Cartoons of today: will they ever be classics? (2008 edition)

True, but they all did air on basic cable at one point. Hopefully Cartoon Network will decide to stop sucking so much and add atleast a little of the older stuff. Jeez, I remember when "Tom & Jerry Kids" and "The Flinstone Kids" and "Smurfs" were a regular part of the CN lineup in the mornings, now they show the SAME 5 shows(Or less, all I ever see anyway is Chowder, TDI and Flapjack..ew.)
 
Back before networks viewed old program as an embarassment. I mean I could see the current cartoons becoming classics if and when we get executives who do overexpose current shows and leave room for the oldies.
 
This may be pure nostalgia talking but (series quality aside) I can't see the new version of TMNT being remembered the same way as the original series. For it's time the original TMNT cartoon was beyond huge, big in a way the new series could never dream of being. Anyone who was around then surely remembers just how huge this show was. Merchandise up the wazoo, video games, all types of food tie-ins, three feature films, Halloween costumes...if you could slap the TMNT logo on something in the late 80s and early 90s it was probably available.

It doesn't seem to be that way with the new show. While I'm not denying that it's popular or that it's well made it hasn't entered into public consciousness the way the original show did.

And your right on the money there, Marn Heirogryph. Spongebob is indeed popular in a way that very well might ensure it's classic status one day. No show in the past decade or so has been as big as Spongebob, and I'm not letting my interest in the show cloud my judgement. Name me something that comes close to how big Spongebob is. Everyone is aware of it, young and old. And like the old TMNT show, if you can slap a Spongebob logo on something I'm sure it's available. Spongebob rectal thermometer anyone? It exists.

Can't see Kim Possible or Fairly Oddparents having classic status though. Avatar either. They're popular, don't get me wrong. But they're nowhere near Spongebob.
 
Toonami wasn't a show, it was a programming block consisting of constantly rotating shows. A block is only as good as the shows that were featured on it. Toonami's no more a show than Kids' WB! and Jetix were shows.
 
Spongebob, most definitely. South Park will probably be remembered well and Simpsons will still probably be airing. :p Avatar has a great potential that it hasn't acheived yet, the movies shall be the deciders on this.
 
I'm not sure about that. Will time by kind to South Park, or will it's "timely" humor succeed in dating it in a decade or two?



I can't see these live action Avatar movies doing much to make the franchise any more popular than it already is. And considering the series has ended I don't see how it could achieve any more potential than it already has.
 
South Park was a still a pretty revolutionary show, even if its some of the jokes become outdated it still will probably remembered for what it did.

The Avatar movies, if done well, could make Avatar more mainstream and bring in more fans. For example, I bet a lot of the people that saw The Dark Knight weren't even Batman fans.
 
South Park's humor might date it, but there are a lot of shows that have pretty dated humor and are remembered by the public. If anything, South Park's controversial and risk-taking nature will most likely make it a classic.
Spongebob will be remembered as a classic too, but I'm not totally sure if he'll ever reach Bugs Bunny or Mickey Mouse status. Time will tell, though.
 
I think people tend to forget this, which makes mourning the passing of the block even more puzzling. The shows still exist, don't they? They're not truly gone if you can find them on DVD or by other means.

Anyway, are there any Toonami SHOWS which will be considered classics years from now in the sense we're talking about here?
 
In his defense, there WERE those special event serials that Toonami had that, while nothing extraordinary compared to actual shows, would've probably served as a nice basis for a full blown cartoon.

Not that this makes his calling Toonami a classic valid, I just wanted to point out that it's not ENTIRELY baseless. Only largely.
 
DarthGonzo said:
I'm not sure about that. Will time by kind to South Park, or will it's "timely" humor succeed in dating it in a decade or two?quote]

Remember back in the late 90's when people called South Park off as a 'fad' that would die off soon...well it's been on for over a decade and is still a househould name. I would say it's one of the most popular animated shows ever.
Click to expand...
 
Only if networks start aiming for longterm franchises down the line I mean, we have yet to see Bugs or Mickey getting a more family friendly program. As it stands both characters are stuck in the babysitter role.

I mean picture in Nickelodeon 2033: Baby Spongebob or Spongebob Clubhouse.
 
But they were aware of Batman, I'm sure. Batman as a character is mainstream enough that everyone and his mother knows who Batman is. I'm willing to bet that unless you watch Nick and are actually a fan of the show, Avatar isn't even a blip on most people's radar. A live action Avatar movie will probably be treated the same way as some random Walden Media film by the general public. I'm sure it will go over big with the fans but will that be enough to justify two sequels?
 
I think Mav's talking 'bout the cartoon, BlackStar. and I agree. Teen Titans had such a karge fan-base; a sizable amount of material (5 seasons, 1 movie, 1 comic book spin-off...) and has recently been collected into 5 DVDS (I own two...) So yeah, I thinkpeople will remember it years from now.

'course, I'm biased:raven:

Spongebob definitly. I don't how he did it, but he did. In 2008, we've got a bunch of Looney Tunes fans dissin Spongebob. in 2016, We'll have some Spongebob fans making fun of another unknown cartoon. Circle of life.

I hope that Avatar will be remembered, but it seems somehow less likely than the other two...

Oh, and the Simpsons and Family Guy, to. Those shows will be around til' wer're all gray...
 
I still stand by my opinion that Dragon Ball is the Japanese equivalent of Superman, and it's still huge enough in Japan to have my opinion standing. It's still pretty popular in the US, too, and it's also debateably one of the key factors of what brought up the anime spike in the US.

Other than that and the DCAU, I'm not so sure.
 
Back
Top