The Simpsons Movie… and Other TV Cartoons
QUESTION: What’s your opinion of The Simpsons Movie? What are your favorite animated series-turned-films? TELL US
As Simpsons fans crowd into theaters this weekend to spy Homer, Marge and all of Springfield, we started thinking about other animated TV series gone Hollywood…
South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut (1999)
The pinnacle of all TV animated series to hit the big screen. No debate. Trey Parker and Matt Stone turn just about everything on its ear: censorship, parenting, international relations, our culture of irresponsibility, even animated film. And when you’re not on TV, you can revel in a song called “Uncle Fuc*er.” GEEK NOTE: A working title was “All Hell Breaks Loose.”
Beavis and Butt-Head Do America (1996)
If Parker and Stone are the Presidents of Whole-Culture Humor, Mike Judge is the Vice-President. His MTV heroes’ roadtrip is infantile and lewd, yet silly and smart.
The Rugrats “Trilogy” 1998-2003 (The Rugrats, The Rugrats in Paris, Rugrats Go Wild)
If you have kids (or a bizarre Nickelodeon jones), you know these. Some worthy notes: The first film has a bizarre voice cast worthy of a lost National Lampoon movie: David Spade, Tim Curry, Busta Rhymes, Roger Clinton… Casey Kasem voices a character in Paris, his first film since — oh jeez — the original Transformers movie (1986). Go Wild stole a page from John Waters’ Polyester and attempted an “odorama” shtick in the theater. (Can’t kids just smell bad stuff at home?). Finally, the films’ music is by Devo revolutionary Mark Mothersbaugh.
Jetsons: The Movie (1990)
Yeah, I’ve seen it. No, not because pop starlet Tiffany plays Judy Jetson. This meaningless feature marks Mel Blanc’s final movie — he passed away in July ‘89, during production. But Mr.Spacely lives on… and now there’s talk of a live-action version from Robert Rodriguez.
TMNT (2007)
It began as a live-action, theme-park friendly presentation, but this year saw the Ninja Turtles return in good ol’ animation. Seems like a smart move: TMNT took in $54 million — more than Music and Lyrics, Premonition or Smokin’ Aces.
I haven’t even mentioned the litany of animated shows turned into live-action movies: the upcoming Underdog movie, Rocky and Bullwinkle (De Niro!), Josie and the Pussycats (a personal favorite) and those two dumb Flintstones movies.
Other Posts of Interest
- The Simpsons Movie Scores Huge Opening Box Office
- Movie Poster Monday: YEAR OF THE FISH
- Movie Poster Monday: DISASTER MOVIE, Simpsons Style
- The Bourne Ultimatum Breaks Box Office Record
- STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS For Dummies
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[…] Original post by Norm S. […]
[…] The Simpsons Movie was so dominating the weekend’s 2nd biggest movie was roughly $52 million behind: the second turn for I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry. […]
The best animated series during the past 20 years have been the ones by Mike Judge:
1) Beavis & Butt-head. Beats the Simpsons hands down. B&B are real rebels; Bart is a fake rebel. Beavis and Butt-head tortured cats for fun; Bart is a closet wimp who talks a good game, but always retreats back into the hearth of his whitebread, picket fence American family. In short, Bart is a fraud. Beavis and Butt-head are the REAL anti-heroes of American childhood. That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it!
2) King of the Hill - One of the funniest things on TV in our lifetimes. Again, it blows the Simpsons out of the water. The satire is totally… believable. These people really could exist, and that’s scary. But Hank and the gang would be totally ‘normal’ in Texas.
- Joe T. -
I can appreciate Bart’s touch of innocence, so I have trouble considering him an antihero or comparing him to Beavis and Butt-head. But I’ve always dug B&B, and thought they represented all the high school losers we either were or wondered about. And deep down, they probably do want more out of life (the movie proved that)
I never got into King of the Hill, but I do really like Mike Judge’s humor and style.
I just saw Idiocracy and loved the idea. I thought the execution lacked a little oomph, but the idea — and a lot of the jokes — were just great. I’d recommend it, but perhaps only for Judge fans.
Talk to you again.
-Norm S.
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