Not Just Stranger Things: 10 Popular Movies & Shows That Got Their Own Animated Series

In Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Bill S. Preston and Ted Theodore Logan desperately try to prepare for their history presentation. If they fail, Ted is to be sent to military school, and their fledgling band, Wyld Stallyns, will be no more. The music of the Wyld Stallyns will one day unite the universe, and as such, a traveller from the future, Rufus, arrives and gives the teens a time-travelling phone box. The two travel across time, collecting famous historic figures for their oral report. 

A fun time-travel slacker comedy, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure received two film sequels, but before either of those, it got 21 episodes of the cartoon series Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventures. The premise of each episode saw the besties visit another portion of history, causing all kinds of chaos along the way. The first 13 episodes also featured the voice work of film stars Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, and George Carlin, which speaks to its early pedigree. 

Ghostbusters was the highest-grossing movie of 1984. Its popularity, of course, inspired a movie sequel, with the IP still being used to this day. Before any of the returns to the big screen, a cartoon series following the ghost-busting team of Ray, Igon, Winton, and Venkman, The Real Ghostbusters, was released in 1986. The cartoon helped raise a generation, and if you haven’t watched The Real Ghostbusters, you should know that there are some great episodes and story arcs, though none of the characters looks quite like the actors who played them in the films. The voice work was also delivered by different actors, but each of them sounded enough like the movie stars that it didn’t cause too much jarring. 

Interestingly, The Real Ghostbusters’ end credits featured the quartet strutting down a city street being cheered on by residents, a sequence that mirrors events in Ghostbusters II, which was released three years after the cartoon’s original airdate. 

If you were a child in the UK during the early ‘90s, at some point during your school life, a teacher likely sat you in front of a VHS collection of Mr Bean episodes. Whether it was because of wet weather or an end-of-term celebration, Rowan Atkinson’s clumsy, speechless character provided perfect entertainment for children. Mr Bean is a silly character who always gets into hilarious scenarios, and is a big part of a generation's youth. 

Then, in 2002, after a movie outing for the character, Mr Bean: The Animated Series, saw him win over an entire new wave of children. A perfect viewing experience for those who need a hit of nostalgia, Mr Bean: The Animated Series is a cartoon that remains faithful to the ethos of Atkinson’s original work. 

Directed by Paul Verhoeven, Starship Troopers is one of the most fun sci-fi actioner movies of the ‘90s. Very loosely based on the 1959 novel by Robert A. Heinlein, Starship Troopers chronicles the journey of Johnny Rico from high-school graduate to member of the mobile infantry. Set during an intergalactic war with giant insectoids, the film was ahead of its time, and the propaganda exerts, and blatant fascism play eerily close to modern society these days. 

Retaining Verhoeven’s trademark uber violence and nudity, the film rightly earned an 18 certificate upon home entertainment release, and yet a Saturday morning animation, Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles, which was aimed directly at young children, arrived in 1999. Featuring characters from the original film, Roughnecks continued the adventures of Rico for 44 episodes and provided an interesting gateway into the movie for youngsters. It’s not the first Verhoeven property to get a child-friendly cartoon, though; the same thing happened in the ‘80s with Robocop. 

1994 was the year of Jim Carrey. The comedy actor starred in both The Mask and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, and proved himself to be exceptionally talented at tickling audiences’ funnybones. A comedian capable of entertaining adults and children alike, it was no surprise when both of his movies were given cartoon continuations. 

Of the two, The Mask: Animated Series is the one that more people remember. It moved away from the plot of the film and played more like a standard superhero show with Stanley Ipkiss using the mask as a means to solve crimes and save the city.

Along with Clarissa Explains It All, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch star Melissa Joan Hart, was a hero for millennial girls. In both shows, her characters were effortlessly cool, though Sabrina just edges out Clarissa due to the magical powers and talking cat Salem. The sitcom ran for seven seasons from 1996 to 2003, following Sabrina Spellman from high school to college. 

As Sabrina started to become more mature, Sabrina: The Animated Series was created to keep the younger viewers invested in the character. In the cartoon, Melissa Joan Hart voiced the character of Aunt Hilda, with Sabrina voiced by her younger sister, Emily Hart. 

In 2001, the very first Fast and the Furious movie was released. The high-stakes film revolved around the stealing of DVD players, and LAPD officer Brian O’Connor was sent undercover into the world of street racing to hunt down the criminals. Instead, he became best friends with the assailant, Dominic Toretto, and the most recent films in the series have seen the team traverse the globe and space, in an increasingly silly set of missions. 

At the same time as Dom and Co. were having these escapades, from 2019 to 2021, Fast fans were given six seasons of Fast & Furious: Spy Racers. The premise followed Dom’s teenage cousin Tortetto as he and a group of teens infiltrate an elite racing league controlled by a nefarious organisation. Teen Wolf star Tyler Posey voiced Tony, with Vin Diesel, aka Dom himself, stopping by for the occasional cameo. This show is must-watch viewing for Fast & Furious completists. 

Starring Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki, Supernatural holds the record for being the longest-running fantasy series on the CW. Beginning in 2005, the series ran for 15 seasons. Over the course of 327 episodes. Sam and Dean Winchester literally went to Hell and back several times as they hunted a variety of monsters and saved the world countless times. Those after another fix of the Winchester brothers should seek out Supernatural: The Anime Series. 

Released in 2011, the animation was more of a recreation of existing live-action episodes from the first series rather than anything new, but they did work at deepening some of the lore. The only issue is that whilst Jared Padalecki voices Sam for all episodes, Jensen Ackles only provides Dean’s vocals for two of them.

Although now better known as a variety of successful television shows, Stargate began life as a movie. Released in 1994 and starring James Spader and Kurt Russell, Stargate told of a scientist and military troupe who found themselves stranded in an Ancient Egyptian-like civilisation on another planet after travelling through a Stargate. The film's story was then continued through the television series Stargate: SGI, which in turn had spin-off shows Stargate: Atlantis, Stargate Origins, and Stargate Universe. 

There is, however, another Stargate property in existence, Stargate: Infinity, but most have forgotten it, mainly because it was in cartoon form. Across its 26-episode run, Stargate: Infinity followed a Stargate Command Major who had to prove his innocence after being accused of letting enemies through the Stargate. 

Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice is a beloved ‘80s comedy. The story sees teenage goth Lydia Deetz stumble across ghosts in her new house, and whilst Adam and Barbara are harmless, their guide through the afterlife, Beetlejuice, is chaos personified. After realising that the humour would work for kids, a cartoon version of the movie was made as a way to capitalise on the film's success. 

The endeavour worked with the Beetlejuice cartoon running for an impressive four seasons, racking up around 100 episodes. That’s a lot of Beetlejuice-related carnage to catch up on, but a challenge well worth committing to.