8 Cartoon Characters We Want To See In Their Own Movies
Maybe it's our inner child or perhaps our love of eccentric marine life, but we're seriously pumped for The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water.
After 11 years, our favorite pineapple-dwelling cartoon character is back on the big screen and facing off against the dread pirate Burger Beard (Antonio Banderas). To celebrate this small-to-big screen triumph, we've cast an eye toward eight other animated stars who should get their own films.
Consider this our petition.
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water opens today.
1. Betty Boop
Betty's been around for 85 years, so you'd think she'd already have a film—maybe even a franchise. But, nope, only a cameo in 1988's Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
Have hope, however: Simon Cowell's production company announced plans to finally bring this bobbed bootylicious beauty to the big screen.
2. Wile E. Coyote
Wile E. Coyote was able to squeeze in a tiny appearance opposite Michael Jordan in Space Jam, but sharing screen time with the rest of the Looney Tunes robbed him of his chance at breakout stardom (and perhaps a Best Supporting Cartoon Oscar nod).
It's time to give a coyote his due.
3-4. Ren & Stimpy
It would make us "happy! happy!" if Ren & Stimpy creator John Kricfalusi finally put the odd-couple friendship of a hot-headed chihuahua and dim-witted housecat onto the silver screen.
In the meantime we'll just stare at this gif, wondering why they can't get past that first bite.
5. Arthur
Everything we know about growing up (and about aardvarks) we learned from Arthur. The feel-good series left no plot line unturned—from bed-wetting to cancer–and even gave us two appearances by the late Joan Rivers as Bubby.
Surely it could be brought back to cover today's topical issues. Marriage equality, maybe? (Arthur's pal Buster once featured a lesbian couple, after all.)
6. Daria
While Daria Morgendorffer and crew got two made-for-TV movies, that hardly satiated our appetite for Daria's brand of terminally sardonic humor. The series might have ended with Daria's memorable "high school sucks" speech, but there's always college.
Why not make it a live-action blockbuster? We see Aubrey Plaza at Daria (she already made the trailer!), Katy Perry as Jane Lane, Ariana Grande as Quinn and Ansel Elgort as football jock Kevin Thompson. You're welcome, Hollywood.
7. Archer's Malory Archer
Archer is already on its sixth season, so there's a decent chance Sterling Archer and his fellow spies will wind up on the big screen. But how about giving Sterling's foul-mouthed mother Malory (voiced by the can-do-no-wrong Jessica Walter) a spin-off film?
Maybe a prequel where we see how she met Archer's father? (We can skip the actual conception, though.)
8. The Boondock's Robert "Granddad" Freeman
The Boondocks nearly had a second life when creator Aaron McGruder launched a Kickstarter campaign for a live-action movie focusing on Uncle Ruckus in 2013.
Want to know why producers fell short by more than $70,000? Because they tried to ditch Granddad. Revive that Kickstarter and, this time, respect your elders–even one nicknamed "Mr. Bitches."
Which animated characters would you like to see make the jump to the big screen?
