Cartoons and Nostalgia (Side Note: Captcha)

[Popadoo]

I'll address the side note first, I had to scroll through about 50 different captchas before I found one I could even attempt to read. Anyone having the same problem? This is ridiculous! It's the SOLVEmedia one.
Right, back to the topic at hand; CARTOONS.
I'm going to presume you all watched them as a kid. I did, still do and I've been accepted into a course on 2D animation starting in September, since animation is a passion of mine.
I was born in the last half of the 90's, and after comparing what I watched with what is on now, apart from a few exceptions (I'm a brony, go figure,) today's shows don't really stand up to what was on back then. I put this down to nostalgia, but lately as my interest for animation grew I looked at cartoons that were on before my time to see the animating styles of the ages, and... they were better than my favorite childhood shows.
Is the quality of animation decreasing (besides a few exceptions,) or is it nostalgia, even if that nostalgia seems to predate my birth?
Could it be that I only remember the 'few exceptions' of that time, and in fact there were plenty of awful shows on that I simply didn't watch and, for that reason, can't recall?
My opinion is that cartoons are dumbed down these days, or don't try to educate the viewer.
Also, sexual innuendo. We need it back.

 

[Relish in Chaos]

I think it's a combination. However, I don't really watch cartoons nowadays, not because I don't want to, but because I don't watch that much TV anymore nor do I have the time. I'm mostly on my laptop these days.

 

[SckizoBoy]

In reference to your view of cartoons 'dumbing down', I direct you to a snippet from a cartoon called Rhapsody Rabbit:

Bugs Bunny is playing the Hungarian Rhapsody with his back turned to the piano's keyboard when a phone suddenly rings, taking him by surprise, but he answers the phone regardless, pausing in his recital. Out comes the signature carrot, "Meeeh, what's up, doc?!" ... pause ... "Franz Liszt?! Never heard of him, wrong number!" He proceeds to hang up the phone and continues playing the Rhapsody.

Does anyone else find that hilarious?

Anyway, more to the point, it's a combination of things. A change in tastes (whether of humour, drama etc. etc.), a change in the attitudes of kids these days, a change in the attitudes of cartoon makers, but I suppose most of importantly of all is the change in the attitudes of the studios that produce the cartoons. They are there to make money and there is only value in stuff that sells. Go figure...

 

[Strain42]

I think a lot of it is nostalgia. The reason why I say this is because as a kid, most cartoons seemed great, but now that I'm older it's harder to find ones to catch my interest.

But to help ground that, I've recently watched a lot of shows I absolutely LOVED as a kid, to see how they held up today. Now SOME were great like Rocko's Modern Life, the earlier Dexter's Laboratory seasons. And then some were...well...not so good. I could barely get through an episode of Cow and Chicken (the fact that this show used to make me laugh actually makes me a bit sad now...) and Angry Beavers is hit and miss, but now that I'm older I'm slightly annoyed that Dagget is usually trying to be the more responsible one, yet is the one who usually gets his ass kicked.

The point is, even cartoons that should be protected by my own nostalgia aren't. I can still remember jokes and episodes I loved as a kid. It doesn't mean I still do.

Now I look at cartoons today, and for every Gumball and Johnny Test, I can still enjoy shows like Chowder, Flapjack and Regular Show (sorry to use all CN examples here, but I don't watch much Nick anymore)

Truly good cartoons should be judged on their own merits, and so even the cartoons I used to love I have no problem analyzing them with a more mature perspective.

 

[putowtin]

In reference to your view of cartoons 'dumbing down', I direct you to a snippet from a cartoon called Rhapsody Rabbit:

Bugs Bunny is playing the Hungarian Rhapsody with his back turned to the piano's keyboard when a phone suddenly rings, taking him by surprise, but he answers the phone regardless, pausing in his recital. Out comes the signature carrot, "Meeeh, what's up, doc?!" ... pause ... "Franz Liszt?! Never heard of him, wrong number!" He proceeds to hang up the phone and continues playing the Rhapsody.

Does anyone else find that hilarious?

Yes and pretty much the only cartoons I still enjoy watching!

 

[SckizoBoy]

In reference to your view of cartoons 'dumbing down', I direct you to a snippet from a cartoon called Rhapsody Rabbit:

Bugs Bunny is playing the Hungarian Rhapsody with his back turned to the piano's keyboard when a phone suddenly rings, taking him by surprise, but he answers the phone regardless, pausing in his recital. Out comes the signature carrot, "Meeeh, what's up, doc?!" ... pause ... "Franz Liszt?! Never heard of him, wrong number!" He proceeds to hang up the phone and continues playing the Rhapsody.

Does anyone else find that hilarious?

Yes and pretty much the only cartoons I still enjoy watching!

May I have your babies?! XD

My old man constantly quotes those old cartoons (as do I)... a bizarre favourite being: 'Yum, yummy, my favourite vegetable... duck!'

...

And because I'm in that mood...

'I did it! I did it! A perfect, three-point landing!' (Daffy sitting on top of a three-pronged fork)

'Now observe closely, nothing up here' - indicates left sleeve - 'nothing up here' - indicates right sleeve - 'aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand! ... Nothing up here!' - points at own head (both Daffy and Bugs did that)

'Wait! Take another step, and I'll blow you up! This contains manganese, phosphorus, nitrates, lactic acid and dextrose!'
'Ahahahaha! Zat iss de formula for a choclat-malted! Ahahahaha!'
*drinks* 'Yum, yummy, I'm a better scientist than I thought!'

Oh, teh lulz!

 

[Scarim Coral]

I agreed in that I have a softspot for the old shows althought I don't fully dimiss the modern cartoons out there) and you can pretty much blame the soccer mums and the censorship (the end of the sexual innuendo) however the changing of culture play along aswell.
I'm still a watch cartoon today well granted I don't watch the very popular kind like Ben 10 but I am currently watching Young Justice, MLP: FiM, ThunderCats, Transformer Prime and Green Lantern:TAS etc.

 

[requisitename]

I like old cartoons. Mostly those from before I was born or when I was very young. Looney Tunes, Woody Woodpecker, etc. In my opinion, they treated kids like they were supposed to be smart enough to "get it" instead of explaining everything down to the last detail. Also, I can't recall a single contemporary (as in the last ten years or so) cartoon that had something to be read, like a sign or a book page, that wasn't then read aloud by a character. Part of the joke in the old cartoons was reading the sign and seeing how it fit INTO the joke.

And, finally, contemporary cartoons are too arc oriented for my taste. I like stand-alone cartoons much better than the ones that have OTT "character development". I want to know what's going on if I'm flipping through channels and happen to come across something that looks interesting. It's no fun if you can't understand it because you've not been watching it for the last two(+) seasons!

I honestly think that a big part of the reason it's changed is that the people who make cartoons have discovered just how much money there is to be made from adult fans of "kid's" TV shows and they're not making them for kids anymore. Most of the cartoons I've come across in the last few years are definitely made for adults but censored in such a way that they can be called kid's shows.

 

[putowtin]

In reference to your view of cartoons 'dumbing down', I direct you to a snippet from a cartoon called Rhapsody Rabbit:

Bugs Bunny is playing the Hungarian Rhapsody with his back turned to the piano's keyboard when a phone suddenly rings, taking him by surprise, but he answers the phone regardless, pausing in his recital. Out comes the signature carrot, "Meeeh, what's up, doc?!" ... pause ... "Franz Liszt?! Never heard of him, wrong number!" He proceeds to hang up the phone and continues playing the Rhapsody.

Does anyone else find that hilarious?

Yes and pretty much the only cartoons I still enjoy watching!

May I have your babies?! XD

my husband may complain!

My old man constantly quotes those old cartoons (as do I)... a bizarre favourite being: 'Yum, yummy, my favourite vegetable... duck!'

sounds like a classy guy!

 

[JoesshittyOs]

I feel like some of the cartoon agencies cracked down on the "non-American" cartoons here, which is why you rarely see any anime or Toonami anymore.

Our era had a bit more of a middle ground, but now it would seem that if you're still watching Cartoons when you're 12, you're doing it wrong.

 

[Just_A_Glitch]

A lot of it is nostalgia. Hell, when I would watch cartoons (publicly without the shame of being a 21 year old cartoon watcher), my parents would often make comments that my cartoons weren't up to par with what they watched when they were younger.

Personally, while I do favor the ones from my childhood (Rugrats, Hey Arnold!, Courage the Cowardly Dog, etc.), some of the newer ones are still good (note: By newer, I mean cartoons made after I stopped watching a lot of cartoons). Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends will forever be one of my favorites, and I was watching that when I was a junior/senior in high school. As for MLP, rather indifferent to the show, but I can see why people like it. I'll admit it, Fluttershy is adorable.

 

[viranimus]

I was born in the last half of the 90's, and after comparing what I watched with what is on now, apart from a few exceptions (I'm a brony, go figure,) today's shows don't really stand up to what was on back then.

So yeah, this indicates you like basically every other late teen early 20 in that same boat, you were raised on kid friendly anime. Pokemon, YuGiYo, and perhaps live action Anime esque Power rangers. as a kid.

Given that Animes popularity has came and went and is on a steady downward trend in the west, it stands to reason what replaced it such as things like MLP, Total drama, Chowder, Adventure time or basically more western animation, would not mesh with the aesthetic that you grew up with. Your facing a cultural divide within your own culture as the Anime kid generation grew up being taught more asian centric values such as teamwork and the futility of individuality Compared to animation that centers around a main char and everyone else is basically secondary. (might also explain the propensity toward bronyhood considering that show too is focused on the strength of the group over any one individual being the focus)

 

[Surpheal]

In reference to your view of cartoons 'dumbing down', I direct you to a snippet from a cartoon called Rhapsody Rabbit:

Bugs Bunny is playing the Hungarian Rhapsody with his back turned to the piano's keyboard when a phone suddenly rings, taking him by surprise, but he answers the phone regardless, pausing in his recital. Out comes the signature carrot, "Meeeh, what's up, doc?!" ... pause ... "Franz Liszt?! Never heard of him, wrong number!" He proceeds to hang up the phone and continues playing the Rhapsody.

Does anyone else find that hilarious?

Yes and pretty much the only cartoons I still enjoy watching!

May I have your babies?! XD

My old man constantly quotes those old cartoons (as do I)... a bizarre favourite being: 'Yum, yummy, my favourite vegetable... duck!'

...

And because I'm in that mood...

'I did it! I did it! A perfect, three-point landing!' (Daffy sitting on top of a three-pronged fork)

'Now observe closely, nothing up here' - indicates left sleeve - 'nothing up here' - indicates right sleeve - 'aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand! ... Nothing up here!' - points at own head (both Daffy and Bugs did that)

'Wait! Take another step, and I'll blow you up! This contains manganese, phosphorus, nitrates, lactic acid and dextrose!'
'Ahahahaha! Zat iss de formula for a choclat-malted! Ahahahaha!'
*drinks* 'Yum, yummy, I'm a better scientist than I thought!'

Oh, teh lulz!

Allow me to continue with a few of my favorites...

'Hocus Pocus! I am a bat!(turns into a bat)' (Count Bloodcount)
'Okay I'm a bat to, Abra Kadabra(turns into a baseball bat)' (Bug Bunny)

'I never forget a face, though in your case I'll make an exception.' (Bugs Bunny)

And of course:
'BLAH HU WHEE THHHP, DA BLUH BLAHH. OOH HA WHEEE HOR THHP.' (Taz)

 

[SckizoBoy]

my husband may complain!

sounds like a classy guy!

LOL, and I'll be sure to pass that on to him!

Allow me to continue with a few of my favorites...

'Hocus Pocus! I am a bat!(turns into a bat)' (Count Bloodcount)
'Okay I'm a bat to, Abra Kadabra(turns into a baseball bat)' (Bug Bunny)

'I never forget a face, though in your case I'll make an exception.' (Bugs Bunny)

And of course:
'BLAH HU WHEE THHHP, DA BLUH BLAHH. OOH HA WHEEE HOR THHP.' (Taz)

"Y'know, one of these days, these scientists are going to invent something that'll outsmart a rabbit!"

"Kannst du nicht sehen diese Telefunk ist busy? Bleiben Sie ruhig!" (sign - "Can't you see this telephone is busy? Wait your turn!")
"Bitte, mein Herr. Haben Sie ein ein Pfennigstuck?" (sign - "Got a nickel, bud?")
"Danke schön."
"It's all yours, Von Limburger!" (sign - "Ich bin fertig mit der telefon, Herr von Limburger.")

"Comedy, always comedy! Seriously, JL, you're typecasting me to death!" - Daffy Duck
(later) "*clears throat* The Scarlet Pumpernickel, by Daffy Dumas Duck!"

"Zey will take ze high road, I will take ze low road, and I'll be in Scotland before zem!" - Napoleon...(!)

We could go on all day long!

 

[Sean Hollyman]

I think CGI has ruined some of my favorite childhood shows.

Take Thomas the Tank Engine for example. (Yeah I know it's called Thomas and Friends now but I don't give a shit)

I'm not saying the CGI is bad but it feels really alien to me. The models and voices seemed more. natural and believable.

 

[Popadoo]

- SNIP -

Actually, my favorite shows were stuff like the old Spongebob, Powerpuff girls, Courage the Cowardly dog, and although I did watch anime stuff they were probably my LEAST favorite.
Good point, though!

 

[Chemical Alia]

It's hard for me to see your point when I was already bemoaning the state of cartoons and had grown out of them by the time you were born. Almost every show mentioned in this thread as excellent and memorable is something I considered way below the standards I grew up with. So when you grow up, cartoons tend to seem more stupid because they're meant for a younger audience. It's all relative.

The only cartoon I really miss is Eek the Cat.