Complaints of uncreativity are flocking to Hollywood and other animation studios. Fans don’t understand why studios keep remaking old material instead of making something new. These same fans don’t understand that new projects can be a huge monetary risk. Netflix learned the hard way that not every original series is worth watching. Though they had successful titles like House of Cards and Orange is the New Black, they’ve had just as many failures.
Studios believe that taking an old fan-favorite series can lead to big bucks at the box office. Rebooted cartoon series, or reimagined, don’t always succeed either. Ghost in the Shell was meant to be an incredible sci-fi adventure, but it just left viewers unfulfilled and angry. At the same time, there are some well-received box office hits like Disney’s live-action Beauty and the Beast. Reboots and remakes can be successful, but only if the original material is respected. Even Netflix saw a hit with the rebooted anime version of Voltron.
Reboots aren’t stopping anytime soon. If you thought 2017 was a busy year for remakes, 2018 has even more in store. Our list compiles 20 cartoon reboots you probably had no idea were planned for 2018 (or early 2019), whether you want them or not. We can only hope that studios listen to feedback and provide an incredible new series that will entertain both new and old fans.
20 Dr. Seuss Is Heading Out On A New Animated Adventure
Dr. Seuss’ books have been transformed into cartoon series and live-action films. The 1960s book Green Eggs and Ham will also be seeing a live-action adaptation. In the book, Sam-I-Am pesters a character to try new food and finally succeeds in the end. Ellen DeGeneres is part of the Executive Production team. The reboot is written by Jared Stern, who has worked on The Lego Movie Sequel.
Guy is forced to try new experiences
The show will feature Sam-I-Am and his cousin, Guy, who go on a cross-country trip. The trip tests their limits, as Guy is forced to try new experiences he is initially uncomfortable with. The project was initially announced in 2015 and was in production for three years before its release. The animated reboot sketch comedy show will debut on Netflix in 2018.
19 Tim Burton’s Taking Us To The Circus
Dumbo is one of Disney’s oldest classics. A young elephant is torn from his mother and forced to perform in a circus. His gigantic ears drew in patrons and big bucks for the owner. Disney has confirmed a reboot of the series in 2015, but the move is scheduled to be released in 2018. Tim Burton, who has directed such favorites as Nightmare Before Christmas and Alice in Wonderland, will be leading the charge. Based on the dark tone of his movies, we can only assume that Dumbo 2018 will have an even more tragic story if that’s even possible. At the same time, we can expect beautiful visuals in a finely crafted world that would bring a tear to the late-Walt Disney’s eye.
18 Disney Is Bringing The Babies Back
The Muppet Babies cartoon originally ran from 1984 to 1991. It de-aged the muppet cast into adorable toddlers. We can see how this story may have influenced Rugrats, which debuted in the 1990s. Disney announced that they would be bringing the Muppet Babies back on Disney Junior. The cast would feature characters from the original series, such as Baby Kermit, Baby Piggy (who is later known as Miss Piggy), Baby Animal, and Baby Gonzo. Their Nanny will also be returning as “Miss Nanny,” along with a new Muppet Sheep character named Bobbi Baba. Each 11-minute episode will be using the newest computer animation style that’s seen on Disney’s other cartoons like The Descendants and Doc McStuffins shorts. We can only assume the new series will contain muppet adventures mixed with an important lesson.
17 Meet The Space Family In 3D
The Jetsons was one of the earliest, popular animated series that brought together families from 1962 to 1963. Instead of being a Saturday morning cartoon, it was aired during primetime. The cartoon started the Jetson family and their robotic maid, Rosie. George was always trying to get ahead at work while trying to take care of his family.
The show will be filmed in front of a live studio audience
On January 8, 2018, ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey confirmed that the initial pilot was in development. Robert Zemeckis, who worked on Back to the Future and Who Framed Roger Rabbit, was announced as Executive Producer. The show will be filmed in front of a live studio audience, but will also add in CG effects. With an experienced producer like Zemeckis onboard, we can expect that The Jetsons will be a fantastic futuristic reboot.
16 From Teenagers To Toddlers
When watching Total Drama Island, did you ever wonder “I wonder what the cast would look like as babies?” Probably not, but that’s what you’re going to get. The creators of the series, Tom McGillis and Jennifer Pertsch, stated they wanted to do something new with the series. Total Drama will be undergoing a shocking change by turning the teens into tots. Total Drama Daycare is an upcoming prequel cartoon to the original series. All of the characters have been de-aged to four years old. It’s scheduled to run for 52 episodes on Cartoon Network, where the original show also aired. Confirmed to appear in the show so far are Beth, Courtney, Duncan, Owen, Izzy, Chef Hatchet, and Jude from another Canadian cartoon show, 6teen.
15 Heroes In A Half-Shell Head Back To 2D
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has faced several reboots over the years. The most recent reboot of the teens is coming to Nickelodeon as Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Instead of the 3D cartoon previously on the network, the newest show will be completely 2D. Andy Suriano, who was the character designer for Samurai Jack, is part of the staff who will refresh the turtles’ image for 2018.
Hot-blooded Raphael will also be leading this time
The new show will face serious changes from Nickelodeon’s previous rendition of the heroes in a half-shell by making it more humor-oriented, decreasing the drama, and increasing the light-hearted storylines. The story will face significant changes, such as making April O’Neil a different ethnicity than her usual red-headed persona. Hot-blooded Raphael will also be leading this time, as he will now be older than his brothers.
14 Game Of… Swords?
Disney’s Sword in the Stone was a light-hearted tale about the origins of King Arthur. It made history as being the last animated film to be released before Walt Disney passed away. The story of King Arthur has been retold several times, from the popular Fates visual novel series to the most recent King Arthur: Legend of the Sword from Guy Ritchie in 2017. Another re-telling of the classic Excalibur tale is coming soon. Game of Thrones Writer and Producer Bryan Cogman has announced he’s writing the reboot of Disney’s Sword in the Stone. Brigham Taylor, who worked on the live-action reboot of The Jungle Book, will be producing the film. Disney has announced few additional details, but this epic tale may finally be reborn on the big screen in 2018.
13 Soon To Be Part Of The Live-Action World
The Little Mermaid is one of Disney’s most well-known animated series. Instead of Hans Christian Andersen’s original tragic tale of a mermaid whose love for a human is never returned, it makes the story a bit more positive. Disney offered the job of Director to Rob Marshall, who previously worked on Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and the upcoming Mary Poppins Returns. Disney isn’t the only studio working on a reboot of The Little Mermaid. A new studio, MVP Studio, is working to turn the Disney tale into a live-action, family friendly film. Sony previously announced a darker reboot entitled just Mermaid. Few details have been released since the original announcement six years ago, and it’s unknown if the film is still in production.
12 We Anxiously Await The Action Scenes
Mulan was a highly-successful animated movie for Disney that grossed over $300 million worldwide. After the success of the live-action reboot of Beauty and the Beast, Disney has given Mulan a similar treatment. The young fighter will take her battle from cartoon to real life. The story from the animated movie will carry on in the movie, where young Mulan disguises herself as a man to enter the Chinese Army in place of her disabled father.
She’s won countless awards for her work
Crystal Liu has been cast as the lead protagonist, Mulan. Niki Caro, who directed The Zookeeper’s Wife and Whale Rider, has been announced the lead the project. She’s won countless awards for her work, so we feel confident live-action Mulan will be incredible. The movie is scheduled to be released in late 2018.
11 Making Yet Another Franchise Dark And Edgy
Saban’s Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers series is an adaptation of Japan’s Super Sentai series. Power Rangers has always been family-friendly, unlike its Japanese counterpart which combines serious action with silly dance montages. Adi Shankar, the showrunner of Netflix’s Castlevania, told Polygon he wanted to retell the first three seasons. Instead of being light-hearted fun, the show would be much darker and violent. He previously worked on the short film Power/Rangers, which showed a violent, post-apocalyptic Earth. He discussed the project with a few networks but wants to keep the series on Netflix. More information has yet to be released, but we hope to see it in his target time frame of 18 months from the initial announcement of February 2017.
10 Optimus Prime Won’t Be Leading This Time
Production studios know that if they want to sell a new series of toys, they just need to release a cartoon for it. Hasbro worked with Boulder Media Studio, who worked on Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends and The Amazing World of Gumball, to create Transformers: Cyberverse. Two seasons have already been announced for 18 episodes each. The series makes Bumblebee the primary protagonist instead of Optimus Prime. Bumblebee’s memory chips have been damaged, and he works with Windblade to remember his mission on Earth. At the same time, the evil Decepticons are trying to destroy the pair and their friends. Boulder Media stated that they aim to “focus more on characters and their mythology.” The series is scheduled to be released in 2018, but the network is not yet known.
9 Todd McFarlane’s Anti-Hero Returns To The Big Screen
Spawn made history in the 1990s. It was the most popular comic series in Todd McFarlane’s new company, Image Comics. The comic series enjoyed a long run, followed by a live-action movie, and HBO animated series. McFarlane announced in mid-2017 that he planned on rebooting Spawn as a live-action movie. It will be more horror-based instead of its action-adventure live-action movie counterpart.
It will be R-Rated
Blumhouse, who worked on The Purge and Paranormal Activity series, will be developing the film with a budget of $10 million. McFarlane has already written the initial draft of the film and made it clear it will be R-Rated. No cast information has been released, but McFarlane hopes to give the lead role, Al Simmons, to Jamie Foxx. The movie is scheduled to be released in late 2018 or early 2019.
8 The Princess Is No Longer Trapped In The Castle
Disney’s Aladdin, starring a street urchin with a heart of gold, is making a live-action movie debut. The Disney film was a huge hit in theaters and went on to be a long-running cartoon show. The live-action film will be a retelling of the 1992 film. Guy Ritchie will be directing the tale with John August of Charlie’s Angels and Big Fish writing the script. Mena Massoud has been cast as the leading hero with Naomi Scott as his love-interest, Princess Jasmine. Will Smith will be taking on the role as Genie, even if no one can replace the late Robin Williams. With such as interesting cast scheduled to appear, we can only bet that this live-action reboot will be more exciting and lively.
7 Where In The World Will She End Up Next?
Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? was a PBS game show where kids had to put their geographic knowledge to the test to capture the elusive criminal. It was based off a computer game of the same name. Netflix decided that the show needed a 2018 reboot. They’ve cast two stars from their platform, Gina Rodriguez will star as Carmen, while Finn Wolfhard of Stranger Things has been cast as Player, Carmen’s right-hand accomplice.
Carmen Sandiego will still revolve around teaching viewers
Don’t be fooled; Carmen Sandiego will still revolve around teaching viewers about the world. The series was always about learning first and plot second. The Netflix series will also delve into Carmen’s past and how she became involved in international crime. The series is scheduled to debut in late 2018 or early 2019.
6 Oh My, O-Town’s Changed
Rocko’s Modern Life tells the tale of a loveable wallaby who immigrates from Australia to the United States. He works at a comic book shop and has two best friends: a turtle named Filbert and a steer named Heffer. The series ended in 1996 but will be coming back in 2018. The cast will return in the special Rocko’s Modern Life: Static Cling after being trapped in space. They’ll quickly realize that the world isn’t the same as when they left it. The reboot is sadly only a one-hour show that will be aired on Nickelodeon. Fans should be happy to learn that Joe Murray is returning as Executive Producer. The entire voice cast will also be reprising their roles, along with some additional voice actors, including Steve Little.
5 The Wacky Siblings Are Back To Create Some Mayhem
Netflix isn’t the only platform pulling in reboots. Hulu just landed two seasons of Warner Brother’s Animaniacs. We’ll finally get to watch the wacky adventures of Yakko, Wakko, and their adorable sister, Dot. The series will make history as Hulu’s first original family program. Steven Spielberg will be returning as executive producer. If you weren’t a fan of the sibling trio, you’ll be happy to learn that fan-favorite characters, such as Pinky and the Brain will also be reappearing. Other characters, such as Chicken Boo and Slappy Squirrel have yet to be announced, but we can only hope they’ll be returning as well. Hulu may be releasing the cartoon anytime from late 2018 to 2020. Here’s hoping it’ll be sooner than later.
4 The Blue Robot Heads To Cartoon Network, Again
Man of Action Studios has worked on several animated projects in the recent years. Most recently, they’ve partnered up with Capcom to reboot the Mega Man cartoon series. Mega Man first appeared in Captain N: The Game Master, but later had his starring role in an animated cartoon. The newest cartoon will be based on the classic game series.
He’ll still be the same Mega Man we all know and love
Aki Light, a young teenage boy, has to transform into Mega Man to protect his home, Silicon City. He has to balance his crime-fighting with attending school. Other characters, such as his dog Rush, and Mega Mini are also scheduled to appear. Executive Producer Duncan Rouleau stated that he’ll still be the same Mega Man we all know and love, just a younger version. Mega Man will debut on Cartoon Network sometime in 2018.
3 The Princess Of Power Heads To Netflix
Netflix is giving new life to many animated classics from the 80s and 90s. The Princess of Power, She-Ra, will be given the royal treatment in 2018. Netflix worked with DreamWorks Animation to bring her back to life. She-Ra is the alter-ego of Princess Adora, and also He-Man’s long lost twin. With her powerful sword, she vanquishes evil. Noelle Stevenson, who worked on Lumberjanes and Nimona, was announced as Executive Producer. She-Ra won’t just be a retelling of the classic tale. Stevenson announced that it would be “a modern take on the ’80s girl power icon for a new generation of young fans.” The show will focus on female friendships and girl power to inspire new fans to be a warrior princess.
2 One More (Failed) Attempt At World Domination
After years of focusing on live-action sitcoms, Nickelodeon is returning to its roots. They’ve been busy bringing old shows back to life, and in 2018, that will include Invader Zim. Invader Zim will be a 90-minute animated movie which continues the adventures of Zim and his robotic partner, GIR.
The creator of the show was announced to return
Zim is an alien who wants to take over Earth, but must also deal with going to school and his annoying classmate, Dib. Jhonen Vasquez, the creator of the show, was announced to return as Executive Producer, even though he trolled fans for years after the show’s cancellation about it never coming back. Now that we know Vasquez will be returning, the voice cast behind Zim, GIR, Dib, and Gaz have also announced they’ll be part of the project.
1 Passing The Franchise Off To A New Guardian
ReBoot has had a difficult time coming back after the end of season four. A few movies were announced, along with a webcomic, but the projects ultimately disappeared. ReBoot: The Guardian Code was initially announced in 2013, but after years of silence, fans didn’t know if we’d ever see Bob, Dot, or Enzo ever again. Rainmaker Entertainment finally confirmed the new season was coming in 2018. Corus Entertainment ordered one season of the show of 26 episodes with Larry Raskin as showrunner. The latest show is a sequel to the original ReBoot. It stars four teenagers who are recruited by V.E.R.A. to protect cyberspace. Though it sounds like a Code Lyoko rip-off, we can only hope for the best for ReBoot: The Guardian Code.
