Wait, I thought the thread
was focused on American television animation :sweat

specifically the 00's), with the only foriegn shows being metioned the ones that have become substantally mainstream or popular in the US (Pokemon for the 90s, for example).
Movies like Snow White and Bambi I've seen been called classics all the time, most of Disney's stuff, actually. But Sleeping Beauty is definately on the lower-end of the list when I hear people talking about classic Disney movies. And I rarely hear about many other animated films of the past being considered classics unless it stirred up some big controversy like Friz the Cat. I think anything by Disney is automatically considered classic by the public just from association with the company, which itself is seen as classic.
It just seems if we go by quality, we may as well list everything, since I'm sure there's groups out there devoted to proclaiming any show as the "best thing since sliced bread" with detailed ten-page essays explaining why (myself included). Where as with popularity, it's a more accurate way to see just which shows will be talked about for decades to come (by people outside of the fanbase, I mean) It may leave "good" shows out, but a lot of "good" shows are left behind in the dust (Roswell Conspiracies, for example, which I
never see get brought up during "classic" 90s show discussions...) Influence and quality can help its popularity, but a show could be a work of art fit for Da Vinci himself and if only 5 people watch it, it wont have much in the way of being recognized as classic if no one's heard of it.
Good ratings for Avatar perhaps, but for the other stuff that runs on Nick, not quite as good (and definately not as consistent as their other shows, and in reruns) Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad number by any stretch of the means and I'm not saying it bombed, CN would kill for those numbers I'm sure, but it's nothing spectacular compared to what we're used to on Nick. Avatar seems more like a cult hit than a classic to me, like Gargoyles (devoted small cult following, but not much mainstream appeal or recognition)