Cartoon vs Live Action
Sunday, October 22nd 2023
How many Saturday movies did you spend as a kid watching cartoons? I know this blogger sure did. I got thinking back to the sugary cereal fueled, care free mornings spent in front of the tube. Ah the good ole days. Then it hit me. A vision. A vision of this post. Alright enough paraphrasing Back to the Future. But I did have a vision. I was thinking back to all of the cartoon versions of famous live action tv and movie cars. There were a number of them! In this post we're going to look at few mash ups of famous cartoon cars and their live action counter parts. We spared some details, for future posts. But here's a taste of each.
After the success of the third Back to the Future film, dream team Zemeckis and Gale created the cartoon series. The series aired on Saturday mornings for two seasons in the early 90's. The series focuses on the Brown family. Who recently moved back to present, making a home on a farm just outside Hill Valley. In this timeline, the Delorean has been rebuilt. Remember it was destroyed at the end of the third film. Not only is it back but with some additional features. Including voice-activated time circuits. If you look closely in the show's intro, you can spot a barefoot surfer gas pedal. The time display panel is much more steampunky in the show. Which makes sense, given Doc's experience with steam powered time travel.
The Real Ghostbusters was the follow up to the blockbuster hit Ghostbusters. Running for over 7 seasons, the cartoon picks up where the first film leaves off. Sticking to the formula of the films, the Ghostbusters ride around in ECTO 1 as well. As with Back to The Future, the details are slightly changed. The car is much more simplified and appears much cleaner than in the films. But not without it's share of unique features. It's believed that this version of ECTO 1, inspired the "Gunner Seat" later in Ghostbusters: Afterlife. ECTO 1 wasn't the only ghostbusting vehicle used in the series. A number of specialty vehicles were used through out the show. Which also sparked an entire lines of Real Ghostbusters toys from Kenner.
Similar to that of Back to the Future, the Saturday morning special: The Dukes ran for only two seasons. From February to October of 1983, kids were treated to their own cartoon version of The Dukes of Hazzard. Hanna-Barbera put their spin on the live action car jumping show we all grew to love. But what about the General Lee? Well as you can tell, they did a pretty good job of recreating the iconic car in cartoon form. You can tell it's a 1969 Dodge Charger for sure! In fact, I would go as far as to say, it might be the closest representation of a live action car in this post. Except for the fact the car has gadgets. Yes! The General Lee got a handful of gadgets installed. Such as over-inflatable tires for softer landings. Special shocks that raise the body up for more ground clearance. That's the beauty of cartoons is being able to stretch the laws of physics and imaginations of the viewers. Over all the show reminds me of a mix of Scobby Doo, Knight Rider and Speed Buggy. Kinda neat huh?
That's all for now. But be sure to stay glued to the tube as we bring you more: On Screen Cars.
Categories: Cartoons
Tags: cartoon, back-to-the-future, dukes-of-hazzard, ghostbusters
