The sensation has been happening for years, and yet now that a live-action Jem and the Holograms is about to be released, it feels overwhelmingly large. Massive. Epic. My childhood is now considered retro. So retro, that many of the cartoons I enjoyed on a leisurely Saturday morning have become live-action films for a new generation.

When I heard that a live-action Jem was going to be made I felt a rush of emotion. Instantly I flashed back to when I was a young girl watching Jerrica and her alter ego’s band. Think about how awesome that cartoon was for us girls in the ‘80s. It was a show starring mostly female characters. The lead character, a young woman, owned her own music company, and thanks to her computer savvy, also was able to be a lead singer in an all-female pop band (because, you know, hologram technology, obviously). Plus Jerrica and her band also housed 12 girls who were foster children.

So far all I have seen is the trailer for the live-action Jem and I didn’t see anything that reminded me of what I watched growing up. I know stories need to be adapted for a new age and generation, but hopefully the heart will remain.

Of course I will be going to see the film. Absolutely. I was a dedicated Jem fan when I was a little girl and if I can catch even a flitter of that fan-girl feeling from the new film I will be happy.

I cautiously enjoy revisiting old and familiar characters, reimagined in a modern world and in all new scenarios and with film technology. But I will confess there is a part of me that also feels I am being disloyal to the authentic experience of my youth. Somehow these movies have turned me slightly into a “get off my lawn” kind of person.

And yet I know I would never have gotten my son to sit down and enjoy some old episodes of Inspector Gadget if he had not first watched the modern live-action film version starring Matthew Broderick with me. Some live-action films can help create a bridge back to places we want to show our kids. Important places. Like where the Smurf village is...

Smurfs

As a kid: I was absolutely a Smurf watcher. I remember being given a stuffed Smurfette when I graduated kindergarten and freaking out because I was such a huge fan of the cartoon.

As a mom: It felt bizarre to see the Smurfs in a live-action film, but I did enjoy it. (Neil Patrick Harris may have had something to do with this.) My son could not get his head around the Smurf lore and I found that amusing. 

The Flintstones

As a kid: My mother and I bonded over this cartoon. She was a kid when the originals aired and I watched the reruns. The episodes held up between our generations surprisingly well.

As a mom: Maybe things got lost in translation when the animation went to live action, but I don’t remember laughing very much during the film version of The Flintstones.

Fat Albert

As a kid: Hey hey hey! I was all about this cartoon and thought it was very silly.

As a mom: I was distracted by the wardrobe and prosthetics of Fat Albert.

Inspector Gadget

As a kid: Hands down, best theme song. You know you want to stop and sing it with me right now. Go Gadget Go! I was convinced that I was Penny.

As a mom: A lot of the original sparkle of the cartoon held up within the film version of Inspector Gadget. The bad guy was fantastically bad (The Claw!) and the Inspector was comically clueless.

Josie and the Pussycats

As a kid: The original cartoon didn’t grab me as a kid -- I think I was just a bit too young to appreciate them.

As a mom: The live-action version of Josie and the Pussycats is sweet, but it feels really disconnected to it’s cartoon inspiration.

Masters of the Universe

As a kid: He-Man and his sister She-Ra were back to back must-sees for me. The power! The authority! The legends! I was always just a little bit afraid during the episodes because the bad guys were really good at being very bad.

As a mom: A live-action version of He-Man was released when I was a kid and I still have not seen it. This is probably a good thing because a team of Hollywood writers are busy working on a brand new version. Yay?

Scooby-Doo

As a kid: I watched so much Scooby-Doo when I was growing up. Scooby-Doo then is like my Law & Order now - no matter what, you could always find an episode on.

As a mom: The first time I watched the live-action version of the Scooby-Doo gang I was not a fan. But then I watched it a few years later with my son and he laughed the entire time. And you know what - he is a more accurate reviewer. It is absolutely silly and ridiculous - and that is how it should be!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

As a kid: This show aired just as I stopped watching cartoons on Saturday morning, but I still knew all about Turtle power and their love of pizza. Ninja Turtles were huge and they have had staying power as an animated show.

As a mom: There have been several live action versions of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I haven’t felt like any of them had the lightness that the cartoon had. I know they live down in the sewer, but lighten up a little! And give the guys some pizza!

Transformers

As a kid: I got into the actual action figures and vehicles before I tuned into the cartoon. As a child who loved to create stories for cars when I played, this show was almost like an instructional video on establishing backstories for vehicles.

As a mom: How about those Transformers action sequences! And in a few years I will let my kid watch them.

Dresden Shumaker is a writer, advocate and appreciator of (butterless) movie popcorn. She chronicles her adventures in single parenting on CreatingMotherhood.