-action Star Wars projects as of late,
08:40the influence of the Clone Wars can still be found,
08:43remaining one of the most important pieces of Star Wars lore.
08:54Number 2.
08:55Arcane
08:55League of Legends has been one of the most popular MOBA games for over a decade,
09:00creating a world full of possibilities for the showrunners behind Arcane to build upon.
09:07It's okay.
09:12I'll show them.
09:16We will show them all.
09:17Even the most diehard League of Legends fans were blown away by how this Emmy-winning series evolved the source
09:23material,
09:23from the world-building, to the character development, to the sheer craftsmanship.
09:27This is one of the most gorgeously animated series we've ever seen,
09:31but Arcane isn't style over substance.
09:34It's an epic story of rebellion, classism, and family,
09:37as two sisters find themselves torn apart by tragedy.
09:40Can we just pretend like it's the first time?
09:44It is the gold standard in this new era of video game adaptations.
09:48Whether or not you've played the game,
09:50Arcane will still have you enthralled from start to finish.
09:58Before we unveil our top pick,
10:00here are some honorable mentions.
10:02Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure.
10:03If only Disney's straight-to-video sequels had this kind of effort.
10:07Cassandra?
10:08What are you doing?
10:10I'm fulfilling my destiny.
10:13My Little Pony Friendship is Magic.
10:15This show will make a brony out of you.
10:18You are an inspiration to us all, Twilight.
10:25What do I do now?
10:27Is there a book about being a princess I should read?
10:31There will be time for all of that later.
10:33Beast Wars Transformers.
10:35Still better than any of the live-action Transformers movies.
10:39Tell my tale to those who ask.
10:42Tell it truly.
10:43The ill deeds, along with the good.
10:47And let me be judged accordingly.
10:51The rest is silent.
10:56DreamWorks Dragons.
10:57This franchise has no misses, does it?
10:59There will always be a hiccup in Astrid.
11:02Always.
11:02X-Men 97.
11:04X-Men was big in 1997, but it was huge in 2024.
11:09To me, my X-Men.
11:21Before we continue, check out this single from SoundMojo's Aria, Songs from Iran, reimagining Persian melodies as modern rock, metal,
11:29and pop songs.
11:30Check out the full track and album below.
11:49From R-rated comedy to syndicated kids cartoon, what could go wrong?
11:53All right, here's the real number one.
11:55We're just 20 feet away from catching the criminal of the year.
11:59Make that 50 feet.
12:00I think it's pedal to the metal time.
12:03Number one.
12:03Batman the Animated Series.
12:05Any idea what it is?
12:07Yes.
12:08The stuff that dreams are made of.
12:12Between Tim Burton's Batman movie and comics like The Dark Knight Returns, animation was ready for a mature take on
12:18the Caped Crusader.
12:18While Batman the Animated Series might have been aimed at a younger audience, older viewers got more out of the
12:24character-driven stories, gothic settings, and definitive versions of iconic characters.
12:30Sleep well, my friend. Wherever you are, whatever you've become, I will save you.
12:39Even over three decades later, Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill are still the voices we associate the most with Batman
12:45and the Joker.
12:46When we think of Gotham City, we envision it drawn on black paper, just as it was in this series.
12:51From the style to the music, no show or movie got Batman like this creative team did.
12:57This is a franchise at its absolute peak.
13:15What's your favorite show that stemmed from a pre-existing franchise?
13:18Let us know in the comments.
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