Rob Price
Cartoons, whether a movie or on television, enrich our lives by providing an escape to a world where anything is possible, and we are not confined by the natural laws of nature or physics. Many cartoons have crossed over into various entertainment media, movies, books, television shows and even live action performances. Disney is well known for turning their blockbuster animated films into visually stunning live action performances on the stage. But Disney aside, there have been a few other notable cartoons that have made their way on stage before a live audience. In this article we will look at three such endeavors. This is by no means meant to be a complete list.
Shrek: The Musical (2008)
The story of the musical is basically the same as the popular 2001 movie of the same name. A lonely Ogre named Shrek goes on a quest to reclaim his swamp and get the other fairy tale characters their homes back. He meets the Princess Fiona and rescues her from a castle guarded by a dragon and on the journey back home falls in love with her, but she is betrothed to Lord Farquaad, an evil little man. With the help of his new friend, a talking donkey, Shrek is able to defeat Farquaad, win the heart of Fiona and get his swamp back. Shrek is an unconventional humor whose dry wit and sarcasm makes up for the fact he is an Ogre.
The production premiered in Seattle in August of 2008 and then moved to Broadway that November. The show opened to mixed reviews with most critics praising the performances but sites that the prosthetics on the lead were cumbersome and some of the site gags went on for too long. They also praise that the elaborate and gargantuan set pieces made the show visually stunning but never overshadowed the performances of the cast. The show was nominated for 8 Tony awards and won one for best costume design, as well as winning three Drama Desk Awards.
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical (2016)
Based on the Nickelodeon animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants and concerns SpongeBob attempting to avert a volcanic eruption that could potentially wipe out Bikini Bottom. While the town descends into anarchy and chaos, SpongeBob, Sandy and Patrick find a way to save the town and restore the communities order.
The musical opened in Chicago in 2016 and moved to Broadway in 2017. The show is quite different from most Broadway productions in that the score is comprised of singles by different songwriters not unlike a “Juke Box Musical” that takes existing songs and puts a story behind them. It received critical acclaim and garnered twelve Tony Award nominations at the 72nd Tony Awards in 2019. It won Best Scenic Design of a Musical. It also wone four Outer Critics Circle Awars and six Drama Desk Awards. The show is praised for its performances, particularly Ethan Slater who plays the lead in both the Chicago and Broadway productions. The sets and production value are also highlighted, but it is interesting to note that their costumes do not try to imitate the cartoon with use of prosthetics but hint at the characters in a more subtle way giving the actors freedom of movement and better expression.
Boop! The Musical (2023)
Betty Boop lives in “ToonTown” and is a well-known celebrity. She longs to live an ordinary life without the pressures of fame. She gets her chance by using Grampy’s invention that allows her to cross over to the real world and sees the world of “color” for the first time. She lands at a Comic-Con in New York City and finds out that she is beloved in this world as well. She calls herself Betsy and meets Trisha who cosplays as Betty due to her own low self-esteem. She also meets and falls in love with Dwayne. It is eventually revealed that Betsy is the real Betty Boop and she once again becomes famous and her fame is taken advantage of. She eventually has to return to ToonTown leaving the man she loves, but everything turns out okay, when her friends discover a way to travel between the worlds and Dwayne and Betty are reunited.
Boop is a new musical that opened in Chicago in 2023 and moved to Broadway in April of 2025. The show is written by Bob Martin with music by David Foster and lyrics by Susan Birkenhead. Both the Chicago and Broadway shows were met with mixed reviews, with the performance of Jasmine Amy Rogers being touted as charismatic and vocally strong and the production value being high, but the story and overall purpose and execution being questioned. Even among the more positive revues it is noted that the plot is thin and derivative with a predictable storyline and an over-reliance on nostalgia. It was also noted that the show feels more like a marketing ploy or a brand extension instead of an actual artistic endeavor.
Cartoons bring us joy, but under the humor and the visual elements there are also usually lessons to be learned and commentary on life itself. I am overjoyed to see animated media cross-over into other types and especially thrilled that they have made the journey into live action performances that both entertain and teach.
