beth.12323
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What's was your favorite decade for animation?
- Thread starter beth.12323
- Start date
My knee-jerk reaction was to say the 1990s, since it easily comes to mind. But I had to sit and think about it. What were my favorites?
90's: Gargoyles, Batman the Animated Series, Cowboy Bebop (technically I saw it in the 00's, but still), Beast Wars, ExoSquad.
Good stuff.
00's: The Spectacular Spider-Man, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Justice League (Unlimited), The Venture Bros, 2k3 TMNT (at least the first four seasons).
It was tough, since I LOVE all these shows mentioned. But, 90s had "Gargoyles" and "Batman" so, I had to vote for the 90s.
I did think about the other decades, but the only cartoon from the 80s I can still watch without feeling embarrassed is "The Real Ghostbusters"
So, yeah.
90's: Gargoyles, Batman the Animated Series, Cowboy Bebop (technically I saw it in the 00's, but still), Beast Wars, ExoSquad.
Good stuff.
00's: The Spectacular Spider-Man, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Justice League (Unlimited), The Venture Bros, 2k3 TMNT (at least the first four seasons).
It was tough, since I LOVE all these shows mentioned. But, 90s had "Gargoyles" and "Batman" so, I had to vote for the 90s.
I did think about the other decades, but the only cartoon from the 80s I can still watch without feeling embarrassed is "The Real Ghostbusters"
So, yeah.
neverlastix
New member
Is it OK if I pick 2 decades? 'Cause I'd like to vote for the 90's-00's.
It was an awakening and a renaissance from what I call "the toyetic decade", the '80's. The '80's weren't a terrible decade for cartoons, but just about every toon from that decade was a 30-minute commercial for a toy, game or movie franchise. The following 20 years saw a return to creativity and innovation from the stagnation that was the '70's and '80's. I may be in the minority, but I think that animation as a whole has been steadily improving over the past 20 years.
Honorable mention goes to the '40's through '50's, when theatrical cartoon shorts like Looney Tunes, MGM and Disney shorts and features were producing high quality stuff.
It was an awakening and a renaissance from what I call "the toyetic decade", the '80's. The '80's weren't a terrible decade for cartoons, but just about every toon from that decade was a 30-minute commercial for a toy, game or movie franchise. The following 20 years saw a return to creativity and innovation from the stagnation that was the '70's and '80's. I may be in the minority, but I think that animation as a whole has been steadily improving over the past 20 years.
Honorable mention goes to the '40's through '50's, when theatrical cartoon shorts like Looney Tunes, MGM and Disney shorts and features were producing high quality stuff.
SpanishGirl
New member
TSSM>TAS ('00)
BTAS+BB>TB ('90)
JL(U)>STAS ('00)
Simpsons>Futurama ('90)
Avatar>Gargoyles ('00)
Nickelodeon'90>>>>>>Nickelodeon'00 ('90)
Nickelodeon settles it. '90s win.
BTAS+BB>TB ('90)
JL(U)>STAS ('00)
Simpsons>Futurama ('90)
Avatar>Gargoyles ('00)
Nickelodeon'90>>>>>>Nickelodeon'00 ('90)
Nickelodeon settles it. '90s win.
aurorasreddawn
New member
The 90s! Batman:TAS, and a large array of great Marvel animated series such as X-Men and Spider-Man. Along came Batman Beyond, TOY STORY!, The Disney renaissance. So much good came from the 90s from beginning to end. In my opinion the 2000s were only good for the first five to six years.
I have to say the '90s because most of the shows were great. Even the toons that weren't perfect I have fond memories of. You've got Animaniacs, Tiny Toon Adventures, Batman: TAS, X-Men: TAS, Spider-Man: TAS, The Tick, Gargoyles, Ren and Stimpy, Rugrats, Rocko's Modern Life, Hey Arnold, SpongeBob, Dexter's Lab, Johnny Bravo, Powerpuff Girls, Ed, Edd, n Eddy, and Courage the Cowardly Dog. I like cartoons from all decades, and it might be the nostalgia talking, but the '90s produced some of the greatest toons ever imo.
Do you mean TV animation or animation in general?
If animation in general I'd say 1950s. There were some really good Warner Bros. cartoons, Walter Lantz did some fine films, and even Terrytoons improved once Terry left and Gene Deitch took over.
Once Paramount sold all rights to Casper, Little Audrey, etc., I think they improved, too (even though this didn't really take effect until the '60s). Because they no longer had recognizable characters they were forced to experiment and try new characters; none of them took off but this led to a string of interesting films, some even great. Irv Spector in particular came up with some really dark cartoons. Such WTF cartoons like "Chew Chew Baby", for example.
When it comes to TV animation, though, I guess I like the '90s the best. The creator-driven cartoons were in full effect and we had shows like "Rocko", "Ren & Stimpy", "Dexter's Lab", and of course "The Simpsons" were at its peak then.
If animation in general I'd say 1950s. There were some really good Warner Bros. cartoons, Walter Lantz did some fine films, and even Terrytoons improved once Terry left and Gene Deitch took over.
Once Paramount sold all rights to Casper, Little Audrey, etc., I think they improved, too (even though this didn't really take effect until the '60s). Because they no longer had recognizable characters they were forced to experiment and try new characters; none of them took off but this led to a string of interesting films, some even great. Irv Spector in particular came up with some really dark cartoons. Such WTF cartoons like "Chew Chew Baby", for example.
When it comes to TV animation, though, I guess I like the '90s the best. The creator-driven cartoons were in full effect and we had shows like "Rocko", "Ren & Stimpy", "Dexter's Lab", and of course "The Simpsons" were at its peak then.
fillojeta a
New member
I think I like the '90's and 2000's best. 2000 was when I really got into CN but a lot of the shows I was watching were from the '90's (Dexter's Lab, Cow & Chicken, ect.).
90s
It was the epitome of cartoon excellence before the days of the star wars prequel fiasco which to me signaled a decline in all forms of entertainment as they became too fixated on fx wizardry rather than intelligently crafted stories :crying:... I remember it all well. I'd come home from school and sit back and watch me some animated brilliance whether it be the plethora of WB shows from batman to tiny toons, but also the undeniable fact that nickelodeon cartoon network were in their prime back then. Rocko's modern life, hey arnold, angry beavers, real adventures of johnny quest, even the little cheap ass cartoons were cool like double dragon, mummies alive, megaman 90s ownt.
Back then *god I feel old now* we didn't have this fancy thing called the internet, at least not as it is now. Dialup was it. I READ BOOKS BACK THEN for goodness sake...:sweat:
But yeah things were different. I can just download every episode of spidey or whatever right now but back then It was like a special event to catch an episode of spidey or xmen. And of course I prefer them to the cheesy old 80s stuff with the psa messages at the end. 90s toons seemed to be attempting to be anti-80s, more mature and sophisticated stories wrapped in a silly cartoon exterior, while 00 toons seemed to be trying to re-capture the brilliance of the best of the 90s but the only one I think really came close was Avatar the last airbender. I don't count the continuation of the DCAU since it began in the 90s and in a lot of ways retained the same quality and style of those shows. Now every show has to be like some dumb gimmicky cgi thing. Like ugh... I can't stand watching these new shows. They have no soul. Or anime which we all know invaded saturday mornings and wiped out any chance of it returning to its former epic levels of genius.
It was the epitome of cartoon excellence before the days of the star wars prequel fiasco which to me signaled a decline in all forms of entertainment as they became too fixated on fx wizardry rather than intelligently crafted stories :crying:... I remember it all well. I'd come home from school and sit back and watch me some animated brilliance whether it be the plethora of WB shows from batman to tiny toons, but also the undeniable fact that nickelodeon cartoon network were in their prime back then. Rocko's modern life, hey arnold, angry beavers, real adventures of johnny quest, even the little cheap ass cartoons were cool like double dragon, mummies alive, megaman 90s ownt.
Back then *god I feel old now* we didn't have this fancy thing called the internet, at least not as it is now. Dialup was it. I READ BOOKS BACK THEN for goodness sake...:sweat:
But yeah things were different. I can just download every episode of spidey or whatever right now but back then It was like a special event to catch an episode of spidey or xmen. And of course I prefer them to the cheesy old 80s stuff with the psa messages at the end. 90s toons seemed to be attempting to be anti-80s, more mature and sophisticated stories wrapped in a silly cartoon exterior, while 00 toons seemed to be trying to re-capture the brilliance of the best of the 90s but the only one I think really came close was Avatar the last airbender. I don't count the continuation of the DCAU since it began in the 90s and in a lot of ways retained the same quality and style of those shows. Now every show has to be like some dumb gimmicky cgi thing. Like ugh... I can't stand watching these new shows. They have no soul. Or anime which we all know invaded saturday mornings and wiped out any chance of it returning to its former epic levels of genius.
Eh, I can't really choose, you instead I'll pick my own TV animation perks and flaws for the 80's through the 00's.
The 80s...well, the action cartoons may have had some cool designs, but censorship at the time ensured they often couldn't do a whole lot. Instead, I liked the adventure toons from the era, such as Care Bears, the Gummi Bears, Ducktales, etc. The only real action toon I thought delivered was The Real Ghostbusters, which I found still holds up well today. I also liked the general aestetic to the era, even if many modern series improved on the designs that were introduced then.
I loved the early 90s, with the Disney Afternoon, WB's output and my newfound love of The Dreamstone, but grew disinterested with the stuff that came out later in the decade, so I can't comment much.
The 00's have certainly been a diverse era. Arguably, we now have some of the most sophisticated wrighting and less censorous action this decade than before. But I do kinda miss the straight-up adventure cartoon genre, as it now has elements of action.
The 80s...well, the action cartoons may have had some cool designs, but censorship at the time ensured they often couldn't do a whole lot. Instead, I liked the adventure toons from the era, such as Care Bears, the Gummi Bears, Ducktales, etc. The only real action toon I thought delivered was The Real Ghostbusters, which I found still holds up well today. I also liked the general aestetic to the era, even if many modern series improved on the designs that were introduced then.
I loved the early 90s, with the Disney Afternoon, WB's output and my newfound love of The Dreamstone, but grew disinterested with the stuff that came out later in the decade, so I can't comment much.
The 00's have certainly been a diverse era. Arguably, we now have some of the most sophisticated wrighting and less censorous action this decade than before. But I do kinda miss the straight-up adventure cartoon genre, as it now has elements of action.
Clearly the 1970's, because that was the decade where Saturday morning television was filled with a number of TV's longest-running animated programs such as Scooby-Doo, The Superfriends, Fat Albert & the Cosby Kids, The Pink Panther, The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Show, Rocky & Bullwinkle, Underdog, Tarzan Lord of the Jungle, The Archies and others I can't name at this time. The 1980's does get an honorable mention, because at that time, TV had its share of long-running animated programs, but the 70's had a great deal of them.
Girl Is Lost
New member
Oddly enough, The Clone Wars for some reason feels a lot like an 80s action toon to me for some reason, only with the bonus that there's actual action.
Boy I really botched up that title there, didn't I. After 20 some votes, there's a lot of love for the 90's cartoons. I definitely don't disagree. I almost voted for the 90's over the 2000's. There was The Simpsons, Tiny Toons, the original TMNT, Batman:TAS/TNBA, Superman:TAS, and Beast Wars. Daria, and Batman:Beyond started off in the 90's and continued into the beginning of the 2000's. Definitely an oustanding decade for animation.
I can't decide between the 90's or 2000's, as I think that both decades had some very good cartoons.
The 90's had Beast Wars, Superman: The Animated Series, X-Men: The Animated Series, Magic Knight Rayearth, Wedding Peach*, and The Powerpuff Girls.
The 2000's had the 2003 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series, Transformers Animated, Oban Star Racers, Teen Titans, Justice League/Justice League Unlimited, The Spectacular Spider-Man, the 2004 Tetsujin 28 series, and Invader Zim.
*- This show aired in Japan in the 90's, but didn't come to America until this decade.
The 90's had Beast Wars, Superman: The Animated Series, X-Men: The Animated Series, Magic Knight Rayearth, Wedding Peach*, and The Powerpuff Girls.
The 2000's had the 2003 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series, Transformers Animated, Oban Star Racers, Teen Titans, Justice League/Justice League Unlimited, The Spectacular Spider-Man, the 2004 Tetsujin 28 series, and Invader Zim.
*- This show aired in Japan in the 90's, but didn't come to America until this decade.
That's an interesting perspective.
But the thing is, I grew up during the 70's, and while it's a part of my childhood that I'll always treasure, the cartoons from that decade could never be my favorites, not by a long shot.
There were a lot of them, sure, but how many of them have withstood the test of time? With some notable exceptions like the Peanuts specials, the 70's cartoons were infamous for their cookie cutter artwork and recycled animation, premises and plots.
I personally don't think that the Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Show counts as a 70's cartoon, because all of those WB Saturday morning shows were just compilations of the theatrical shorts from decades earlier. Same deal with Rocky & Bullwinkle and Underdog; they were just recycled syndicated packages of shows from earlier decades. I'd count The Pink Panther, since PP has had some new shows with original shorts made during that decade.
Quantity is not synonymous with quality, at least not in my mind. I'd rather have a small selection of really good cartoons to choose from than acres and acres of mediocre ones, but that's just me.
But the thing is, I grew up during the 70's, and while it's a part of my childhood that I'll always treasure, the cartoons from that decade could never be my favorites, not by a long shot.
There were a lot of them, sure, but how many of them have withstood the test of time? With some notable exceptions like the Peanuts specials, the 70's cartoons were infamous for their cookie cutter artwork and recycled animation, premises and plots.
I personally don't think that the Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Show counts as a 70's cartoon, because all of those WB Saturday morning shows were just compilations of the theatrical shorts from decades earlier. Same deal with Rocky & Bullwinkle and Underdog; they were just recycled syndicated packages of shows from earlier decades. I'd count The Pink Panther, since PP has had some new shows with original shorts made during that decade.
Quantity is not synonymous with quality, at least not in my mind. I'd rather have a small selection of really good cartoons to choose from than acres and acres of mediocre ones, but that's just me.