8 Cartoon Characters Whose Appearance Changed in Their Live-Action Adaptations

Live-action movies are becoming increasingly popular among filmmakers. In fact, in the last few years, Disney alone has worked on 23 adaptations, some yet to be released. And sometimes moviemakers take advantage of their creative freedom to not feel forced to match the cartoon’s characters’ look to a tee.

1. Aquaman / Jason Momoa

Do you think Jason really looks like Aquaman? Not really... But, if you look at the adaptations of Superman with Henry Cavill and Batman with Ben Affleck, we can see that the production company that made the movies had always been very respectful of the fidelity of the animated characters.

But with Aquaman, they clearly took their creative licenses and did not respect either the look or the costume. But with this, the actor gave a new and modern personality to a character entirely forgotten in the DC universe, and both audiences and critics ended up loving him.

2. Nick Fury / Samuel L. Jackson

Samuel L. Jackson played Nick Fury so well in Captain Marvel that, by the end of the movie, people will indeed have begun to wonder if he might not be the mastermind secretly running S. H. I. E. L. D., and not just an actor. Regardless of his appearance, the actor easily clicked with the comic book character, finding more depth and history in him than just an aggressive side.

3. Green Lantern / Ryan Reynolds

As much as Ryan Reynolds may disown this movie, he can’t escape his past, and this big box office flop will follow him forever. Still, the character is beloved by superhero comic book fans. Before the movie became popular, the superhero was already a significant character in the Justice League series. And his appearance was different from the actor who played him years later.

4. The Fairy with Turquoise Hair / Cynthia Erivo

The Fairy with Turquoise Hair does not have a big role in Pinocchio, but she is one of the essential characters in its animated version in 1940. When producers thought of turning the classic into a live-action, there must have been many options for the role of this beautiful fairy. And no doubt, the directors saw that Cynthia Erivo could use her stunning voice to show this character’s sweet and maternal side.

5. Ajak / Salma Hayek

Salma Hayek played Ajak in MCU’s Eternals, but the comics portray the character very differently. In Marvel Comics, Ajak is a 6’1″ male. The female twist to the character came as a pleasant surprise to most fans.

6. Elfs / Ismael Cruz Córdova

Indeed, the elf personified by Ismael Cruz Córdova does not look much like the one described in the original novel, its animation, or later adaptations. However, playing this magical race was a dream come true for the actor. That’s because when he was a child when he wanted to play an elf with his friends, they told him he couldn’t since he didn’t look like them because of his Latin origin.

“When I heard about the character on the show, I felt it was a mission,” added the actor, explaining that he wanted today’s children, whatever their culture, to be able to identify with the fantasy beings they admire so much.

7. Heimdall / Idris Elba

In MCU, Heimdall guards Asgard, appointed by King Odin as the sentry of the Rainbow Bridge known as the Bifrost. In the comics, Heimdall is of Nordic origin, as is his sister, Sif, and has the alias, “White God.” In the movies, Heimdall is portrayed by Idris Elba who put a pleasant spin on the character and whose appearance on screen alone commanded respect.

8. Tinker Bell / Julia Roberts

The only thing Julia Roberts and the 1953 animated character had in common were their pointy ears, since not even the clothes were similar. But the live-action version was directed by Steven Spielberg and was not produced by Disney, so they took many liberties when adapting the story. For example, the actors were no longer children but adults who interrupted their daily life duties to return to Neverland for a new battle against Captain Hook.

Do you prefer animated or live-action versions of these stories?