Do you feel sad that most of the cartoons we watched as kids from the 80's, 90's and 2000's have not aged well at all?

[CNNickFan]

No? What do you mean by "aged well," time moves on, and people's general opinions progress over time. That shouldn't tamper with one's enjoyment of a show that was produced at a different cultural time.

 

[Red Arrow]

Hmm, well, I was 16 when "Batman The Animated Series" premiered.

Stuff like "Transformers" and "Thundercats" defined my childhood. "Batman" defined my high school years. Reruns of Gargoyles and Toonami defined my college years, but I digress.

Anyway, 90's Batman never looked like it "aged poorly" to me. It just doesn't. On the other hand, Animaniacs (from the same time period) does strike me as having aged poorly. Bill Clinton jokes are just outdated. Don't get me wrong, I still find it funny and enjoy nostalgia watching it. But it IS dated (to me, anyway).

I am currently watching Batman Beyond and I feel like that cartoon has somehow aged more than Batman: TAS. The outdated technology and music really don't work in a futuristic setting. With Batman: TAS, I can imagine it taking place in the past.

What bugs me the most about 90s/00s WB cartoons is how "cold" they are. Batman, Superman, Animaniacs, Pinky & the Brain, Justice League etc. They ALL feel incredibly cold and emotionless compared to modern cartoons (Steven Universe, Clarence, Amphibia...) but also compared to 90s Nickelodeon and CN.

I find Batman: TAS the best 90s WB cartoon because of its terrific music and style. The coldness just works for that cartoon. For Superman: TAS and Animaniacs, the coldness bothers me.

 

[The Overlord]

Most 80s animated series aged poorly because they were giant toy commercials and sometimes overly censored to the point that villains could not be menacing, it's why most reboots of 80s cartons tend to be better than the original.

I think by the 90s and definitely by the 2000s, the creators were allowed to have bigger budgets, the censorship was lessened and were allowed to tell stories beyond selling toys.

 

[Silverstar]

Most 80s animated series aged poorly because they were giant toy commercials and sometimes overly censored to the point that villains could not be menacing, it's why most reboots of 80s cartons tend to be better than the original.

I think by the 90s and definitely by the 2000s, the creators were allowed to have bigger budgets, the censorship was lessened and were allowed to tell stories beyond selling toys.

I like to think of the 90's-00's cartoon explosion as the TV equivalent of the punk and grunge explosion in popular music. Throughout much of the 80's, pop and rock music became very samey, synthetic and corporate; the grunge and alternative movement changed all that and woke the public up because it was so different. 90's through 00's cartoons were the same way. For the first time in years, creators were saying "We're not trying to make a toy, we're trying to make a cartoon." If a cartoon proved popular enough to spawn toys and merch, then that was great, but it wasn't the primary intent.

 

[The Overlord]

I like to think of the 90's-00's cartoon explosion as the TV equivalent of the punk and grunge explosion in popular music. Throughout much of the 80's, pop and rock music became very samey, synthetic and corporate; the grunge and alternative movement changed all that and woke the public up because it was so different. 90's through 00's cartoons were the same way. For the first time in years, creators were saying "We're not trying to make a toy, we're trying to make a cartoon."

I actually think 1992 was a big turning point for action animation. Batman TAS and X-Men TAS were game changers in terms of how stories were written.

If those shows came out in the 80s Magneto and Mr. Freeze would have been evil but incompetent, the Sentinels would be Magneto's minions rather than tools of the government and Joker wouldn't have been allowed to endanger anyone, let alone try to kill people.

Those two shows built conventions for action shows throughout the 90s and beyond.

 

[Mejo]

I guess i'll join the chorus by saying this: ALL cartoons have parts that aged poorly, regardless of the era. Time is constantly changing, and cultures and individual tastes constantly do too. For instance, think about how some of the cartoons made today will look like in 20 years (Our Cartoon President and PPG 2016 anyone?) With this, you have 2 options: You can either A. Say that since these cartoons have parts that aged poorly, they therefore, should be condemned and criticized for how dated they are or B. Say that even though these cartoons have parts that have aged poorly, people should still enjoy most of them as either relics of their time or good in spite of the parts that aged poorly.

 

[khuddle]

Justice League: TAS is as far back as I will go (ie. a part of my permanent DVD / BR collection). Look, I realize Batman: TAS,"Mask of the Phantasm", etc were shows/movies with great writing, Paul Dini's a genius, and so on, but to me, the animation and artwork has aged so badly that the shows are unwatchable. It would like be asking me to go back and "enjoy" Castle Wolfenstein, Lode Runner and Wizardry on my old Apple 2E after I've played Uncharted 4 on my PS4.

 

[CyberCubed]

Animation wise I don't think they aged poorly at all. I much prefer cartoons that were mostly hand drawn with cels over modern computer animation.

B:TAS looks better than 90% of cartoons on the air today.