Possible Adaptations of 80s-90s Animated TV Series

by ElMaruecan82 | created - 25 Apr 2014 | updated - 3 weeks ago | Public

I always felt that the 80s and early 90s provided some of the greatest and most thrilling animated TV series ever, with their share of adventures, thrills and fun ... and even some obscure (yet appealing) weirdness. It's to this forgotten period set after the Hanna-Barbera's Golden Age and before the Pokemons, that this poll pays tribute to.

Now, some series have already been adapted to movies, among them Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987), Inspector Gadget (1983), Smurfs (1981) and Transformers (1984) and I concede that the results didn't always match our expectations. But maybe this is because the producers didn't pay attention shows with greater potential.

Personally, I've always wondered why I could never see nm000040 playing 'Bullet-Proof' in a movie adaptation of C.O.P.S. (1988) or how come an environmentalist cartoon like Captain Planet and the Planeteers (1990) was never given a chance to enlighten the younger generations about the dangers that threaten our planet... but I digress, here's the question:

Which of these (forgotten?) 80's/90's animated series would make the most awesome live-action adaptation?

After voting you might discuss the list here

PS: Forgive the generational bias but still, I suspect even those who were born before the mid-70s and after the mid-90s (re-runs exist, don't they?) will be familiar with most of these titles.

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1. Ulysse 31 (1981–1982)

25 min | Animation, Action, Adventure

To return home and restore his cursed crew, a great hero of space and his child companions must find the Kingdom of Hades against all evil opposition.

Stars: Matt Birman, Jacques Ebner, Claude Giraud, Séverine Morisot

Votes: 1,822

2. Taiyô no ko Esteban (1982–1983)

28 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy

A trio of kids must search throughout 16th Century South America for personal answers linked to the legendary El Dorado.

Stars: Janice Chaikelson, Adrian Knight, Michael Rudder, Terrence Labrosse

Votes: 3,401

aka The Mysterious Cities of Gold

3. The Littles (1983– )

C8 | 30 min | Animation, Short, Adventure

Animated series about a 13-year-old boy named Henry Bigg who goes on vacation and finds mouse-like creatures in his suitcase called Littles. There's a whole family of Littles. William and ... See full summary »

Stars: Jimmy Keegan, Bettina Bush, Alvy Moore, Robert David Hall

Votes: 719

4. Voltron: Defender of the Universe (1984–1985)

24 min | Animation, Family, Sci-Fi

This series focuses on five lion robots and their pilots as they fight the evil forces of King Zarkon and Prince Lotor.

Stars: Jack Angel, Michael Bell, Peter Cullen, Neil Ross

Votes: 4,120

5. Thundercats (1985–1989)

PG | 30 min | Animation, Action, Adventure

A team of humanoid cats fight evil in their adopted home world.

Stars: Bob McFadden, Larry Kenney, Earl Hammond, Lynne Lipton

Votes: 15,634

6. Les mondes engloutis (1985–1987)

Animation, Adventure, Comedy

An underground civilization named Arkadia launches an expedition for exploring the world of the surface to restore its fading sun.

Stars: Jeanine Forney, Chris Benard, Amandine Rajau, Louis Arbessier

Votes: 645

aka Spartakus and the Sun Beneath the Sea

7. Robotech (1985)

G | 30 min | Animation, Action, Adventure

An alien spaceship crash lands on Earth and the technology and secrets she bears lead Earth into three destructive interplanetary wars.

Stars: Robert Axelrod, Bill Capizzi, Frank Catalano, Richard Epcar

Votes: 3,305

8. Clémentine (1985– )

29 min | Animation, Adventure, Drama

The teen daughter of an air combat pilot travels around the world to find the cure for her injury, due to which she cannot walk but seeing precognitive dreams she can foretell the future only if she could deliver their meanings.

Stars: Anick Faris, Céline Montsarrat, Evelyne Séléna, Francette Vernillat

Votes: 365

9. Il était une fois... la vie (1987– )

30 min | Animation, Family

The workings of the human body explained by animated characters.

Stars: Roger Carel, Marie-Laure Beneston, Alain Dorval, Gilles Laurent

Votes: 4,422

aka Once Upon a Time ... Life

10. Hokuto no Ken (1986)

13+ | 110 min | Animation, Action, Drama

A practitioner of the deadly martial art "Hokuto Shinken" allies with two children and an expert in "Nanto Suicho-Ken" to fight against the rivals who kidnapped his lover and threaten the prosperity of mankind.

Director: Toyoo Ashida | Stars: Akira Kamiya, Yuriko Yamamoto, Kenji Utsumi, Chikao Ohtsuka

Votes: 6,111

aka Ken the Survivor

11. The Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers (1986–1989)

30 min | Animation, Action, Adventure

Four elite Galaxy Rangers with unique abilities defend law & order among the space colonies and protect humanity from the evil Crown Empire.

Stars: Jerry Orbach, Bob Bottone, Laura Dean, Doug Preis

Votes: 1,087

12. Seinto Seiya (1986–1989)

G | 24 min | Animation, Action, Adventure

A group a young warriors known as 'Saints', each in possession of a 'cloth' guarded by a different constellation, must protect the reincarnation of the goddess Athena as she attempts to keep the Earth from being destroyed by evil forces.

Stars: Hideyuki Tanaka, Tôru Furuya, Ryô Horikawa, Kôichi Hashimoto

Votes: 8,855

aka Knights of the Zodiac

13. City Hunter (1987–1991)

13+ | 24 min | Animation, Action, Comedy

The adventures of Ryo Saeba, a gun-for-hire living in the Tokyo metropolis, who will take on any dangerous job as long as it involves beautiful women.

Stars: Akira Kamiya, Kazue Ikura, Yôko Asagami, Tesshô Genda

Votes: 1,085

14. C.O.P.S. (1988–1989)

30 min | Animation, Action, Crime

A team of specially enhanced policemen fights crime in the year 2020.

Stars: Ken Ryan, Zevi Wolmark, Len Carlson, Paul De La Rosa

Votes: 1,273

15. Denver, the Last Dinosaur (1988–1990)

30 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy

When an unusually intelligent dinosaur unexpectedly hatches from a fossilized egg in present-day California, a friendly group of human teenagers adopts him and teaches him how to hide from prying eyes and master skateboarding.

Stars: James Swodec, Loïc Baugin, Stéphane Bazin, Jean-Louis Faure

Votes: 2,186

16. Captain Planet and the Planeteers (1990–1996)

G | 23 min | Animation, Action, Adventure

A quintet of teenagers work together to encourage environmentally responsible behavior and can summon a superhero to deal with ecological disasters.

Stars: David Coburn, Joey Dedio, Kath Soucie, LeVar Burton

Votes: 10,298

17. Uchû no kishi Tekkaman Burêdo (1994– )

19 min | Animation, Action, Adventure

Earth's defence forces are engaged in a losing battle with the evil Darkon. A ship plummets to Earth and explodes, and out walks a stranger, unscathed, but suffering from amnesia. In his ... See full summary »

Stars: Megumi Hayashibara, Toshiyuki Morikawa, Takehiro Koyama

Votes: 334

aka Teknoman

18. Sailor Moon (1995–2000)

G | 24 min | Animation, Action, Adventure

The magical action-adventures of a teenage girl who learns of her destiny as the legendary warrior Sailor Moon and must band together with the other Sailor Scouts to defend the Earth and Galaxy.

Stars: Susan Roman, Jill Frappier, Katie Griffin, Ron Rubin

Votes: 11,330



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