The creator driven era is dead for TV animation according to Cartoonbrew

I don't think it's really fair to say that only creator-driven cartoons are dying(especially just because of one network, which isn't even seen in that many homes right now), because in reality all cartoons in general have been dying off, until very recently with some of the new material that has been coming out, like Adventure Time and Regular Show. There just isn't the focus for animation in general like there was in the 90's.

And besides, even if animation does revert back to the way it was in the 70's and 80's, chances are a new generation of animators will eventually emerge and a new generation of creator-driven cartoons will exist. It's happened once, and I don't think even corporate America can stop it; all it would need is one series to become a hit to spark the fire.
 
Creator driven cartooning is alive and well at all the major kid's networks. Fish Hooks, T.U.F.F. Puppy, Planet Sheen (a spin-off but it's still creator driven), Adventure Time, Sym-Bionic Titan, Generator Rex, Regular Show and soon Robotomy. The Hub even has some creator driven content. People give Johnny Test a lot of flack but you know what? It's a creator driven series too.

I can't help but call back to Amid's quick dismissal of Regular Show based on the promos alone but why should anyone take that guy seriously anyway? He worked on Ren and Stimpy Adult Party Cartoon for pete sake.
 
The heck is this guy talking about? There are still plenty of creator-driven animated shows: Johnny Test, L.O.S.E., Regular Show, Adventure Time, Robotomy, Sym-Bionic Titan, Generator Rex, T.U.F.F. Puppy, Planet Sheen (yeah, it's a spinoff but it's based on a creator-driven show), The Venture Brothers, Phineas and Ferb, and until recently The Secret Saturdays, Chowder and The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack.

And yes, there are a lot of toy and product-based cartoons out there, but you know what? If those cartoons are good like Batman: The Brave and the Bold and My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, then it doesn't matter. As long as there are kids, there will be toys, and as long as they are toys, there are going to be toy-based cartoons. Get over it, guy.
 
Wait a minute, is "creator-driven" the exact same thing as ANY cartoon based on an original premise and characters? I thought it referred specifically to those with a distinct stylistic identity regardless of whether or not it's an original IP... in other words, they don't follow the "cartoon-by-committee" path that results in generic mediocrity. That's what the CN original of the mid-2000's were criticized for... well, that or they were glorified marketing vehicles for celebrities (Puffy and Andre 3000).

In some cases, a show can actually be toyetic AND creator-driven at the same time. The Secret Saturdays was greenlit solely because CN wanted a new cashcow franchise to go with Ben 10, yet it's creator (an unashamed cryptozoology and horror aficionado) was extremely passionate and dedicated to making it a great show -- he even succeeded in keeping the show's original title after execs wanted to change it to something kid-friendly like "The Secret Adventures of Zak Saturday".

Then there's the new My Little Pony toon which is at the heart of Cartoon Brew's rant. Yes, there is no doubt that it exists solely to market the flagship property it's based on. But The Hub could've picked any artists/writers and placed them under strings; instead, they sought out acclaimed veterans like Lauren Faust and Rob Renzetti... and judging by the first episode, they're free to put their talents to use and make it the best show possible.

Lauren is extremely passionate about having more girl-centric animation, and while she still hasn't managed to bring her Galaxy Girls concept to TV, at least she's been given the creative freedom to make an entertaining girls' cartoon based on an iconic property. Perhaps The Hub thought MLP would sell better if the show promoting it was actually good.
 
Two stupid enraging articles on cartoonbrew in a row. :shrug:

I'm close to stop reading it whatsoever, which is sad, cause where i'm gonna read about new cool cartoons then? :sweat:
 
Yay, we haven't had a Cartoon Brew roasting in quite some time.

...Wait, he actually makes a good point. He's clearly exaggerating (and wrong) about creator-driven shows being completely phased out, but the end point about modern artists turning to the internet and other platforms as an outlet for the more creative side of them has practically become true over the last few years. I point to Joe Murray who is hosting his latest work online when it was only as recent as 2005 where he was behind one of Cartoon Network's show's. Though I have to be honest and admit I don't even know if he tried pitching that concept to any networks or if he chose to take it to the internet out of personal choice.

I think this guy from the comments put it best:
 
All this drama because of the Hub? because of ONE channel? jeez. Y'know toy-centric cartoons have existed since the 80's. The return of toy centered cartoons is by no means a death knell for creator driven cartoons. We've seen plenty of original property this past year and some are planned for next year aswell.
 
I don't see why being based on a pre-existing concept (namely toys) needs to be a problem. A good writer can make nearly anything interesting (and to be honest, a lot of toylines actually do have interesting concepts behind them).

The most important thing is that once the ground rules are laid down (what characters you should use, what locations, etc., based on the needs of the toyline), the execs need to back off.
 
Also, speaking has someone who does indeed like creator driven shows...I think it's kind of overlooking the issue that they tend to be rather samey. I love Adventure Time, I love Regular Show, I love Chowder and Flapjack. But "creator driven" shows crib so much from one another that in the end, it doesn't really matter if it was meant to sell a toy or not.
 
While there are still creator-driven cartoons, this may be the end of the networks actively searching for new creators. Nick tried looking for new talent a few years back with the new season of Oh Yeah Cartoons yet did nothing with it, and now all their upcoming cartoons are either Dreamworks movie adaptations or works of creators they've been working with for over a decade. It's a miracle Adventure Time escaped from them to CN, who've been better about creator-driven cartoons than Nick but they still canceled their Cartoonstitute talent search and most of their current creator-driven cartoons are all from the same group of inhouse staff. This also seems to be a lesser but still noted problem in theatrical animation as well, with Pixar becoming rather insular and the drought of anime auteurs with a dead Satoshi Kon and an aging Miyazaki. Seeing as the internet was responsible for Adventure Time getting anywhere at all, then it actually just fits in with Amid's thesis that the internet is the new frontier for new voices in animation.
 
Are there really that many toy-based shows on the hub? Theres only a handful of toy-based cartoons currently running on there. Heck, one is based off a comic book thats only available in England (Dennis and Gnasher).
 
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