The problem with adaptations.

The problem with Underdog the Movie is no one involved with Underdog the movie believed Underdog could be a movie. So they had to make a different movie that had a few cursory elements of Underdog in the movie. They loved the property, or so they said, but they figured no one would want to see a movie about it, so they had to make something significantly different, instead.

See also "Rocky and Bullwinkle."

And "Thunderbirds."

And "The Punisher."

And "Judge Dredd."

And "How the Grinch Stole Christmas."

And "The Cat in the Hat."

And a whole bunch of others. A show is massively popular. Or a cartoon is. Or something. It gets adapted for the big screen. And then it gets completely remade into something entirely different, because 'people wouldn't want to watch this on the big screen.'

You know what didn't do that?

Spider-Man.

Neither did Batman in "Batman Begins."

Or Superman in "Superman the Movie."

Or the Lord of the Rings.

The South Park movie was essentially a longer and less censored version of the South Park television show.

Hell, even the first Charlie's Angels was essentially true to the television show concept.

You know the difference between all of those movies that just came to the table with what people actually liked in the first place, rather than redoing it or "reimagining" it or what the fuck ever, and all the movies I mentioned at the top of this post?

They made buttloads of cash. Whereas when you screw with it "to make it something people will want to see," more often than not it fails out of the gate.

Guys? All we want is a dog in tights who works as a shoeshine boy speaking in rhyme and beating up criminals. An aside to a penguin and walrus breaking out of the zoo wouldn't hurt. We don't want a boy and his dog movie. We've seen those. They're fine, but they aren't Underdog. We want Underdog to fight Simon Bar Sinister, save Polly, crash into something as he leaves the scene of the adventure, and we want the theme song done straight. Period.

Jesus. If you don't believe in the property, don't adapt the property.