Have Cartoons gotten better or worse...

[Frank White]

since the early 90s?

 

[czyznyck99]

Lots of people ask this, and there are a few factors to consider. The actual animation is loads better than the hand-drawn effects of the past. Many cartoons have incorporated CGI for special effects. I personally think the voice acting has remained relatively the same, which isn't a bad thing. Many cartoons now incorporate season/series long story arcs, something that was rarer in the old days. I think they have been better with time. Others may not agree.

You can find other opinions here .

Later.

 

[Rune]

That's a tough one because so much obviously hinges on relativity - the shows you watch/favour and of course how old you are.

I have to agree with czyznyck99 in that the animation is a lot better nowadays, though I'm talking about the traditional style of the art as opposed to pure CGI. I don't mind CGI shows at all but for me to consider it a cartoon it has to be hand drawn (duh, am I being too obvious? )

The 90s has seen a switch in production values and the quality does seem to be greatly improved both in animation, soundtracks, lip synching and of course plot. Things we consider a great & gripping story arc these days were off limits for the main part before the 90s and of course we also have a lot more foreign influence too, in fact we're pretty spoiled for choice.

I show my kids stuff I watched in the 70s & 80s and in the main part they'll tell me it looks pretty poor, fair enough - the 70s & 80s saw a lot of poorly mass-produced and rushed out shows that when they air today look like they were filmed with an old sweatsock sticking over the equipment but regardless of logic and despite how good today's stuff is, with a question like this you're going to get the nostalgia factor kicking in like it or not. The old shows I loved as a kid still make me smile now and they can't be bettered in my opinion despite being a little fuzzy and perhaps having obvious plots.

The various Looney Tunes - again IMO - have never been bettered as a 'short' and probably never will be in which case I'd say no, cartoons haven't improved since the 90s and yet if I'm looking at a bunch of different shows that I watch & love today I'd say yes they have improved - enormously.

Age-relativity and personal preference makes this one tough, carry on amongst yourselves while I tie myself up in knots!

 

[Sharklady]

I'd say you've done a good job summarizing the difficulties of answering this question, Rune.

Personal preferences in cartoons (or any entertainment, for that matter) will always be influenced by factors other than traditional measures of 'quality'. So even if animation has gotten technically better recently, that doesn't necessarily mean we'll enjoy it more than the earlier stuff (it doesn't necessarily mean we won't, either.) And even if one era has produced a larger *number* of works I enjoy, the matter of how *much* I've enjoyed them is relevent, too. Consequently, this question is not easy to answer.

 

[PowerZord]

IT depends..

70's - i wasn't even born
80's i was a baby i saw this decade cartoons in the 90's

90's i was a little kid. some good 80's cartoons. and some early 90's cartoons were good. after 1998 it became horrible(Well in action cartoons comedy still rules)

 

[Chris Wood]

Lots of people ask this, and there are a few factors to consider. The actual animation is loads better than the hand-drawn effects of the past. Many cartoons have incorporated CGI for special effects.

Arggh. That is one area in which I think cartoons have clearly gotten worse. CGI is the bane of traditional animation. It never really fits. I prefer to keep my video games and cartoons separate. Cel animation forever!

Speaking generally, I think it's a mixed bag. There's no question that some recent series show a lot more sophistication and depth than their predecessors. Just compare the current He-Man series with the 80s original.

However, animation has taken two very bad turns for the worse since the early 90s.

1. Animation has largely disappeared from network TV. Saturday mornings are mere skeletons of their former selves. Weekday programming has nearly disappeared. Gone are the days when one could see maybe 5 hours of cartoons every day of the week without cable.

2. Although the quality of some cartoons has definitely improved, the selection of cartoons available has gone the opposite way. Used to be there were several new action shows on every weekday and you couldn't even watch them all because some were on at the same time. Now we're lucky to get maybe a couple episodes of He-Man or Justice League per week. The action cartoon has largely gone out of fashion, replaced by cute stuff like Jackie Chan or Yu Gi Oh.

The issue of censorship is debatable. In some ways cartoons seem to be able to get away with more mature content today. On the other hand if one takes a look at the restrictions placed on shows like Spiderman it would seem the 80s shows had more latitude.

In Japan I would definitely say animation has declined since the early 90s. It has also become corrupted by the "cute" phenomenon and the production values have taken a hit as well, generally speaking.

 

[Pilmedium]

Well, I would say that cartoons have gotten worse since the early 1990s. That takes into account that the early 1990s were better than the 1980s. Any way, CGI has been introduced, which I am not in favor of. As for other cartoons, I do not really know why I prefer cartoons from the past. There are still a few that are decent, but not as many.

 

[Simpler Simon]

It depends. The mature offerings seem to offer more depth and drama, and the storytelling seems to be more solid - there is less reliance on cartoon conventions, leaps in logic, plot holes, etc. And animators are trying new things with animation, such as Samurai Jack's use of widescreen framing. Voice acting is much improved, and the animation is cleaner and smoother.

On the other hand, I still haven't found many cartoons for the younger audience that are actually worth watching. Nothing has really filled the void left by Ducktales, Talespin, and the rest of the Disney afternoon block. Children's animation seems to be rapidly deteriorating, the exact opposite of everything I just mentioned - poor voice acting, crap animation, etc.

 

[oranthal]

We always hear how B:TAS revolutionized the American animation industry in the early 90's with its story, animation, and its deep characters, yet it really didn't make a big impact in the industry because there hasn't been any show that has even come close to match B:TAS. Of course, this just goes to show that Bruce Timm and company put out a quality show that really has no equal (American animation wise). The only show that comes close are the other Bruce Timm incarnations like S:TAS, BB, and to some extent JL. Gargoyles and the Exo-Squad are the only other shows not within the Bruce Timm's family of shows to show any maturity in its story telling. Still, today's animation is still rather juvenile compared to those shows mentioned above.

X-Men(the last season was pretty unspectacular though), Spiderman, Iron Man(season 2), and Fantastic Four(season 2) gets honorbale mentions as 2nd tier animations. A lot of stuff from today still can't compare even to these shows.

 

[Mackenzie Rainelle]

CGI is good when done right. Invader Zim is an example. Some of those incredible fight or flight scenes just would not have looked as good hand-drawn. And at the same time, the CGI kept the same style as the cel, and in most cases, blended very nicely with the hand-drawn.

 

[Digu Volz]

There's more potential today.

 

[DarthNuriko]

I agree there's more potential today but I also have to concede to Desslar's points. Despite the freer reign to do edgier, more emotional, and more engaging material with new technology, a larger pool of talent, and cable channels gobbling shows like pacman with dots, cartoons on the whole in the past few years aren't doing anything for me. They used to seriously inspire me and now I'm lucky if I'm able to pay attention for 30 minutes. I liked the cartoons available in the 90s, including anime, much more than the recent stuff. I also have to wonder if I'm just being more critical as I get older and see new things. I wouldn't say cartoons have gotten any worse but they certainly haven't gotten much better as they could've.

 

[wonderfly]

Arggh. That is one area in which I think cartoons have clearly gotten worse. CGI is the bane of traditional animation. It never really fits. I prefer to keep my video games and cartoons separate. Cel animation forever!

Speaking generally, I think it's a mixed bag. There's no question that some recent series show a lot more sophistication and depth than their predecessors. Just compare the current He-Man series with the 80s original.

However, animation has taken two very bad turns for the worse since the early 90s.

1. Animation has largely disappeared from network TV. Saturday mornings are mere skeletons of their former selves. Weekday programming has nearly disappeared. Gone are the days when one could see maybe 5 hours of cartoons every day of the week without cable.

2. Although the quality of some cartoons has definitely improved, the selection of cartoons available has gone the opposite way. Used to be there were several new action shows on every weekday and you couldn't even watch them all because some were on at the same time. Now we're lucky to get maybe a couple episodes of He-Man or Justice League per week. The action cartoon has largely gone out of fashion, replaced by cute stuff like Jackie Chan or Yu Gi Oh.

The issue of censorship is debatable. In some ways cartoons seem to be able to get away with more mature content today. On the other hand if one takes a look at the restrictions placed on shows like Spiderman it would seem the 80s shows had more latitude.

In Japan I would definitely say animation has declined since the early 90s. It has also become corrupted by the "cute" phenomenon and the production values have taken a hit as well, generally speaking.

Amen to that, I agree completely, couldn't have said it any better.

 

[Sketch]

They have better materials today, but the shows aren't as entertaining as most from the 80's and early 90's.

- Batman:TAS
- Spider-Man:TAS (I for one loved it!)
- Second season of Iron Man and The Fantastic Four
- The original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
- The original Transformers
- Gargoyles (I wasn't into it back then though)
- Duck Tales
- Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers
- Goof Troop
- TaleSpin
- Darkwing Duck
- Super Mario Bros. (all three series)
- Sonic SatAM
- Animaniacs!
- Tiny Toon Adventures
- Rocko's Modern Life
- Ren and Stimpy
- Freakazoid
- Earthworm Jim (funny ha ha or funny strange... both)
- Mega Man (campy but fun... the DVD's a great!)

All great examples of good cartoons back then and there were plenty more.

Today there are great cartoons but they are few and far between. Lately America has been relying too much on anime to pick up the slack Cartoon Network, Fox Box, and KWB especially.

Good shows today IMO:
- Samurai Jack (the only CC I like to watch now)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003)
- He-Man (2002)
- Jackie Chan Adventures (it ain't bad)
- Justice League (most of the time it's very good)
- X-Men: Evolution (pretty good most of the time)
- The Weekenders (pretty entertaining actually)
- Futurama (hillarious!)
- Family Guy (beyond hillarious!)
- The Simpsons (dull at times, but pretty great still)
- Harvey Birdman: Attorny at Law (old skool!)
- Invaider Zim

And there are a few more, but they aren't that notable.

 

[I.R Joey]

Do I believe that cartoons have declined in quality over the last few years? I don't know, I honestly don't know. My vision of the cartoons of my past may be so covered with the sweet glaze of nostalgia that I can't think objectivaly. I do remember watching Batman and X-men and Spidey, and many of my memories of these shows still stand up under my older and more cynical scrutiny, but I'm not sure if my fav Disney afternoon shows would survive that test. As for shows of these present times, I think there's some good stuff out. Someone mentioned the Weekenders, and I personally think this is one of the more clever shows to come out of Disney in a while infact that, Kim possible and the Proud family pretty much encompas any reason I'd have to watch the Disney channel consistantly. Right now, I don't know if many of you realize it, we are in the middle of one of the greatest renisance of comedic animation in America, thanks in no small part to the people at Cartoon network who really seem to love the shows they're making. We got stuff like Dexter, The Power puff girls, and the other CCN shows that are really showing some wit in my opinion, and even in the darkest corners of the Nickelodian studio we've seen some glimmers of light. On the other hand maybe we are just riding the wave created by the cartoons of the early and mid90's.


Action cartoons are where I have my problem. Maybe it's the result of groups of people on the left and the right of the political spectrum cracking down on violence in the media (though to some extent it's failed they wouldn't have got away with the Aquman scene in the
Enemy below part 2, fans know what I mean) but it seems action cartoons aren't experiancing the jump in quality that they did in the early 90's. Most certianly the animation quality has become better but the quality I refer to is the story telling quality. He-man is nice but nowhere near the quality of Gargoyles or X-men (sorry He-man fans.) There has been some promise but every time there's been promise like Samurai Jack, a unique show indeed, Justice Leauges getting better, so is X-men Evolution. However many times we've seen the buds of quality squashed in mid development (anyone watch the last season of the Zeta project?)

But I honestly do think things have declined somewhat because of executive interferance, we have some incredibly talented people in the industry right now, and if they were allowed to go all out we'd see some remarkable things.

 

[Leaping Larry Jojo]

No. From what I have seen, there has always been the odd "good" cartoon that stands out from the rest, but for the most part, trends and gimmicks have remained the same for the most part. A lot of people live through nostalgia where the past seems better than the present.

 

[Mister Intensity]

I think cartoons have taken a step backwards since the early 90's. After the success of B:TAS and Ren and Stimpy there was a sincere attempt at making cartoons appeal to adults as well as to kids. Shows like Exo-Squad, early Rugrats, Phantom 2040, Gargoyles, Dexter's Laboratory, Pinky and the Brain, Animanics, S:TAS, Beast Wars, etc. appealed to kids and their parents by adding some more mature elements to their storytelling. There was a more all-ages approach, as those shows were trying to appeal to kids, their older siblings, and their parents, since the producers realized that it was more than just tje young ones that were watching.

However, several factors ended the "all-ages" approach towards a strictly "for kids" approach. The two main factors, IMO, were the death of the syndication market leading to the monopoly of Fox Kids, Cartoon Network, KidsWB, and Nickolodeon; and the success of Pokemon, which single-handedly changed the direction of KidsWB, which up until that time was the main avocate of the "all-ages" approach.

The death of syndication meanta smaller variety of shows. Syndication standards were often more loose than network standards, thus syndicated programs were more willing to take chances on animated content. On the wake of B:TAS, it was syndicated shows like Phantom 2040, Exo-Squad, Beast Wars, and Gargoyles that took the ball and ran with it. However, with Fox Kids, and later KidsWB, taking over most of the syndicated timeslots, syndicated animation all but disappeared by the turn of the millennium.

Fox Kids and KidsWB killed the syndication market and ultimately became victims of its own successes. When both networks started, there was an edgier approach towards programming. As a result they were willing to take risks in order to attract attention. Animanics and B:TAS were the products of those edgier early days. If they grab both children and adults, advertisers would notice Fox Kids. That approach did work but it was the success of a show that aimed at younger viewers that grabbed most of the attention, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Once Power Rangers became the breakout hit, parents groups started noticing that the content "may not be suitable for children." Another by-product of Power Rangers success was that maybe if programs were skewed younger then ratings would be higher. Thus, instead of concentrating on more "all-ages" shows like Animanics and B:TAS, the search was on for the next Power Rangers.

KidsWB was starting out in the midst of Rangermania and like early Fox Kids were taking an edgier approach towards programming. Since WB supplied many of Fox Kids' early successes they took the shows after Fox's rights to the shows expired and used them as the backbone of their programming. Those shows, along with Freakazoid and S:TAS were the foundation of early KidsWB. However those shows were modest successes but, as in the case of Fox Kids, it was a show aimed at younger viewers that became the signature show of KidsWB, Pokemon. Pokemon was one of the last wave of syndicated animated shows and was a growing, but modest success. Once KidsWB picked it up, Pokemon became a phenomon(sp). Pokemon's success led to the search for the "next Pokemon" and also led to the current KidsWB practice of only shows with kid protagonists.

The biggest successes on the KidsWB schedule are shows with relatively narrow appeal. Although there are still shows with adult appeal, older audiences have to look harder for it. There's really no pretenses about most of these shows being more than kid shows. If adults watch them, great, but the producers are not going out of their way to court them. There are exceptions, like the folks at Warner Brothers, but the rule these days is kids first since that's what the advertisers are looking for.

Mister Intensity

 

[Psycho Fox]

I agree with Mister Intensity but also the people running the studios and networks are artisticly challenged. They don't know what is good all they know is numbers. Really WBA has a better idea of the fans want then the suits at Time Warner.

The current suits don't trust their talent and rather put their trust into suits that have no clue in what they are doing.

 

[Zechs]

I agree with Hyper Luigi mos shows now juse don't seem to be all that good thought their some excptions.

 

[Elven Moon]

It's hard for me to really be sure. I hold a strong bias for the cartoons I grew up with, still loving them even though now I can see that most of them were extremely corny. But nowadays I just can't get into a cartoon like I used to. There are some that I do, yes, but most of those are on channels like PBS, or Daria on Noggin. The stuff on the WB or FOX just don't capture me. It's depressing, really. This is just TV-wise, though.