10 Films With Awesome Animated TV Shows You Forgot Existed

2. The Mask: Animated Series

Jim Carrey just kind of owned the nineties, didn't he?

On top of a wildly successful spate of onscreen appearances across the cinematic spectrum (my favourite of which has to be in Liar Liar), Carrey's characters managed to endear themselves to a generation of kids on TV as well, in both Ace Ventura (already discussed), and The Mask.

The Mask, of course, was one of Carrey's most fondly remembered cinematic excursions. Based on the comic of the same name, the film followed the character of Stanley Ipkiss as he came into contact with a magical nordic mask, an item that transformed its bearer into a Tex Avery-esque anti-hero who could bend the laws of time and space itself to fight crime. Or just do whatever the hell he wanted, the show had the tendency to fluctuate as well.

Tonally, visually and canonically, the series differs little from the film it's based on. It even managed to rope Mask writer John Arcudi into writing a couple of episodes too, which is pretty cool to say the least. Rob Paulsen (of TMNT fame) lent his voicework to the titular Ipkiss, and was accompanied by other voice acting heavyweights like Jim Cummings, Tim Curry, and Tress MacNeille (yes, the same MacNeille from The Simpsons). This cast played a huge part in making The Mask's cartoon spin-off a success for as long as it was, running for three seasons prior to its cancellation in 1997.