Which Decade was Better (For Animation): The 90's or the (20)10's?

[Mr. Daniel]

Well, both generations gave us some of the best cartoons in TV and Movies of all time, but I have to go with the 10’s on this one. Mainly because it explores deeper themes and does it with respect to it’s audience, the long running cartoons and adult cartoons that came out are actually good, and also of the massive fandoms the shows and movies are getting. Sorry 90’s, you’re awesome, but the 10’s are just out of this world!

 

[jaylop97]

I would choose 90s because there where more companies trying to make cartoons and anyone could see those cartoons on more TV channels, while today cartoons are good but channels don't let them live up expectations.

 

[PapaGreg]

I would choose 90s because there where more companies trying to make cartoons and anyone could see those cartoons on more TV channels, while today cartoons are good but channels don't let them live up expectations.

Well today sort of has an edge when it comes to the Internet, lets face it you would't see a toon like Bojack Horseman or Rick and Morty in the 90s

 

[SaneMan]

Well, we won't really know till this decade is over
I mean, do you remember how it all came crashing down at the end of the 90s?

I would choose 90s because there where more companies trying to make cartoons and anyone could see those cartoons on more TV channels, while today cartoons are good but channels don't let them live up expectations.

But this large number of studios was one of the reasons why most of them went bankrupt in the late 90s/early 2000s
The market could not sustain them all

 

[Classic Speedy]

I mean, do you remember how it all came crashing down at the end of the 90s?

Family Guy. SpongeBob. Futurama. Home Movies. Mission Hill. The Iron Giant. Toy Story 2. South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut. Yeah, it all came crashing down.

 

[Zanneck]

Family Guy. SpongeBob. Futurama. Home Movies. Mission Hill. The Iron Giant. Toy Story 2. South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut. Yeah, it all came crashing down.

Yeah - some of these examples are actually good. But I think I get the joke.

 

[PapaGreg]

Family Guy. SpongeBob. Futurama. Home Movies. Mission Hill. The Iron Giant. Toy Story 2. South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut. Yeah, it all came crashing down.

Mission Hill lasted a season because networks never realised how expensive animation


Sent from my LG-D415 using Tapatalk

 

[ABrown]

There is still four more years for this decade to be completed. However, if I was just going to choose between 1990-1995 and 2010 through 2015, I'd unquestionably have to choose the 90's. There's just a lot more that I enjoyed compared to what I've seen over the last five years.

 

[Lord Hater]

The 90s because there were more action cartoons and third-party shows got good treatment from networks.

 

[Zanneck]

The 90s because there were more action cartoons and third-party shows got good treatment from networks.

I can agree with you - regarding the action shows and the GOOD 3rd Party Stuff. Otherwise, the 2010's get my vote for having good original fare that I remember far more fondly than anything from my crappy childhood in the 90's.

 

[PapaGreg]

The 90s because there were more action cartoons and third-party shows got good treatment from networks.

I think thats what hurt this decade the most, the lack of third party shows, barely any major or minor cable network that isn't CN,Fox,FXX,Nick,or the Hub isn't gonna put out any animation of any kind

 

[ToonJay723]

The 90s because there were more action cartoons and third-party shows got good treatment from networks.

Well FOX Kids, CBS, and ABC (before 1996) mostly had or only had third party shows, so it wouldn't make sense to treat them poorly.

While the networks that did produce original content didn't particularly treat third party shows well other than Kids WB with Men in Black, and Pokemon.

 

[SaneMan]

^ Network originals have made third party shows redundant
Remember, in the 90s, animation networks like Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network have just begun to produce their own original content.
By the time the 2000s rolled around, they realized they could self-sustain, and no longer needed third party shows, which they had little control over
With original content, the networks could not only have complete control over a show's production, but also keep all the profits - with perks like these, who would even want to air third-party content?

 

[Gear3dGryph0n]

If it wasn't for the 90s, we wouldn't have what we had today. If there was no Batman: TAS and Gargoyles to experiment with mature themes in animated kids & family shows, Avatar and Korra probably wouldn't have been tried, and if they did, probably wouldn't have been as big. If Bart Simpson hadn't been the rebellious figure he was, there'd be no Eric Cartman to make him look like a boy scout in comparison.

Where the 90s had the advantage was that there were more major outlets at the time. The late 80s, the entirety of the 90s, and the early 2000s were the only time in which Saturday morning and cable cartoons were concurrent. With Nickelodeon innovating by capitalizing on the potential of creator-driven talent, every cable network and Saturday morning block had created its own identity and personality, competing to creatively outgun each other by variably leveraging the talent and franchises that they had. There was more of a balance in the 90s and that was when we started to see more styles derive from the experimentation and fierce competition. It died down in the 2000s due to media consolidation and audience fragmentation brought on by the rise of the Internet and video gaming, and executives were left searching for new ways to attract specific audiences and advertisers, frequently making poor decisions in this transitional period. We still got some stuff like Samurai Jack and Foster's Home out of it, though.

The best thing about the 2010s is the integration of the Internet into old media as a feedback and networking tool, as well as the fact that its open nature allows a virtually unlimited number of potential outlets for animation. People can watch what they want, whenever they want, and technological proliferation has lowered the barrier to entry for prospective artists. For fans, they can engage more directly with the crews of their favorite shows (for better or worse). For the people in charge, they can keep a close eye on metrics and better identify and network talent. Cartoon Network and Disney have been pretty much incentivized by this new approach to create better programs and hire great new talent. Nickelodeon, however, hasn't seemed to show up all that much since Korra ended and seems to be bowing to the will of nostalgia kickers in lieu of doing what the other two channels are doing, but their hand seems to be forced by now (if their much more rapid ratings decline is any indication).

Stylistically, I find the 90s more diverse and experimental, but I hold the 2010s in almost equal esteem for taking some of what was tested and learned back then and going further with it. There is a certain tinge of stylistic similarity through most of the popular cartoons today, but the boundaries they push with content and audience interaction is something worth looking at.

I think it's too early to make "best of" lists of this decade (WatchMojo already made that mistake; their list didn't include Steven Universe as a result), but with an eye on the trends apparent and the stuff that's already out, we can already identify some of what defines the current decade and sets it apart from the rest. There's four more years left for someone to come along and shake things up, or even to start setting the tone for the 2020s. Only time will tell the rest of the story.

 

[90'sKid]

I would say the 90's, but this is just opinion. I'm sure the 10's has good shows, but I do not care for them. I do not really watch them, and I have no attachment to them.


Note: Everything I say is purely opinion (unless stated otherwise), please do not see it as fact.

 

[chipmunksfan]

The one with the number nine and then followed by the number zero right after the nine. That was the best decade. Especially Cartoon Network. It had the most hits at any one time while the 2000s were only good in the first half of the decade and in the 2010s there are only two cartoons that are worth watching IMO, which are SpongeBob and Alvinnn. Wabbit isn't bad but it's not mind-blowing either, and that's it if you ask me.

 

[Coffee]

90s, absolutely no contest. What has the 2010s brought us/ Adventure Time? Regular Show? No thanks. The 90s gave us some of the best cartoons of all time. It's not even comparable.

 

[chipmunksfan]

90s, absolutely no contest. What has the 2010s brought us/ Adventure Time? Regular Show? No thanks. The 90s gave us some of the best cartoons of all time. It's not even comparable.

Agree 100%. What's more, the second best cartoon decade could only be the 80s before we can even begin to consider the 2000+ years.

 

[Mr. Daniel]

90s, absolutely no contest. What has the 2010s brought us/ Adventure Time? Regular Show? No thanks. The 90s gave us some of the best cartoons of all time. It's not even comparable.

Yeah. But so has the 2010's. Adventure Time, Gravity Falls, and Steven Universe can easily match up with any 90's cartoon!

 

[PapaGreg]

Agree 100%. What's more, the second best cartoon decade could only be the 80s before we can even begin to consider the 2000+ years.

80 seriously every cartoon back then was just one huge commercial animated by a Japanese company

Sent from my LG-D415 using Tapatalk