Anyone who fails to see how animation has improved since the 1990s is not paying attention. Gone are the overly merchandised shows like “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” “Transformers” and other toy-based series from the 1980s.
Incredible strides have followed the success of Adult Swim, Pixar and other platforms showcasing animation for both children and adults.
The cost and budget for animation is a tricky problem for producers to overcome. According to Dean Wright of GetWrightOnIt.com, an experienced visual effects artist, while taking longer to produce, animation is often timeless if treated with care and respect. Additionally, with computers lowering the overall cost, there is less fear of minuscule budgets and time crunches.
The writing quality of animation has drastically improved with this added time. As a benefit of stronger production management, there is now a higher emphasis on call-backs and character development. Exceptional examples include “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” “Gravity Falls” and “Over the Garden Wall.”
While many college students still hold a love for animation, some fail to regard it as a respectable medium. They scoff at the platform and consider it to be an over-expressive waste of time. They poke holes in the logic and claim that it does not provide a strong tether to reality. The most common stigma associated is the absurd remark, “Cartoons are for kids.” This phrase can easily be broken with statistics and surveys of adult watch time, but also physical examples will work.
One of Adult Swim’s most profitable shows is now “Rick and Morty.” With an Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program, and constant critical acclaim, it offered a reprieve from a fairly saturated medium.
Long-running series like “The Simpsons,” “South Park” and “Family Guy” went stale by rehashing the same plot-lines. Other issues also led to lower audience retention, but there is now strong support for improved production standards for adult animation.
The availability of archived animation on streaming services is a major benefit for the form. Driving factors like Crunchyroll, Netflix and VRV help provide older animation for historic context.
Brent Lang of Variety discussed the speed and ease for creators to provide new content on Netflix. He claims the dedication to offer exclusive content on the platform has led to some of Netflix’s best offerings. This includes adult-centered animation like “Bojack Horseman” and “Castlevania,” which would be difficult to find advertisement on TV.
Netflix is also not slouching in providing excellent content suitable for children. Two examples include “Voltron: Legendary Defender,” created by the Avatar team and “Trollhunters,” created by Guillermo del Toro.
By not drawing an age line for the marketability of animation, sites like Netflix help foster a love for animation. Brilliant work from our childhood often holds emotional weight to viewers. Some even continue to follow the form by showing support with cosplay, enthusiasm and fan art.
Our generation grew up with incredible advancement in animation. Many defend the quality of the medium, knowing full-well they are not blinded by nostalgia.
The first three seasons of “SpongeBob” are still just as hilarious and quotable. “Invader ZIM” holds a huge cult following that helped spawn a new film. Even the absurd “Phineas and Ferb” is responsible for teaching everyone what things like aglets are with their catchy musical numbers.
With any form of media, moderation is key. With a positive relationship, this hobby is well worth the dedication fans provide. Animators put in so much time and effort into these short programs, so please do not ever feel like they are a waste of your time.
If you enjoy cartoons, do not let anyone dissuade you. It is a proud and historic medium which only improves with age. While not every program is made by Chuck Jones, commendable effort is provided to entertain viewers for a brief moment.
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You are never too old to enjoy cartoons
About the Contributor
Brandon Grisham, Former Online Editor
Brandon Grisham served as the Online Editor from 2019 to 2020.
He also started The Reflector's digital archive, dubbed the "Grisham Archive Project."
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