Animated Avengers?

[Local Hero]

Posted 16/07/2004
Source Comics Continuum

The Avengers will be featured in Marvel's first made-for-video animated movie with Lions Gate Family Home Entertainment, with a target date of early 2006. According to the Hollywood Report, the 66-minute film will be based on The Ultimates and will feature Captain America, The Hulk, Iron Man, Thor, Giant-Man and Wasp. Neither Lions Gate nor Marvel commented on creative personnel for the film, although The Continuum has learned it's possible some talent from the X-Men: Evolution series might be involved.

[The Mighty Thor]

I've been saying for years that animated film is the wave of the future when it comes to comic books movies. Not that I don't love the live action fare we have been treated to over the past 5 years, because I do. But lets be honest, we all know that we will never get to see Eric Banna's Dr. Bruce Banner consult with Ioan Gruffudd’s Dr. Reed Richards. We’ll never get to see Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine go toe to toe with Wesley Snipe’s Blade. And Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne will never steal Lana away from Tom Welling’s Clark Kent. Because in the end, there are simply too many roadblocks standing in the way of epic stories such as this occurring on the big screen.

However, if you are talking animation, there is nothing standing in the way. It would be far cheaper to bring us the Crisis on Infinite Earths or The Infinity Gauntlet in animated form. It just makes sense that film makers would look toward animation to tell the more complicated stories that the fans are clamoring for. Not to mention the initial investment is far less as well, making it less important for one of these films to produce a 60 million dollar opening weekend.

If they can produce these animated films with quality and consistency, I have no doubt that we could be talking about the next wave of comic book geek greatness here.

[Enchantress]

Ok, I love cartoons...I'm a big kid, what can I say!

Anyway...I still watch the old Spider-Man cartoons, the X-men cartoons and Batman TAS. I can't wait to see what they do with the Avengers. I can just sense it's going to be cool.