Photo: Youtube/Warner Bros

Classic 1960s cartoon The Jetsons is set to return to screens, but as a live-action series rather than an animated reboot, according to BBC.

The futuristic Hanna-Barbera show, originally set in 2062, was about a family living in a space city.

But would audiences ? and critics ? appreciate an updated Jetsons with actual people?

Live-action cartoon adaptations on the big screen historically have not been met with much praise, so perhaps a television version will fare better.

Here's a look at some of the cartoon adaptations that were probably best left alone.

The Flintstones (1994)

Photo: Shutterstock

 

The Flintstones was highly anticipated when it was released, with a great cast including John Goodman, Rick Moranis and Elizabeth Taylor.

It performed reasonably well at the US box office and really flew internationally. But that did not mean people liked it.

"It isn't just awful. It bombs itself into the Stone Age. As Fred Flintstone might have put it: Yabba-dabba-boo," the Washington Post said.

Scooby-Doo (2002)

Photo: Shutterstock

On paper, a Scooby-Doo movie is a great idea ? mystery, suspense, a talking dog and those pesky kids.

Audiences flocked to see it in its opening weekend but were mostly left underwhelmed.

"Anyone looking for sophistication from a movie which features a two-minute-long farting contest between man and CG dog is going to be sorely disappointed," according to Empire. 

It is healthy box office receipts led studio bosses to make a critically panned sequel two years later.