15 Warm, Nostalgic TV Cartoons Based on Movies

Saturday morning cartoons might be a thing of the past, but those precious childhood memories will last forever. Looking back, a lot of those shows were based on classic big-screen movies like Ghostbusters or Back to the Future. Some of those cartoons might have led viewers to seek out those movies, like Beetlejuice or Men in Black.

These animated TV shows based on movies had a personal charm to them. Sometimes, these shows were legitimately good, or, watching them now as an adult, play “so bad they’re good.”

Whatever the case, these movie-inspired cartoons deserve rewatching for a healthy dose of nostalgia.

1. The Real Ghostbusters

No, not the weird Filmation cartoon with the car and giant monkey. This is The Real Ghostbusters.

The 1986 cartoon was based on the live-action movie of the same name, which starred Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson. It took the supernatural premise more seriously than the film, with creative monster designs and strong writing from showrunner (Babylon 5) J. Michael Straczynski.

2. Beetlejuice

Riding high on the theatrical success of the 1988 live-action movie, the 1989 Beetlejuice cartoon reworked the “ghost with the most” to be more appropriate for children.

While still a wisecracking vagabond, this animated version of Beetlejuice was more of a goofy pal to Lydia Deetz than an evil creep. The four-season show followed Beetlejuice and Lydia’s adventures into the “Neitherworld” and their mundane life at Peaceful Pines.

3. Buzz Lightyear of Star Command

Forget about the 2022 Pixar movie Lightyear. Buzz Lightyear of Star Command is the Toy Story spinoff that fans deserve.

The 2000 Saturday Morning cartoon is what the toy version of Buzz Lightyear in the movies was based on, as Buzz fights the Evil Emperor Zurg from galaxy to galaxy while training the next generation of Space Rangers.

4. Aladdin: The Series

The 1992 Aladdin movie became a major hit for Disney, as did the direct-to-video, The Return of Jafar.

Naturally, Disney kept the ball rolling in Agrabah with the 1994 Disney Afternoon cartoon. The Aladdin TV series takes place right after The Return of Jafar, as Iago joins Aladdin to protect Agrabah from further supernatural threats, whether he likes it or not. While Robin Williams wouldn’t return to the role of Genie until Aladdin and the King of Thieves, Dan Castellaneta (Homer Simpson) makes a fine impression.

5. Back to the Future: The Animated Series

The 1991 cartoon follows Doc Brown and his family as they zoom through time and space on a new and improved DeLorean. Don’t worry, Marty McFly also joins in the fun, and the steam locomotive time machine gets some usage too.

Although Christopher Lloyd doesn’t voice his cartoon self, he does appear in brief live-action segments with Bill Nye — his first TV appearance. Although the series takes place after Back to the Future Part III, it doesn’t do anything to discredit the trilogy’s perfect ending.

6. RoboCop

It goes without saying that RoboCop as a Saturday morning cartoon loses all the edgy appeal that the satirical live-action movie had.

With that said, the 1988 cartoon will still entertain as a hilariously defanged continuation with lasers and enemy robots all around. Blood or no blood, it’s still fun to watch RoboCop blast bad guys away.

7. The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper

The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper is a perfect reflection of the self-aware cartoons of the 90s. Based on the 1995 live-action movie starring Christina Ricci and Bill Pullman, the Fox Kids cartoon mixed the classic charm of Harvey Comics’s Casper with the meta-humor of Tiny Toons and Animaniacs.

It was an interesting comedic dynamic that, admittedly, didn’t always work. However, the live-action version of Casper works better in animation than a shot-down theatrical sequel.

8. TaleSpin

It’s a credit to Disney that it could take all the beloved animal characters from The Jungle Book and put them in planes and no one would bat an eye. (Having an addicting theme song certainly helps).

TaleSpin reimagines the 1967 film, where Baloo the Bear now works as an air cargo delivery pilot for Rebecca Cunningham in a fantasy world set in the 1930s. Every air delivery leads Baloo to new hair-raising adventures with his little buddy, Kit Cloudkicker.

9. Rambo: The Force of Freedom

There’s an argument to be made that every Rambo movie after First Blood (1982) cheapens the troubled Vietnam War veteran into a no-brain patriotic hero.

Rambo: The Force of Freedom embraces that spirit by turning John Rambo into an unapologetic superhero who fights for freedom everywhere. Although The Force of Freedom features less violence than its R-rated source material, animated Rambo can surprisingly get away with a lot more than what He-Man or the Transformers could do on TV.

10. Men in Black: The Series

When everything goes right the first time, there’s nowhere else to go but down. That’s sadly been the fate of the live-action sequels to the 1997 Men in Black movie starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones.

Although the Kids WB cartoon lacks the film’s star power (and catchy theme song by Smith), Men in Black: The Series works as an entertaining “what-if” continuation, with Agent K still going on deadly alien missions with Agent J. What makes the 1998 cartoon stand out is its distinct art style that makes the gruesome aliens look so unique.

11. Godzilla: The Series

The best thing anyone can say about Roland Emmerich’s live-action take on Godzilla is that it led to the Fox Kids cartoon in 1998.

Ironically more faithful and dramatic than its Hollywood source material, Godzilla: The Series follows Dr. Nick Tatopoulo and the Humanitarian Environmental as they fight off new monstrous foes with their own offspring of Godzilla. No terrible product placement or weird grudges against film critics here. Only pure monster action.

12. Toxic Crusaders

Toxic Crusaders join the ranks of Rambo and RoboCop as kids’ cartoons based on movies that should not be watched by kids.

Molded into a clone of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Toxic Crusaders has the loveable mutated hero “Toxie” lead a rag-tag team of mutated misfits in the war against pollution. They won some battles, but ultimately lost the war, as the show only ran for 13 episodes.

13. Clerks: The Animated Series

Yes, over 20 years have passed, making Clerks: The Animated Series a certified nostalgic favorite. Even though this cartoon was nothing like Kevin Smith’s black-and-white hit from 1994, Clerks: The Animated Series was sharper and more laugh-out-loud funny than the original indie darling.

However, much like The Critic, Clerks: The Animated Series stuck out like a sore thumb on ABC, which explains why the network got rid of it after six episodes (of which only two aired).

14. The Mask: Animated Series

Nobody can deny that the 1990s belonged to Jim Carrey. The legendary comedic actor starred in hit after hit, like Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and Dumb and Dumber. Arguably, The Mask remains Carrey’s defining role, leading to an animated TV series on CBS.

Although the Saturday morning cartoon lacked the wow factor of real-life mimicking animation, The Mask: Animated Series was still a delight for the Mask’s zany antics — now played by voice actor legend Rob Paulsen.

15. Ace Ventura: Pet Detective

Why stop with The Mask cartoon, when there’s even more money to be made with a Saturday morning version of Ace Ventura: Pet Detective?

In spirit, Ace Ventura always featured cartoony humor, so the move to kids TV did the series a favor. It also led to an epic crossover between Ace Ventura and The Mask.