So I've been feeling really nostalgic about cartoons lately and figured we should have ourselves a little corner to talk about the cartoons/anime we grew up with or are currently watching. You can even just flat out spill your guts about your favorites and even share obscure stuff like cartoon intros and cartoons you haven't thought about in so long.
I love cartoons, but it's something I haven't really watched like I used to in over a decade, and it's not for lack of trying either, but it's something I just feel isn't as good as it used to be anymore. With that said, my absolute favorite cartoons are by far Batman: The Animated Series, X-Men, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003). These cartoons were just lightning in a bottle, the product of a perfect storm. It was the right people at the right time and they honestly couldn't exist any other way.
While cartoons like Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry are timeless entertainment with universal appeal, I feel like the more action-oriented cartoons that attempted to take themselves a little more seriously were always kind of cheesy, even in the 80s where there was a bit of a cartoon renaissance going on with shows such as He-Man, Thundercats, G.I. Joe, Transformers, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, that pretty much only existed to sell toys.
But it wasn't until the early 90s where things started to get real good and it was in large part due to Batman: The Animated Series, which took a different approach to a cartoon series. It focused more on the quality and content of the show rather than being a giant commercial for a toy line, which is something all three of these shows have in common and is the reason they still hold up so well in 2020.
After Batman's dark reinvention in the 80s with stories like The Dark Knight Returns, The Killing Joke, and even Tim Burton's 1989 Batman film, it was the perfect time to capitalize on the franchise with an animated series and what we got, to put it simply, can only be described as a classic. Not only did the show push the boundaries of what children's syndicated television could get away with by incorporating adult themes, a lot of its stories were also very mature and never devolved into a formula. Its visual style, which isn't too dissimilar from the classic 1940s Fleischer Superman cartoons, along with its film noir and gothic undertones, gave an otherworldly timeless look to the series, which in retrospect, was a great decision as the show still looks as stellar as ever. The impact this show has had on its source material and other works is second to none, and for many, this series has come to define Batman.
X-Men on the other hand is what you get when you bring the pages of the comic books to life in animation. Even by today's standards, this show looks incredible despite its aged slower paced animation. There's so much detail crammed into each frame that you can pause the show at any moment and just appreciate the art like you would a well drawn comic book panel. Cartoons just don't look like this anymore and it's honestly such a shame. But what really made X-Men stand out, was its long form storytelling, which was different from the episodic format of Batman, with each episode starting with a recap of the necessary plot points needed in order to follow the complex ongoing story arcs adapted straight from the comics. This is as comic accurate as anything will ever get.
While the original 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon catapulted the franchise into the mainstream and was just as brand defining as the comic books that started it all, it was the popularity of shows like Batman and X-Men that ultimately led to the decline of the phenomenon as the series began to show its age throughout the 90s. The 2003 series on the other hand took a much darker approach, sticking closer to the original comics while also incorporating the fun loving pizza eating aspect of the original cartoon, and focused more on storytelling and action, but was unfortunately a bit of a sleeper hit. But despite its lack in popularity, the series continued on out of pure passion, with its creators taking note of shows like Batman and X-Men, by sticking to a long form story structure and pushing the boundaries of what can be done on children's programming, and still managed to outlast the impressive 109 episode run of the acclaimed Batman: The Animated Series.
As someone who didn't grow up with comic books, cartoons were the only exposure I had to comic book characters and stories and is what ultimately made me a fan of the genre today. But with the way cartoons have progressed in recent times, where shows aren't even allowed decent runs before they're cancelled, corners are constantly cut in animation, and are just generally so dull and lifeless, I just don't see it getting better than these 3 shows.
I love cartoons, but it's something I haven't really watched like I used to in over a decade, and it's not for lack of trying either, but it's something I just feel isn't as good as it used to be anymore. With that said, my absolute favorite cartoons are by far Batman: The Animated Series, X-Men, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003). These cartoons were just lightning in a bottle, the product of a perfect storm. It was the right people at the right time and they honestly couldn't exist any other way.
While cartoons like Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry are timeless entertainment with universal appeal, I feel like the more action-oriented cartoons that attempted to take themselves a little more seriously were always kind of cheesy, even in the 80s where there was a bit of a cartoon renaissance going on with shows such as He-Man, Thundercats, G.I. Joe, Transformers, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, that pretty much only existed to sell toys.
But it wasn't until the early 90s where things started to get real good and it was in large part due to Batman: The Animated Series, which took a different approach to a cartoon series. It focused more on the quality and content of the show rather than being a giant commercial for a toy line, which is something all three of these shows have in common and is the reason they still hold up so well in 2020.
After Batman's dark reinvention in the 80s with stories like The Dark Knight Returns, The Killing Joke, and even Tim Burton's 1989 Batman film, it was the perfect time to capitalize on the franchise with an animated series and what we got, to put it simply, can only be described as a classic. Not only did the show push the boundaries of what children's syndicated television could get away with by incorporating adult themes, a lot of its stories were also very mature and never devolved into a formula. Its visual style, which isn't too dissimilar from the classic 1940s Fleischer Superman cartoons, along with its film noir and gothic undertones, gave an otherworldly timeless look to the series, which in retrospect, was a great decision as the show still looks as stellar as ever. The impact this show has had on its source material and other works is second to none, and for many, this series has come to define Batman.
X-Men on the other hand is what you get when you bring the pages of the comic books to life in animation. Even by today's standards, this show looks incredible despite its aged slower paced animation. There's so much detail crammed into each frame that you can pause the show at any moment and just appreciate the art like you would a well drawn comic book panel. Cartoons just don't look like this anymore and it's honestly such a shame. But what really made X-Men stand out, was its long form storytelling, which was different from the episodic format of Batman, with each episode starting with a recap of the necessary plot points needed in order to follow the complex ongoing story arcs adapted straight from the comics. This is as comic accurate as anything will ever get.
While the original 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon catapulted the franchise into the mainstream and was just as brand defining as the comic books that started it all, it was the popularity of shows like Batman and X-Men that ultimately led to the decline of the phenomenon as the series began to show its age throughout the 90s. The 2003 series on the other hand took a much darker approach, sticking closer to the original comics while also incorporating the fun loving pizza eating aspect of the original cartoon, and focused more on storytelling and action, but was unfortunately a bit of a sleeper hit. But despite its lack in popularity, the series continued on out of pure passion, with its creators taking note of shows like Batman and X-Men, by sticking to a long form story structure and pushing the boundaries of what can be done on children's programming, and still managed to outlast the impressive 109 episode run of the acclaimed Batman: The Animated Series.
As someone who didn't grow up with comic books, cartoons were the only exposure I had to comic book characters and stories and is what ultimately made me a fan of the genre today. But with the way cartoons have progressed in recent times, where shows aren't even allowed decent runs before they're cancelled, corners are constantly cut in animation, and are just generally so dull and lifeless, I just don't see it getting better than these 3 shows.
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