History Main / AdaptationalNonsapience

** A DecompositeCharacter variation with [[Characters/MCUCompaniesStarkIndustries Edwin Jarvis]]. Due to AgeLift, he is active in the 1950s to the 1970s, and thus doesn't fulfill his comic counterpart's role as TheJeeves to Iron Man and the Avengers. This support role is instead fulfilled by Tony Stark's JARVIS, which was named after him and began as a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural-language_user_interface natural-language user interface]] but upgraded over time to a more advanced {{AI}} and eventually uploaded to [[Characters/MCUNewAvengers Vision]]. As JARVIS [[Film/IronMan1 appeared]] in the MCU seven years before Edwin Jarvis [[Series/AgentCarter did]], this trope was played straight for some time.

* Tootsie in ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017'' is now a realistic ''Triceratops'' showing none of the anthropomorphism of her counterpart from the [[WesternAnimation/DuckTales1987 original show]].

* WesternAnimation/MagillaGorilla in ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooAndGuessWho'' is now a normal gorilla that doesn't speak.

* ''Film/BedtimeStories'' has an InUniverse example meant to exploit a literal LifeImitatesArt, in a subversion from an already normal beast to an inanimate object. Skeeter tries to abuse the power of a bedtime story (an alternate interpretation of the words of the story will happen in RealLife) by telling a [[TheWestern Western]] where someone gives his {{Cowboy}} AuthorAvatar a red Ferrari (the horse) for free so that someone in real life would do the same for him but with a red Ferrari ''car''. It doesn't work the way he expected.

* ''Film/BedtimeStories'' has an InUniverse example meant to exploit a literal LifeImitatesArt. Skeeter tries to abuse the power of a bedtime story (an alternate interpretation of the words of the story will happen in RealLife) by telling a [[TheWestern Western]] where someone gives his {{Cowboy}} AuthorAvatar a red Ferrari (the horse) for free so that someone in real life would do the same for him but with a red Ferrari ''car''. It doesn't work the way he expected.

** When they adapted [[Series/KaizokuSentaiGokaiger Machalcon]], a son of two Partner Engines from ''Go-onger'', into ''[[Series/PowerRangersMegaforce Power Rangers Super Megaforce]]'' as Turbo Falcon Zord, it was given a beastly {{AI}}.

* A DecompositeCharacter example for Barbara Gordon in ''WebAnimation/DCSuperHeroGirls''. While she is still ComicBook/{{Batgirl}}, her Oracle personality, an identity she first took when ComicBook/TheJoker crippled her in ''ComicBook/TheKillingJoke'', was given to a computer A.I.

* In ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerbStarWars'' (a FakeCrossover between ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'' and ''Film/ANewHope''), the ship Centennial Chihuahua stands in for Pinky, Isabella's pet chihuahua in the regular ''Phineas and Ferb'' cartoon.

** When they adapted [[Series/KaizokuSentaiGokaiger Machalcon]], a son of two Partner Engines from ''Go-onger'', into ''[[Series/PowerRangersMegaforce Power Rangers Super Megaforce]]'' as Turbo Falcon Zord, it was given a beastly {{AI}}, averting this trope but inverting AdaptationalIntelligence.

Talking animals and monsters tend to have an intellect reduced to those of normal beasts, [[AmplifiedAnimalAptitude by fiction's standards anyway]], while robots and AIs will be reduced to something along the lines of a normal computer. Depending on fans reception of the character in their original form, this will either cause backlash or [[TheScrappy joy.]]

* In the 1979 film adaption of ''Literature/SalemsLot'', the charismatic and cultured vampire Kurt Barlow is changed into a growling Nosferatu clone, with his familiar Richard Straker playing a bigger role, always speaking for him. However, the 2003 adaption stays more faithful to the source material (at least where Barlow is concerned) finally allowing many of his iconic lines from the book to be brought to life (by the great Creator/RutgerHauer no less).

* In the 1979 film adaption of ''Literature/SalemsLot'', the charismatic and cultured vampire Kurt Barlow is changed into a growling Nosferatu clone, with his familiar Richard Straker playing a bigger role, always speaking for him. However, the 2003 adaption stays more faithful to the source material (at least where Barlow is concerned) finally allowing many of his iconic lines from the book to be brought to life by the great Creator/RutgerHauer.

* In the 1979 film adaption of ''Literature/SalemsLot'', the charismatic and cultured vampire Kurt Barlow is changed into a growling Nosferatu clone, with his familiar Richard Straker playing a bigger role, always speaking for him. However, the 2003 adaption stays more faithful to the source material (at least where Barlow is concerned) finally allowing many of his iconic lines from the book to be brought to life.

* In the 1979 film adaption of ''Literature/Salem’sLot'', the charismatic and cultured vampire Kurt Barlow is changed into a growling Nosferatu clone, with his familiar Richard Straker playing a bigger role, always speaking for him. However, the 2003 adaption stays more faithful to the source material and Barlow is finally allowed to speak many of his iconic lines from the book.

* Rare human example comes from ''Film/BatmanAndRobin.'' Bane was a GeniusBruiser in the comics, but in the film he can only communicate in grunts and is implied to be simply too dumb to speak.
* Happens with [[WesternAnimation/DoraTheExplorer Boots]] in ''Film/DoraAndTheLostCityOfGold''. [[spoiler:Later subverted when [[Creator/DannyTrejo Danny Trejo's]] voice comes out of him in one instance just before the climax]].
* The Monster in the original ''Literature/{{Frankenstein}}'' novel was not only capable of speech, he was quite eloquent (and more than a bit broody). In the most famous adaptation, the [[Film/Frankenstein1931 1931 film]], and in most adaptations using that as a launch pad, he becomes a lumbering, thoughtless, non-speaking brute.
* Fenrir in ''Film/ThorRagnarok'' is just a monster serving Hela. He could speak in the original comics and the myths they are based on.
* In ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'', Black Dwarf (known in the movie as Cull Obsidian) and the Outriders are little more than mindless brutes. Which is a shame in the case of the former, as he was quite the eloquent talker in the comics.
* In ''Film/TheJungleBook2016'', the elephants and the monkeys, who could both talk in both [[Literature/TheJungleBook the book]] and [[Disney/TheJungleBook the animated version]], show no capability to speak. In the elephants' case it's not to make them seem less intelligent, but rather more mysterious and dignified. ''Film/{{Mowgli}}'' makes exactly the same artistic choice, making the elephants and monkeys (plus Rann the kite, who could also talk in the book) TheSpeechless.
* In ''Film/OneHundredAndOneDalmatians'', none of the animals talk. The [[Disney/OneHundredAndOneDalmatians original cartoon]] showed dogs and other animals [[AnimalTalk talk to each other, but not to humans]].

* In the [[Film/TheNeverendingStory film adaptation]] of ''Literature/TheNeverendingStory'', Atreyu's horse Artax is a regular horse and does not speak, while in the book the two of them conversed.

[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
* Downplayed in ''Animation/TheMysteryOfTheThirdPlanet'' concerning the indicator. It is not sapient in [[Literature/TheVoyageOfAlice the original novella]], but it has a very high level of intelligence, most notably being an EvilDetectingDog towards [[spoiler:the diamond turtle]] and understanding a lot of what goes on during the climactic scenes, so much that one of the villains' mooks mistakes it for a sapient creature and tries to handcuff it. In the movie, however, it only displays the most basic ColorCodedEmotions and [[DemotedToExtra does nothing]] plot-relevant.
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[[folder:Films Animation]]

* In ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'', Black Dwarf and the Outriders are little more than mindless brutes. Which is a shame in the case of the former, as he was quite the eloquent talker in the comics.

* In ''Literature/TheHobbit'' there are several TalkingAnimal characters, such as the eagles (especially the Lord of the Eagles), the thrush and the raven Roäc. While these animals all appear in Creator/PeterJackson's ''Film/TheHobbit'' film trilogy, they are relegated to relatively small, non-talking roles. The [[SavageWolves Wargs]], who had their own language in the books and were even counted as a separate army at the Battle of Five Armies, also seem to be less sapient and presented as simple beasts ridden by the orcs.

* In ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'', Black Dwarf and the Outriders are little more than mindless brutes. Which is a shame in the case of the latter, as he was quite the eloquent talker in the comics.

* Snarf in ''WesternAnimation/ThunderCats2011'' can now only say his name and is treated more like a pet.