10 Classic Cartoons That Were Mercilessly Killed On The Big Screen

9. The Flintstones

the flintstones Once the longest-running primetime cartoon in American history (a crown later pinched by The Simpsons), The Flintstones took a simple yet effective premise- a sitcom set in the Stone Age- and ran with it for a hundred and sixty-six episodes. It became known for its catchphrases, laughter track and animals that, when resigned to a lifetime of manual labour, took solace in regularly breaking the fourth wall. However, the arrival of The Great Gazoo, a floating green alien who doled out improbable life advice (pictured above), was for many fans, the point at which the show had jumped the shark. A shark that would most likely turn to camera and complain about having no union representation. Or something. A live- action adaptation was released in 1994, starring John Goodman and Rosie O'Donnell as Fred and Wilma Flintstone. While not exactly the most cerebral of movies, it did manage to make $350m from a $46m budget and so, hoping to strike gold for a second time, The Flintstones: Viva Rock Vegas was released six years later. However, you could see that the foundations were a little shaky from the start. This was a prequel, rather than a sequel, in which we discovered how the Flintstones and the Rubbles came to settle in Bedrock- a story I'm sure nobody was particularly crying out for.Tellingly, the original cast chose not to reprise their roles; with Mark Addy stepping in as Fred and Stephen Baldwin replacing Rick Moranis as Barney. Goodman has since retorted that if Fred Flintstone were the one role for which he would be remembered, then he ''would have put a nine-millimeter in my mouth a long time ago''. And, in case you needed further proof that the film had hit rock bottom, not only was The Great Gazoo back, but he was being portrayed by Alan Cumming. With four Razzie nominations to its name (including Worst Picture), the film recouped $59m of its $83m budget and practically killed the franchise stone dead. That is, until Seth McFarlane announced his plans to revive the original animated series for the Fox network. Let's hope he keeps any prospective film pitches to himself.
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Yorkshireman (hence the surname). Often spotted sacrificing sleep and sanity for the annual Leeds International Film Festival. For a sample of (fairly) recent film reviews, please visit whatsnottoblog.wordpress.com.