The Case for Animation Over Live-Action

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#xmen97 #invincible #spiderverse
Today Nick lays out a detailed case for why we should push toward animating more comic book properties over live-action.

[@KeyIssues]

Do you agree? And what comic or IP would you like to see turn into a big-budget animated project?

[@jamesjackson6563]

For the most part YES! 💯

[@indiecinemaster4699]

Yes

[@chefmagneto]

Agreed…been saying the same thing for year. Albeit, not as eloquently.

[@teslercoil5174]

what songs were used in this video?

[@TevyaSmolka]

Super sons deserves animation in my opinion

[@demogorghon]

"But cartoons are for kids!" - Said surprising number of people. I know personally at least two people who genuinely believe animated=for kids. And if it is something with adult themes it is the case of "Why would they make stuff like this for kids?"

[@KeyIssues]

You don’t need that negativity in your life

[@mrsisig7443]

I know a person who refuse to watch What If? because he says it is for kids, but he watches anime lol

[@SKEEBOFFICIAL7]

​@@mrsisig7443 to be fair What If is actually poorly written and actively ruins itself by trying too hard to be a kids show. That's like one of the only cases where "it's for little kids" is a valid reason not to watch it

[@Marvelousgamer7697]

X-Men 97 and Spider-Verse get to go to places that live action comic book movies never will because either it would be too expensive or just downright impossible. Fantastic shows like X-Men 97 are proof that Comic Book Projects are best realized in animation.

[@KeyIssues]

Facts

[@markburns7854]

I honestly wish more comic adaptations were animated

[@KeyIssues]

Same, like 90% of them work better animated

[@dominiquepowell3158]

Oh definitely

[@mrkaji8913]

There’s so much that deserve to be adapted

[@langadube9611]

Ben 10 deserves more love imagine a big budget animated adult orientated Ben 10 with great choreography and dynamic action sequencies.

[@juanreyes5121]

Nah, that IP works better as animated projects. Much like Last Airbender or X-Men given the nature of their fights and character designs.

[@sebastianwillows]

Every time I read "adult oriented" I cringe a little, ngl...

[@wambokodavid7109]

The original and Omni verse are actually well choreographed.i was always satisfied with Ben 10, I don't need a live action of it

[@langadube9611]

@@sebastianwillows Well I could say adult focused or adult themed take your pick.

[@BrianGriffinW]

@@wambokodavid7109what about UAF?

[@AryanSingh-wq4ix]

Honestly, I wish Sandman got animated instead of being Live-Action. An animated Sandman would look so good, and they could even replicate the many different artstyle that the comic had into this hypothetical animated series

[@KeyIssues]

Facts

[@KeyIssues]

Not to mention everything within their world is so abstract it makes sense to animate it more interestingly .

[@rachelh2816]

Same for watchmen. I like the live action but the graphic novel was unique. Same for sandman. Really like the Netflix show but would be cool to see animated

[@nicholase82]

Its not just Hollywood. Many people seem to think that animation is for kids. I remember showing Case Closed Fist of Blue Sapphire. My mom tried to do everything to stop seeing the flim. But once she watched it she was amazed at how good it was even of she doesn't like animated flims.

[@KeyIssues]

It’s because her generation was taught that cartoons were for kids. It’s not their fault, they don’t know any better.

[@HumphreyKaye]

I wouldn't let them off the hook like that. Time after time we've been proven that animation has been just as good as live action, yet the toxic sentiment still exists. ​@@KeyIssues

[@spideraty1529]

I do agree I think animation has always been better then live action I have always wanted an animated movie adapting Spider-Man blue and death of Gwen Stacy

[@DinoDave150]

I miss when Marvel made animated features like Planet Hulk or Hulk vs. Wolverine. I wish they would do more like those again.

[@dominiquepowell3158]

​@@DinoDave150or Ultimate Avengers

[@variationdomination04]

I agree, I've been thinking about this since across the spiderverse. I like the live action stuff but animation fits better. It's just cool that both types of mediums can exist for superhero movies and hopefully we see more of it.

[@muradical]

IPs id like to see animated… The Walking Dead, Scud: The Disposable Assassin, Teenagers From Mars, Sin City, Transmetropolitan, Proof, and probably a ton of other I can’t think of right now.

[@TimTimmay]

Great point & I completely agree! I would say the main hurdle *(at least for parents)* is how that *Animated Property* is marketed, especially if it’s targeted towards adults, while also pushed to children

[@JNamikaze98]

I'll be honest i think I'm starting to prefer animated stuff over live action. Like don't get me wrong would it be cool to see my favorite characters and storylines done in live action? Yea ofc it would be, but I'm starting to see that with animation u could pull off way more stuff that would be considered too expensive to do in live action. Plus when ur doing animated shows u have access to way more things. Like u don't have to worry about budgeting too much cuz ur main actor costs way too much or something like that. Like with X-men 97 look at all those cameos we've had. If it were live action they would've had to go through multiple contracts and pay massive amounts of money just to afford a cameo, where as in animation u could have characters from other shows or movies pop up at any time with no worries at all. Also the biggest thing with animated shows is THE WRITERS ARE ACTUAL FANS OF THE SOURCE MATERIAL AND RESPECT IT where as in live action they get people who've never picked up a comic or manga in their life and always say something like " well i never really liked the og source material so i decided to make my own spin on it"

[@Bman32x]

2:17 YES! Thank you!!! Old Hollywood ideology cannot let go historical period pieces automatically are entry barriers for “cinema”. I have also used the sports fans just being even bigger and more sad nerds than comic book fans are.

[@purplebugfoot456]

Yes superhero cartoon Supremacy!

[@dragonx4514]

I think Hellboy could get a really good opportunity for a redo with a powerful animation piece that really goes into the lore of him and add what the movies were missing as much as they captured the basic vibe of his character there is so much more to Hellboy I think could be done better in animation

[@nisoldi]

Great choice love hellboy

[@wambokodavid7109]

It has two cool animated films that are....chef's kiss

[@s-wo8781]

You probably right about this too.

[@jarredmorris9749]

agreed that'd be dope

[@andrewbarsky4556]

As cool as I think animated Hellboy would be (and is - there are two animated Hellboy movies already!), I think an animated BPRD show would be even better! It has an ensemble cast and an episodic-ish story structure with an overarching narrative that I think would really work well in a serialized format.

[@mrbransformer4184]

Saga would such a great mini series on HBO.

[@jsprat96]

Can we bring back the Maxx??? That was my first dark animated graphic novel experience and was SO good.

[@Mohammedamine9.]

The unwritten comics series should became an animated series, it's really really good and it becomes really successful

[@TevyaSmolka]

Personally I’ve been saying for a very long time that Hollywood should focus on adapting comic book into animation mostly because animation works way more then live action at least in my opinion.

[@BaithNa]

In sports there are also tiers of acceptance and things like analytics are seen as dorky or for nerds. Its actually very similar to how Hollywood looks down on animation, sports looks down on advanced stat analysis.

[@nisoldi]

FREE THE NERDS

[@drewjemerigbe]

Damn...why do sports fans have to catch a stray?? We often like other "nerdier" stuff too

[@BaithNa]

Instead of making a live action Avatar, Netflix would have been better off if they did a CGI adaptation of Avatar similar to Pixar's style of animation.

[@KeyIssues]

Instead they spent a billion dollars to get nitpicked to death lol

[@Dave102693]

Nah make it animated like the Spider-verse movies or like Genshin Impact

[@andrewbarsky4556]

Even better than that - they could have made just a new show in the style and universe of the first two, maybe going back in time to explore Roku, Kyoshi or an earlier avatar.

[@BaithNa]

I'd like to see Super God adapted in animation

[@mcsquigg37]

I feel like the golden age of animation should be like the 90’s. So many awesome shows that influenced so many childhoods

[@KeyIssues]

Those shows are def nostalgic and paved the way but modern animation just crushes it

[@mcsquigg37]

@@KeyIssues I feel like there’s potential there for a good video in the future

[@DPSFSU]

For the longest time, my Dad always thought that anything cartoon/animated or just not live action was made for children. It took me a long time but I got him to see and some what enjoy some shows. He passed away in 2021 and I miss him a ton. I truly believe he would have enjoyed Invincible. Probably not X-Men '97 but I would have loved watching Invincible with him.

[@hunterrousseau3770]

If the MCU will possibly soft reboot after "Avengers: Secret Wars" Marvel Studios should take heavy inspiration from "The Spectacular Spider-Man," "The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes," "Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur," and "X-Men '97" later on after that film

[@catlawyerwilldefendfortrea6038]

Hit Monkey was spectacular. The compositions were so amazing that it made up for fewer frames and limited pallet. Love it!

[@TerrellAustin19941]

Best Xmen So Far

[@KeyIssues]

Great show, agree

[@krono5el]

thats kinda sad that people who grew up on the mcu and fox-men movies these last 20 yrs only had those movies. the people who grew up on 80s and 90s anime and comics still love that stuff from that time like it never went out of style unlike the fox and mcu movies.

[@imJGott]

In short, you can just do more with animation. Hell, even the live action has a lot of cgi which is a form of animation.

[@markburns7854]

Absolutely just because something is in live action doesn't make it anymore valid then any other storytelling medium

[@jonathanathor117]

I want halo animated series. One that's an adaptation of halo reach that take elements of both the game a book.

[@bowserbreaker2515]

The best Marvel adaptation ever is Avengers Earth's Mightiest Heroes. And that was just a cartoon on Disney XD. It was amazing.

[@arachnidcomics6404]

Absolutely agree. There are just some stories that are better in animation.

[@corywicks8588]

Did not expect Coheed & Cambria here, but I absolutely agree that animation is the best way to do it.

[@KeyIssues]

One of my favorite bands

[@dariusporter358]

I would love a big budget, mature rated, animated adaptation of the Mask. For those who don’t know, while the Jim Carry movie was a comedy, the comic is actually pretty dark.

[@d.c.5842]

I think the greatest show of all time “Breaking Bad” should be animated 🎤👇🏾

[@KnightRaymund]

There's plenty to legitimately criticize about the Avatar show but it was popular enough to get its other 2 seasons greenlit from the jump. And some shows recently like One Piece and Fallout have huge acclaim. But I do agree that more animation would be a good thing and people need to stop seeing animation as just for kids. There are things it can do better than live action, often for cheaper. I do wish ones made for the big screen didn't always cast hollywood names for it.

[@hunterrousseau3770]

That's why I'm so excited for Peter Safran and James Gunn's DC Universe since it will be heavily inspired by in-continuity projects in the DC Animated Universe and Young Justice 🦸

[@weeg2141]

Get in contact with this man’s people for an x force show😤

[@dariusporter358]

A lot of people are saying they want a live action Ben 10 movie but in my opinion we should just get a top notch animated mature show about Ben 10k. I don’t even think Ben 10 can work in live action. Now when I say mature I don’t mean characters saying f*ck all the time and people bodies getting torn apart. I mean something along the lines of Young Justice season 3 and 4 or X-Men 97. Just have it beautifully animated and have great writers and we’ll have a hit.

[@jahrusalem3658]

So essentially Alien Force with a kickass budget?

[@ynorb9573]

I agree

[@adrianomoraes5992]

Animation is clearly the superior medium.

[@Jamal-bl7yh]

Honestly 5 Years After Coming Off CW's Crisis On Infinite Earths the live action adaptations I really enjoyed were Resident Alien on Syfy Stargirl & Swamp Thing Sandman Sweet Tooth Bodies and Dead Boy Detectives on Netflix and HBO MAX's Peacemaker so I've had my fill of comic book content and to think around the mid to late 2000's I was watching Sin City Hellboy 300 30 Days Of Night and V For Vendetta to name a few

[@amerejester3295]

DC’s Kingdom Come. I don’t have a solid reason why yet but I want to see it done. And done with care like how Sony has done the Spider-Verse movies so far. Animating work based off of Alex Ross’s paintings is going to be a Herculean feat though. The movie could be split into parts like Spider-Verse and it could finally give an actor like Jon Hamm the opportunity to finally play either Superman or Batman since he’s always wanted to play one of them. Now he is too old to play them in live-action so animation could be his chance. Ha! There’s my reason. So that Jon Hamm can finally play either Superman or Batman. 🙂

[@igorcoutinholeandro5689]

Yes! Yes! Yes! I gonna like and subscribe There are so many positive points about using animations instead of live actions. My favorites probably are: If a voice actor leaves the project, you don't lose the likeness of the character. Child actors will not outgrown their characters, some scenes in live action are not as impactful or good as it could be in animation (some times manga is even better than animation). Actors will not suffer through the process of body paint and other make-ups, e.g. Drax, Christmas special and the third movie he doesn't appear shirtless anymore, he couldn't stand the long process anymore. No actor will need to get in super shape for those roles Long planned franchises like MCU would be way better Of course we probably gonna lose some improvisation from actors that made some wholesome moments. Unless they use the same styles as Rango (best movie ever) I'm not a big fan of the Harry Potter story, but I love much of that universe, a good animation would fit so well. (Also a reimagination that improv the combat system JK Rowling could use some help) Anyway, good video

[@charlieboone1298]

I'm so referring to fans of football, basketball etc as sports-nerds from now on.

[@runbaa9285]

You know what I'd love? A Spider-Man 2099 animated series. With the recent resurgence of the cyberpunk genre due to Blade Runner 2049 and Cyberpunk 2077/Edgerunners, plus the popularity of Miguel O'Hara due to Across the Spider-Verse, it's the perfect time to revive the 2099 animated project that got repurposed into Spider-Man Unlimited in the 90s. As much as SM Unlimited holds a special place in my childhood, I would always wonder a what-if scenario of how the original plan for that show would've been like. Plus, the popularity of X-Men 97 would tremendously help a Spider-Man 2099 series, as its setting is a cyberpunk dystopia set in a post Human-Mutant war climate, where the tension between Human-Mutant has escalated to the point that anyone and anything with superpowers are persecuted, not just Mutants.

[@SpaceRider15]

I just want Hit-Monkey season 2😭😭😭😭😭

[@epicdreamkid]

just imagine if Invincible was animated by the Animators of X-men 97

[@MacUser2-il2cx]

The band Rhapsody/of Fire had a bunch of albums that formed a dark fantasy epic story that would be amazing to see as an animated film series.

[@lemonaid65]

Seeing how amazing X-Men ‘97 is, I would love to see a continuation of the 90’s Spider-Man show. Would love to see my childhood hero get some more animated screen time.

[@jamesjackson6563]

I agree. But i prefer animation x-men 97 is absolutely fantastic. I love spider-verse too. And invincible I like animated series because to me it actually resembles the comics. All an animated series is an expensive motion comic. And that's perfect. I'm sick and tired of seeing live action. Aside from deadpool and wolverine. I'm kinda off live action. And I've always wanted to see marvel comics adapt earth x in a animated series

[@eon001]

8 of the top 50 highest grossing movies of all time are animated. 3 of them are in the top 20. Frozen 1&2, and Super Mario bros. The market is there.

[@dylansmith9317]

I have to agree with you here. Anyone could easily hold up a camera and shoot live-action. It takes a certain amount of creativity and passion to make beautiful animations. Let's face it: the MCU's had it's time in the spotlight, but now X-Men 97's a sign to pivot to the next step in Marvel, and by large, the entertainment industry as a whole's evolution!

[@popculturemike3054]

Spawn should get a full-on, multi-season animated series. The old animated series is phenomenal, but barely scratches the surface of what makes me love the comic series so much.

[@tyesmith7201]

Because live actions has always generated buzz with the general audience, while animation has always been for the core. I remember being a kid watching x-men tas, and my Aunt wouldn't watch it because it was "for kids", I remember begging her to see x-men 2 in theaters, she took me, and she was hoopin n hollerin louder than me, especially when wolverine was defending the school.

[@thezackattack5328]

I’d give anything for a Skybound Transformers adaptation, and soon so we can still hear Peter Cullen read Daniel Warren Johnson’s dialogue

[@yvnguzumaki]

3:32 wow.. ngl I just came to that realization just now😢

[@MacUser2-il2cx]

The nice thing about the long wait between seasons of One Punch Man is that it gives the manga enough time to make more stories to adapt into anime.

[@cassiedevereaux-smith3890]

The irony is that with those live action films, so much is animated anyway. I studied animation, and one thing they drove home is that things like MCU films are more animation/live action hybrids than just live action. The difference is that when you go full animation, you can REALLY push the principles of animation such as exaggeration, squash and stretch, etc. with 'live action' you have to keep it very restrained.

[@writrswritrs3918]

I just started watching X-men '97, and it is amazing that just a few episodes provided more storylines and character development than the entire collection of X-men movies.

[@DanArbelo]

I would love to see The Darkness become an animated show. It’s been a good minute since there’s been a dirty AF New York, mobster inspired gothic horror story. Last I could recall is Spawn, so we are due a badass animated telling of one Jackie Estacado and his rapid descent into the world that existed before existence. Alternatively, I would love to see an animated Age of Misrule series based off the three main books. The gods are real, the evil ones are out to torment humanity. The good ones are, at absolute best, indifferent towards humanity, but more often than not cruel to us. They are flawed, and they are scared because they are being killed off.

[@NickCodyComedy]

Amory Wars was not the mention I expected! One among the fence!

[@NyleJeevas]

I would love to see Marvel's Journey into Mystery with the kid Loki as an animated series. It would be perfect to combine the genuine sadness with the humor and the insane visuals.

[@starlit_hawser11]

ElfQuest just got announced as an upcoming animated series.

[@GaboObando]

DCAU has been killing it for years, and not a single mention.

[@maninanikittycat4238]

Animation just hits different for me and when there's an art style that is unique. like TMNT mutant meyhem. I EAT IT UP!

[@theprincesspro5852]

Ben 10 deserves love bro plz bring it back like x men 97

[@lppstudios3006]

I think an Animated Kick-Ass series would be cool to see or some other indie comic character maybe like a reboot animated tick series?

[@Stuntmachine14]

You sir, gave me a ton of new comics to read! Shout out to Saga, my brother first told me about it.

[@julianzabala9010]

I personally would love a classic Cartoon Network style Heroes for Hire action show starring Luke Cage, Danny Rand and Shang-Chi. Also, an anime adapting The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess would be awesome I think.

[@ChuckD008]

The fact that Mike Allred's Madman hasn't been optioned for animation is maddening.

[@lauroalexandre279]

I wish for a more mature Teen Titans revival (be it as a movie or a sixth season) or a new show altogether (more faithful to the comics), so they can adapt the team's darkest stories not only from Wolfman and Perez's run, but from different points in time, similar to what X-Men '97 has been doing.

[@Unformedbo]

I would love to see a techjacket series or at least make an appearance in invincible

[@RobHebdon]

Me personally would KILL for a Hellboy, Scud the disposable assassin or a Quantum and Woody animated show

[@fantaientertainment4163]

I would, without a doubt, love to see the Impound Universe adapted into a high-budget 3d animated movie. The character designs are great, the story is quite solid, and I would love to see the main character being a UFC fighter as well as a superhero at the same time and taking care of his daughter as a single father, which would show a positive image of black single fathers, which is something that should be seen. Another one would be Lion Man. This was THEE first black character ever and was created by Orrin C. Evans in 1947. Nobody knows much about him since his comic runs were banned by the newspaper company he worked for. I don't remember much about the story, but I would definitely like to this at least in a high-budget 2d animated film or something. Another one would be the adaptation of the “Black Panther: King of the Dead” storyline. Say what you want, but we need T’Challa back. Cast a young actor so he can play the role for am extended period of time. Damson Idris, Denzel Washington's son, etc.

[@Jaysin412]

Fantasy football is just dungeons and dragons for jocks

[@theboulder027]

This will probably never happen, but with the success of the Legend of vox machina, I think that a comic called rat queens would be an amazing animated series.

[@EVONOPOLIS]

I am so glad that I'm not alone on this, animation always captured certain emotions that live action couldn't. I'm not saying that all live action stuff is bad or can't make you feel something, I'm just saying that when it comes to superheros or anything related to scifi/fantasy that have been adapted from comics work. Especially 2D animation, yes 3D is good but 2D just has certain elements to it that catches my attention. I have always loved animation, animation shows and films can take you away from the real world since Hollywood is always trying to be political or controversial with topics being talked about through characters when they are supposed to take us away from all of that. You did great with this video, I would also love to see more adaptations of comics be made or something creative without it having to be based on something. I will always prefer animation over live action. :)

[@MacUser2-il2cx]

I've wanted an X-Force animated series since I was a kid.

[@outtabox4676]

I can't help but think of scenario where someone pitches animation in show meeting and some old executive starts going on like, "animation is for kids ya know 😂"...

[@Aureilius2112]

Y’all still making the Cyclops power scaling video? Or you want to wait until the full series comes out? I don’t think we’ve got a visor off moment where he’s really exerting himself yet.

[@ardentaxiom]

Couldn't agree more!

[@jahrusalem3658]

I can die happy if we get an Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes continuation akin to X-Men '97.

[@seeleunit2000]

I've been saying this for years. Not only is animation NOT just for children, but you can tell so many stories that aren't restricted for children. And even animation that's geared towards children has more complex story telling then some modern adult animation shows. Bottom line, animation deserves more respect

[@kalebphillips9281]

X-Men 97, Spiderverse movies, Arkane, Invincible, and even the 90s Spider-Man all show that not only does everything not need to be live action, but that some things are just infinitely better animated. There are some things that you can't do live action, or not well. When you have to turn 90% of your live action movie into CGI and green screen, it's probably worth just doing an animated project. Also in reference to the fact that animation is expensive and takes a lot of time, I would rather something take longer and get less of it if it is quality.

[@FanGirl9463]

A Conan the barbarian animated series would be dope.

[@Thedude38356]

I would love for the Young Avengers to be an animated series for Marvel.

[@Taphe7]

I always prefer animation over live action. It is always better. Live action pulls me out of the story and keeps one foot in reality. I can lose myself in animation.

[@KeyIssues]

Agree. I already live in reality… why the hell would I want to try to escape there?

[@Andrematt]

Green Lantern deserves another shot. There is no way a live action Green Lantern movie could do what an animated movie can.

[@demogorghon]

I'd just like to point out the case of One Piece. Netflix has a horrible track record with their live action adaptations but by god they pulled off this one and I still don't know how

[@Alex-qy8nj]

Can you power scale Cyclops now that X-Men 97 is done. I feel like him overpowering Bastion and having enough power to blast apart Asteroid M according to his statement is pretty fucking powerful.

[@clarkmenard3948]

What if I know the entire Detroit Lions roster, And Watch animated superhero shows?! 😂😂

[@KeyIssues]

Those cancel out… you’re back to neutral

[@yodudeyo100]

I just want X-Men 97 to do spinoffs of the same quality with The New Mutants and X-Factor. In later seasons maybe the New Mutants become X-Force?

[@SUSHI4lyf]

YEAH. Excellent point! Sports guys are NERDS too!

[@KeyIssues]

Huge nerds

[@VunderGuy]

The ultimate irony about the live action zealots is that they've required animators to stay relevant in this higher tech age. Animators, meanwhile, do not require live anything to stay relevant.

[@daquenking5261]

You’re right animation and super heroes go hand and hand.

[@ThisisDaniel]

As a fan of animation and anime, I'm firmly in favour of utilising the medium more. We only need to look at Arcane to demonstrate just how great the medium can be when govennthe proper budget, story and dedicated production team.

[@MacUser2-il2cx]

I think both can coexist.

[@mechashadow]

Sex Criminals could be a fun raunchy remake but it needs a writer to tune up the fun and hook factor of the original, like The Boys has. Snotgirl could work as is tho'