Follow TV Tropes

Following

Context AdaptationSpeciesChange / WesternAnimation

Go To

1AdaptationSpeciesChange in WesternAnimation.
2----
3* ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'':
4** Originally, in the ''Literature/{{Arthur}}'' books, the Tibbles and their grandmother were humans. In the animated series they are bears.
5** Applies to Arthur's second grade teacher Mr. Marco. In the books, he was a moose; in the cartoon, he's an aardvark.
6* ''WesternAnimation/AvengersAssemble'':
7** In Marvel Comics, Iron Man villain the Ghost is a human in a high-tech stealth suit. The cartoon version starts out as this, before turning out to be an [[Comicbook/TheInhumans Inhuman]] and gaining innate phasing abilities through terrigenesis.
8** Cobalt Man is a robot instead of a human inside a suit of PoweredArmor.
9* In ''WesternAnimation/TheAvengersEarthsMightiestHeroes'', Michael Korvac's wife Carina is giving a minor AdaptationNameChange to Corrina, and is a human rather than an Elder of the Universe.
10* In the original ''WesternAnimation/BluesClues'', the teacher Miss Marigold is an African-American human woman. In ''WesternAnimation/BluesCluesAndYou'', she is a pink hippo.
11* ''WesternAnimation/{{Bunnicula}}'':
12** Potentially. In the ''Literature/{{Bunnicula}}'' books it is suggested that Chester is an UnreliableNarrator and Bunnicula is a normal rabbit. The cartoon makes it clear that he is a vampire.
13** Chester's breed was changed. In the books he is a tabby but in the cartoon he is a Siamese cat.
14* ''WesternAnimation/CleopatraInSpace'' has Akila changed from a human girl in the graphic novels to an alien-like fish girl in the series.
15* ''WesternAnimation/{{Curbside}}'' curiously changed Creator/{{Terrytoons}} characters WesternAnimation/HeckleAndJeckle from magpies to crows, though they don't look too different from their usual depictions.
16* ''Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse'':
17** The Imperium, the alien invaders from the first three episodes of ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'', are heavily based on the White Martians from the comics. Instead of being actually ''from'' Mars, they're a species of unknown origin who invaded Mars and wiped out [[LastOfHisKind all but one]] of the natives inhabitants years ago.
18** In ''Justice League Unlimited'', Brimstone is a nuclear-powered robot built by the military of a fictional Asian country instead of an artificial being created by Comicbook/{{Darkseid}}.
19** ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'':
20*** The series changed ComicBook/{{Brainiac}} into a Kryptonian AI, instead of the Coluan he is in the comics.
21*** The obscure Golden Age ''Comicbook/DoctorFate'' villain Ian Karkull was reimagined as a tentacled demonic entity known simply as Karkull.
22* ''WesternAnimation/DCSuperHeroGirls'': Downplayed. Dexter is usually a short-haired blue tabby, but the cartoon depicts him as a long-furred Persian-looking grey.
23* ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017'':
24** Bombie the Zombie in the comics was a primate-like caricature of an African man. The Bombie in the show is a bulldog.
25** The SDCC 2019 panel revealed that Rhinokey of ''WesternAnimation/TheWuzzles'' has been changed from half-monkey to half-gorilla.
26* ''WesternAnimation/GarfieldsBabesAndBullets'' deviates from the prose story in the ''ComicBook/GarfieldHis9Lives'' graphic novel by making the rest of the cast human with Garfield being the only cat, when all characters were cats in the original story.
27* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}},'' the Weird Sisters from ''Theatre/{{Macbeth}}'' are recurring antagonists, but are members of [[TheFairFolk the Third Race]] rather than human witches. Some characters still refer to them as "witches," though, which is perhaps an InUniverse explanation for Shakespeare's "error."
28* ''Franchise/GIJoe'':
29** While originally seemingly human, ''WesternAnimation/GIJoeTheMovie'' retconned Cobra Commander into a snake person from the ancient civilization of Cobra-La. Creator/LarryHama, who helped create the characters for [[ComicBook/GIJoeARealAmericanHeroMarvel the comics]] and [[WesternAnimation/GIJoeARealAmericanHero cartoon]] (even writing the original version of the former), hated the Cobra-La origin and every other iteration has kept the Commander human.
30** Serpentor is still genetically-engineered by Dr. Mindbender in ''WesternAnimation/GIJoeRenegades''--only this version is a giant snake, not a man.
31* In ''WesternAnimation/HulkAndTheAgentsOfSMASH'', Sauron is an intelligent pterosaur from the Savage Land (and he's seen in the prehistoric era in "Days of Future Smash"). In the comics he was a human called Karl Lykos who was bitten by a Savage Land pterosaur, and mutated into intelligent-pterosaur form.
32* ''WesternAnimation/IronManArmoredAdventures'' made several of Iron Man’s human enemies from the comics like Sunturion, Grey Gargoyle, Melter, Dreadknight and Firebrand into ancient creations of the original Mandarin.
33* ''WesternAnimation/IronManTheAnimatedSeries'' changed Firepower from a man in a MiniMecha to a robot.
34* ''WesternAnimation/{{Jellystone}}'':
35** [[WesternAnimation/TheRuffAndReddyShow Ruff, Reddy,]] [[WesternAnimation/TheCattanoogaCats and the Cattanooga Cats]] are changed to robots.
36** [[WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones The Great Gazoo]] is just a video game character... [[AmbiguousSituation maybe]].
37* In ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfVoxMachina'', several NPC characters from the original WebVideo/CriticalRole have their species changed. Kerrion Stonefell goes from being a human to a duergar (gray dwarf), while Archibald Desnay also goes from being a human to a dwarf.
38* In ''WesternAnimation/LoonaticsUnleashed'', even though the main characters are all {{Funny Animal}}s of the same species as their [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes ancestors]], there are characters based on (and sharing the surnames of) Pepe Le Pew and Foghorn Leghorn who are human.
39* There's a ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' short where Goldilocks is a mouse and the Three Bears are replaced with the Three Cats (Sylvester and his family).
40* In the ''WesternAnimation/MarvelsSpiderMan'' storyline "Maximum Venom", the hosts of the Scream, Scorn and Mania symbiotes are unknown aliens rather than humans. Notably, Scream has SuperScream powers to fit her name, which apparently come from the host, not the symbiote.
41* In ''WesternAnimation/{{MODOK 2021}}'', Poundcakes is a mutant rather than a human who got superhuman abilities from the Power Broker. She mentions that this cost her a career as a professional athlete after it was discovered, which is presumably why she became a supervillain in the first place.
42* In the comics, the [=OMACs=] are former humans transformed into {{cyborg}}s by a {{nanotechnology}} based virus. In ''WesternAnimation/MyAdventuresWithSuperman'', the [=OMACs=] are completely robotic.
43* ''Franchise/MyLittlePony'':
44** ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'':
45*** In G1, Scorpan was a human [[ForcedTransformation turned into a monster by Tirek]]. The G4 Scorpan is a natural-born Gargoyle.
46*** In G1, Somnambula was a human witch. In G4, she is a pegasus.
47*** Numerous pony characters from previous gens have their types changed. For example, Rainbow Dash was an Earth Pony in G3 but is a pegasus in G4.
48** ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTales'' featured the first canon appearance of {{Winged Unicorn}}s in the franchise. The episode "Up, Up and Away" features the Glow 'n Show Ponies as having both horns and wings, despite the fact they were all either pegasus and unicorns in the toyline.
49* Ygramal in ''Literature/TheNeverendingStory'' is a swarm of poisonous wasps sharing a HiveMind that can assume whatever shape they like. In ''WesternAnimation/TheNeverendingStoryTheAnimatedAdventuresOfBastianBalthazarBux'', she's just a GiantSpider.
50* ''WesternAnimation/TheOddballCouple'', a SaturdayMorningCartoon with a cat & dog living together ''a la'' ''Theatre/TheOddCouple''.
51* ''WesternAnimation/GoodWillToMen'', the remake to ''WesternAnimation/PeaceOnEarth'' changes the squirrels into mice.
52* ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerbStarWars'' changes [[MadScientistsBeautifulDaughter Vanessa]] into a Twi'lek (or maybe [[HalfHumanHybrid half-Twi'lek]], if you assume that "[[MadScientist Darthenshmirtz]]" is still her biological father).
53* ''WesternAnimation/RandomCartoons'': The short "Solomon Fix" is a loose adaptation of a comic by Creator/DougTenNapel, where the title character was an anthropomorphic cat rather than a sentient teddy bear.
54* The ''WesternAnimation/RedPlanet'' miniseries changed it so that the story took place on a fictional planet called New Aries rather than Mars like in [[Literature/RedPlanet the original book]]. Consequently, this means that Willis and the locals are not Martians.
55* ''WesternAnimation/SheRaPrincessOfPower'' has Catra as a human woman who can transform into a feline beast using a magical mask. The 2018 reboot ''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower'' has her as a CatGirl with regular dose of FurryReminder.
56* In the original ''Literature/{{Redwall}}'' novels by Brian Jacques, the Painted Ones were a tribe of rats who wore colorful war paint, giving them their name. In the animated TV series, they appear to be ''monkeys'' instead. Odd, considering all of the other characters were animals native to Britain.
57* ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheAnimatedSeries'' sees Madame Web, a {{mutant}} in the comics, reimagined as a cosmic entity like the Beyonder.
58* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'': In ''[[Franchise/StarWarsLegends Legends]]'', the old ''Star Wars'' ExpandedUniverse, [[DarkActionGirl Asajj Ventress]] was Rattataki and Darth Maul was a pure Zabrak. In this show, they were both {{retcon}}ned into Dathomirians. This is downplayed in Maul's case, as the Dathomirians are a Zabrak subspecies ([[HalfHumanHybrid Zabrak-human hybrids]] in pre-''Legends'' supplementary material), with [[BizarreSexualDimorphism the males looking more like their Zabrak ancestors]], and a lot of characters unfamiliar with Dathomirians assume Maul to be an Iridonian Zabrak as a result.
59* ''WesternAnimation/{{Superfriends}}'': Wonder Woman's enemy Giganta in the comics was an ape who was transformed into a human woman. ''Challenge of the Superfriends'' gives Giganta [[AdaptationalBackstoryChange a different origin]] in the episode "History of Doom", where it is shown that she was always a human woman and gained size-changing abilities by swiping the same magic powder that gave Apache Chief his powers and using it on herself.
60* ''Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles''
61** The Shredder/Oroku Saki was changed [[spoiler: to an Utrom, whose real name was Ch'rell, disguising himself as a human]] in [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2003 the 2003 series]]. Although it was eventually revealed that [[spoiler: Oroku Saki was once a real human being who lived during the time of ancient Japan, and became the original Tengu Shredder. Ch'rell simply based his human identity on the original Saki]].
62** Splinter was originally the pet rat of his human owner Hamato Yoshi prior to his mutation. In [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987 the 1987]] [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012 and 2012 cartoon]], he was made into a CompositeCharacter where he formerly was Hamato Yoshi himself, before being mutated into a rat.
63** Also in [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012 the 2012 cartoon]], [[spoiler: April O'Neill,]] previously a 100% pure-blooded human in most other ''TMNT'' works, is now made [[HalfHumanHybrid half-human, half-Kraang]] due to [[spoiler: being experimented on by them when she was still in her mother's womb.]] Meanwhile, [[spoiler:Irma]] and Agent Bishop, who were humans in the previous TMNT cartoons they appeared in, respectively get changed to a Kraang in disguise and an Utrom, respectively. Mona Lisa and Wyrm go from being mutants to being aliens in this version (though still based on the same animals as before), & Scumbug is made into a stag beetle where he was originally a cockroach. (Both incarnations were once humans)
64** In ''WesternAnimation/RiseOfTheTeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'', the titular four are specific species, and each one's is different. Leonardo is a red-eared slider[[note]]Which is the species the turtles are in the Mirage comics, making this a SubvertedTrope in his case specifically[[/note]], Raphael a snapping turtle, Donatello a soft-shelled turtle, and Michaelangelo a box turtle. This becomes more complicated when it turns out ''all'' the {{mutants}} (though made in the same way) are artificial {{youkai}}, and the turtles were [[MixAndMatchMan created using]] regular turtles and [[HalfHumanHybrid human DNA]].
65* ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'':
66** ''WesternAnimation/TransformersWarForCybertronTrilogy'' makes Bug Bite, who was previously stated by tie-in media from Fun Publications to be the [[WesternAnimation/ChallengeOfTheGoBots GoBot]] inhabiting a new [[PaletteSwap white]] Bumblebee-like body after becoming a refugee from the [=GoBots=] universe, a natural Cybertronian rather than a [=GoBot=]'s brain in a Cybertronian body.
67** ''WesternAnimation/TransformersCyberverse'':
68*** Nightbird is introduced in ''The Immobilizers'' as a Cybertronian mercenary, when her original incarnation in [[WesternAnimation/TheTransformers the Sunbow cartoon]] was an ordinary robot built by a human scientist.
69*** Bug Bite takes inspiration from his ''War for Cybertron Trilogy'' counterpart by being 100% Cybertronian and having no apparent connections to the [=GoBots=] franchise.
70* ''WesternAnimation/TheTrashPack'' Mondo TV cartoon plays for an...interesting version of this idea. As the core chunk of Trashies are [[AnimateInanimateObject Animate Inanimate Objects]] anyways, Putrid Sardine, originally a can of sardines in [[Toys/TheTrashPack the toyline]], is instead adapted into a juice box in the cartoon. He still keeps his oozy green juice and dent-formed unibrow, however.
71* In ''Anime/{{Voltron}}'', Allura and Coran are [[HumanAliens Arusians]]. In ''WesternAnimation/VoltronLegendaryDefender'', they're the [[LastOfHisKind last of the]] [[RubberForeheadAliens Alteans]]. Note that "Altean" [[MythologyGag was what their species was called in]] ''Anime/GoLion'', and ''Legendary Defender'' uses the name "Arusian" for a non-humanoid race. Additionally, [[spoiler: Keith, who was fully human in the original, is now a [[HalfHumanHybrid human/galra hybrid]]]].
72* Zig-zagged in ''WesternAnimation/TheWackyAdventuresOfRonaldMcdonald'' with the [=McNuggets=], who are clearly intended to be the videos' equivalent to the [=McNugget=] Buddies from the standard Advertising/McDonaldland ads. While still anthropomorphic chicken nuggets, they have limbs and distinctively avian features such as wings, combs and beaks like a living chicken would, in contrast to the [=McNugget=] Buddies simply being sapient chicken nuggets with eyes and mouths.
73* ''WesternAnimation/WildCATs1994'', based on [[ComicBook/WildCATsWildStorm the comic of the same name]]:
74** In the comics Spartan is an android, here he's a {{Cyborg}} instead.
75** In the comics Void was a human woman who was merged with an Orb of Power, here she’s a Kherubim supercomputer with a {{Gynoid}} body.
76** In the comics Jacob Marlowe was revealed to be the Kherubim Lord Emp, here he’s a normal human being.
77** In the comics Pike was a human/Kherubim hybrid who worked for the Daemonites, whereas here he is a Daemonite.
78* ''Franchise/WinnieThePooh'': In the original books, Owl is a tawny owl. In the Disney cartoons, he appears to be a great horned owl.
79* ''Franchise/XMen'':
80** ''WesternAnimation/XMenTheAnimatedSeries'' makes a few characters who weren't mutants in the comics into mutants, such as the Purple Man.
81** ''WesternAnimation/XMenEvolution'' split the difference in relation to the Juggernaut. Instead of a full-blooded mutant (seen in ''X-Men: The Last Stand'') or a man given powers by a magical relic (''X-Men'' comics), Juggernaut was described as having a dormant mutant gene that he "awakened with mysticism".
82** ''WesternAnimation/WolverineAndTheXMen2009'':
83*** The series makes Nitro into a mutant. In the comics, he was a normal human who was given superpowers by the Kree.
84*** Sauron also makes a cameo appearance in an M.R.D. holding cell in one episode, indicating that he too is a mutant in this continuity.
85*** Donald Pierce is a HollywoodCyborg in the comics but a mutant in the show, seemingly so that the Hellfire Club's Inner Circle would now consist entirely of mutants instead of having Pierce as the TokenHuman.
86* ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice2010''
87** Black Beetle is a CompositeCharacter with the comic books' Duwar, and is thus a member of the Reach species. In the comics, he's a human who has a Reach [[PoweredArmor scarab]], and at various times has been hinted to [[MultipleChoicePast either]] be [[FutureMeScaresMe a future version]] of [[Comicbook/BlueBeetle Jaime]] or his former friend Hector.
88** ComicBook/KlarionTheWitchBoy has a few different backstories in the comics, but is always human (or [[HumanSubspecies a variant thereof]]). Here, he's a [[PowersThatBe Lord of Chaos]].
89** In the comics by Creator/JackKirby, Forager was heavily implied to be a Comicbook/{{New God|s}} child that had been raised by the gigantic insects that live beneath New Genesis. In the cartoon, he actually ''is'' one of the insects, and has been redesigned to appear less humanoid.
90** Mercy Graves was an ordinary human in ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'' and an Amazon in the comics. Here, she's a HollywoodCyborg.
91** Jemm (known as the "Son of Saturn" in the comics) is now a Red Martian rather than a Saturnian.

Top