Everyone has that one character from a TV show, movie, or book that they have loved as a child. There are a number of iconic characters that people have come to know and love. Designers are also looking for ways to change up these characters and give them so new life for the new generations. There is an art to reimaging these classic characters and making them appeal to the modern audience.
Look at the Tone
When working with a character look at the tone and the audience that you think it would appeal to. You are building a new image. Break down all the elements of the character such as the helmets and the armor that the character wears. You can change the color around, change the feel from it, and change every detail. If the character has a guard such as a mouth guard they can be given a new function or a new form as well.
One at a Time
Before changing everything about the character around it is important to pick one item of feature at a time and perfect it. This will allow you to see what will work and what will not work. If you try to change the entire character around in one shot it can become confusing and you will lose the true nature of this character. If you select one item at a time this will help you with your focus as well. Be sure to make the items appealing to the modern audience. For example common modern accessories include cell phones and similar items.
Change Humans to Animals
When taking classic characters and turning them into animals be sure you capture the essence of their personality and pick the characteristics that will fit in with the animals. They should have some of the same physical characteristics that the character has been known for and anything special about them should still stand out. This will capture the attention of the audience while allowing you to still be creative. The same thing should be true when turning animal characters into humans. The basic features should still be easy to recognize in the new human form.
These are some things to keep in mind when changing iconic characters. These characters have become known for certain features and their essences should be still recognizable by the audience.