TV: In particular...Cartoons: What has changed?

[Dreadman75]

My fellow escapists I am not ashamed to admit that even as I have grown older I have always loved cartoons. I probably always will. They're funny, wacky, and provide a good laugh to brighten up a tough day. But lately, in the past few years especially, I've noticed a disappointing trend. Cartoons either being dumbed down or completely axed from networks that were known for them. I'm sure you've all seen this as well: Cartoon Network, Disney (with the exception of XD), Nickelodeon have either almost completely dropped cartoon from their schedules or, in Cartoon Network's case, dumbed them down to the point where they're almost on the same level as some MTV programs. (No offense towards MTV viewers. I just find their programming...less than stellar IMO)

So I pose a few questions to you all: What has changed? Have tastes changed? Have oversensitive parents gotten their way too many times? Or has the general talent in the cartoon pool just about dried up?

I believe it's a combination of all three. TV tastes change with time. People who are offended by content have their voices heard the loudest when it comes to Television. And, let's face it, the general level of writing and creativity has definitely taken a hit, possibly because the good cartoonists can't go in with their A-game due to the reasons just mentioned.

...But something else I have noticed and am curious about. Back in the early 90s Hannah Barbera almost had a monopoly in cartoons with a menagerie of colorful characters. But the thing is, a lot of cartoons on the air today share some characteristics with those of Hannah Barbera: Dumb, or otherwise ignorant characters, they're both quite colorful, and the slapstick and general tones of humor are roughly in the same boat. So one last question: Why do most people hate the new stuff, and yet Hannah Barbera seems to be so popular that they have their own network in Boomerang. Is it nostalgia? Or is Hannah Barbera just plain better?

What do you all think?

 

[Scarim Coral]

Well for one thing, the over protective parent had gotten their way since there are little none left the innuendo jokes-
When was the last time we had seen one of these in modern cartoon shows?
There are many factors to the changes in cartoons shows today like with the rise of CGI. Most of the hand drawn animation shows were replace by new CGI shows althought these days it's Micromedia Flash that is the new hand drawn animation.
Also as usual, business had gotten in the way of the show as well since Genndy Tartakovsky (AKA creator of Samurai Jack) latest show "Sym-Bionic Titan" was cancell because there were no merchandise like toys to support it.

Still I wouldn't say the modern shows these day are bad since we still got some good show (Young Justice, Thundercat, MLP:FiM, Adventure Time and etc).

 

[thespyisdead]

after analyzing myself, i think it's more of a question of nostalgia. Disney shoved out phineas and ferb, which i personnaly love.

but what makes my blood boil, is that they tend to show older cartoons during times inaccessible to younger audience, or on the cursed disney junior. i think that this is meant to cater more to the older audience, but why waste old stuff ans show re-runs of the new? kids should be shown

 

[CODE-D]

Well for one thing, the over protective parent had gotten their way since there are little none left the innuendo jokes-
When was the last time we had seen one of these in modern cartoon shows?

On the gender swapped version of fiona and cake, cake walks in on fiona and the prince after they fight off the ice queen. Cake sees her dress is ripped and standing next to her is prince bubblegum whom she charges angrily at...innuendo? Ice king is all about innuendo, basically his character. One time in the background Gunter humps jakes face(whom is frozen). Theres the virginity episode. And the time Finn forced the goose and fox to kiss who then says mr goose will never want to be with her because shes defiled.
On regular show mordecai is outright tryin to get with margaret.
Young justice has relationships goin out the wazoo..


And I dont like Mlp.....so yeah.

 

[Josh123914]

Try ''The Regular Show'' on Cartoon Network, that's pretty good and the show feels like it was written for a MUCH older audience at times, also ''Phineas & Ferb'' on Disney, the musical numbers are, well, not MY thing but in general the jokes are pretty good, especially in some of the newer episodes.

 

[AugustFall]

I'm confused. Why are cartoons dumbed down but also why are people complaining when Hannah Barbera did the same stuff?
What is your opinion?

I think it's nostalgia for all of us. I remember loving shows that I watch now and think "Why did I like this?"
I have yet to find a show that I liked in the past that I can now watch and say "This is funny, or cool" except DBZ, but even there I realize how stupid it was. It's enjoyable because of how ridiculous it is.

 

[Racecarlock]

I just think cartoon network probably took a hammer to the cartoon artist and writer money and job pool when they decided (possibly with bongs embedded in their skulls) to introduce a shit ton of live action on to their network and ruin the whole fucking thing. So yeah, I'm still mad at you cartoon network.

 

[Orks da best]

well nostgalia is part of the feelings but it be true, i do miss some old shows, but there still are goods one out there, just like before (sym-biotic-titan) is a business that driving a shows production, not heart. that could be the major change though. Sniff, i miss totally spies, ed, edd, and eddy, ben 10, teen titans, samurai jack, and others, but there eb good shows on still, like mlp:fim, young justice, the new thundercats, and others, there is still heart left.

 

[Dreadman75]

Try ''The Regular Show'' on Cartoon Network, that's pretty good and the show feels like it was written for a MUCH older audience at times, also ''Phineas & Ferb'' on Disney, the musical numbers are, well, not MY thing but in general the jokes are pretty good, especially in some of the newer episodes.

I actually have watched Regular Show. It's pretty funny at times, kind of annoying at others but it's a solid show and I do like it. Same with Phineas and Ferb. Suspension of disbelief at it's finest.

 

[Terminate421]

Cartoon networks president was assassinated and replaced in 2005 without anyone noticing, this new guy was evil so he started by taking down megasxlr and toonami eventually changing Fridays twice and putting up shit and the even shitter CN real. Thankfully a squad of resistance creators was able to make the best show in the past 5 years Regular Show.

 

[Dreadman75]

...Well, this certainly is embarrassing. It would appear that due to a very slow connection to the escapist at the time of posting this forum I accidentally double posted the same forum.

Anybody know how to delete one of them? Or if it's possible?

 

[Terminate421]

...Well, this certainly is embarrassing. It would appear that due to a very slow connection to the escapist at the time of posting this forum I accidentally double posted the same forum.

Anybody know how to delete one of them? Or if it's possible?

Keep posting in one thread, let the low post count in the other kill it off.

This one will suffice.

 

[CODE-D]

I just think cartoon network probably took a hammer to the cartoon artist and writer money and job pool when they decided (possibly with bongs embedded in their skulls) to introduce a shit ton of live action on to their network and ruin the whole fucking thing. So yeah, I'm still mad at you cartoon network.

There still not as bad as nick or disney.
Disneys basically given up on new cartoons
and nick has only had some stupid looking butch hartman cartoons or spongebob for the past goddamn 10 years and thats literally it.

 

[CODE-D]

I'm confused. Why are cartoons dumbed down but also why are people complaining when Hannah Barbera did the same stuff?
What is your opinion?

I think it's nostalgia for all of us. I remember loving shows that I watch now and think "Why did I like this?"
I have yet to find a show that I liked in the past that I can now watch and say "This is funny, or cool" except DBZ, but even there I realize how stupid it was. It's enjoyable because of how ridiculous it is.

Cuz the canceled Invader Zim in its prime, the best cartoon of all time

 

[Dreadman75]

...Well, this certainly is embarrassing. It would appear that due to a very slow connection to the escapist at the time of posting this forum I accidentally double posted the same forum.

Anybody know how to delete one of them? Or if it's possible?

Keep posting in one thread, let the low post count in the other kill it off.

This one will suffice.

So I can't just delete one then? That strikes me as...just being inconvenient. But whatever, thanks for telling me!

 

[Something Amyss]

There still not as bad as nick or disney.
Disneys basically given up on new cartoons
and nick has only had some stupid looking butch hartman cartoons or spongebob for the past goddamn 10 years and thats literally it.

Disney doesn't have cartoon in their name. I think ditching cartoons on the CARTOON network is still the bigger offense.

 

[DAAANtheMAAAN]

If you were to ask me, and apparently you did, it would mainly be a lack of creative freedom as well as people not knowing how to write kid's cartoons anymore.

Creative freedom is part of what makes shows great. All of the toy-based shows in the 80's like Transformers and G.I. Joe were simply made based off of their toys, with the premise of the story completely up to the writers. Anything went, as long as it sold well.
The same freedom came from Nickelodeon, Warner Brothers and Hannah Barbera soon thereafter. The Spielberg cartoons (Animaniacs, Tiny Toons, etc.), the Batman animated series and nearly every animated series to come from both Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network through the mid to late 90's all had a great deal of creative freedom to do whatever they wanted, and it worked very well.

Now, these days it's become a bit different. What made some of these cartoons great was the fact that the writers didn't really write scripts for children. The kids were entertained by the action and/or comedy, but they weren't talked down to to get it. The old 'toons had serious themes, intense action and also sultry and risque humor within them that children wouldn't pick up on at first.

I remember an episode of the 1988 animated Robocop series (yes, this is a thing, check it out immediately) where Robocop had thought that his partner had been killed by an enemy in an Iron Man-like suit. While the series is usually lasers and harmless explosions, Robocop tears the suit to shreds and comes within a hair's breadth of killing the guy, who is pleading and screaming while being held up by the throat.
An episode of Transformers had one of the Autobots come across a small alien race who immediately worshiped him as a metal god, and had him attempt to convince them that he isn't what they think he is, as well as stop a Decepticon from exploiting their faith.

You would almost never see anything like those in cartoons these days, often because less creative freedom, censorship, marketing and the underestimation of the audience interfere with those crucial elements that makes that make a series stand out.

 

[Dreadman75]

Well for one thing, the over protective parent had gotten their way since there are little none left the innuendo jokes-
When was the last time we had seen one of these in modern cartoon shows?
There are many factors to the changes in cartoons shows today like with the rise of CGI. Most of the hand drawn animation shows were replace by new CGI shows althought these days it's Micromedia Flash that is the new hand drawn animation.
Also as usual, business had gotten in the way of the show as well since Genndy Tartakovsky (AKA creator of Samurai Jack) latest show "Sym-Bionic Titan" was cancell because there were no merchandise like toys to support it.

Still I wouldn't say the modern shows these day are bad since we still got some good show (Young Justice, Thundercat, MLP:FiM, Adventure Time and etc).

How many cartoons on CN today actually have merchandise anyway. How would shows like Chowder even be marketable? HOW IS THIS STUFF MAKING MONEY? I honestly want to know how it's possible for shows like that make money. Does anyone here know? Or do we just blame kids that don't know any better?

Kids these days clearly have no idea what decent programming is, having grown up in an era of poorly written sitcoms on Disney, terrible cartoons on CN (Friday nights excluded), and more poorly written sitcoms and Spongebob on Nickelodeon. That's just...sad.

 

[Vault101]

Well for one thing, the over protective parent had gotten their way since there are little none left the innuendo jokes-
When was the last time we had seen one of these in modern cartoon shows?
There are many factors to the changes in cartoons shows today like with the rise of CGI. Most of the hand drawn animation shows were replace by new CGI shows althought these days it's Micromedia Flash that is the new hand drawn animation.
Also as usual, business had gotten in the way of the show as well since Genndy Tartakovsky (AKA creator of Samurai Jack) latest show "Sym-Bionic Titan" was cancell because there were no merchandise like toys to support it.

Still I wouldn't say the modern shows these day are bad since we still got some good show (Young Justice, Thundercat, MLP:FiM, Adventure Time and etc).

How many cartoons on CN today actually have merchandise anyway. How would shows like Chowder even be marketable? HOW IS THIS STUFF MAKING MONEY? I honestly want to know how it's possible for shows like that make money. Does anyone here know? Or do we just blame kids that don't know any better?

Kids these days clearly have no idea what decent programming is, having grown up in an era of poorly written sitcoms on Disney, terrible cartoons on CN (Friday nights excluded), and more poorly written sitcoms and Spongebob on Nickelodeon. That's just...sad.

your joking right? because as a kid YOU were obviously an entertainmant conosur?

oh please, there was just as much crap then as there is now,