Are we in a golden age for action cartoons for US Animation?

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Blackshady

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It seems nowadays most people critcize current animation producers and executives for cheapening the medium. Some examples being the overuse of outscouring and flash animation. But quietly, on the other side of the spectrum there has been a slow but steady rise in the number of high budget, high quality action/adventure animation. Although high budget, ambitious series aren't anything new I think the trend recently started with the success of Avatar: TLA. From there we've seen other "epic" action shows with a cinematic feel and strong emphasis on storytelling such as Star Wars Clone Wars, Sym-Bionic Tian, and Young Justice. We even see a rise in great action comedies from the previous decade such as Kim Possible and Batman:TBATB

So are we in a new golden era for action shows. Well, IMO i can't think of any other time period where there were mutliple high quality action shows from different companies. You could argue that WB Animation started the trend in the 90's with Batman:TAS and the rest of the DCAU but aside from Disney with Gargoyles, there wasn't really anybody else joining the bandwagon. As for me, i'm glad the American animation is heading in this direction when it comes to action and it looks like it will continue with Legend of Korra, Ulitmate Spiderman, Thundercats, and the Green Lantern series. What are your thoughts?
 
Um. I'll say no. It seems every action show these days is superheroes, and im not really a fan of those. None of those shows really have good storytelling I would say, at least not like Avatar had (an actual goal and plot). Clone Wars is, well, Lucas' cash cow and a shell of its original self, SBT was mostly filler and went no where with the story and was cancelled, and YJ is more standard superhero stuff. Avatar was the peak I would say, but it's just one show and I don't think you can call one show an age. So far, nothing has bothered to follow Avatars lead, which is unfortunate. Plus it seems like Avatar is on the way of devaluing itself with the movies, comics, spin offs, and other milking pretty much ruining the very thing that it had going for it (a set ending that it actually reached before cancellation) I suppose action is better off than comedy cartoons are right now, but I wouldn't say it's Gold or anything.
 
I definately agree that we are currently in a golden age for American action cartoons. This golden age probably started sometime around the last few years of the 90's. Back in the mid-90's, even though there were some quaiity action cartoons, the majority still felt very "80's-ish" with simple, predictable plots.

Today though, nearly every American-made action cartoon that makes it to TV screens seems to be made by people who genuinly wants to make a good show with plots that are interesting enough to hold even adult viewers attention.
 
The single one good action cartoon on TV is on indefinite hiatus right now and even after it will come back it will be showing on dead slot mornings, so no.

The fact that two of my favourite cartoons currently on tv are P&F and Regular Show speaks volumes considering i generally take action over comedy any day.
 
I would say yes if those shows were in the majority, but CN restricts most of their action fare to weekends. Disney XD doesn't have much at the moment, plus like The Hub and Nicktoons, the channel isn't as available as CN.
 
Why do some people equate shows that have 'one singular plot with an ultimate goal' with depth and good storytelling, and then write the shows which don't follow this motif off as 'inferior'? The Avatar: The Last Airbernder formula works if it's done well, but by no means is it a requirement for good storytelling.

Back on topic: to answer the question at hand, I have to agree with Antiyonder: while there are and have been some truly stellar action cartoons come down the pike recently (Avengers: EMH, Firebreather, Sym-Bionic Titan, The Secret Saturdays, Young Justice, The Brave and the Bold), action as a whole is being given the red-headed stepchild treatment by TV networks and distributors, being placed on digital tier upgrade channels which aren't received by the majority or being death-slotted to the early AM hours and doomed to compete with the Farm Report. If action today's cartoons weren't so restricted and were in as wide a circulation as they were in the 90's and early '00's, then I'd agree that we're in a Golden Age for action.
 
Right now we are having a terrific movement for American action cartoons on US television because more are being produced and aired on a greater number of channels than there have been since the late 90s.

However both Antiyonder and Silverstar have mentioned the pink elephant in the room. While action cartoon production is at a high how much those shows air is at a low.

How much of Disney XD is actually dedicated to action animation? Not a whole lot. Nicktoons doesn't play all that many American action shows anymore either. Cartoon Network is currently producing 2 action shows while Warner Bros. produces 3 more for them but if any of those shows managed to air outside of Friday night, Saturday morning or weekday mornings for anything other than encores it would be marvel for CN's scheduling practices lately. They can't even argue ratings are the reason they wont play those shows more given Batman, Ben 10: AF/UA and Star Wars all do very well on Friday night and can also do well in other slots when they get to air in them.

If we're coming upon a new glory age for American action cartoons it hasn't happened yet. It could very well be coming with all that's in development but networks are going to have to get over their bizarre reasons for not airing them more often before such an age can truly occur. I'd like to believe they will but all signs point to that not happening any time soon.

Though I will say American action is fairing better than Japanese cartoons on pretty much every channel but Nicktoons and only because they like to spam Dragon Ball Kai and of course Toonzai for obvious reasons. Though at least some of those anime on Cartoon Network get to air on weekdays even if it's just in the morning or in the rare afternoon slots.

American action animation in recent years has gotten over it's "we have to compete with Japanese cartoons" funk and is in many ways better for it.
 
Well, for one the sequel to Avatar:TLA will have an entirely different story and premise than the original so I don't see how it's milking the franchise. Second, I don't get the mindset that some fans have that because a movie or series has a merchandise, dvd, videogame, or comic tie in that it automatically "ruins" the integrity of the product. I think some fans need to get away from the mindset that the studios who produce shows are arthouses that will happily do work for free. They are still a business and their main objective is to make profits. They have a right to do that in as many avenues as they can find. The fact that Avatar had merchandise and videogame tie ins doesn't take away the fact that the show was good. The movie was ill advised but it didn't bother me because I had the option not to watch it. The only thing the comic will do is resolve the plot points that the show wasn't able to do.

I personally don't have a problem with studios trying to make extra money off of their products via merchandise or videogames or what have you. The thing that they have to remember though is that before you do that, the product still has to be good first. The only way you're going to make money on the extra stuff is by the audience resonating with the movie or series enough to want to go out and buy the extra stuff. That being said, I do agree with you on US Animation needing to think outside the box when it comes to action. Not every action series has to be about superheros or teenagers saving the world.
 
Maybe, but one man's golden age is another man's opinion.

There were only ever a few action shows that caught my attention very well, and there all out of production.

B:Tas
SM: TAS
Justice League
Teen Titans

Japan has had high budget action series for quite a while now.
 
It's more Avatar is the one show that set out to do something and did it and then ended. I'm trying to think of another US action cartoon that did that but I can't. So in that regard it stood out, they all seem to get cancelled abruptly with either no ending or a hastily thrown together ending that resolves little. Comedy tends to have or story so abrupt cancellation doesn't hurt it as much. I just wish more shows would follow that path since it ended, but no one really seems to have stepped up to the plate. Which is why I'm not too fond of Korra, it's just an extension like 50 years later with bound to be cameos and continuations of old characters and plots. I would have prefered them to make an entirely new series to add to the number of action shows, less this becomes like Ben Ten's dozens of sequel series. At least they made Generator Rex as well.

As for why they dont air action shows much, I think it's because they're the lowest rated shows on CN. Correct me if im wrong, but I looked in the CN Ratings thread and MAD, Adventure Time, Regular Show, Johnny Test, and even the live action shows are their highest rated stuff. Sym Bionic Titan and Young Justice were some if the lowest I saw. The best rated action show was Star Wars, which I assume because it has the Star Wars name attached to it. I think kids aren't all that interested in action these days, so you have a limited number of shows and a limited number of airings. The last time I heard a network tote an action shows ratings was Nicktoons Network's Dragon Ball Kai, Iron Man Armored Adventures, and Wolverine and the X-Men... not sure what happened to those last two though
 
I could answer this question if I knew what golden age meant. The only thing I know about golden age is that it's synonymous with old comic books.
 
Thanks. As far as action animation goes I can't really think of a golden age. Toonami was great but it borrowed from different times and it can't make up for an entire age all by itself anyway. I think "CantThinkOfaName" has a point about the 80's. Those were some really good shows and the genre became more popular back then (I believe).
 
Is there some kind golden age time frame? Cuz if its by years, then I'd say no. I believe 2003-2007 was great time for US animation. Check it out


CN: Toonami/Miguzi shows, Teen Titans, Ben10, Megas XLR, Samurai Jack,
aaaTotally Spies, Transforms Unicron Trilogy, KND, JL

Disney: American Dragon: JL, Kim Possible, Fillmore(cuz I wanna :p), Legend aaaaaaof Tarzan, Buzz Lightyear:SC + Toon Disney/Jetix series

Nick: Avatar:TLA, Danny Phantom, MLA:Teenage Robot, The X's

KidsWB/CW4Kids: The Batman, JackieChan: Adventures, Legion of
SuperHeroes, Loonatics Unleashed( relax...take a breather
;)), Static Shock, Xaiolin Showdown, X-men Evo

FoxBox/4KidsTV: Shaman King, TMNT2K3, Ultimate Muscle, GI Joe Sigma 6,
Sonic X

Some pretty awesome series within that time gap. Now, are the shows released 6-7 years ago better than the ones airing now? I dunno know. Its your call.
 
The shows are enjoyable, but I'd still say that Golden Age is a premature stance until these shows are daily. As of now Nicktoons and The Hub are the only stations that air action/adventure daily, but they are exclusive to some viewers.
 
And...I'm one of the unfortunate many who doesn't have those channels on Dish Network package. Prices are shooting up as well. Eventually my fam is switching to DirectTV. Is DTV any good? If I can rekindle Nicktoons/TheHub/DXD(timewarnercable), that would be awesome. Yet I'm wonder if the DVR quality is up to snuff in DTV. Its awesome on Dish.....so
 
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