BlameBrad Birdfor the recent boom in heavyweights from the animation world making the much-deserved leap to directing live-action features for the big screen.
Bird took his considerable talents that madeThe IncrediblesandThe Iron Giantclassics and applied them to 2011’sMission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. The end result, for anyone with two eyes and a heart, was that he raised the bar for the franchise and set the tone for the series’ future. (There would be noMission: Impossible - Falloutif not forTom Cruiserunning around and leaping off the outside of the Burj Khalifa inGhost Protocol’ssignature set piece.)
Since then, Hollywood has recruited other filmmakers from various animation spheres to give them a shot atGhost Protocol-level success, and a chance to join the ranks of pre-Bird filmmakers who made the transition. Some scored base hits (Travis Knight’sBumblebee). Others struck out (sorry, not sorryAndrew Stanton’sJohn Carter).
Here is a ranking of 11 live-action films that tried (or failed) to launch the next stage of their directors’ careers:
11. Jonah Hex
Director:Jimmy Hayward(Horton Hears a Who)
Um… it’sJonah Hex. Anyone who unfortunately saw this visually-ugly and narratively bankrupt trainwreck knows why it ranks as the lowest of the low.
Released at a time when the titular character was enjoying a medium-sized bump in popularity, thanks mostly to DC Comics writerJustin Grayand his exceptional run on the character,Hexfailed to capitalize on that resurgence thanks in large part to a script plagued by rewrites that resulted in an uneven tone and soulless execution. Hayward scored a decent-ish hit withHorton, but there’s nothing in that movie’s basic storytelling choices that suggests this is the director fans can trust to do justice to the character. It’s too bad;Josh Brolincould have delivered one hell of a performance in the role if he had a filmmaker and story in place that were worthy of it.
10. 102 Dalmatians
Director:Kevin Lima(Disney’sTarzan)
Lima is one of several directors from the impressive ranks of Disney Animation to be given a shot at their live-action division. On paper, 2000’s102 Dalmatiansseems like a lateral move for the director behind the underrated hitTarzan– and it also seems like a no-brainer in terms of using a sequel to a hit film to propel one’s career to the big leagues.
Unfortunately for Lima,102torpedoed those hopes by killing Disney’s earliest foray into turning its animated movie hits into live-action ones. But Lima would rebound with 2007’s exceptional and charming crowd-pleaser,Enchanted.
9. John Carter
Director:Andrew Stanton(Finding Nemo,Wall-E)
After years of calling Development Hell home, Oscar-winner Stanton finally used his Pixar clout to adaptEdgar Rice Burroughs’ Civil War hero-turned-Mars-revolutionary for Disney’s live-action division. The end result is one of the most costly flops in blockbuster movie history.
With a reported $250 million budget, and the Hollywood trades’ near-constant chronicling of the movie’s behind-the-scenes reshoots andmarketing woes,John Carterhit screens with less-than-marquee talent (Taylor Kitsch? Really?) to draw in the four-quadrant crowd it would need to recoup costs and engage fans. Numbing CG and a collection of talky, conflict-deprived exposition scenes didn’t help matters, either. Stanton’s efforts seem to have earned him a permanent cell in movie director jail. However, his recent stints behind the camera for such TV shows asStranger ThingsandBetter Call Saulserve as a strong indicator for his deserved parole.
8. City of Ember
Director:Gil Kenan(Monster House)
Remember this movie? It’s okay, we didn’t either.
In a just world, Kenan’s inventive and entertaining AFMonster Housewould be a bigger deal. The 2006 release barely made a box office dent despite critical praise, but the must-see 3D animated effort from Sony made enough noise to secure Kenan a shot at adapting authorJeanne DuPrau’sCity ofEmberfor the big screen.
With an impressive cast – includingSaoirse RonanandBillFreakin’ Murray– and an interesting story centered on the underground city of Ember’s populace, the movie and its marketing couldn’t distinguish itself from then-box office kryptonite fare likeThe Golden Compassto entice audiences to spend money on it. It grossed less than $18 million on a $55 million budget. Kenan would go on to direct the 2015 live-action remake ofPoltergeist– another box office disappointment.
7. Stuart Little
Director:Rob Minkoff(The Lion King)
Some family films hold up better than others.Stuart Littleis one of the best.
Minkoff helped make an all-timer for Disney animation with 1994’sThe Lion King, which spring-boarded him to direct this 1999 take on the popular talking mouse for Sony. With a script co-written byM. Night Shyamalan(and released the same year as his breakout hitSixth Sense),Stuart Littleis a safe a bet as any for a director like Minkoff looking to make a name for himself in the live-action space. Entertaining and heartfelt,Stuart Littlewas a box office hit that met with modest critical praise, enough to earn it a 2002 sequel.
6. Atilla Marcel
Director:Sylvain Chomet(TheTriplets of Beleville)
For animation fans, Chomet is, dollars-to-donuts, France’s most talented animator, and we’ll die on every hill to defend his 2003 masterpiece, the Oscar-nominatedTriplets of Beleville. That’s as perfect a cinematic experience as one can get, so expectations were high for Chomet’s live-action debut. Unfortunately, 2013’sAtilla Marcelfell a tad short of them.
This comedy, also written by Chormet, is a heartstring-tugging fable about a young, mute pianist having quite a time under the care of the two most eccentric aunts to ever grace the big screen. They’ve raised him since he was two years old, pushing him to pursue their dream of him becoming a world-famous piano player. Their dream takes an endearing detour when the boy pairs with a young woman to embark on a search for his parents. The more dramatic moments to come out of that search struggle to consistently shake hands with the film’s first half, though not for Chomet’s lack of trying.
5. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, Witch and The Wardrobe
Director:Andrew Adamson(Shrek)
Having proven he can handle fantasy-comedy with DreamWorks’ first twoShrekmovies, Hollywood assumed Adamson could handle straight-up fantasy with the much-anticipated adaptation of this belovedC.S. Lewisbook. Having assembled an impressive ensemble, includingTilda Swintonand the voice ofLiam Neeson, Adamson was set to (hopefully) do for this property whatPeter Jacksondid forThe Lord of the Rings.
While the franchise’s subsequent sequels were a series of diminishing returns both at the box office and creatively, Adamson’s first film captured the tone of the book while engaging the imagination of fans. Who knew the guy who made Donkey a thing had legit big-budget bona fides?
4. Bumblebee
Director:Travis Knight(Kubo and the Two Strings)
As the pioneering filmmaker behind the innovative stop-motion house LAIKA, director Knight showed promise with his underrated first film, the 2016 family adventure sagaKubo and the Two Strings. Knight’s Oscar-nominated feature showed the director’s deft ability to handle a variety of tones and give each of them the exact amount of whatever they needed to resonate with audiences.
This exceptional skill set would serve him well with his first live-action assignment: An unofficial reboot of (and much-needed departure from)Michael Bay’sTransformersfranchise in the form of aBumblebeeprequel. Redefining a billion dollar movie series would be a daunting task for anyone, let alone a first-timer. Knight proved more than up for the task with thisE.T.-inspired effort. Even though it got lost in the Holiday 2018 box office shuffle (thanks,Aquaman) and fell short of distributor Paramount’s box office expectations,Bumblebeeis the first live-actionTransformersmovie to put character and story ahead of “pew pew!” explosions and difficult-to-follow ILM-created orgies of action. Knight should get all the praise for finally giving us the Gen 1 look of the Autobots fans have wanted for 12 years.
3. Pee-wee’s Big Adventure
Director:Tim Burton(Frankenweenie, Vincent)
Before Brad Bird,Tim Burtonwas the biggest name in the Animation-to-Live-Action Hall of Fame. With macabre cult hits likeFrankenweenieunder his belt, Burton took on helming the movie debut ofPaul Reubens’ signature character. In doing so, he brought his own signature visual aesthetic and sense of off-beat (bordering on wacky) humor.
Pee-Wee’s Big Adventureis the type of ‘80s movie that ages best in our minds’ nostalgic time capsules. And of course the hair and clothes don’t hold up well, but who cares? As first features go, few come out of the gate with a vision so fully formed as the one we’re grateful enough to witness here.
2. 21 Jump Street
Directors:Phil Lord&Chris Miller(Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs)
No one expected much of anything from the long-rumored big screen adaptation of the VERY ‘80s FOX series,21 Jump Street. But fans of Lord and Miller’s work from back in theClone Highdays – and those who became fans from their infinitely quotable hit,Meatballs– knew that the action-comedy hybrid would be special.
One of the best movies based on a TV show, Lord and Miller’s directorial debut is exceptional on many fronts – especially with its meta approach to theJudd Apatow-flavored comedy and the almostBad Boys-ian action. (The film’s tongue-in-cheek humor would become a signature touchstone across all of their big screen efforts, including the award-winningSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Versescript.)21 Jump Streetis a two-hander that laughs with and (mostly) never at its characters, thanks to a star-making turn fromChanning Tatumand the always reliableJonah Hill.LikeMeatballs,Jump Street(and its even more meta sequel) is full of one-liners (“Fu** you, science!) you’ll be referencing and laughing about long after you leave the theater.
