Calvin and Hobbes animated

Bill Watterson, the creator of Calvin and Hobbes, was briefly considering an animated adaptation of his comic, mainly because he loved animation and noted that there's a lot of timing gags you can't do in a comic. Then he realized the voices of the characters would inevitably fail to match the voices in the readers' heads, so he decided against it.

Let's say ITTL, either in the late eighties or early nineties, an animated C&H special is made by either Bill Melendez or Film Roman. More specials are made after that, before an animated series is created in the mid to late nineties.

Who would voice the characters? What effects would it have on the comic? Would the strip last longer? Would it end up being overmarketed like Peanuts and Garfield were, which is the very thing Watterson wanted to avoid happening to his work?
 
It's hard to say. An animated series could lead again to the fight Watterson had with the syndicate over his opposition to merchandising his work and it could be even worse.

Another reason Watterson did not want the animated special - it would lead to the question if Hobbes is real or just imaginary. He always insisted on leaving that up to the readers; any animated works would have to somehow deal with that question.
 
Another reason Watterson did not want the animated special - it would lead to the question if Hobbes is real or just imaginary. He always insisted on leaving that up to the readers; any animated works would have to somehow deal with that question.

I don't see why it can't be like in the strip where it's ambiguous.
 
Knowing Watterson he would shut the whole thing down the instant he saw the first footage. It would take a drastically different Watterson to have this get past his radar.
 
I know that Steven Spielberg was interested in the rights of Calvin and Hobbes to adapt it into a television cartoon:

upload_2019-2-7_19-17-58.png


If you ask me, Watterson made the correct choice. Besides The Far Side, Calvin and Hobbes might be the sole post-1970 newspaper comic of artistic value, it thus deserves to only be remembered as a quaint and idiosyncratic strip that's a celebration of childhood imagination. No merchandising to turn Calvin into the next Bart Simpson (ugh, I hate those tasteless political memes of Calvin pissing on Justin Trudeau).
 
Garry Trudeau, Berkeley Breathed, and Bill Watterson all were very much opposed to the merchandising of their creations with the limited exceptions of some products for certain causes.
Besides the 1977 animated The Doonesbury Special, there was no other projects that would have brought their creations to either television or movie screens.
Compare and contrast that to Charles M Schulz who allowed for the merchandising of his creations and having movies and television specials produced.
Peanuts is still relevant to today's audience while Calvin and Hobbes, Bloom County are not growing their audience and are fading in memory, Doonesbury is a Sunday only strip with past strips being rerun during the week and it has lost the impact that it once had.
 
My family is from Chagrin Falls, where Watterson lives. He used to come by the bookstore and randomly autograph Calvin and Hobbes books (my brother picked them up from time to time), though somehow nobody ever actually saw him do it. He was considered an extreme recluse 20-odd years ago and he has clearly not changed in that time. Still, it would have been interesting to have a bit of Calvin's potential publicity reach that quiet little town...
 
Last edited:
If it ever was made, I bet they'd only ever make one or two specials since Watterson would be beyond controlling about the content of it, the animation direction, etc. that it would be essentially impossible to work with him (and any contract would be written in his favour). And I know that if Watterson actually wanted it done, he'd go for a one-off special before signing off to a TV series. And the conflict between Watterson and the production staff of the cartoon and no doubt Watterson's dislike of the result (it could be very, very good and a definitive Calvin and Hobbes product, but I think Watterson wouldn't be a fan) would make sure no more Calvin and Hobbes cartoons were ever made.
If you ask me, Watterson made the correct choice. Besides The Far Side, Calvin and Hobbes might be the sole post-1970 newspaper comic of artistic value, it thus deserves to only be remembered as a quaint and idiosyncratic strip that's a celebration of childhood imagination. No merchandising to turn Calvin into the next Bart Simpson (ugh, I hate those tasteless political memes of Calvin pissing on Justin Trudeau).

There's something to be said about Watterson's thoughts on merchandising Calvin and Hobbes and how the major piece of Calvin and Hobbes merchandise (which is a bootleg) is a photoshopped version of Calvin pissing on whatever (hated sports team, hated politician, etc.).
 
Garry Trudeau, Berkeley Breathed, and Bill Watterson all were very much opposed to the merchandising of their creations with the limited exceptions of some products for certain causes.
Besides the 1977 animated The Doonesbury Special, there was no other projects that would have brought their creations to either television or movie screens.
Compare and contrast that to Charles M Schulz who allowed for the merchandising of his creations and having movies and television specials produced.
Peanuts is still relevant to today's audience while Calvin and Hobbes, Bloom County are not growing their audience and are fading in memory, Doonesbury is a Sunday only strip with past strips being rerun during the week and it has lost the impact that it once had.

Actually, Bloom County was recently revived by Berke as a webcomic on Facebook (and as for merchandising, there was plenty, especially Opus dolls). On a side note, I wonder which animation company would provide this hypothetical cartoon. The only company I can see him being willing to work with would be Film Roman (though I think Klasky Csupo could probably do it as well), which would be kind of funny since Film Roman also made a US Acres cartoon, a strip Watterson hates (though the cartoon was funnier than the strip and had more of a Looney Tunes feel).
 

DougM

Donor
The problem is that 68 years after the first and 18 years after the last new Peanuts cartoon you would be hard pressed to find anyone in the US that is not familiar with them at least enough to tell you the names of major characters and major story points.
23 years after the last Calvin and Hobbs cartoon I expect most people won’t be able to identify them and tell you anything about it without being prompted and good luck finding anyone under 30 that has any idea who/what it is.
Frankly the Calvin peeing is probably more famous right now then the cartoon.
You may not like it from an artistic point of view but you have to admit merchandise and TV shows keep your cartoon alive and is what people remember.
It is sad because Calvin and Hobbs was one of the best cartoons ever. And was way better then cartoons such as Garfield that are much much better known.
It was his cartoon and thierfor his decision but it cost him a lot of money and it cost his cartoon the long lasting fame it deserved. So today we sit here with a whole generation that has no idea how great this stip was and he sits thier without the rediculus levels of money he could have had. Presumably he is happy with the result (although his family may be less so)


As for who to voice the characters. That is difficult. You don’t want typical “funny” cartoon voices. That is the one thing Peanuts did Right the voices are not “funny” in fact it is hard to truly remember the voices (and I just watch the Christmas special back in December). Vs say Bug Bunny of Daffy those characters are just “funny” so they get funny voices but it is not what Calvin and Hobbs are. They are not funny. Heck they seldom DID anything funny. It was the situation they got into that was funny. And that was mostly because of us as adults looking at it. It is like my great nieces and nephews (and thier parents before them). The often do things that result in the older generation laughing but they don’t see anything funny about it.

So you probably need a very non descript voice.

As for if Hobbs is alive or not the answer is yes. Yes he is not alive (to pretty much anyone) but yes he IS alive to Calvin and that is all that matter.
The magic of the cartoon was the ability to give us a climbs into that magical world of children that we have all passed beyond. It is the everyday cartoon equivalent of the “Magical Mystic Toyland” from the Christmas song (and TV special), as the song says once you pass its boarders you can never return again. But Watterson found a way of allowing us a glimpse back. It just happens that much of the serious business of childhood seams funny from the view of an adult.
Kind of like how old cloths often look “funny” even though they were not vied as such at the time.

I still miss Calvin and Hobbs. And often picture them wondering off and forgetting to grow up like a modern day Peter Pan. That way I can image that they are still out there someplace just beyond our view having great adventures.

Humm now I am going to have to go dig out my great big boxed set and reread it.
 
I think that Calvin would get a female voice actress who can do boy voices well. Think Nancy Cartwright, who most famously voices Bart Simpson. As for Hobbes, I could see someone like John Candy of all people providing his voice, since he had this very warm, yet sarcastic type of sound to his voice.

If the special aired in 1988 or so, I think it'd definitely increase awareness of the strip for sure. Perhaps the success would lead to Watterson reluctantly licensing Calvin and Hobbes for some toys, games and clothing, but only if he gets full approval on the products. I'm not sure if the strip would reach Peanuts level fame, but perhaps at least Garfield level.

I could see a few more specials airing during the early nineties, until Watterson finally gives the okay for a TV show. It could run from 1995-2000 and air on Nickelodeon. Because John Candy would be dead by this point, I think they'd use Tom Kenny to voice him instead. Nancy Cartwright would still provide Calvin's voice. I could see about 5 seasons and 65 episodes being produced.

The actual strip probably would run longer, since Watterson would realize he has a lot more stories left in him and since the strip is much more popular than it was in the OTL and he'd want to give children more of his work, so long as he'd have good ideas, which I think he would.

After the show ends in 2000, I could see the strip ending in about 2003 or so, perhaps 2004. That said, I imagine that it would be much better known around the world and there'd be demand for a movie. Watterson would spend most of the 2000s painting and giving interviews every so often, as well as occasional public appearances. I don't think he'd have a problem with Calvin and Hobbes being licensed by Viacom to be featured at Universal Studios, so you could see Calvin and Hobbes walking around in the park, along with a ride themed after Spaceman Spiff.

I think that the strip's popularity would fade a bit in the 2000s, though the series and merchandise would have a devoted fanbase. I think a few video games could come out during the Nick series' run, with playthroughs of them becoming really popular on YouTube.

By the 2010s, with the rise of social media and the internet, the strip would start regaining popularity and petitions would be signed by fans across the world to bring back the strip and get the movie greenlit. While Watterson initially would be unsure and would make it clear that he'd be against restarting the strip only due to popular demand, he'd probably relent after realizing he has enough ideas to revive the strip. In 2013, Calvin and Hobbes would resume production and fans would be very happy. The movie would be greenlit around this time, to be released into theaters in 2016.

How does this sound?
 
I think that Calvin would get a female voice actress who can do boy voices well. Think Nancy Cartwright, who most famously voices Bart Simpson. As for Hobbes, I could see someone like John Candy of all people providing his voice, since he had this very warm, yet sarcastic type of sound to his voice.

If the special aired in 1988 or so, I think it'd definitely increase awareness of the strip for sure. Perhaps the success would lead to Watterson reluctantly licensing Calvin and Hobbes for some toys, games and clothing, but only if he gets full approval on the products. I'm not sure if the strip would reach Peanuts level fame, but perhaps at least Garfield level.

I could see a few more specials airing during the early nineties, until Watterson finally gives the okay for a TV show. It could run from 1995-2000 and air on Nickelodeon. Because John Candy would be dead by this point, I think they'd use Tom Kenny to voice him instead. Nancy Cartwright would still provide Calvin's voice. I could see about 5 seasons and 65 episodes being produced.

The actual strip probably would run longer, since Watterson would realize he has a lot more stories left in him and since the strip is much more popular than it was in the OTL and he'd want to give children more of his work, so long as he'd have good ideas, which I think he would.

After the show ends in 2000, I could see the strip ending in about 2003 or so, perhaps 2004. That said, I imagine that it would be much better known around the world and there'd be demand for a movie. Watterson would spend most of the 2000s painting and giving interviews every so often, as well as occasional public appearances. I don't think he'd have a problem with Calvin and Hobbes being licensed by Viacom to be featured at Universal Studios, so you could see Calvin and Hobbes walking around in the park, along with a ride themed after Spaceman Spiff.

I think that the strip's popularity would fade a bit in the 2000s, though the series and merchandise would have a devoted fanbase. I think a few video games could come out during the Nick series' run, with playthroughs of them becoming really popular on YouTube.

By the 2010s, with the rise of social media and the internet, the strip would start regaining popularity and petitions would be signed by fans across the world to bring back the strip and get the movie greenlit. While Watterson initially would be unsure and would make it clear that he'd be against restarting the strip only due to popular demand, he'd probably relent after realizing he has enough ideas to revive the strip. In 2013, Calvin and Hobbes would resume production and fans would be very happy. The movie would be greenlit around this time, to be released into theaters in 2016.

How does this sound?

The Watterson ITTL sounds very different from the Watterson IOTL, but it's a fun idea.

Would the movie be 2D-animated?
 
The movie would be computer animated technically, but in the style of The Peanuts Movie, so it'd at least resemble hand-drawn animation. Also, you have to take into account that Watterson would make different decisions due to certain events playing out differently. If he heas allowed specials and merchandise, of course that will affect his decision making process in the future.
 
How about adopting Calvin and Hobbes as claymation, just like how it was parodied on Robot Chicken?

Warning: Watch at your own risk!

 
Actually, Bloom County was recently revived by Berke as a webcomic on Facebook (and as for merchandising, there was plenty, especially Opus dolls). On a side note, I wonder which animation company would provide this hypothetical cartoon. The only company I can see him being willing to work with would be Film Roman (though I think Klasky Csupo could probably do it as well), which would be kind of funny since Film Roman also made a US Acres cartoon, a strip Watterson hates (though the cartoon was funnier than the strip and had more of a Looney Tunes feel).

Berkeley Breathed is friends with Watterson. Since the revival of Bloom County, Calvin and Hobbes have appeared several times in Bloom County as an April Fool's gag. One 'Sunday' strip had Calvin and Opus trading cats; another had Calvin and Hobbes zombies looking for penguin brains. I don't know how much of the drawing is Breathed and how much is Watterson.
 
My family is from Chagrin Falls, where Patterson lives. He used to come by the bookstore and randomly autograph Calvin and Hobbes books (my brother picked them up from time to time), though somehow nobody ever actually saw him do it. He was considered an extreme recluse 20-odd years ago and he has clearly not changed in that time. Still, it would have been interesting to have a bit of Calvin's potential publicity reach that quiet little town...

I am originally from Lake County, I had no idea he was from Chagrin Falls.
 
I am originally from Lake County, I had no idea he was from Chagrin Falls.
Yep. On the back of one of the books there's a picture of Calvin imagining himself as a 50 foot tall giant rampaging through a town that looks pretty much exactly like Chagrin Falls. He's also holding the popcorn shop (local landmark) and shaking the candy inside into his mouth.
 
Last edited:
I imagine the most likely outcome ITTL is that one animated special is made by Film Roman in either 1989 or 1990, Bill hates it, the series is never animated again, and all merchandise is pulled off the shelves.

Something like that happened with both Bloom County and Pogo.
 
I love the idea of Spielberg getting involved. The man behind An American Tail and Animaniacs could be just about the only man to get the tone of Calvin and Hobbes right in animation.
 
Top