Seth MacFarlane, the mastermind behind Family Guy and American Dad!, is taking a surprising turn with his next project. The upcoming fantasy series Dungeon Crawler Carl, based on Matt Dinniman's wildly popular novels, will be live-action rather than animated. While MacFarlane's name often signals animated comedy, this adaptation is leaning into the Ted approach—live-action with heavy CGI—when it might have been better served by the boundless creativity of animation.
The Dungeon Crawler Carl books, which began as a self-published ebook in 2020, have exploded in popularity. The story follows Carl and his ex-girlfriend's cat, Princess Donut, who gain sentience and are thrust into a deadly, intergalactic reality show set inside a fantasy dungeon. The premise is pure over-the-top sci-fi fantasy, packed with shock humor and wild visuals—a natural fit for animation. When MacFarlane's Fuzzy Door Productions attached itself to the project in August 2024, many assumed it would be an animated series. But in a recent deal with Peacock, the show was confirmed as live-action, with Christopher Yost writing and both MacFarlane and Dinniman executive producing.
Can Live-Action Capture the Dungeon's Madness?
Live-action fantasy is thriving, from epic series to blockbuster films. But Dungeon Crawler Carl isn't your typical fantasy. The entire planet's interior is transformed by an AI into a dungeon for a reality show, meaning nearly every scene requires heavy CGI. Princess Donut, a talking cat, is a central character, and her CGI alone could balloon the budget. Dinniman himself told Variety that the project hinges on the CGI tests: “We're not going to do it if it's gonna look like absolute s—.” He pointed to MacFarlane's live-action work on Ted and The Orville as proof of concept, but those shows don't demand the same level of constant, fantastical effects.
Animation, by contrast, offers limitless possibilities. Shows like Family Guy and American Dad! regularly send characters into space, transform their bodies, or stage epic chicken fights—all without breaking a sweat. That kind of visual freedom is exactly what Dungeon Crawler Carl needs. As the series progresses, the dungeon grows stranger, with characters taking on fantasy races and facing gods and monsters. In live-action, that means ever-increasing CGI and makeup, which can strain budgets and viewer immersion. Fans have already drawn comparisons to Ready Player One, a film criticized for its over-reliance on CGI.
The Risk of Cutting Corners
If the show gets renewed, budget constraints could force cuts to the story—a nightmare for fans who love the books' sprawling, bizarre world. Animation would be cheaper and more flexible, allowing the adaptation to stay faithful to Dinniman's vision. For now, the series is in pre-production with no release date. But as the team prepares, they should remember that sometimes the best way to bring a fantasy world to life is through the limitless canvas of animation. For more on how fantasy can thrive in different mediums, check out our ranking of the best fantasy action movies and our definitive list of top fantasy novels.
Ultimately, the books will always be there, offering the full, unadulterated story. But for the TV adaptation to truly shine, MacFarlane and his team might need to reconsider their approach. The dungeon awaits—but will it look like the one fans imagined?
