On the State of the Cartoon

[Destroyer]

This editorial I wrote up a lot of people online seem to like.
http://destroyers-editorialsandreviews. ... rtoon.html

When I was younger, the cartoons I grew up with were generally smarter and better written than what is found today in my opinion. Today they're more mindless and lacking heart. So do you think cartoons are getting worse, or it's just a phase, or are things fine the way they are?

[Gawdziller]

The people of the previous generation would say the same of the ones we watched in our youth. It's an endless chain. The youth of this generation will say the same of the next and so on and so forth.

[Destroyer]

The people of the previous generation would say the same of the ones we watched in our youth. It's an endless chain. The youth of this generation will say the same of the next and so on and so forth.

Yeah, that's how it is. I think though that slowly they're losing their touch with actual writing and stories. The older Spongebobs from the 90's and early 2000s for example were great, but today, today the newer episodes, they're just duds. The writing has become more juvenile I feel.

[Dust_pan]

Well, at least you mentioned those good ol' gems.

I have a hard time saying that cartoons these days suck. I truly dislike a number of them because of their mediocre writing (God DAM is it obnoxious.), animation, and artwork, but I have this gut feeling that maybe I'm just being nostalgic and biased towards the cartoons I've grown up with.

I feel that characters on shows like Hey Arnold, Cat Dog, Looney Tunes, and many other pre-2000 Cartoon Network/Nick/Toon Disney shows had a lot of personality and were generally fun to watch. But then I see my little cousins watching their stupid modern day cartoons, and they enjoy them just as much as I enjoyed my own stuff when I was little. So perhaps they just understand their shows better and see them as works of art. Or maybe they're just lazy kids who'll watch whatever's on the tube.

[Destroyer]

Well, at least you mentioned those good ol' gems.

I have a hard time saying that cartoons these days suck. I truly dislike a number of them because of their mediocre writing (God DAM is it obnoxious.), animation, and artwork, but I have this gut feeling that maybe I'm just being nostalgic and biased towards the cartoons I've grown up with.

I feel that characters on shows like Hey Arnold, Cat Dog, Looney Tunes, and many other pre-2000 Cartoon Network/Nick/Toon Disney shows had a lot of personality and were generally fun to watch. But then I see my little cousins watching their stupid modern day cartoons, and they enjoy them just as much as I enjoyed my own stuff when I was little. So perhaps they just understand their shows better and see them as works of art. Or they're just lazy kids who'll watch whatever's on the tube.

Thanks for the input. Sadly, that last sentence I feel could be the case with today's generation. An example I used is comparing Spidey the Animated Series from the 90's to the current Ultimate one. Both are kids shows technically, but the latter obviously is more kiddish and juvenile. The writing in a lot of modern cartoons is really obnoxious. Comparing it to the older ones, I feel cartoons in general have lost their innocence and heart.

[JAGzilla]

There are plenty of good modern cartoons, too. And there were a lot of terrible ones whenever you were a kid. No animation era is universally one way or the other. In any case, it's all subjective. "One man's trash..." or whatever.

[Dust_pan]

There are plenty of good modern cartoons, too. And there were a lot of terrible ones whenever you were a kid. No animation era is universally one way or the other. In any case, it's all subjective. "One man's trash..." or whatever.

Destroyer already mentioned a number of the good toons these days.

But yes, your post basically sums everything up nicely.

[JAGzilla]

Destroyer already mentioned a number of the good toons these days.

Ah. I didn't read the editorial yet, so i hadn't seen that.

[Flygon King]

There are plenty of good modern cartoons, too. And there were a lot of terrible ones whenever you were a kid. No animation era is universally one way or the other. In any case, it's all subjective. "One man's trash..." or whatever.

THIS. Sure, there are alot of rather bad cartoons on nowadays, but every generation has had their bad cartoons/ entertainment. It's Sturgeon's Law combined with nostalgia that is in effect nowadays...

But I do agree with Spongebob, though... it HAS decayed since the movie...

[Destroyer]

Ah. I didn't read the editorial yet, so i hadn't seen that.

The editorial explains things more deeply. I get what you're saying, it makes sense. I do think that with era there is some bad. But I also feel that back then, there was more good than bad and that there was always something good to watch. Today it's hard to turn on the TV randomly and not find some obnoxious toon.

I hope the upcoming Spongebob movie redeems the series...but I doubt it.

[Hellspawn28]

I think there was bad shows pre-2000 but I noticed that a lot of older shows are better critically speaking. Compare a older show like Batman: TAS and compare it to the newer shows like The Batman from 2005 or 2006 then you see the older show is better. Some newer cartoons are better older ones though like new Avengers cartoon is million times better then the awful Avengers cartoon from the late 90's.

[Destroyer]

I think there was bad shows pre-2000 but I noticed that a lot of older shows are better critically speaking. Compare a older show like Batman: TAS and compare it to the newer shows like The Batman from 2005 or 2006 then you see the older show is better. Some newer cartoons are better older ones though like new Avengers
cartoon is million times better then the awful Avengers cartoon from the late 90's.

Yes, there will be some rare instances where the the new one beats the old one. (Well I wouldn't call the 90's Avengers toon awful, just not half as good.) Like, I do think the new Thundercats beats the old one.

[Hellspawn28]

I remember the 90's show was really bad and that the Avengers like Thor or Captain America were hardly in the show. I was born in 1991, so I pretty much caring for most shows on TV when I started High School. I didn't care for Adventure Time or Total Drama Island but I can see why people would like them.

[Destroyer]

I remember the 90's show was really bad and that the Avengers like Thor or Captain America were hardly in the show. I was born in 1991, so I pretty much caring for most shows on TV when I started High School. I didn't care for Adventure Time or Total Drama Island but I can see why people would like them.

I read that they wanted to make more of a West Cost Avengers as opposed to having Cap, Thor, or Iron Man, since they would take more of a spotlight away from the lesser known heroes such as Falcon or Tigra.

[o.supreme]

Of course there is always going to be the constant of quality TV connected to age range (the older you get, generally the less you like). But I feel action or superhero oriented animated seies for the most part are getting better, whereas comedies are all but dead. There is currently no kids cartoon that is meant to be "funny" that I find to be so. However I can still find an occasional good action/sci-fi or superhero type cartoon.

[Hellspawn28]

It makes me feel old when you see people having nostalgia for recent stuff like Avatar: The Last Airbender when it only came out in 2005 and I was in High School back then . I guess we will see people having nostalgia for Ben 10 and Adventure Time in the next several years from now.

[Dust_pan]

^ Perspective's a funny thing. I wonder how many people will feel nostalgic for all the stuff on the Disney Channel these days.

[Gojira-Fan]

I think your just being nostalgic.

There are some good modern cartoons out there.

You're not even these shows target demographic, so does it even matter if shows directed at children don't appeal to you? Like, what if some teenager in the early 2000's said that cartoons then sucked and liked early 90's cartoons better?

And I think cartoons are actually doing a good job getting older kids interested. Look at the viewership for Adventure Time or Regular Show. Lot's of older viewers there.

[Destroyer]

I think your just being nostalgic.

There are some good modern cartoons out there.

You're not even these shows target demographic, so does it even matter if shows directed at children don't appeal to you? Like, what if some teenager in the early 2000's said that cartoons then sucked and liked early 90's cartoons better?

And I think cartoons are actually doing a good job getting older kids interested. Look at the viewership for Adventure Time or Regular Show. Lot's of older viewers there.

I never said that there isn't any good modern cartoons, there are quite a few as I mentioned. Well, I'm open to newer cartoons of course. But when I see something like Gumball or Fanboy and Chum Chum, I have to mention that cartoons in gerneral have seemingly gotten more mindless and that the writing is fading. No, it doesn't truly matter if cartoons that are targeted toward younger people don't appeal to me, but I think if one just looks at the majority of today's cartoons, they'll see how mindless they are and that often the main character is a brat. If a teenager in the early 2000s said cartoons then sucked, I would love to hear the reasons. Though the main toons I was referring to started in the 90's, but the early 2000s were good too. It's only afterward when things went downhill in my opinion.

Thanks for the input, always good to hear other opinions.

[Primevalgodzilla V2]

Cartoons are apparently more immature now because you grew up. Not growing up on the 80s cartoons I watched some of them and I didn't exactly find them world-changing like those who grew up with them did.