80s Cartoons on the Big Screen
He-Man, Thundercats and Voltron Follow in The Transformers Footsteps
Jul 9, 2007
With the success of Transformers and the fact that those children who once made 80s cartoons popular are now the ones holding the purse strings, there are sure to be many more 80s cartoon properties making their way to the big screen. Question is: will they be as lucky as Michael Bay with his Transformers film? Here are a few suggestions for popular 80s cartoons that might be making their way to a theater near you.
Voltron - Believe it or not, there is a Voltron film in the works. For those who don't quite remember Voltron, Voltron was yet another series that centered around transformer robots. However, Voltron was actually a combination of five robotic lions that could be combined, with the help of their pilots, to form Voltron: Defender of the Universe. There were other forms of Voltron (a vehicular version that came later), but it is perhaps the multiple lions that are the most remembered.
Voltron could most definitely take a page from the Bay and Spielberg camp. Like Transformers, Voltron involves over-the-top concepts and a love of all things giant and robotic. Take the film too seriously and you risk alienating everyone. However, too much camp (think Power Rangers) and the film will fall short of the fun, action/sci-fi film that it can be.
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe - You won't be surprised to learn that another Masters of the Universe film is in the works and, oddly enough, Justin Marks, the writer attached to Voltron, is also attached to this one. For those who were unable to wipe the memory from their brains, you'll recall that a film version was attempted in the late 80s. However, the film bore little resemblance to the cartoon series that had birthed it and those that might have loved it almost instantly revolted against it.
With the success of 300, it's been seen that half-naked men warriors paired with fantasy elements are actually not only good entertainment, but can actually become part of a well-made, enjoyable film instead of the punchline of a joke. If the filmmakers on this project take a page from Zach Snyder and Frank Miller, they can make a film that incorporates the fantasy elements of the original cartoon series, pair it with some darker fantasy elements and achieve a film that will finally make those who enjoyed the cartoon series not feel so guilty about still owning their old Skeletor action figures.
She-Ra: Princess of Power - She-Ra was Filmation and Mattel's answer to the feminine side of He-Man's masculine universe. Oddly enough, many of the little girls who became interested in He-Man's twin sister were already avid viewers of the so-called masculine He-Man series. With the exception of Skeletor, She-Ra had villains that truly outshone those featured in He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. While Skeletor's henchmen always proved to be bumbling idiots, She-Ra's nemesis, Hordak, seemed to keep better company including two female villains that hold great potential for a film series: Shadow Weaver and Catra.
The possibility of a female-helmed fantasy action film is a small one, but with a touch of "Lord of the Rings" fantasy elements combined with Adora's much more inviting storyline (former ally and loyalist for Hordak discovers his penchant for slavery and death), She-Ra holds much potential for a great film series with high fantasy elements. Give the story an injection of darkness and you have a fantastic action-heroine franchise on your hands.
Jem - While the 80s were high in fantasy, Jem downplayed the fantasy element and brought the popularity of 80s hair bands to the elementary set. Jem's title character had, like most good 80s cartoon heroines, an alter ego. Whenever she touched her star-shaped earrings, she was then transformed from Jerrica Benton into Jem, a rock star with hair that could put the love child of Jon Bon Jovi and Cyndi Lauper to shame.
If Jem were to ever make its way into a live action film, there would have to be a high comedic element for it to truly work. However, with a structure like that of such comedies as "The Devil Wears Prada" and "Legally Blonde," there's the potential to take Jem to a place where it's both fun and accessible for all audiences.
Thundercats - Okay, now I know you'll never believe this. There's a Thundercats movie in development. You're shocked, right? Following a race of species that were a sort-of cat/human hybrid, the Thundercats fought to resort justice to a planet by the name of Third Earth. Combining elements of fantasy, action/adventure and science fiction, the series spawned its own line of action figures and comic books.
The film is, thus far, rumored to be a CGI film. Perhaps for the Thundercats, this medium will serve its characters better than it did the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the critically panned "TMNT" film released earlier this year.
Galaxy High - This one is a long shot and there's a good possibility that few will even remember this series, but once upon a time, there was a cartoon series about a high school in outer space. The series only lasted for 13 episodes, but it's hard to deny that it was an original, fun series that was canceled all too soon.
With the plethora of FX capabilities now available to filmmakers, this could be one film that could take a fun premise, a John Hughes teen comedy in space, and give it the life it deserves. Will we ever see it? Probably not, but it's fun to dream anyway.
In the coming years, we're sure to see more and more 80s properties make their way to the big screen and perhaps even renewed on the smaller screen. Which just goes to show that we children of the 80s did truly have the coolest cartoons.
